World Festival of Creativity in Schools
International Finals
Sanremo Ariston Theatre – 14/17 April 2026
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL of Dance, Gymnastics and Creativity
TEAM COMPETITION
PERFORMANCES AND AWARD CEREMONIES WILL BE STREAMED LIVE
Download the complete “conditions of entry” in PDF
(click on the link or PDF image above)
REGULATIONS
Who can participate in the competition
All our artistic and cultural events are messengers of peace, love and friendship. Participants, regardless of ethnicity, religion and nationality, will be able to participate in the competition without discrimination, in a spirit of mutual respect with the other participants.
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Sanremo IN-Dance Grand Prix will take place in Sanremo during the final stages of the GEF – The World Festival of Creativity at School – a showcase of quality in the world of youth dance and gymnastics in Italy and worldwide.
Sanremo IN-Dance Grand Prix is addressed to professional dance schools, sports and amateur dance associations, artistic gymnastics and cheerleading, Sports Clubs and Sports Associations.
Finalist schools, Societies or Associations will perform in Sanremo on the stage of the Ariston Theatre.
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Sanremo IN–Dance Grand Prix is open to dance schools, state/private schools, sports associations, sports clubs, etc. of every nation and is divided into the following Categories and Sections:
1 – CATEGORY 1: DANCE sections
Category for dance schools. GROUP CHOREOGRAPHY more than 10 members
MAXIMUM 1 CHOREOGRAPHY WITH THE SAME MEMBERS.
DANCE SCHOOLS/ASSOCIATIONS MAY PARTICIPATE IN MORE THAN ONE SECTION WITH ONLY ONE CHOREOGRAPHY PER SECTION WITH DIFFERENT MEMBERS.
THE SAME MEMBERS MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN MORE THAN ONE SECTION.
- Section A – Classical and Neoclassical Dance (Ballet);
- Section B – Modern/Jazz/contemporary dance;
- Section C – Hip-hop and urban dance;
- Section D – Fantasy dance (with choreography that pre-empts any other dance style). To participate in “Danza fantasia” (Fantasy dance) the choreography must be specially composed for that section and cannot be used in any other section even using choreographies for another dance style;
- Section E – Folk and character dances.
CHOREOGRAPHY STRUCTURE
Only objects that are part of the set design or accessories required for the performance of the choreography being performed, will be installed and removed by the participants themselves or whoever they appoint to handle them, may be brought onto the stage. Stage clothes must comply with morality standards.
MUSIC SCORE
The music score used for the competition must be saved in mp3 or wave format on a USB stick. The memory stick must only contain the music of the choreography performed. The label must include the title and length of the piece, the title of the choreography and the name of the school or group. The piece of music may not contain any kind of publicity for the school or third parties or any kind of presentation or reference to it.
2 – CATEGORY 2: Dance Sport
- Category Dance Sport is subdivided: in:
Choreographic dances – The group of dancers must be composed of at least 8 elements.
STYLES
Latin American Dances: Samba, Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive.
Caribbean dances: Salsa, Mambo, Merengue, Bachata, Rueda.
3 – CATEGORY 3: AMATEUR SCHOOLS NOT SPECIALIZED IN DANCE CATEGORIES
- Section H – SPECIAL CATEGORY for amateur dance or non-dance schools. Participants may present any type of dance performance consisting of
Section H-1 – Italian and foreign State and officially recognized primary, Junior High and High or Secondary private schools that may take part with one or more choreographies.
Section H-2 – Cultural Associations (excluding any dance schools included in the Category 1 Local Tourist Offices (Pro Loco), Religious Youth Clubs, Staff and Recreational Clubs and the like – ages 5 to 19 year olds – that can take part with one or more choreographies.
4 – CATEGORY 4: GYMNASTICS AND CHEERLEADING
- Section G – GYMNASTICS (Promotional Sports Bodies, Associations and the Like) with subsections of:
– Artistic Gymnastics
– Rhythmic Gymnastics
– Acrobatic Gymnastics (not allowed any kind of suspensions)
– Choreography
– Aerobics
– Cheerleading
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Students must be between the ages of 5 and 19. Individual performances are not allowed. Dance groups must consist of no fewer than 8 dancers. Students must all be enrolled in the participating school.
