2008

Each instrument maker may enter at most one (1) violin, one (1) viola, one (1) cello, and one (1) bass in the Competition. Makers may also enter a string quartet for the quartet Competition. If a quartet is entered, one (1) violin (to be designated by the competitor--not necessarily the first violin), along with the viola and cello from the quartet must also be entered into the Competition. If a quartet is entered, the fees for the individual instruments will be waived, and only the special quartet fee will be paid. Bow makers may enter at most one (1) violin bow, one (1) viola bow, one (1) cello bow, and one (1) bass bow in the Competition. Baroque instruments, baroque and pre-modern bows may not be entered in the Competition. Two or more makers ("co-makers") may together enter one instrument, bow or quartet but if so, none of the co-makers may also enter an instrument of the same type on their own.

Entry Fees

Category	Fee
First Instrument	$80
Each Additional Instrument	$40
Quartet	$135
First Bow	$55
Each Additional Bow	$30
To attend convention	$50

All shipping fees and all insurance coverage for instruments and bows to, from and during the competition are completely the responsibilities of the competitor.

Registration and Deadlines

To compete, complete the competition entry form and return it with your payment to the Violin Society of America by September 26, 2008. No registrations will be accepted after this date. Please register promptly since registrations may be rejected when the maximum number of instruments in any category is reached. You will receive a written confirmation about 2 weeks after your registration form is received. Bring this confirmation with you to the competition or copy it and ship it with your instrument.
Instruments shipped must be received at the host shop between October 13 and October 27, 2008 (see shipping rules for details). Instruments hand-carried to the Competition must be delivered to the Competition Committee at the hotel on Monday, November 3, between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. There will be no on-site registration of instruments and bows. You must present your confirmation in case of any registration questions. Click here for Competition Entry Form.

Withdrawals and Refunds

All withdrawals from the competition must be in writing and signed. Competition fees will be refunded less a $10.00 processing fee per instrument/bow if refund request is received by October 10. No refunds will be given for requests received after October 10.

Early Removal of Instruments/Bows

One of the purposes of the competition is to allow the attendees to examine and play the instruments that have been judged in the competition. Obviously, this is severely curtailed if the competitors leave with their instruments immediately upon the completion of the judging. In order to discourage this practice, it is the policy of the VSA to allow any competitor to withdraw his/her instrument from the hall prior to 10:00 PM on Saturday, Nov. 8, but a $55 per item early withdrawal fee will be charged. If the competitor must leave early and chooses not to pay the early withdrawal fee, arrangements must be made to have the instrument (s) or bow(s) shipped to after the final day at his/her expense. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Instruments and bow may be picked up without penalty on Saturday evening, November 8 between 10:00 PM and midnight or Sunday morning, November 9, between 8:00 AM and noon.

On-Line Entries

With respect to on-line entries, the VSA is not responsible for lost or delayed entries due to computer system, phone line, hardware, software or program malfunctions or other errors, failures, delayed computer transmissions, network connections or entries sent to wrong addresses.

Liability:

The Violin Society of America will take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of instruments or bows entered into the competition. However, the Violin Society of America is not responsible for any loss, damage or destruction to any instruments or bows during the competition (including the period during which instruments are stored at the host shop). Competitors are responsible for insuring their own instruments and bows. If you would like information about insuring your instrument or bow while it is at the competition, contact Heritage Insurance Services, Inc.: 800-289-8837 or 215-322-8705 or Anderson Insurance Services, 781-834-1700

Affidavit Of Authenticity:

All makers must sign an affidavit on the entry form indicating that the instrument(s) or bow(s) have been made entirely by them. Fittings such as pegs, tailpieces and endpins on the instrument may be commercially produced. Bow frogs and buttons may not be commercially produced. Makers are not permitted to sub-contract work on instruments or bows submitted.

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