David D. Dubois Piano Festival and Competition
The 16th Annual David D. Dubois
Piano Festival and Competition:
January 30 - February 1, 2026
Greg Anderson
Guest Artist
Pianist, composer, curator and filmmaker
Member of the Anderson and Roe Piano Duo
https://www.gregandersonpiano.com/
2025 Winners:
1st Prize ($3,000) – Jerry Chang (St. Louis, MO)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Evan Dan (Solon, OH)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Dongjoo Shin (Frisco, TX)
Honorable Mention – Melanie Klapper (Columbus, OH)
2024 Winners:
1st Prize ($3,000) – Ryan Lu (Englewood Cliffs, NJ)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Ella Kim (Herndon, VA)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Jarmin Weng (Vaughan, Ontario, Canada)
Honorable Mention – Erik Jacoby (New Albany, OH) and Benjamin Luo (Apex, NC)
Finalists:
Zack Lam, Josephine Yoo
Finals Judges:
Vicky Chow
Peter Takacs
Gilles Vonsattel
2023 Winners:
1st Prize ($3,000) – Aurora Wang (Shoreview, MN) – Student of Alexandre Braginsky
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Cory Wu (Powell, OH) – Student of Kathleen Sadoff/Nina Polonsky
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Erik Jacoby (New Albany, OH) – Student of Kathleen Sadoff/Nina Polonsky
Honorable Mention – Sophia Lin (Falls Church, VA) – Student of Marjorie Lee
Finalists:
Levi Li – (Student of Nina Polonsky) – Powell, OH
Jean Yu (Student of Logan Skelton) – Rochester Hills, MI
Katia Jacoby (Student of Kathleen Sadoff/Nina Polonsky) – New Albany, OH
Finals Judges:
Julia Siciliano – Chicago, IL
Yu-Lien The – Western Michigan University
Anton Nel – University of Texas at Austin, Butler School of Music
2022 Winners:
1st Prize ($3,000) – Sophia Kim (Juilliard Prep, Wayne, NJ)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Noah Kim (Chicago, IL)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Munan Cheng (San Jose, CA)
Honorable Mention – Gabriella Wei (Westlake, OH)
Judges included Robert Shannon (Oberlin), Haewon Song (Oberlin), Frank Huang (Miami U), Matthew Hill (Goshen), Tian Tian (Oakland U), and Robert McDonald (Juilliard/Curtis).
All photos credit of David Dupont / BG Independent News
2021 WINNERS:
1st Prize ($3,000) – Shiv Yajnik (Dallas, TX)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Katherine Liu (Wellesley Hills, MA)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Natalie Chow (Livingston, NJ)
Winner's Concert- https://youtu.be/uVlyCdiIsIA
2021 Dubois Piano Festival & Competition Winners
2020 Winners
1st Prize ($3,000) – Kasey Shao (Cincinnati, OH)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Alena Lu (Potomac, MD)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Tan Nguyen (Leesburg, VA) & Abhijit Devalapura (Columbus, OH)
Honorable Mention – Maxine Park (Hanover, NH)
2019 Winners
1st Prize ($3,000) – Natasha Wu (Yongkang District, Tainan, Taiwan)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Colin Choi (Northbrook, IL)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Kasey Shao (Cincinnati, OH)
2018 Winners
1st Prize ($3,000) – Raymond Feng
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Isabelle Lian (Novi, MI)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Angelina Ning
2017 Winners
1st Prize ($3,000) – Chi Zhang
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Roger Shen
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Isabelle Lian (Novi, MI)
2016 Winners
1st Prize ($3,000) – Eric Lin (Falls Church, VA)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Heather Gu (Troy, MI)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Shuheng Zhang (Canton, MI)
Honorable Mention – Henry Tang (Brooklyn, NY)
2015 Winners
1st Prize ($3,000) – Charlie Liu (Princeton, NJ)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Kevin Takeda (Indian Wells, CA)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Adrian Liao (San Diego, CA)
2014 Winners
1st Prize ($3,000) – Evelyn Mo (Alexandria, VA)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Matthew Figel
3rd Prize ($1,000) – David Geng
Honorable Mention – Sasha Bult-Ito (Interlochen Arts Academy/ Fairbanks, AK)
2013 Winners
1st Prize ($3,000) – Patrick Pan (Houston, TX)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Evelyn Mo (Alexandria, VA)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Trenton Takaki (Winnetka, IL) & Ariela Bohrod (Interlochen Arts Academy/WI)
2012 Winners
1st Prize ($3,000) – Phoebe Pan (Irvine, CA)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Vanessa Haynes (Boston, MA)
2011 Winners
1st Prize ($3,000) – Arianna Korting (CIM Prep/Gates Mills, OH)
2nd Prize ($2,000) – Brook Zhang (Gahanna, OH)
3rd Prize ($1,000) – Naomi Causby (Columbia, SC) & Danni Feng (LaSalle, Ontario, Canada)
Eligibility
Classically-trained pianists in grades 8-12 (age 18 or under at the time of the competition)
Prizes
- 1st Prize: $3,000
- 2nd Prize: $2,000
- 3rd Prize: $1,000
Additional scholarships may be awarded to seniors successfully completing the application process for undergraduate study in BGSU’s piano program. Judges’ decisions on all prizes and scholarships are final.
Scholarships to BGSU Summer Music Institute (Piano Camp) are also available to all competitors.
Application
- The application process and fee are done in one form.
- Fill out the application form and submit by TBD
- Once finished filling in the information, be sure to go to check out by clicking "Add to Cart" at the end of the application page.
- Click "Check Out" and add payment form to pay for the $25 application fee.
You must also email the following to meltonL@bgsu.edu by TBD:
- Proof of date of birth (driver's license, passport, birth certificate, etc.)
- Photo (high-resolution jpg)
- Bio (100-150 words in paragraph form)
- A link to a pre-screening video recording of one piece from competition repertoire. Video may be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo.
- Release Form
Repertoire Requirements
Repertoire should include selections from at least three of the following style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary. One movement from a Classical sonata must be included. All works must be memorized with the exception of those written after 1945. Students should aim for a program 20-30 minutes in length.
Lessons with BGSU Piano Faculty are available via Zoom between TBD or in-person at BGSU on TBD. Indicate on your application if you would like a lesson.
Notification
TBD – Notification of semi-finalists via email
Contact
If you have any questions about the application or repertoire requirements, please contact Dr. Laura Melton at meltonL@bgsu.edu.
Dr. David D Dubois, an internationally-recognized consultant, author and speaker had a love of music and a special passion for piano and organ performance. In 2008, after reviewing proposals from major music schools from around the nation, the David D. Dubois Trust established the David D. Dubois Piano Competition at Bowling Green State University to enhance the piano program in the College of Musical Arts.
The David D. Dubois Piano Competition supports student pianists at several levels. It provides a number of scholarship opportunities for high school students to attend BGSU, it encourages undergraduate piano students to develop innovative programming ideas for outreach projects and it supports current piano students to participate in music festivals around the world.
In his memory, the College of Musical Arts celebrates the life of Dr. David D. Dubois and his passion for music and gratefully acknowledges the David D. Dubois Foundation for making this exciting program possible.
David D. Dubois Piano Competition and Festival 2026 Schedule
Schedule Will be Announced
COVID-19 Protocols
Covid-19 Protocols: BGSU will follow guidance from the Wood County Health Department. Individuals may choose to wear face coverings at any time.
Updated: 03/11/2025 01:38PM