2026 Competition Semifinals
2026 Natasha International Fingerstyle Competition
Welcome to the Fourth Annual Natasha International Fingerstyle Competition!
What’s New This Year? This year, we’re making things even more exciting! We’re working tirelessly to bring you a live, in-person finals event, complete with performances, workshops, and the much-anticipated competition finals.
Finalists’ Sign-Up Details: Finalists will need to answer a question in the sign-up form regarding their availability for the live event.
Why Is This Event So Special? This is a rare and incredible opportunity! A massive fingerstyle event of this scale hasn’t happened in a long time, and we’re excited to bring you a platform with mass media coverage, production, and international exposure. Finalists will have the chance to participate in interviews and other related programs that will showcase their talent on a global stage.
We can’t wait for you to be part of this groundbreaking event. Let’s make this an unforgettable experience together. See you very soon!
About the Finals:
Looking back at 2023, the Natasha International Fingerstyle Competition began its journey for the very first time. In all previous editions, the competition has been held entirely online.
Every year, we’ve put great care into organizing the event - inviting world-class fingerstyle guitar judges and attracting hundreds of outstanding players from dozens of countries and regions around the world.
Each competition has been more than just a showcase of skill; it has also been a celebration of fingerstyle guitar culture that brings people together across borders. This year, we’re more excited than ever, and working harder than ever, because we hope to turn it into something even greater: a festival-like music event that the whole community can celebrate together - inspiring, unforgettable, and full of energy.
To make this vision a reality, we are doing everything we can to coordinate resources and make an in-person final possible. With your understanding and continued support, whether the finals are ultimately held online or offline, we will officially announce the final competition guidelines before the end of June 2026.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey with us!
Semifinal Results:
Competition Ruleset
Submission Ruleset
This round will select 100 semifinalists based on score placement.
- All contestants must record a full piece in one video without cuts.
- Must be filmed in one take with no cuts, guitar and face shown; video and audio must be recorded at the same time (different software is fine).
- Must display Natasha Competition Entry Sheet on paper or mobile device before playing. This cannot be edited in at the beginning. You can find the entry sheet below.
- No additional effects allowed.
- Your song must be over two minutes in length.
- Videos can be titled however you like, but you must include the website https://natashaguitar.com/ and #natashacompetition2026 somewhere in the description. Videos must be publicly posted to YouTube.
- You will get a confirmation from bob@natashaguitar.com if your submission has been validated.
Sign up using the following application form
Click hereSample template:
Name: Tommy Emmanuel
Country: Australia
Song Name: Angelina
Piece Type: Original
Composition Submission Link:
https://youtu.be/XWS1IRF_IFA
Email: bob@natashaguitar.com
Related Statements
- Natasha Guitars is the sole distributor of any information regarding the proceedings of this competition.
- Natasha retains the rights to repost the videos received during this competition.
Timeline of Events
-
Preliminary Round: January 1st – March 31st
Results will be announced by April 15th, with 100 participants advancing to the second round. -
Semifinals: April 15th – May 5th
Results will be announced by May 20th, with 12 participants advancing to the final round. -
Final Round: To be announced after the results are announced for the semifinals.
Judging Criteria
- Performance: Fluency, articulation, rhythm, dynamics, and note clarity
- Accuracy (for covers only): Attention to detail, tone, and groove
- Creativity (for arrangements and originals only): Originality, completeness, and uniqueness
- Complexity: Difficulty, depth, and cohesiveness
Note: Original compositions typically carry the most weight in grading, followed by arrangements and then covers. However, covers can still be competitive—while the difference is slight, it could be the deciding factor between two excellent submissions.
Submission Notes
- Please follow the submission guidelines, your submission will be invalidated upon failure to do so.
- Participating on behalf of someone would result in immediate disqualification.
- All submissions will be graded with complete fairness and results published. Send us an email if you want to appeal your results.
Judging Panel
