The Robert Schumann International Competition for Pianists and Singers was constituted in 1956 in East Berlin within the framework of the commemorations on the 100th anniversary of Robert Schumann's death. A second edition was organized on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth, and three years later a third edition was arranged in Zwickau, his birthplace. The competition, a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, has taken place in Zwickau every 3 or 4 years since.
Prize winners Piano {| class="wikitable" |+ Piano ! Year |- !1956 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize (ex-a.) |- || || Annerose Schmidt || Irina Sijalova || Lidia Grychtołówna |- || || || || Mikhail Voskresensky
!1960 !! No piano category !! No piano category !! No piano category
!1963 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize (ex-a.) !! 3rd prize |- || || Nelly Akopyan || Rutka Carakcieva || Aniko Szegedi |- || || || Peter Rösel || |- !1966 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize (ex-a.) |- || || Eliso Virsaladze || Svetlana Navasardyan || Raina Padareva |- || || || || Evgenia Sachareva |- !1969 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Dezső Ránki || Tatyana Ryumina || Okitaka Uehara |- !1974 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Pavel Egorov || Dina Joffe || Petru Grossmann |- !1977 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Emma Tahmizian || Dana Borşan || Christoph Taubert |- !1981 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize (ex-a.) |- || || Yves Henry || Susanne Grützmann || Kalle Randalu |- || || || || Balázs Szokolay |- !1985 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Tamriko Siprashvili || Zuzana Paulechová || Mzija Gogashvili |- !1989 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Éric Le Sage || Sachiko Yonekawa || Alexander Melnikov |- !1993 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Temirzhan Yerzhanov || Eiji Shigaki || Corrado Rollero |- !1996 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize (ex-a.) |- || || Mikhail Mordvinov || Dana Ciocarlie || Lyubov Gegechkori |- || || || || Christian Seibert |- !2000 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Kiai Nara || Ulugbek Palvanov || Andrea Rebaudengo |- !2004 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Akiko Yamamoto || Nicolas Bringuier || Soojin Ahn |- !2008 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Mizuka Kano || Akiko Nikami || Da Sol Kim |- !2012 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Aljoša Jurinić || Florian Noack || Luca Buratto |- !2016 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || not awarded|| Tomoyo Umemura || Tiffany Poon |- || || || Cheng Zhang || Maiko Ami
Voice {| class="wikitable" |+ Voice ! Year |- !1956 !! 1st prize (ex-a.) !! 2nd prize (ex-a.) !! 3rd prize |- || || Kira Isotova || Sigrid Kehl || Dan Iordăchescu |- || || Aleksander Vedernikov || Jiří Bar || |- !1960 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize (ex-a.) !! 3rd prize (ex-a.) |- || || Vitali Gromadski || Wolfgang Hellmich || Sylvia Geszty |- || || || Roman Horák || Violanta Sirotinina |- !1963 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Karl Heinz Stryczek || Evgeni Isakov || Friederike Apelt |- !1966 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Ionel Pantea || Julia Albonico || Jürgen Hartfiel |- !1969 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || Heidi Berthold-Riess || Rosemarie Lang || Georgina Orlovschi |- || Gentlemen || Ruben Lisician || Peter Tschaplik || Siegfried Lorenz |- !1974 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || Mitsuko Shirai || Andrea Ihle || Violetta Madjarova |- || Gentlemen || Lászlo Polgár || Sergej Lejferkus || Mihai Zamfir |- !1977 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || Edith Wiens || Mary Ann Hart || Jana Mrázová |- || Gentlemen || Boris Mareskin || Alibek Dnisev || Christoph Rösel |- !1981 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || not awarded || Constanza Mestes || Györgyi Benza (Ex aequo) |- || || || || Nadja Cvetkova (Ex aequo) |- || Gentlemen || Jürgen Kurth || Andreas Scheibner || Matthias Weichert |- !1985 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || not awarded || Cornelia Wosnitza || Kirsten Bertkau |- || Gentlemen || Karsten Mewes || Egbert Junghanns || Thomas Mäthger |- !1989 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || not awarded || Angela Liebold (Ex aequo) || Britta Schwarz |- || || || Svetlana Sumaceva (Ex aequo) || |- || Gentlemen || Frank Schiller || Matthias Goerne || Torsten Frisch |- !1993 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || not awarded || Asako Motojima || Barbara Hölzl (Ex aequo) |- || || || || Fumiko Hatayama (Ex aequo) |- || Gentlemen || Locky Chung || Stefan Geyer || Raimond Spogis |- !1996 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || Risako Kurosawa || Maria-Riccarda Schmid || Bodil Arnesen |- || Gentlemen || Henryk Böhm || Hideki Kadoya || Marius Budoin |- !2000 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || Annette Dasch || Christa Mayer || Measha Brueggergosman |- || Gentlemen || not awarded || Klemens Geyrhofer || Kyu-Hee Cho |- !2004 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || not awarded || Stefanie Irányi (Ex aequo) || Julia Amos |- || || || Lydia Teuscher (Ex aequo) || |- || Gentlemen || Colin Balzer || Daniel Wolfgang Johannsen || Peter McGillivray |- !2008 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || Anne-Theresa Albrecht || Carolina Ullrich || Julia Hajnóczy (Ex aequo) |- || || || || Sophie Harmsen (Ex aequo) |- || Gentlemen || || Christoph Pohl (Ex aequo) || Jesse Blumberg |- || || || Tomasz Wija (Ex aequo) || |- !2012 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || Anna Lucia Richter || Fatma Said || Simone Easthope (Ex aequo) |- || || || || Annika Boos (Ex aequo) |- || Gentlemen || Mauro Peter || Georg Gädker (Ex aequo) || not awarded |- || || || Sebastian Wartig (Ex aequo) || |- !2016 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || Ladies || Henriette Gödde || Hiltrud Kuhlmann || Hagar Sharvit |- || Gentlemen || André Baleiro || Jean-Christophe Fillol || Jonathan Michie
String quartet {| class="wikitable" |+ String Quartet ! Year |- !1960 !! 1st prize !! 2nd prize !! 3rd prize |- || || Jan-Evert-Andersson-Quartett || Peter-Komlós-Quartett || Christian-Lucaß-Quartett
References