It was a gala ball at the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition’s Gala Winners Concert, April 24.

The concert signals the end and the culmination of a week’s worth of competitions. The contestants enjoyed the competition.

“It was exciting,” said Wenbin Jin, first prize winner of the junior division from China. “Some of the other competitors were very good.”

The 16-year-old said he could not believe he was in the competition against the other competitors and that he won his division. He said while he was in Joplin he would practice three to four hours a day.

The other winners of the junior division were: second prize, Chenyang Xu, a 16-year-old; third prize, Sichen Ma, a 17-year-old from China; honorable mention, Matthew Graybil, a 16-year-old from the United States; and honorable mention, Soo Yeon Cho, a 17-year-old from the United States.

The first-place winner received $3,000. Second prize received $2,000, third won $1,500 and the honorable mention winners each won $1,200.

Jie Chen, an 18-year-old from China, won the senior division.

Chen said she felt honored to win the competition.

“I was very honored,” Chen said. “It was a total enjoyable experience.”

Chen said competitions help her with her piano studies.

“It’s like an enzyme for my studies,” she said. “I see competitions as a great way to help my studies.”

Chen received $10,000 for first place along with a debut at Carnegie Hall.

The other senior division winners were: third prize Sandro Russo, a 28-year-old from Italy; honorable mention, Yevgeniy Milyavskiy, a 19-year-old from the United States/Belarus; honorable mention Ruzha Sémova, a 27-year-old from Bulgaria; and honorable mention Hui-hsin Tseng, a 30-year-old from Taiwain.

There was no second prize awarded this year. Third prize won $3,000. Those receiving honorable mention awards received $2,000 each.

The Carnegie Hall debut is scheduled to take place Oct 4. Along with enjoying the competition, and the win, Chen said she enjoyed her stay in Joplin.

“I like Missouri; I love it,” she said.