The Competition is a 1980 American drama musical film starring Richard Dreyfuss, Amy Irving and Lee Remick, written and directed by Joel Oliansky.

Paul has accepted a job as a music teacher at a prep school in his hometown of Chicago, needing to help his mother and ailing father.

The competition for a financial grant and two years of concert engagements pits the intense and arrogant Paul against a select group of talented artists.

He advances to the final round of six, which includes brash New Yorker Jerry DiSalvo, who can only play one concerto; Michael Humphries; Canadian pianist Mark Landau; and a meek Kazakh girl, Tatiana Baronova.

Another contestant, Heidi Joan Schoonover, is a confident 23-year-old from Massachusetts who was romantically attracted to Paul after meeting him at an earlier music festival.

Heidi's esteemed music teacher, Greta Vandemann, advises her to avoid letting personal matters hinder her concentration.