Official key visual for the 2026 9th KEPMA Cup Acoustic Guitar Competition: Rise toward the light. Let your sound stand apart.

SEMIFINALS · 2026

Top 100+ Revealed

The 9th KEPMA Cup Semifinals Are Now Underway

Rise toward the light. Let your sound stand apart.

On August 20, the auditions for the 2026 9th KEPMA Cup Acoustic Guitar Competition officially concluded.

Guitar enthusiasts of different ages and from different places-from age 5 to 53, from across China to overseas-each left their own musical mark on this summer. Some faced the camera for the first time, while others have spent years with the guitar. Some shaped melodies with their fingertips; others expressed themselves through song. Here, many kinds of music came together.

Following evaluation by the competition jury, 53 fingerstyle contestants and 52 singing-and-guitar contestants-a total of 105-have officially advanced to the semifinals.

Audition Contestant Photos (selection)

Collage of performance photos from selected audition contestants

01Top 100+ Revealed

QUALIFIED PLAYERS / SEMIFINALISTS 2026

*Listed in alphabetical order (A-Z); ranking is not implied.

Fingerstyle (53 contestants) [SEMIFINALISTS]

FINGERSTYLE CATEGORY

Britskiy Artem
CHUN SANGHYEOK
GEUNHA KIM
Hong Min Kwak
Hyungjoo Lee
Jihwan Yoon
Juheon Lee
Koh Takaizumi
SEUNGO LEE
SIWOO LEE
Shinyoung Lee
顾浩严
郭祺龙
韩正泽
黄镭
黄源灏
吉明琰
焦韵鑫

柯子林
李昊
李康亮
李嘉卓
李星墨
李泽童
林怀科
林建
凌渝钦
廖鹏宇
刘智杰
刘犀灵
刘润忻
石敬轩
申屠正阳
汤悦阳
唐诺著
谭天池

王家齐
王逸尘
王喆凯
王骏慈
王子晨
王志鑫
谢天承
易文俊
杨利峰
杨一辰
杨梓轩
杨智程
袁楠
运泽金
张一豪
郑睿
祝浩然

Singing & Guitar (52 contestants) [SEMIFINALISTS]

SINGING & GUITAR CATEGORY

SION KIM
陈尘
陈墨轩
陈棨正
褚颜菲
董欣
董素汎
董世交
付梓俊
高雨薇
贺骏晔
洪东亮
扈苏杭
李昌军
廖艺洋
刘梦怡
刘易阳
刘一雄

刘依朵
刘佳
刘禹
马浩伟
马腾
闵子阳
牛金铠
彭馨
尚苇杭
邵子翀
陶旻
田成
汪猛
王博思
王弘哲
王铭
王诗瑶
韦万鹏

翁梦乔
吴韦敬
徐舒萌
徐泽霖
许安言
杨林
张博喧
张闯
张奕龙
张帅
张恬心
张意卿
张杰
赵子鉴
朱家熙
朱晴奕

Congratulations to all 105 contestants.

With the auditions behind us, a new journey has begun.

Semifinalists in China should add the competition’s official support account kepma20, and send:

“I am a semifinalist + name + phone number”

After identity verification, the organizing committee will invite contestants to the dedicated semifinal group.

Important competition information and updates will be posted in the group.

Overseas contestants will receive confirmation by email from the organizing committee.

02Semifinal Rules

SEMIFINAL RULES

Semifinal Period TIME

September 1-October 15

Entry Requirements REQUIREMENTS

The entry video must be recorded using the competition-designated guitar;(How to obtain a competition guitar: 1. Join the guitar relay trial; 2. Visit an offline registration location.)
The semifinal piece must be different from the audition piece;
Record horizontally and present the performance in full, with no editing or audio correction;(There is no need to add the competition template.)
Publishing platform: Douyin;
Include the designated hashtags when publishing your entry:
- #卡马A1-DAS
- #卡马吉他
- #DOUBLE拾音器

03How Do I Join the Semifinals?

