專業性「國際音樂比賽」是二十世紀以來音樂環境裡的一種特殊社會現象，其發展趨勢直接牽動了未來的音樂市場生態。由於音樂比賽原始目的之一是為樂壇掄才，而「評審制度」設計之優劣則關係到選才的結果，進而影響年輕音樂家開創舞台事業之條件。本論文係針對主要國際鋼琴比賽評審規則中常引發爭議之三項議題，從制度面與技術面進行探討：
1．擔任評審的專業背景與條件；
2．秘密表決的理論與實踐；
3．評審表決過程中進行討論的必要性。
一項比賽對音樂生態所造成的正負面效應，首先要看比賽本身是否公正，沒有比賽能做到比其評審制度更為公正，也沒有任何評審制度會做得比所聘請的評審來得公正。本論文作者所進行之田野調查與資料分析顯示，由藝術品味趨於一致然而專業背景趨於多元的評審團，以避免針對個別參賽者表現進行討論的秘密投票，乃是目前專業性國際音樂比賽較能避免爭議而且可行的評審制度。
Professional international music competition is arguably a twentieth-century phenomenon in both artistic and sociological contexts. Its impact has been felt through out different tiers of music professions. As a unique way to discover the next generation of virtuosi, music competition's success relies very much on the fairness of the adjudicating system or the jury's rules, just as the young musician's immediate career development is somehow depended on the fairness of the competition. This paper deals with three major aspects involving the complicated issues of the competition's rules commonly seen today. 1.Jury's professional makings and the component of such makings; 2. The theory and practice of secret ballot; 3.Pros and cons of open discussion in the process of reaching the verdict. . While no competition is fairer than its adjudication system, no adjudication system can be fairer than the appointed jurors. Conducted between 1996 and 2003 with field trips across three continents, this research involves interviews with dozens of top officials, jurors and contestants of numerous major competitions as well as analysis of official or original documents pertinent to jury rules and adjudicating procedures. The author deduced that the fairest and most practical method to judge in a professional international music competition is, first, to form a jury with common artistic and esthetic orientation but with somewhat diversified professional backgrounds; secondly, using secret ballot with absolutely no discussion concerning contestants' individual merits.
