Berlin, 18 February 2016 – It's the starting signal for the ECHO Klassik 2016: The official submission phase for the prominent German music award begins on Monday, 22 February. Record companies have time until 11 March 2016 to send in their best productions to the German Phono Academy, the cultural arm of the Federal Music Industry Association (BVMI). The winners will be announced after all productions have been reviewed and evaluated by a jury of leading industry experts. Submissions must be made online at <link http: www.echoklassik.de en klassik-einreichung _blank external-link-new-window echo klassik online>www.echoklassik.de/en/klassik-einreichung. For more information on the rules and regulations, visit <link http: www.echoklassik.de en klassik-hintergrund _blank external-link-new-window klassik background>www.echoklassik.de/en/klassik-hintergrund.

The ECHO Klassik awards ceremony will take place on 9 October 2016 at the Konzerthaus Berlin as part of a gala celebration hosted by Thomas Gottschalk. German public TV channel ZDF will broadcast the ECHO Klassik that evening starting at 10pm.

For images from the 2015 ECHO Klassik awards show, please visit the ECHO YouTube Channel <link http: www.youtube.com echomusikpreis external-link-new-window external link in new>www.youtube.com/echomusikpreis or the ECHO Klassik website <link http: www.echoklassik.de external-link-new-window link in new>www.echoklassik.de.

About the ECHO Klassik

The ECHO Klassik has been honouring outstanding classical music performances by national and international artists annually since 1994. The gala awards ceremony is organised by the German music-industry body known as the German Phono Academy, which acts as the cultural arm of the Federal Music Industry Association (BVMI). The prize-winners are chosen by a jury consisting of prominent industry experts. In addition to recognising extraordinary recordings, one of the other key goals of the ECHO Klassik is to use the prestigious award to foster young talent and bring the appeal and diversity of classical music to a broader audience.