INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

The 33rd International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Children and Youth in Szafarnia has come to an end. The results were announced on 31 May during an open-air winners’ concert held in front of the Chopin Centre. Young pianists from Poland triumphed in two of the competition’s three age categories.

– The small village of Szafarnia, near Golub-Dobrzyń, has been a breeding ground for piano talent for more than three decades. For many young pianists, participation in the Chopin competition for children and youth is also the first step towards performing on international stages. This is made possible, among other things, by the special prizes awarded by the jury – says Piotr Całbecki, Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.

The competition took place from 28 to 30 May and featured 51 participants divided into three age groups. The jury awarded the following prizes:

Group I

First Prize: Ryan Jiang (Canada)
Second Prize: Oleksandr Kostyshyn (Ukraine)
Third Prize: Alex Gardar Paulsson (Iceland)
Fourth Prize: Teodor Dobrowolski (Poland)
Fifth Prize: Jinang Lyu (China)
Sixth Prize: Olivia Yuxin Li (United States)

Group II

First Prize: Szymon Gośliński (Poland)
Second Prize: Guillaume Benoliel (France)
Third Prize: Weitong Geng (Canada)

Group III

First Prize: Oliver Hak (Poland)
Second Prize: Igor Świątek (Poland)
Third Prize: Bingling Ke (China)

The full results are available on the website of the Chopin Centre in Szafarnia.

This year’s competition brought together 51 young pianists aged up to 16, representing 19 countries across four continents. The participants came from Australia, Belgium, Belarus, China, the Czech Republic, France, Hong Kong, Iceland, Japan, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy.

They were assessed by an international jury composed of:

• Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń (Chair of the Jury, Academy of Music in Poznań)
• Beata Bilińska (Academy of Music in Katowice)
• Paweł Wakarecy (Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz)
• Xin Wang (China, Artistic Director of the Euregio Piano Award Competition)
• Ingolf Wunder (Austria/Switzerland, The Art of the Piano)

The event was inaugurated on 27 May with a concert by Italian pianist Leonardo Colafelice at St Catherine’s Church in Golub-Dobrzyń.

See also: Young Pianists Perform in Szafarnia

The competition, which for three decades has attracted music lovers from around the world, is traditionally held in the place where Fryderyk Chopin spent two summer holidays during his youth. The event receives financial support from the regional self-government.

The Chopin Centre in Szafarnia is a cultural institution of the regional self-government of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.

Chopin Centre in Szafarnia
Press Office of the Marshal’s Office

1 June 2026