Logo GEF Sanremo - Schools' Match
28th Edition
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Frequently Asked Questions

Here you’ll find answers to the most frequently asked questions: registration, participation, competition categories and organisation. For any other queries, don’t hesitate to contact us.

GEF is the only programme of school-dedicated competitions, at both national and international level, able to offer Final Stages held simultaneously with live performances of numerous shows across the different artistic disciplines on the programme.

The Finals are held in the city of Sanremo, with the prestigious Teatro Ariston as the central venue. The undisputed quality of the Juries, independent of one another, together with the absolute transparency of their decisions, have established GEF as an essential international point of reference for creativity in schools.

In general, all students aged between 5 and 19 who attend legally recognised schools, including students of music and dance schools for their respective Categories, as well as students enrolled in Associations for some competitions. The registration forms, downloadable from our website (www.gef.it), must be signed by the School Principal or the Director of the Institute or School. If in doubt, ask for information by e-mail at info@gef.it

For the previous edition, 154,000 schools and associations in Italy and around the world were contacted.

The Regulations and Registration Forms are sent well in advance to legally recognised public and private schools, music, musical and dance schools, and associations of all kinds.

GEF therefore does not take place only in Sanremo during the Final Stages: its preparation and promotion begin many months earlier, progressively involving schools, associations, teachers and students.

GEF’s Final Stages always record thousands of hotel stays, with finalist works coming from Italy and from dozens of foreign countries.

There are no participation limits for the Preliminary stages. GEF was created to allow students from different cities and nations to meet and engage with one another through art and creativity in schools.

For this reason, based on the different interests of teachers and students, institutes can enter several GEF competitions with different groups, and thus have greater opportunities to bring more significant representations from each school to the Sanremo Finals.

Finally, it should be remembered that the works in all competitions are rigorously selected and only a portion of them are admitted to the Finals. Already at the start of the school year, institutes include a few days at GEF in their annual programme, as an educational trip. It should not be forgotten that just 30 minutes’ drive from Sanremo are the Principality of Monaco/Monte Carlo and the French Riviera. Schools arriving by coach can therefore visit, in addition to our magnificent Riviera dei Fiori, the French Riviera as well.

GEF relies on the technical organisation of Kismet S.r.l., which has worked in the education sector and in the organisation of cultural events since 1977. Kismet arranges, directly or indirectly, the accommodation and can also provide assistance for any excursions, guided tours and trips.

To obtain accreditation for the Final Stages, participants and their companions must make the required bookings through the GEF organisation. The package rates are indicated in the dedicated section of the website.

All accredited participants and companions have free admission to the GEF shows at the Teatro Ariston included in their hotel package for each night of their stay. The ticket would normally cost € 20 per person for each evening.

Given the high number of attendees, we recommend booking well in advance. We also recommend that schools reach Sanremo with their own coach, useful both for transfers between the hotel and the GEF venues and for short excursions during free moments between rehearsals and shows.

Given the thousands of attendees at the Final Stages, it is advisable to book well in advance, also to have a wider choice.

By mid-October, as already mentioned, we send GEF’s informational material to all Italian schools, with the various planned competitions and side initiatives.

At the same time, we send communications to foreign schools. For the GEF Final Stages, in addition to tens of thousands of flyers, leaflets, etc., we produce a bilingual, full-colour Official Catalogue, which includes, among other things, all the details of the finalist schools (school name, city of origin, participation categories, titles of the performances, names of the supervising teachers, etc.), as well as photos and CVs of the Jury members of all the competitions.

Certainly. One of GEF’s aims is also to allow informal meetings with well-known figures from the worlds of music, entertainment, sport and culture – usually difficult to approach – with whom students can interact and get to know their educational, professional and personal growth experiences.

As well as being moments destined to remain in the memory of students (and teachers), GEF’s meetings have an undoubtedly educational value.

GEF is promoted through the main communication channels: press, internet, television, radio and social media. In addition, all the performances are broadcast in live streaming and can be followed all over the world, reaching tens of thousands of views in total.

GEF does not rely on sponsors, but has always benefited from the official Patronage of the Municipality of Sanremo and is therefore included in the calendar of the city’s most important official events, in addition to receiving the patronage of other important institutions.

GEF is attended by schools of every kind and level, associations, academies and other educational and training bodies, from Italy and abroad.

The average breakdown over the last three years has been as follows:

– Primary Schools: 21%

– Lower Secondary Schools: 27%

– Upper Secondary Schools: 28%

– Music schools, dance schools, associations, academies and other educational and training bodies: 24%

The large turnout at the Final Stages encourages meeting, exchange and the sharing of experiences among peers, accompanied by their teachers and school principals.

Absolutely not. GEF is a great international meeting point, where schools, associations, academies and young talents from Italy and many countries around the world gather in Sanremo to share experiences, cultures and creativity.