The first qualifying round of the regional competition for art school students, Step to Olympus – 2026, is coming to an end. This year, the competition is being held remotely, which was a necessary but effective response to the challenges of today. Despite the difficult conditions: distance learning, power cuts, constant shelling, more than 300 students from art schools in Donetsk region took part in the first round.
The young artists demonstrated their skills in the following categories: piano; string instruments; folk instruments; wind and percussion instruments. As usual, considerable attention was paid to vocal art – academic, pop, folk and jazz. The competition programme also covers music theory disciplines, in particular the category ‘Music Literature’, as well as theatre and visual arts, where participants have the opportunity to reveal their creative potential in various types of art.
The official start of the second round of the competition is 11 February 2026.
The competition entries in the second round will be evaluated by a professional jury – a wide range of like-minded people and leading specialists from various regions of Ukraine: Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk and Khmelnytskyi regions. Their professional experience, pedagogical authority and active creative activity guarantee the objectivity of the evaluation and the high artistic level of the competition, while emphasising the unity of Ukraine's cultural space.
We wish all participants creative inspiration and the jury impartiality. May the best win!