If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us from the “Contact” page

Si vous avez des questions, n’hesitez pas à nous contacter en français par email sur le page “Contact”

Si tiene alguna duda, no hesite contactarnos en español por la página “Contact”

Se tiver alguma dúvida, não hesite em contactar-nos em português pela página de “Contact”

日本語でのお問い合わせはContactのページからお願いいたします。

Global Whistling Championship 2021

*** This competition is now complete ***

Check out IWG's YouTube Channel to see the submitted videos and winners of the previous competition!

Here are the links for the GWC 2021 Master Playlist and Top 25 Finalist Videos:

Master Playlist (Round 1)

Top 25 Finalist Videos (Round 2)

Awards Ceremony

Overall Winners

  1. (Global Whistling Champion 2021) Yusuke Matsumura - Japan/Germany
  2. Brian Crowley - USA
  3. Sean Devey - USA

People's Choice

  1. (People's Choice 2021) La Silbaora - Spain
  2. Jose Julio Apesteguia - Spain
  3. Sean Devey - USA
The one-of-a-kind online international whistling competition is back!

If you are a long-time competitor in international whistling competitions, interested in seeing how one of these works, or just wanting to show the world what you can do... this is the competition for you! No barriers in terms of paying for flights or picking a song that fits a certain category. Just send in your video for judging and have the chance at being crowned a Global Whistling Champion!

*** Open to all ages!

Useful Links

くちぶえ音楽院様がご厚意によりコンクール実施要項の日本語抄訳を公開して下さっております。質問がある場合はくちぶえ音楽院様のご迷惑とならないよう、直接主催者であるIWGにお問い合わせ願います。なお、日本語のまとめページの内容の本サイトとの整合性等に関してIWGは確認しておりません。あくまで参考として、自己責任でご覧下さい。くちぶえ音楽院様にはこの場を借りてご協力への御礼を申し上げます。

Competition Format

  • Online video submissions only
  • 2 Rounds
    • First round open to all
    • Second round will be the Top 25 chosen whistlers who will need to submit a second video
      • The final results will be determined solely by the scores of the finalists' second video
      • From this Top 25, a Top 10 will be named
  • Top 3 whistlers, as judged by the official judges, will get awards
    • Awards will be in the form of plaques or trophies, not monetary awards
  • People's Choice Award will be given to the whistler with the most votes during the voting period
    • Voting is only for the Top 10 whistlers
    • Voting will only affect the People's Choice Award and not the Top 3 award winners
    • The People's Choice Award may go to one of the Top 3 whistlers

Important Dates (Competition now closed)

  • October 16th - Video submissions are open (see our Rules and Submissions page for more details)
  • October 31st - Submission period is closed and the first round of official judging will begin
    • All video submissions will be posted on the master Global Whistling Championship 2021 YouTube playlist
  • November 14th - Top 25 will be announced
  • November 15th - Final stage video submissions for the Top 25 will be opened
  • November 28th - Final stage submission period is closed and the second round of official judging will begin
  • December 5th - Top 10 will be announced
  • December 6th - Popular voting period (from the public) will begin for the Top 10
  • December 10th - Popular voting period will end
  • December 12th - Winners will be announced by Live Stream!

