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Here Are the Winners of the Winter/Spring Ballet Competition Season

May 13, 2026

This winter and spring, young dancers stepped into competition spotlights to earn awards, training opportunities, and even professional contracts. Each performance offered a glimpse of ballet’s next generation.

The following roundup highlights some of the medalists and top scorers from the upper divisions of the Miami International Ballet Competition, the National Ballet Competition, ADC | IBC Finals, and the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition. Congratulations to all the winners, and to every dancer who took the stage this season. (The summer competition season is just around the corner, so stay tuned for more updates!)

Miami International Ballet Competition

Founded by ballet master and choreographer Vladimir Issaev, MIBC marked its ninth consecutive year this January 21–25, awarding 321 scholarships to programs, including those at American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet, and Joffrey Ballet School. For winners from Division 1 (ages 9–11) and other categories, click here.

  • Chiara Marambio does a piqué arabesque on pointe with her arms in high third. She wears a short white dress.
    First Place Division 2 winner Chiara Marambio. Photo by Patricia’s Photography, courtesy MIBC.
  • Kelly Zhong, mid-air in a grand jeté, extends one leg straight devant with her back leg in a long attitude derriere. Her arms are in first arabesque, and she wears a white Romantic tutu dress with puffy short sleeves.
    First Place Division 3 winner Kelly Zhong. Photo by Patricia’s Photography, courtesy MIBC.
  • Pablo Acosta sautés in arabesque with his arms in high fifth. He looks up with a wide chest, wearing black tights and a black tunic with gold embellishment.
    First Place Division 4 winner Pablo Acosta. Photo by Patricia’s Photography, courtesy MIBC.

Division 2 (Ages 12–14)

  • First/Gold: Chiara Marambio, Peru
  • Second/Silver: Nicole Laranja, USA
  • Third/Silver: Alexandra Mishiev, USA

Division 3 (Ages 15–18)

  • First/Gold: Kelly Zhong, USA
  • Second/Silver: Jada Brown, USA
  • Third/Silver: Nicolas Celis, USA/Colombia

Division 4 (Ages 19–24):

  • First/Silver: Pablo Acosta, USA/Cuba
  • ​Second/Silver: Carol Sousa, Brazil
  • ​​Third/Silver: Jaime Balam Monroy Moreno, Mexico

National Ballet Competition

The 2026 NBC took place from February 27–March 1 at Wilmington, Delaware’s Grand Opera House. The competition recognized ensembles and presented awards such as Best Choreographer, Outstanding School, and Best Teacher; see the full list of winners here.

  • Shiqi Hui splits her legs mid–saut de chat with her arms in third arabesque. She wears a white and gold dress with tulle.
    First Place Junior Division winner Shiqi Hui. Photo by Emily Brunner Photography, courtesy NBC.
  • Tessa Palmer stands in sous-sus on pointe in a white pancake tutu with gold details and a red rose at the hip.
    First Place Senior Division winner Tessa Palmer. Photo by Emily Brunner Photography, courtesy NBC.
  • Tatiana Chen battements one leg a la seconde, on pointe, with her arms extended to either side with a gentle curve upward. She wears a royal blue classical tutu with white and silver details.
    First Place Pre-Professional Division winner Tatiana Chen. Photo by Emily Brunner Photography, courtesy NBC.

Junior Division

  • Gold: Shiqi Hui
  • Silver: Bryce Bernal
  • Bronze: Aubry Mason

Senior Division

  • Gold: Tessa Palmer
  • Silver: Madison Backstrom
  • Bronze: Elizabeth Kim

Pre-Professional Division

  • Gold: Tatiana Chen
  • Silver: Elliot Jacob
  • Bronze: Julia Gluschuk

ADC | IBC Finals

The finals for the American Dance Competition | Youth International Ballet Competition took place March 28–April 3 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The event operates through a national and international semifinal tour, with top scorers advancing to finals where they compete with compulsory and prepared variations. View the full list of winners, including primary and ensemble divisions, special awards, and scholarship and contract recipients, here.

