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The Harp Guitar Championship

The Harp Guitar Gathering ® Posted on by

The Harp Guitar Gathering®

Presents

The 2nd Harp Guitar Championship!

Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:30 PM

To be held at the Oread Hotel

(1200 Oread Ave, Lawrence, KS)

Contest Rules & Guidelines

  1. Contests are open to anyone except those who are performing as a featured entertainer or workshop leader at the 24th Harp Guitar Gathering. Additionally, Stephen Bennett, Andy Wahlberg and Muriel Anderson are permanently barred from competing. The winner of last year’s championship is also barred from competing.
  2. Contestants must have registered for at least a half-day pass to the Gathering to be eligible to compete.
  3. There is a contest registration fee of $20 (which can be paid at the registration page).
  4. Only the first 40 contestants who are registered for the contest will be allowed to compete.
  5. Contest registrations will be accepted up to one hour before the contest begins.
  6. Order of appearance will be determined by a drawing 30 minutes before the contest begins.
  7. This is a harp guitar contest. Harp mandolins, harp ukuleles, etc may not be used. Contestants may use only one harp guitar.
  8. There will be “blind” judging for this contest. The contestants thus may not speak from the stage during the contest. Doing so may disqualify them. Their names will not be announced, instead they’ll be identified by a number. For example, when it’s the seventh contestant’s turn to play, the emcee will announce “judges, this is contestant number seven”. The judges will not be in the same room where the contest is being held; the sound from the stage will be sent to a separate room where they will be listening and making their decisions.
  9. Contestants will be prepared to play four instrumental numbers. Two will be played during the first round of competition, and the other two in the final round should the contestant be selected as one of the five finalists. If nine or fewer are registered, there will only be one round of competition. In that case the contestants will play three tunes each.
  10. Contestants will play solo. They will play into a microphone, with one exception, that being that if an electric harp guitar is being used, it will be plugged in. However, the volume will be kept at the same level as the acoustic instruments. No electronic effects may be used.
  11. No medleys are allowed.
  12. Capoes may be used.
  13. Before playing, each contestant will fill out the Contest Material Form, a sample of which can be seen at the bottom of this page.

Contest Guidelines

In an effort to judge the contest objectively and equally, the following criteria
will be considered by the judges and assigned point value in each area. 

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS IS A HARP GUITAR CONTEST , SO BE SURE YOU ARE USING YOUR ADDITIONAL STRINGS! THE JUDGES WILL FROWN IF THEY DON’T HEAR THOSE STRINGS – AND YOU REALLY DON’T WANT THAT!

  1. Quality (40 points): The judges will be listening for the quality of the arrangement, in terms of its difficulty, originality and overall musicality.  The same holds true if the contestant is playing his or her own composition
  2. Execution (40 points): The judges will be listening for how cleanly and fluidly the music is performed. Tuning counts: is the instrument in tune with itself and relatively close to concert pitch? (A=440)
  3. Show value (10 points): Contestants should keep in mind how their music might be received by both the general audience and the judges.  Exhibiting some variety between the different pieces played would be wise.
  4. Overall impression (10 points): The judges want to hear a depth of musical understanding and a mastery of the instrument.
Any question that might arise where the answer is not apparent from the above rules and guidelines will be decided by the judges. Their decision is final!
The judge’s scorecards will not be given out.

Contest Prizes

The first place winner will receive a check for $1,000, a set of harp guitar strings (courtesy of the Harp Guitar Foundation) and a registration waiver to attend a Harp Guitar Gathering (in either 2026 or 2027).

The second place winner will receive a check for $200, a set of harp guitar strings (courtesy of the Harp Guitar Foundation), and a registration waiver to attend the Harp Guitar Gathering (in either 2027 or 2028).

The third place winner will receive a check for $100, a set of harp guitar strings (courtesy of the Harp Guitar Foundation), and a registration waiver to attend the Harp Guitar Gathering (in either 2027 or 2028).

Sample Contest Material Form

Contestant number  ___________

Tune 1 is (pick one)

      An original composition__________________

      An original arrangement ___________________

      Will you be using a capo? _________________

Tune 2 is (pick one)

      An original composition__________________

      An original arrangement? __________________

      Will you be using a capo? _________________

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