Prize Winners of the 2026 Bach Competition

Awards

1st Prize:  20.000 €: Miha Zhu / 29 years / Germany / Violin
2nd Prize: 10.000 €: Céleste Klingelschmitt / 23 years / France / Baroque violin
3rd Prize:    5.000 €: Cosima Soulez-Larivière / 29 years / Netherlands / Violin

Special Prizes

> Wagler Leipzig GmbH: custom made stage outfit for one of the finalists in the amount of 2,500 € for the winner of the 1st prize: Miha Zhu / 29 years / Germany / Violin
> Christa Bach-Marschall Foundation: Scholarship for one of the participants in the amount of 1,000 € for participation in a master class: Moë Dierstein / 20 years / Germany
> Audience Award, donated by the Vereinigung der Freunde des Bach-Archivs e.V.: 2.000 € for one of the finalists: Miha Zhu / 29 years / Germany / Violin
> Bärenreiter Urtext-Preis: Voucher for urtext edition from Bärenreiter Edition in the amount of 500 € for one of the finalists: Miha Zhu / 29 years / Germany / Violin

Concert engagements

> One prizewinner will perform a concert in the Mendelssohn Hall of the Gewandhaus on 14 June 2026 during the 2026 Bachfest Leipzig.
> One prizewinner will perform a concert in the series »Excellent« during the 2026 Bachfest Leipzig.
> One prizewinner will perform a concert in the series »Im Zeichen Bach’s« in Brunico / Italy.

Instrument loans

The Christa Bach Marschall Foundation will loan out two instruments to participants, one a modern violin and one a violin built following a historical model.
> Modern violin: Phoebe Rousochatzaki / 26 years / Greece
> Baroque violin: Céleste Klingelschmitt / 23 years / France