Standard Rules of Play

US Air Guitar contests each consist of two rounds:

  • Round 1 (freestyle): each competitor performs to a song of their choice

  • Round 2 (compulsory): top competitors from round 1 perform surprise song

This year’s live Regionals will abide by the standard US Air Guitar performance rules:

  • Each performance is played to 1 minute (60 sec.) of a song

  • The 60 seconds can start anywhere in the song

  • The instrument must be invisible & must be a guitar

  • Air roadies are allowed, but must leave the stage before the performance

  • Back-up bands (air or real) are not allowed

  • Round 1 (freestyle): each competitor performs to a song of their choice, with top 5 advancing to round 2

  • Round 2 (compulsory): advancing competitors from round 1 will perform surprise song

For detailed rules on the Twitch Online Regional, including video submission and competition rules, please see the Online Rules page.

 Judging Criteria

For each Regional, there is a jury of independent judges. The results of the jury cannot be protested. All performances are scored on a scale from 4.0 to 6.0, with 6.0 being the highest possible. Scores are given to one decimal point (e.g. 5.4, not 5.48). A single score is given to each air guitarist based on their overall performance in that round. The scores from BOTH ROUNDS are added to determine the contestants’ final scores. This combined score determines the winner.

The score reflects the quality of the performance based on three key criteria:

1. Technical merit

You don’t have to know what notes you’re playing, but the more your invisible fretwork corresponds to the music that’s playing, the better the performance.

2. Stage presence

Anyone can do it in the privacy of their bedroom. Few have what it takes to rock a crowd of hundreds or even thousands – all without an instrument.

3 Airness

The last criteria is the most difficult to define yet often the most decisive of all. Airness is defined as the extent to which a performance transcends the imitation of a real guitar and becomes an art form in and of itself.

Prizes

The top competitors from each Regional will get a slot in the National Finals

  • The winner of the National Finals will receive

    • A trip to Finland to represent Team USA at the Air Guitar World Championships

    • Possession of the US Air Guitar title belt, until a new US Champion is crowned, and the belt is passed to the new champ