It’s hard not to feel a sense of anticlimax following three weeks of intense Competition activity, but it's not over yet. Last night, Warsaw's National Opera was host to the awards ceremony and prize-winners' concert, in the presence of the Polish president. It was, literally, that old cliché, a “glittering ceremony” – crystal ropes suspended from the flys, dazzlingly lit, the great and the good on show in their evening best.

The five laureates who performed were all understandably tired after the mental and physical demands of the past weeks and some cracks were showing. No matter, they will give many better recitals in the future. Interestingly, Evgeni Bozhanov was not present – either to collect his fourth prize or to perform in the concert; the rules, however, state that this is a duty the a prize-winner must fulfil, or they forfeit their prize. The official reason for Bozhanov’s no-show was “reasons outside the Competition”; but why would he knowingly give up his award?

Winner Yulianna Avdeeva, whose prize includes two dates with the New York Philharmonic and 30,000 euros, will now play the E minor Concerto twice more on consecutive nights at further prize-winners' events. Once this is all over, she will be exposed to the intense critical attention that always follows such a prestigious award. She is the first woman to win the Chopin Competition in 45 years, since Martha Argerich in 1965, and the media will certainly start making comparisons. Will she have the career that’s implied by winning such a huge prize? Will she be signed by a major record label?

What will happen to the other laureates? Where will these pianists be in two, three, or five years? Some will be doing very well indeed, perhaps even better than the winner. There is no shame in coming second or third; Ashkenazy, Uchida, Fliter and Montero all did, after all.

And what of those who didn’t win, who didn’t make it to the final, not even the second or third stage, for various reasons? There are a some promising names we will wonder about: Anke Pan, Fei-Fei Dong, Leonora Armellini, for example. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more of them one day, in another context.