In 2024, Korean composer Lee Hanuri won first prize at the Bartók World Competition, while fellow Korean composer Kim Shin received second prize in the composition category. Third prize was awarded to Hungarian composer Mátyás Papp. The competition’s international jury was chaired by the world-renowned British composer Thomas Adès.

The award-winning works were presented at the prize-giving Gala Concert held in the Solti Hall of the Liszt Academy of Music on 23 November 2024. At the concert, pianist József Balog, a member of the jury, performed not only the prize-winning compositions but also works by Bartók.

The  Universal Music Publishing Editio Musica Budapest Special Prize was awarded to Lee Hanuri and Mátyás Papp. Their compositions were published by the UMP and were also included in the repertoire of the 2025 Bartók World Competition for pianists.

In the 2022 Bartók World Competition for composers, Veljko Nenadić from Serbia won first prize with his work Two Movements – Impromptu and Perpetuum Mobile. The second prize was awarded to Thomas Kornél (USA) for Fun-tasto: Reflection and Exhilaration, and the third prize went to Jules Matton (France) for Homage to Bartók. The international jury was chaired by Oscar-winning American composer John Corigliano. The competition received 98 submissions from 31 countries, and the winning works were performed at the award gala concert in the Solti Hall of the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, alongside works by Bartók.

Okamoto Sinshuke from Japan won first prize with his string quartet Calligraphy for Air and Ground in the 2020 Bartók World Competition for Composers. The second prize went to Noh Seung Ju (Korea) for Caveman, and third prize was awarded to Kim Jonghoon (Korea) for Papel. Due to the pandemic, the gala concert was held behind closed doors and streamed online, featuring performances of the winning works by string quartets Accord, Korossy and Kökény. Okamoto’s composition will be part of the repertoire for the 2021 competition for string quartets.

Hungarian composer Dániel Dobos won first prize in the composition round of the 2018 Bartók World Competition and Festival with his work Drumul Dracului. Second prize was awarded to South Korean composer Sang Un Kang for his piano piece, while the jury shared third prize between two composers: Dongryul Lee from South Korea and Hungarian composer János Mátyás Stark.

The awards were presented at the festive Gala Evening held on 25 November at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. The prize-winning works were performed by outstanding pianists including János Balázs, Balázs Fülei, and Balázs Kálvin.