  • Kaya Sherin does a saut de chat toward the camera, her arms in high fifth. She wears a mint green classical tutu with arm puffs and gold details.
    Junior Grand Prix winner Kaya Sherin. Photo by Ross Richey, courtesy ABC | IBC.
  • Sachi Oza does a grand jeté in croisé with her arms in third arabesque. She wears a costume with a black camisole top and dark red skirt that flows.
    Senior Grand Prix winner Sachi Oza. Photo by SMaCK Arts, courtesy ABC | IBC.

Junior Division

Grand Prix: Kaya Sherin, Ballet Institute of San Diego, CA

Women

  • Gold: Charlotte Case, South Coast Conservatory, CA
  • Silver: Lena Hatanaka, Davey Dance Studio, CA
  • Bronze: Violet Marti, Master Ballet Academy, AZ

Men

  • Gold: Theodore Yaghmour, Ramon Moreno School of Ballet, CA
  • Silver: Gianmarco Bolognesi, L.A. Dance, MI
  • Bronze: Nicholas Du, International Ballet Academy, NC

Senior Division

Grand Prix: Sachi Oza, Cary Ballet Conservatory, NC

Women

  • Gold: Valerie Grivalsky, Cary Ballet Conservatory, NC
  • Silver: Angeline Leong, Dancing Soma, Canada
  • Bronze: Anna Surapaneni, Emerald Ballet Academy, WA

Men

  • Gold: Kyler Laman, Cary Ballet Conservatory, NC
  • Silver: Maxwell Winn, Cary Ballet Conservatory, NC
  • Bronze: Enzo Moreno Delfino, Cary Ballet Conservatory, NC

Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition

The 15th edition of the VKIBC, led by veteran ballerina Valentina Kozlova, ran from March 17–21 at New York Live Arts in New York City.  For a full list of winners, including the Pre-Youth Division, Youth Division, contemporary prizes, and scholarship and contract recipients, click here.

  • Geonse Jeong jetés forward with his back leg in a long attitude, pumping his arms high at his chest. He wears a shiny gold unitard.
    Grand Prix winner Geonse Jeong. Photo courtesy VKIBC.
  • Kira Fox does a middle split wither her stomach on the floor, pressing down with hands on the floor to lift up her chest. She wears a dark top and light tan shorts.
    Junior Division Silver winner Kira Fox. Photo courtesy VKIBC.
  • Soyul Lee battements one leg a la seconde with her arms in allongé. She wears a white costume dress with a tulle skirt and a red sash around the waist. Red roses adorn her skirt.
    Student Division Gold winner Soyul Lee. Photo courtesy VKIBC.

Grand Prix: Geonse Jeong, South Korea

Student Division (Ages 13–14)

Women

  • Gold: Seoyun Choi, South Korea; Soyul Lee, South Korea
  • Silver: Vitória Scarpelli, Brazil
  • Bronze: Sophie Choi, China/Hong Kong; Larissa Câmara Hyppolito, Brazil

Junior Division (Ages 15–17)

Women

  • Silver: Kira Fox, USA
  • Bronze: Vanilla Zhang, USA; Maya Papendick, USA; Yasmin Rosa, Brazil

Senior Division (Ages 18–26)

Women

  • Gold: Minjoo Shin, South Korea; Kyuwon Jung, South Korea
  • Silver: Grace Reid, UK
  • Bronze: Aoi Matsuda, Japan

Men

  • Gold: Chanwoong Kim, South Korea
  • Silver: Sangbin Park, South Korea
  • Bronze: Mushegh Avetisyan, USA; Lucas Marra, Brazil

adc ibc adcibc ballet competition Miami International Ballet Competition mibc National Ballet Competition nbc valentina kozlova international ballet competition vkibc