( Japanese summary: https://torinaki.com/gwc2020/ )

Please also refer to our GWC 2020 Main Page and Frequently Asked Questions page to ensure your submission meets all the requirements.

Rules

General Entry

1. All people are welcome to submit regardless of whether they are a professional or amateur. There are no restrictions on age, nationality, gender, etc…
2. If you are under the age of 18, you must have parental consent to enter.
3. You must have a valid email address to make a submission, so we have a method for contacting you.
4. Entries must contain whistling using only the human body (i.e. mouth and/or hand) to be considered for this competition.
5. Contestants must submit a $10 USD entry fee. Entry fees are non-refundable.
6. You must pay the entry fee before submitting your video. Proof of payment may be necessary.

Video submission

1. Submissions must be a video of the contestant whistling with the contestant shown on screen, not just an audio recording of the performance.
   1. Preferred video format: YouTube link
   2. Other accepted format: Dropbox link
   3. Contact us for questions about video formats.
2. If a YouTube link is not provided, the International Whistlers Guild will upload your video to YouTube on the IWG YouTube channel so your video can be added to the Master YouTube GWC 2020 playlist. By submitting a video that is not a YouTube link, you are agreeing to let the IWG upload your video onto their YouTube page and are giving the IWG permission to use your video content as needed.
3. The video/audio recording must be a new recording that has not been published elsewhere prior to the submission period. The same video/audio should not be published on any other media/platform until the winners are announced on September 3rd.
4. Only one person should be performing in the video. This is an individual competition.
5. Performances should be one single take (no cuts in the video or audio), and the audio and the video must be the same take.
6. There should be NO audio editing or live effects added to the whistling, including but not limited to compressor, equalization (including the low-cut switch on your microphone), auto-tune and reverb.
7. You may whistle with a pre-recorded/live accompaniment or a cappella (i.e., without accompaniment).  For live accompaniment, the accompanist(s) cannot appear in the video, and you cannot accompany yourself with an instrument while whistling.
8. You may wish to include a brief self-introduction in English at the beginning of the video, but it should be no longer than 10 seconds. This part will not be counted toward the four-minute restriction stated below.
9. If you choose to submit the video as a YouTube link, the video title and description must follow the below template. You can only modify the text in red.

• Make sure the hashtags are included so that your submission can be found by the organizers. We highly recommend you to copy-and-paste and modify the text above.
• Country/region names can be acronyms, and include multiple locations if you feel that you represent more than one place. IWG does not take any stance/responsibility on which country/region the contestant states to represent.

Piece Selection

1. There are no restrictions on music selection. Choose any music that you believe best showcases your whistling ability.  Original pieces are welcome!
2. Microtonal music (including music from South Asian, Middle-Eastern, Scandinavian and other traditions) is allowed, and the judges will be informed of this possibility.

Song Length

1. Songs must be at least 1 minute long and can be no longer than 4 minutes. Any portions of your performance after 4 minutes will be ignored by the judges.
2. You may change the arrangement of a song in order for it to fit within 4 minutes. Be sensible about your arrangement (completely reorganizing a song or starting at the climax could be confusing to the judges).

Accompaniment

1. If you wish to accompany yourself, please record your accompaniment separately and then whistle along with the recording.
2. Accompaniment should avoid having the main melody that you will be whistling. You are not allowed to whistle along with a melody in the accompaniment for more than half of the length of the song.
3. The accompaniment should have NO flute-like instruments (e.g. recorder, piccolo, tin whistle), vocal, or similar sound in unison or in harmony with your whistling.
   1. Having such sounds during parts of the performance where you are not whistling is acceptable.
4. Please keep your accompaniment family friendly. If there are words in your accompaniment, please avoid vulgar or disturbing language.

Check our Frequently Asked Questions page for information on how to find an appropriate accompaniment.

Judging Guidelines

1. The judging panel will be evaluating your performance primarily on your whistling ability.
2. Any violation of the rules stated above can result in disqualification or score deduction.
3. The public voting will contribute to 20% of the final scores of the top 25 whistlers.

Judging Guidelines

• Judges score (80%) - videos will be scored out of 50 points
  • Tone quality (10 points)
    • Beauty, resonance, control, clarity, focus, consistency, warmth
  • Musicianship (15 points)
    • Style, phrasing, tempo, dynamics, expression, continuity, balance with accompaniment
  • Technique (15 points)
    • Artistry, rhythm/rhythmic accuracy, articulation, precision, ornamentation, vibrato
  • Intonation (10 points)
    • Pitch consistency
• Public voting (20%) - public voting page for the top 25 submissions will be available during the August 20-27 voting period.