Air Guitar International Championship

by Belen Contreras and Maria Elena Muñoz

For those of you who thought that your talent with an imaginary guitar when you listen to your favorite rock song is wasted, this is for you!

The best imaginary guitar players around the world compete for a spot in this unique yearly international championship hosted in Oulu, Finland since 1996.

Many will think this sounds like a joke the first time they hear about it. But in fact, the grading of this championship is as strict as the one in figure skating.

It consists in performers doing 2 routines:

- the first one should last 60 seconds, with any choice of music.

- the second one with a surprise selection of music chosen by the festival organizers.

You can choose either acoustic or electric imaginary guitar. But the secret crucial element for winning is... shhh... SELF EXPRESSION. You are a rockstar, you should believe it!

Among the judges you will find music critics, media celebrities and musicians, all skilled for choosing each year’s best competitor.

Advertised as the "greatest thing you've ever seen", by U.S. Air Guitar Championship in 2019

Make air not war

This performance has a meaningful impact. Indeed, the competition’s goal is to end wars, fight climate change and stop all the negativity in the world, because regardless gender, age, ethnic background, sexual orientation and social status, air guitar playing makes all people equal and does not require any special venues or skills. This makes it accessible to all and it is proved that playing air guitar boosts your good mood and allows you to free yourself from stress.

So, if you’re either are a fan of air guitar and you want to participate in it, or you think you have what it takes to beat every other contestant, don’t miss the chance to be a part of this out-of-this-world event. Save the date from 19 to 21 August, 2020.