Dmitry Yudin took First Prize in Tel Aviv, while Uladzislau Khandohi and Jinhyung Park shared Second Prize and Roman Fediurko was awarded Third.
Dmitry Yudin has won the 18th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, one of the world’s leading competitions for young pianists.
The 21-year-old Russian pianist was awarded First Prize following the conclusion of the competition’s final round in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, September 8. The award carries $40,000, together with an additional $10,000 career enhancement fund.
Belarusian pianist Uladzislau Khandohi and South Korea’s Jinhyung Park shared Second Prize, while Ukrainian pianist Roman Fediurko was awarded Third Prize.
Yudin performed Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Yoel Levi in the Grand Concerto final on September 7. The other finalists were Stanislav Korchagin and Philipp Lynov.
The 2026 competition was held in a modified format. The first two stages took place at the Kronberg Academy in Germany between April 28 and May 4, with six pianists selected to advance to the final stage in Israel from September 3 to 9.
During the finals, each competitor performed chamber music, a Classical-period concerto with the Israel Camerata Jerusalem under Avner Biron, and a grand concerto with the Israel Philharmonic and Yoel Levi.
Born in Moscow, Yudin studied at the Gnessin Music School before moving to New York to attend the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Horacio Gutiérrez. Among his previous distinctions, he won Second Prize at the 2024 Concours Géza Anda in Zurich.
The Arthur Rubinstein competition, founded in Israel in 1974 and held every three years, has played an important role in launching the international careers of several leading pianists. Past winners include Emanuel Ax, Kirill Gerstein, Daniil Trifonov, Juan Pérez Floristán and, in 2023, Kevin Chen. Other prominent laureates have included Igor Levit, Khatia Buniatishvili and Seong-Jin Cho.
The competition concludes on September 9 with the Awards Ceremony and Winners Concert at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv.
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