The same students participating in Sanremo IN-Dance Grand Prix cannot also participate in the Festival of Music or/and Festival of Musicals or/and Eurotheatre.
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Schools in whatever category may submit a maximum of 3 productions. Productions shall not exceed 3 minutes and 30 seconds. A School participating with several productions may present them in the same section or in different sections (A-B-C-D-E). The Selection Committee may choose one or more productions for each participating school. Participants in sections DS-H-G may only apply for their own section.
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CHOREOGRAPHY STRUCTURE
Only props or accessories necessary for the performance of the choreography being performed may be brought onto the stage, installed and removed by the participants themselves or their staff. Stage attire must comply with the rules of morality.
MUSIC PIECE
The music piece used for the competition must be provided on a USB stick in mp3 or wave format: the stick must contain only the music of the choreography performed. A label must report the title and duration of the piece, the title of the choreography and the name of the school or group to which it belongs.
The musical piece may not contain any kind of advertising of the school itself or of third parties and in any case any type of presentation or reference similar to it.
The performance may also be combined with a Video (to be agreed with the Production Director), in which case the Video (in mp4 format) must also contain the musical base synchronized with the images.
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Fees
€ 180,00 – Competition entry fee for each participating School that may send 1 or 2 performances for the Selections.
€ 270,00 – Fee for each ballet admitted to the Sanremo Finals.
The Selecting Committee of GEF will choose the dances that will participate in the Finals at the Ariston Theatre in Sanremo with its unquestionable and definitive decision.
Payments must be made to this account:
UNICREDIT BANCA Sanremo
Beneficiary: KISMET S.r.l.
IBAN: IT 59 G 02008 49090 000010138260
BIC SWIFT: UNCRITM1D05
Purpose of payment: list the name of the school for the registration fee, and for the second payment add the number of dances entering the competition
No credit cards
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Schools and associations that intend to participate in the competition must send exclusively via email to info@gef.it no later than 8 February 2026:
- application form 2026 – completed in all its parts.
- list of the ballets and sections (and category) which you intend to participate in.
- video of the performances (including work in progress).
- list of group members for each ballet (dancers, choreographer, organisers) with surname, first name, sex and date of birth. All dancers must be current students of the participating school (excluding section H, in which they may be from different schools).
- copy of the payment of the registration fee of € 180,00 net for each participating School.
All material sent in remains the property of the GEF for uses permitted by law and will not be returned.
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Only the Finalist schools/associations of dance selected for the Sanremo Final will be informed by February 21, 2026 with:
- the indication of the selected ballet(s).
- the Hotel Booking Form
- personal data processing forms according to the EU regulation n.679/2016 (GDPR)
- consent form (release for the publication of images)
- the SIAE (copyright) form.
- the SIAE release form for performances that require it. All participating schools whose texts are not subject to SIAE, must send a disclaimer to the Organising Committee.
- the technical form
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By February 28, 2026, the schools admitted to the final stages must then confirm in writing, exclusively via e-mail to these addresses:
- a copy of the receipt for the payment of € 270,00 for each performance selected for the Sanremo Finals.
- the SIAE (copyright) form
- the SIAE release form for performances that require it. All participating schools whose texts are not subject to SIAE, must send a disclaimer to the Organising Committee.
- personal data processing forms according to the EU regulation n.679/2016 (GDPR), duly completed and signed
- consent form (release for the publication of images), duly completed and signed
- the Technical Sheet with any scene requirements (which must be agreed with the Production Manager)
- the complete list with name and surname of each official participant, teacher, principal, family members, accompanying persons etc
- the duly completed Hotel Booking Form.
- a copy of the payment of the whole stay, accommodation, within 5 March 2026
- a list with all the participants name-surname, students – teachers – school directors – family members /supporters
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Finals will take place at the Ariston Theatre in Sanremo. The set design will be the same for all performances. Each School admitted to the finals will have to provide costumes and everything necessary for the staging of each production presented.
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The main aim of the GEF is to offer the opportunity to experience other situations and creative experiences. Performances and the award ceremonies will therefore be opportunities for exchange and mutual listening.
An accommodation package price has been arranged for the finalists (minimum 2 overnight stays for the Theatre and Musical competitions, 3 nights for Theatre and Music Festival Participants), for accompanying persons and for all those who will have to stay to take part in the final stage of GEF 2026. Types and conditions can be found on the website www.gef.it. For organisational and control reasons, such bookings must be made through GEF (only schools in the province of Imperia are excluded).
