How to Compete at a WGI Competition
So you have decided you want to compete with WGI, I bet you have a lot of questions. This "How To" webpage should guide you through to an easier registration process and help answer all your questions.
Do I have to be a member to compete?
Yes, all color guard and percussion units wishing to participate with WGI must become a member. This means if your organization has multiple units, then each individual unit must purchase a membership.
There are two levels of WGI membership available. The standard membership of $75.00 includes all the benefits of membership while the "Premium" membership of $100.00 includes early-bird entry to all regionals and world championships. For more information on membership, click here.
When will registration/entry forms become available?
Premium members receive access to the entry form on September 15. The entry form will be on the website starting September 28th* for all standard members. You will want to come to the website on a regular basis starting in early September so that you have access to all the latest information available.
When can I register my unit for competition?
Registration for premium members begins on September 25th. Registration for standard members begins on September 28th*.
Is payment required at time of registration?
Yes, you must submit either check, money order, credit card, or valid purchase order with your entry form to register to compete. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.
Do I have to register by September 25th?
No, you can register for a regional anytime between September 25th and the actual entry deadline for each contest if you are a premium member. Standard members may register any time between September 28th* and the actual entry deadline for each contest. The main thing you want to remember is that the contest order is done by registration date, so the later your date, the earlier you will compete in your class.
The actual entry deadline is the Friday, five weeks prior to the show date for all regionals and the last Friday in February for World Championships.
How do I decide what class to compete in?
There is a description of each class in the adjudication manual that should help you to determine where your students are most suited. That’s the best place to start in determining where you will be most competitive. Consider the average age of your students, how many hours you have for rehearsal each week, the experience and the talent level of those who will be creating and teaching your guard.
Regional A classes are designed for the very beginning or very young students. Here is where they learn the most elementary skills. This level of guard is not ready for the National level of competition. The local circuit is where they are nurtured and where they grow. Once proficient in that class, they are ready to move up to the A class.
The A class students are ready for bigger challenges both in show design and in technical skills. They have an understanding of the time commitment involved in this level of competition. You and your staff have a good understanding of their potential and a support mechanism capable of assisting in their growth.
Continuing in the progression of classification, Open class students have demonstrated their readiness for that next set of challenges and so on into World Class. The most important consideration is to place your group where they will be challenged, where they can compete and grow. Winning the class is not the measure of your ability to compete in that division.
For additional information, please see the article in the October 2003 focus issue titled, "Classification, Getting it Right.".
What is a Power Regional?
Power Regionals are held in larger High School facilities, and are held over two days. Power Regionals feature 2 panels of judges allowing the competing units the opportunity to be viewed by up to 10 different judges on that weekend. These shows also offer critiques to those units attending World Championships.
Any unit competing at a Power Regional Event must provide their music licensing information to WGI prior to December 1st. Click here for more detailed information about copyright requirements.
Do you have to attend a Power Regional to compete at World Championships?
No, you do not. A Power Regional is a great place to go if your unit is unable to attend World Championships.
What is required to compete at World Championships?
Only one regional (a regular or Power Regional) is required to attend World Championships. There is not a qualifying process to attend World Championships so if your unit does not make finals at a regional you may still attend.
Units who do not have a WGI Regional within 400 miles of their place of origin will be allowed participation in WGI World Championships without meeting the requirement of attending one WGI Regional first. Any unit not attending a WGI Regional is required to submit a videotape to the Division Coordinators by March 1.
Any unit competing at the World Championships must provide their music licensing information to WGI prior to December 1st. Click here for more detailed information about copyright requirements.
What if I cannot attend a competition that I registered for?
If for some reason you cannot attend one of the competitions then you must notify the office in writing as soon as you are aware of it. All entry fees are nontransferable and nonrefundable. If you withdraw from a regional competition after the entry deadline has lapsed there is an additional $200 fee. If you withdraw from World Championships after March 15th then the fee is $500. So you do not want to register for any competition if you believe there may be conflict at a later date.
What do you mean by the regional is closed?
A regional can close at two different points: 1-when the regional reaches it's maximum amount of time in the day or 2-when the entry deadline has lapsed, all entry deadlines are five weeks prior to the actual date of the show. In the case of number 1 this means that no more units are being accepted into the regional, but instead, they are being put on a wait list in case anyone who is currently registered decides not to attend. All waiting lists are cleared once the entry deadline date has lapsed. If the regional entry date has lapsed then the show is closed and no unit may be allowed into the regional.
Explain the wait list procedure.
If a regional is closed (for any reason other than the entry deadline has lapsed) then your unit will be put on a wait list with your postmark date as the guide to when you will get into the competition. If you are third on the wait list then there are two units with earlier postmarks who will be allowed into the show before you. This means that three units would have to decide not to attend the regional before your unit would be allowed in. The last possible date that we allow wait listed units into a regional is the entry deadline date. There is a chance that you may not get into a show that you have been wait listed for and in that case ONLY, you may transfer to a currently open regional or request a refund.
If your unit does not want to be on a wait list, when you register and are informed of the wait list you may request a different and currently open regional.
Will I receive any mailings about competitions?
All WGI info is now done electronically. The information regarding schedules of the regional, contest info, site maps, and other necessary info to make your regional experience a great one will be available online about three weeks prior to the date of the show. You will need to login in the lower left corner of wgi.org using your username and password to view this information.
* September 28th is the date that we use for all standard members. When September 28th falls on a weekend WGI will change this date accordingly to fall either the Friday before or the Monday after.
