The players range in age from 17 to 27, and come from 22 countries. The United States will be represented by 11 competitors, Japan by seven, Korea by five, Germany by four, and China and Russia by three.

The participants were selected by Jaime Laredo, the president of competition's jury; David Cerone, president of the Cleveland Institute of Music; and Joel Smirnoff, the chair of the violin department at the Juilliard School and a member of the Juilliard Quartet, based on applications and recordings.

The players will compete for a share of $200,000 in prizes, concert engagements at Carnegie Hall and elsewhere, and the opportunity to record a CD, as well as the use of the "ex-Gingold" Stradivarius, formerly owned by competition founder Josef Gingold, and a 19th-century Tourte bow.

Previous winners include Sergey Khachatryan, Soovin Kim, Leonidas Kavakos, and Andr_s Cšrdenes.