The decision came after hours of deliberations by a 17-person international jury, chaired by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson. The winner of the 19th edition of the competition receives a 60,000 euro ($69,972) prize and a gold medal funded by the president of Poland.

The second prize went to Canada’s Kevin Chen, while China’s Zitong Wang came in third.

Malaysia’s own young virtuoso Vincent Ong tied with Poland’s Piotr Alexewicz, marking an outstanding finish for our country at one of the world’s most coveted piano events.

This year’s competition included 84 participants, all born between 1995 and 2009. The majority hailed from China, Poland, and Japan. Eleven contestants reached the finals.

The nearly 100-year-old event was inspired by the Olympic Games. Named after the famed Polish composer Frederic Chopin, it is held every five years in Warsaw around Oct 17, the anniversary of Chopin’s death.