Southern Guitar Festival & CompetitionInspiring Guitarists and Music Lovers Alike with World-Class Performances and Competitions

Rules and Prizes

All festival events and competition finals will take place on September 28th-29th, 2024, at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, downtown Charlotte, NC.  

The registration deadline:

  • June 17th, 2024, for the College/Open Division — Extended deadline June 22nd.
  • June 24th, 2024, for Guitar Idol Carolina. 
  • September 10th, 2024, for Divisions II and III.

*All prizes were updated on 09/14/2024

Guitar Idol Carolina:

  • Open to all non-classical guitar players ages 10-25.
  • Contestants are allowed to use sheet music. 
  • All guitar styles are welcome. Loop pedals and backing tracks are allowed. 
  • The top 3 players will receive prizes and will be invited to perform on Sunday, Sep. 29th, in the afternoon, 2024, at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The contestants will be notified of the results by July 15th.
  • No penalty for going overtime.

Prizes:

  • 1 place – $300
  • 2 place – $200
  • 3 place – $100

Division I (College/Open)

  • This category has no age limit.
  • All performance selections must be memorized and performed on a classical guitar.
  • Nine competitors will be chosen to compete for prizes live in Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, downtown Charlotte, NC. The finalists will be expected to perform up to 15 minutes of music on stage and to submit an additional $50 entrance fee by August 1st to compete in the finals. 
  • The contestants will be notified of the results by July 15th.
  • No penalty for going overtime.

Prizes:

  • 1 place – $1500
  • 2 place – $1000
  • 3 place – $750

Special prize:

A Panormo-style Romantic Guitar will be awarded for the best interpretation of a “romantic guitar work”. For this competition, “Romantic Guitar Work” is defined as a work written for pre-Torres instruments that precede the Spanish nationalist style during the 1800s. Composers may include, but are not limited to Giuliani, Sor, Regondi, Coste, Carulli, Aguado, Legnani, Carcassi, Paganini, Lhoyer, etc. The design of the Panormo style Romantic Guitar was inspired by Fernando Sor while he lived in London. In Sor’s 1839 Method, he references giving instructions on guitar making to the Panormos, a family of stringed instrument makers. It was England’s most important guitar design during the first half of the 19th Century.

Division II (High School, ages 14-18. The student cannot be a freshman in college.)

  • This competition will be in person and will have only one round. 
  • All selections must be memorized and performed on a classical guitar.
  • Each competitor in Division II must perform up to 7 min of music from memory.
  • No penalty for going overtime.

Prizes:

  • 1 place – $400
  • 2 place – $300
  • 3 place – $200

Division III (ages 8-13)

  • This competition will be in person and will have only one round.
  • All selections must be memorized and performed on a classical guitar.
  • Each competitor in Division III must perform up to 5 min of music from memory.
  • No penalty for going overtime.

Prizes:

  • 1 place – $250
  • 2 place – $200
  • 3 place – $150

New Prize!

In honor of Voncille Williams, the Unveiled Prize is awarded for the best performance of a work by a female composer. Up to 3 winners will each receive a cash prize of $250. Competitors from all competition divisions are eligible to compete for the Unveiled Prize.

Solo competitors interested in qualifying for The Unveiled Prize must notify us when applying for the preliminary round at SouthernGuitarFest@gmail.com.

In the spirit of advancing the presentation of guitar pieces by women, please see the below links to begin your journey into the world of female composers:

Please submit your competition repertoire to keishacol4@gmail.com

Each prize winner will also receive an additional prize – a $20 gift certificate from Strings by Mail

Judges’ comments will be made available upon request via email: SouthernGuitarFest@gmail.com

What our judges are looking for:

  • Good stage presence
  • Musicianship
  • Polished performance

All judges’ decisions are final.

All prizes are subject to mandatory 30% federal tax withholding for foreign prize-winners; US prize-winners may be issued an IRS-W9.

All prize amounts are subject to change.