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What does GWC 2021 stand for?
    • GWC stands for ‘Global Whistling Championship’ and GWC 2021 is an online whistling competition happening in 2021.
  2. Who is organizing the GWC 2021?
    • The International Whistlers Guild (IWG) is organizing the GWC 2021.
  3. What is the IWG?
    • The International Whistlers Guild was founded in 2020 by six young ambitious whistlers.  The IWG connects whistlers and non-whistlers from around the world, from all walks of life, to promote the art of whistling as mankind’s oldest and most unique musical expression. The IWG aims to reach the farthest corners of the globe to find hidden musical talents and bring them to light. Please see our About page for more information.
  4. Was this really the first ever online international whistling competition?
    • Yes! All previous official whistling competitions have been in-person at a certain location (e.g., Hollywood, Japan, etc.) or only open to a certain group.
  5. What are the benefits of an online whistling competition?
    • The main benefits of an online whistling competition as opposed to an in-person competition are:
      • Lower costs to participants. There are no flight or hotel costs for competitors. This is a huge barrier to entry for in-person competitions as they may cost thousands of dollars to attend. An online competition only requires enough cost to cover the entry fee.
      • Lower costs to organizers. There are no building rentals for an online competition and generally costs to hold an online competition are much lower than an in-person competition.
      • Easier event organization. A one- or two-day event has huge pressure to fit everything in on schedule. An online competition can make sure there’s enough time to fit everything needed without rushing anything.
      • Easier for judges. Judges at an in-person competition only have the live performances to judge. It’s difficult to judge thoroughly while trying to listen to the piece. An online competition can afford the judges more time to listen to each performance and possibly re-listen to give the most fair score possible.
      • Better platform for whistling in general. An online competition allows the content and material to be easily turned into viewable content to a wider audience. Social media will be a big part of the Global Whistling Championship 2021 and we hope you help spread the news.
      • More whistlers. An online competition with all of the above attributes will hopefully open up the whistling world to a whole new generation of whistlers.
  6. I have never entered a whistling competition before. Am I allowed to enter?
    • Of course! This is the best competition for new-comers to join as there is very little risk in doing so. Your video submission will be included in the Master GWC 2021 YouTube playlist no matter what, so you will always have something to look back on. And who knows, maybe you could make top 25, top 10… or even win!
  7. Are bird whistles allowed?
    • While the addition of occasional bird imitation may add a unique taste to your performance, the GWC is primarily a music competition and the judging will be done from a musical perspective.
  8. Can I enter if I’m under 18?
    • All ages are welcome to enter, but all participants under the age of 18 must have parental consent to participate in the GWC 2021 competition.

  1. Can I change/update my video after my initial submission?
    • No. Your submission to the Global Whistling Championship 2021 is final. Please make sure the video you submit to the competition is your final version.
  2. Will there be another round of submissions after the initial video submission?
    • Yes. The top 25 submissions will be selected from the initial pool of videos. The top 25 will need to submit a second video for a second round of judging and potential public voting if they make the top 10. All submissions will be featured in the Master GWC 2021 YouTube playlist.
  3. When is the submission deadline?
    • Your first video must be submitted by the end of the day on October 31st 2021 (11:59PM Pacific Daylight Time)
    • For top 25, your second video must be submitted by the end of day on November 28th 2021 (11:59PM Pacific Daylight Time)
  4. Can I submit my video before paying?
    • No. You MUST pay before your submission is accepted into the Global Whistling Championship 2021. Proof of payment may be necessary.
  5. Where and how do I pay?
    • Payments are being handled through Eventbrite, a website specializing in handling payments for events such as this. Please refer to the instructions on the Global Whistling Championship 2021 Submit Video page.
  6. Can I pay with some other method?
    •  We highly advise you use the default payment method as other methods may not be available. If you are not able to use Eventbrite, please contact IWG directly.
  7. What are the entry fees going towards?
    • The IWG is a non-profit organization. All entry fees will go toward the costs to organize the Global Whistling Championship 2021 (e.g., website, payment infrastructure, marketing material, etc.) and future IWG events.

  1. I don’t have any video editing software in order to start and end my video where I want, how can I edit my video?
    • YouTube has a built-in editor that can be used for simple video editing.  There are tutorials online for how to use this video editor.
  2. Can I add more elements to the video, such as the song title and “thank you”?
    • Please do not add any extra elements or edits during your whistling performance. However, you can add your own video thumbnail, and you can choose to add simple edits (with no audio) at the beginning and/or end of the video such as showing the song title or displaying “Thank you for watching”.
  3. Can I use multiple camera angles and change between them?
    • Please refrain from doing this, as we will not be able to ensure that the video and audio is indeed a single take.

