Universal Ballet Competition
US regional rounds, finals in Iowa City · USA
Dates confirmedGrand Prix Finals 26 – 30 May 2027
- Length
- 5 days
- Entry fee
- $30 registration fee · per-event fees not published
- Deadline
- $10 surcharge per event in the week before the competition
- Age reference
- Age on 1 January 2027
Age categories
- Pre-Competitive — 7–8 years old
- Primary — 9–11 years old
- Junior — 12–14 years old
- Senior — 15–21 years old
Levels
Recreational · Pre-competitive — The clearest split in this whole guide. Intermediate: 2 to 4 years of training, at least 3 classes a week, restricted repertoire — and no solo access to the finals. Competitive: 5 or more years of training, 4 to 5 classes a week, full repertoire.
Variations
- Repertoire — Competitive track: the full classical repertoire · 7–21 years old
- Repertoire — Intermediate track: a restricted list, Black Swan and Sugar Plum are banned · 7–21 years old
- Free — The contemporary category · 7–21 years old
A classical variation from a set list, with a reduced list for Intermediate — Black Swan and Sugar Plum are banned there. Contemporary is also offered.
Masterclasses. Not published.
Jury. Not published, including for previous editions.
What you can win. Medals for everyone, plus cash prizes, scholarships and professional contracts at the jury's discretion.
Worth knowing. No rounds outside the United States: you have to travel to a US regional. But it is the only competition that defines its tracks by years of training and weekly class volume.
Compare all 58 competitions in the interactive guide →
Built from official websites and published rulebooks, checked in September 2026. Nothing is guessed: where a date, a fee or a jury is not published, the guide says so rather than inventing one. Rules change from season to season — always check the competition's own site before entering.