The fine print
Rules ®ulations
These govern every Allegretto USA entry. Section-specific rules — time limits, prescribed pieces and repertoire lists — are published with the syllabus in January 2027.
01Eligibility & age divisions
- Your age division is determined by your age on the first day of the season (January 1, 2027).
- Entrants may compete in more than one age division only where a group entry requires it.
- There is no minimum standard or qualification required to enter any section.
02Repertoire & own choice
- Own-choice pieces must be within the time limit published for that section in the syllabus.
- Prescribed pieces, where listed, must be performed exactly as published.
- The same piece may not be performed in more than one section in the same season.
- Entrants must hold or obtain any performance rights required for their chosen work.
03Online entries
- Recordings must be unedited, single-take, and filmed within three months of submission.
- The performer must be visible and audible throughout; no post-production audio enhancement.
- Accompaniment may be live or pre-recorded backing track.
- Visual Arts is entered as a photograph or scan of the finished work — straight on, evenly lit, with no filters, cropping or retouching.
- Everything uploaded is private: it is never listed publicly and is viewed only by the adjudicator, through a signed link that expires.
04Adjudication
- The adjudicator's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
- Awards are given on merit, not ranking — multiple entrants may receive the same award.
- Written adjudications are released to the entrant or their parent or guardian only.
05Entries, fees & withdrawals
- Entry fees are payable per section and are non-refundable once entries close.
- Withdrawals before the closing date receive a full refund less a processing fee.
- Incomplete entries are not adjudicated until all details and fees are received.
06Safeguarding & consent
- A parent or guardian must be contactable for every entrant under 18, and enters on their behalf.
- For an entrant under 13, verifiable parental consent is required before any recording is collected. The paid entry fee is what makes that consent verifiable, so no upload link is issued until the fee is paid.
- A parent or guardian may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal stops further use of the entry and triggers deletion of the recording.
- Submitted recordings are never published or shared, and are viewable only by the adjudicator.
- Recordings are deleted twelve months after submission. The full terms are in our privacy notice.
- Allegretto reserves the right to withdraw any entrant for unsporting or unsafe conduct.
07Adjudication Charter
Every Allegretto entry, in every country, is marked against this charter. It is the same scale used across all thirteen South African sections — so a Gold here means what a Gold means there.
| Mark | Grade | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 95–100% | A+++ | Prestige |
| 90–94% | A++ | Double Gold |
| 85–89% | A+ | Gold plus 1 |
| 80–84% | A | Gold |
| 79% | A- | Silver |
| 77–78% | B++ | Double Silver |
| 75–76% | B+ | Silver plus 1 |
| 70–74% | B | Silver |
| 60–69% | B- | Silver |
Awards are given on merit, not on ranking — every entrant who reaches a band receives that award, however many others also reach it.
Questions about a rule?
If anything here is unclear for your situation, ask before you enter — we would much rather answer a question early than disqualify an entry later.
Contact the USA team