  1. Can I use a microphone?
    • You may use a microphone, as long as there is no built-in effect activated on the microphone or the speakers. For example, karaoke microphones with echo (reverb) are not allowed unless the echo can be turned off completely.
  2. Can I record it in a professional music studio?
    • As long as you comply with our rules, you can record it in a professional music studio. The video and audio must both be a single cut, and they have to be the same take. This is to ensure you have not edited your whistling.
  3. Can I record it where there is natural reverb?
    • We ask that you record in an area that minimizes natural reverb or echo, such as a small room.
  4. I don’t have a good microphone or camera; will this negatively affect my score?
    • As long as your whistling is clearly audible and you are easily identifiable, your score should not be affected by the quality of your microphone or camera.  Make sure you are close enough to your microphone, so your performance is easy to hear, but avoid being so close that you are blowing into the microphone. To ensure a good quality recording, we recommend that that you close your doors and windows and switch off your electronics that might be a source of noise, such as a fan or an air-conditioner. Make sure to listen to the recording with headphones to ensure the volume is right. Watch this video to learn how to make a good recording with your smartphone.

  1. What is an ‘accompaniment’?
    • The accompaniment is the background music/audio that will support your whistling (e.g., karaoke back-track).
  2. I know what song I want to perform, but I’m not sure how to find an accompaniment without the melody in it, where can I find an accompaniment?
    • There are many options for finding accompaniments such as:
      • Look for free karaoke tracks.
      • Ask a musician you know or pay someone on a website like Fiverr to make one for you.
      • Use a web service for accompaniments like piano-accompaniments.com or karaoke-version.com or x-minus.pro.
      • Make your own accompaniment with free software like GarageBand or Audacity.
  3. Can I use live accompaniment?
    • You may have live accompaniment as long as (1) the accompanists are not visible in the video, and (2) you are not playing the instrument. Please refer to the rules.
  4. Can I mix the accompaniment separately?
    • As long as you are not editing the whistling audio, you can mix the whistling track and the accompaniment track using an audio editing software. The only edit you can do is track-level volume adjustment.

  1. I really want to perform a certain song, but some of the notes are out of my range, is there anything that I can do to fix this?
    • You can transpose the accompaniment into a different key that allows you to be able to whistle all of the notes.  There is free software, like Audacity, that can do this for you.
  2. Will my song choice affect my score?
    • Your score can increase for performing a more difficult song well, however if you perform a song that is too difficult for you (and you make many mistakes) this can negatively affect your score.  Try to use the three little bears principle: don’t pick a song that’s too hard, or too easy; pick one that is just right for you.

  1. Who will be the judges?
    • Please visit our Global Whistling Championship 2021 Judge Profiles page (once complete) to learn more about our amazing judges.
  2. How will I be scored?
    • Please visit our Global Whistling Championship 2021 Rules page for the judging criteria.
    • The final result of the second round will be determined solely by the scores of the finalists’ second video.
  3. I heard there is a public voting portion to the overall score of the top 25 whistlers. How much weight does the public voting have compared to the judging?
    • This was for the previous GWC 2020 competition.
    • For GWC 2021, there is a public voting portion only for the top 10 and it does not contribute to an overall score. It is for a separate “People’s Choice Award”.
  4. How will the public voting be done?
    • A dedicated voting page on IWG’s website will be accessible during the voting period. Voting period is December 6th – 10th 2021.
  5. Are judges or IWG Founders eligible to win Global Whistling Championship 2021?
    • No. Judges and IWG Founders are not eligible to be in the top 25 of GWC 2021. However, they may participate by sending in a video to be included in the Master GWC 2021 YouTube playlist.

  1. How many places are eligible for awards?
    • The top three whistlers and the People’s Choice will receive awards. The People’s Choice could be one of the top three whistlers. The top ten whistlers will be publicly ranked.
  2. What are the prizes for winning GWC 2021?
    • A trophy or medal will be sent to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place whistlers in the competition, similar for the People’s Choice. The other prize is having your video promoted on the IWG website and social media platforms. All official submissions will be included in the Master GWC 2021 YouTube playlist and the top 25 will be promoted further. The 1st place winner will also receive the title of second ever Global Whistling Champion!
  3. Will I know my final ranking?
    • Individual ranking will be disclosed only to those in the top 25.

  1. How does IWG ensure the rules are followed?
    • Our team consists of members who have done video and audio editing (especially for whistling) for many years. If we find an intentional rule violation, we will disqualify the submission and we will not refund the submission fee. Please be respectful of the rules.
  2. What do I do if my question wasn’t answered in this FAQ?
    • Please contact the IWG through our Contact page. We will be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

IWG: 国際口笛演奏家ギルド
GWC: グローバル・ウィスリング・チャンピオンシップ