IMPORTANT:
For GEF-2026 the person in charge for the accommodations is Mr Alessandro Pioli – “BITO Viaggi”, FOR INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS, call +39 377 322 8667, or contact him by email prenotazioni@gef.it
Each School, Association, Theatre Company participating in the Finals will be sent the form by the Organisation in charge of bookings with the relevant instructions.
Considering the thousands of participants in the final stages of the various competitions, from Italy and abroad, it is advisable to book as early as possible to be able to arrange the type of accommodation more easily.
Official participants in the Sanremo final stages of all competitions will receive GEF gadgets.
All finalist Schools will be included in the official bilingual (Italian/English) GEF Catalogue, with the name of the school, the title of the performance(s) and the names of the teachers in charge.
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JURY AND AWARDS
Jury Members are dance experts, representatives of the school world and GEF.
The selection of dances for admission to the Final will be by experts appointed by the Organising Committee.
The Competition includes the “GEF Plaque” to the winner of each section and the presentation of the prestigious “School Creativity Award” to the performance chosen from among the winners of the individual Sections.
The Jury may award other Special Prizes (best project, best interpretation or other).
FINAL JUDGING AND RANKING
A) All categories and sections shall be judged by a high-quality judging panel, consisting of qualified experts in the field, chosen from among teachers, choreographers and/or personalities of repute. The Jury’s rankings and votes are unquestionable and definitive. The President of the Jury, qualified for the task assigned and designated by the organisation Guarantor of the regularity of voting and scrutiny.
B) Judging will consider six different parameters and expressed by separate voting on:
– Technique
– Choreography
– Choice of choreography
– Interpretation
– Musicality
– Group skills
The decisions of the Selection Committee and Jury are final and definitive.
All prizes will be awarded only to the schools that will also receive the GEF Certificate (Parchment) as finalists.
Prizes will be exclusively delivered on the Stage of the Ariston Theatre to the schools present and cannot be awarded nor handed over afterwards later or sent by mail.
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The Finals of each competition will take place mainly at the Theatre Ariston Sanremo: later, you will receive the exact timetable for each competition.
On Tuesday evening, 14 April 2026, the World finals of sanremoJunior, solo singers from the age of 6 to 15 years old singing live with the sanremojunior orchestra will take place.
On Wednesday evening 15 April and on Thursday evening 16 April the finals of the competitions Music, Musicals, dance, Fashion and Gymnastic will take place.
The final performances (Finals) with the winners will be held at the Ariston Theatre in Sanremo, on Friday 17 April 2026, prizes will be awarded to the absolute winners in the Music, Singing, Dance and Fashion competitions. Prizes will also be awarded to the winners of other competitions and the GEF 2026 Awards (Entertainment, Music, Sport, Health, etc.) will be presented, including the prestigious “Global Education Award“, the only international education Award presented each year to personalities and associations that, with thoughts, words and deeds, have favoured the development and growth of education.
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GEF will require participants to sign the disclaimer reserving the right to record and/or film and/or broadcast the event – in whole or parts – by any means (print, photography, radio, television, audiovisual, internet, etc.) as well as to combine the event with one or more promotional/advertising initiatives, without any money owed to the participants or any of them having any claim.
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Each Company, School must send for each participant the following signed and filled in forms:
- Information for the processing of personal data pursuant to EU Regulation No. 679/2016 (GDPR)
- Consent form – (disclaimer for the circulation of images) – to broadcast any footage or image of performances.
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In the event of technical/organisational reasons, the final stages of Sanremo may be subject to variations, which will be promptly communicated to the interested parties.
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All the works submitted will remain the property of GEF, that reserves the right to publish them or present them in other shows without any obligation and none of the participants having any claim.
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All printed materials and trademarks are protected by Copyright: therefor their use and reproduction by any means is forbidden. Any use not expressly authorised will be prosecuted according to law.
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The Organising Committee, the Promoting association and the Company in charge of the technical organisation are not responsible for occasional accidents to persons or property either during the journey or throughout the duration of the Festival.
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Participation in the event implies knowledge and unconditional acceptance of the rules for the processing of personal data in accordance with EU Regulation No. 679/2016 (GDPR).