During the Award Ceremony of the ICMA 2018 prizes on 6 April in Katowice, Poland, ICMA President Remy Franck announced two major awards for 2019: Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Spanish pianist Javier Perianes has been elected Artist of the Year. 

The Award Ceremony and Gala Concert will take place on 10 May 2019 at KKL in Lucerne.