Addressed to male, female, mixed, youth and children choirs, the competition will take place in Fiuggi, a small one-hour east-southeast of Rome. The competition comprehends categories with and without compulsory piece, and a repertoire of only sacred a-cappella music must be presented which must include at least one piece of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, one piece from the 19th century and one contemporary piece composed after 1920.

There are two classes of entry: A (with set work) and B (without set work), which depend on the degree of difficulty. A higher artistic level is demanded in class A. Choirs may enter for either Class A or Class B at their discretion, subject to approval by the jury.

Each class (A and B) is subdivided into three categories: mixed choirs, women's choirs and men's choirs. All choirs can sing in more than one category only if their number of singers and musical programme are radically changed.

No instrumental accompaniment of any kind is permitted. Each performance must last for a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 20 minutes. This does not refer to each work but to the whole performance from the beginning of the first to the end of the last work.

Msgr. Pablo Colino, Choir Master of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, is the Artistic Director of the competition. The Artistic Direction shall decide on admissions to the competition. Once the musical program to be performed at the competition has been submitted and approved by the Artistic Direction, it cannot be changed.

The choir obtaining the highest points in each category will be awarded with the first prize, which consists on € 750 for the Class A winners and € 500 for the Class B winners. The choirs classified first, second and third will receive gold, silver and bronze medals. Every choir will also be given an attendance diploma.

These prizes will only be awarded if a minimum of three choirs enters in the category. If there are fewer entrants, the prizes may be reduced. At the discretion of the jury, prizes may be divided or distributed to more than one choir.

In the case of a particularly outstanding interpretation of the Palestrina work, the Palestrina prize of € 500 may also be awarded, together with the Diploma '2004 International Palestrina Choir'.

The International Sacred Music Choir Competition 'Giovanni Pierluigi Da Palestrina' is promoted by the Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra; Via Paolo VI, 29 - 00193, Roma.