HOW TO JOIN THE SEMIFINALS

Online Contestants in China

Verify
identity
Join the
semifinal group
Complete the
registration form
Competition guitar
relay trial
Complete the
performance recording
Publish and submit the
entry link

Offline Contestants in China

Verify
identity
Join the
semifinal group
Complete the
registration form
Go to a
designated registration location
Complete the
performance recording
Publish and submit the
entry link

Overseas Contestants

Check the semifinal
qualification email
Reply and confirm
your place
Record your performance
performance recording
Send it to the
designated email address

04Special Semifinal Activities

SPECIAL SEMIFINAL ACTIVITIES

A1 DAS Beta Guitar Relay Experience

Icons for new-product beta testing, the DAS adjustable neck, and playability control

All-solid-wood New Product Beta
DAS Adjustable Neck
Your Ideal Feel, Under Your Control

The new KEPMA A1 DAS is the next-generation upgrade to KEPMA’s all-solid A1 series and KEPMA’s first guitar equipped with the DAS Dynamic Action System. The new A1 DAS makes action adjustment remarkably simple: turn the adjustment knob to change the neck angle at any time, fine-tune the playing feel, and adapt easily to different playing habits and environments. (Beta testing is currently open only to KEPMA Cup contestants.)

Primera promoción de Beta Testers

Every semifinalist can become one of the new KEPMA A1 DASfirst beta testers, gaining hands-on experience with the DAS Dynamic Action System through the competition guitar relay.

Share Your Beta Experience on Xiaohongshu to Receive:

KEPMA string-action gauge gift box — KEPMA String-Action Gauge Gift Box × 1

Share Your Experience for a Chance to Win:

A1 DAS acoustic guitar — Brand-new A1 DAS

Prizes include, but are not limited to, those shown aboveMore great gifts include fingerstyle tutorials, albums, KEPMA merchandise, accessories, and more.

*Images show only a selection of prizes. Actual prizes are subject to the drawing results.

All Semifinalists Will Also Receive:

Sample 2026 KEPMA Cup semifinal certificate — 2026 KEPMA Cup Semifinal Certificate*This item will be issued within
30 business days after the final.

REBOUND guitar strings — REBOUND
Guitar Strings × 1 Set

*Due to shipping constraints, the guitar relay experience is available only to contestants in mainland China and excludes Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas regions.

05Semifinal Scoring Criteria

SEMIFINAL SCORING CRITERIA

Scoring Dimension

Base score: technique, musical expression, and performance completeness
Scoring Dimension	Points	Description
Technique	40pts	Evaluates fundamental skills and technical execution in instrumental or vocal-guitar performance, including intonation, rhythmic stability, precision, tone control, right- and left-hand coordination, and the handling of technically demanding passages.
Musical Expression	30pts	Evaluates the contestant’s understanding and musical interpretation of the piece, including phrasing, dynamics, groove, emotional expression, command of style, and overall musical impact.
Performance Completeness	20pts	Evaluates the overall quality of the complete performance from beginning to end, including stability, transitions between sections, structural integrity, and whether the presentation is fluid, natural, and complete.
Base Score	90pts	The sum of the technique, musical expression, and performance completeness scores. This applies to all entries.

Original Work & Arrangement Bonus

Bonus rules for original work and arrangements
Scoring Dimension	Points	Description
Original Work	0-10pts	For a work written or co-written by the contestant, bonus points are awarded based on creativity and originality, structure and musical design, compositional completeness, and personal style.
Arranged Work	0-6pts	For a substantial rearrangement of an existing work by the contestant, bonus points are awarded based on the degree of reinterpretation, arrangement design, structural changes, and personal expression.
Cover Performance	No bonus points	Cover performances receive no bonus points.

Definition of an Arranged Work

An arranged work is an existing piece that the contestant has substantially rearranged, with clear reinterpretation evident in the work’s main sections. The arrangement should change one or more core musical elements-such as structure, harmony, rhythm, texture, melodic treatment, or instrumental setting-and result in a complete version with a distinct personal voice.

06Semifinal Judges

SEMIFINAL JUDGES PANEL

A KEPMA Competition Jury

Comprising five professional fingerstyle and singing-and-guitar judges

B 4 Guest Professional Judges

GUEST PROFESSIONAL JUDGES

Casper

One of Denmark’s finest fingerstyle guitarists, composers, and songwriters. Casper recently released his fifth album, Fingerstyle Arrangements, now available worldwide on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, and more.

Eddie

A Dutch fingerstyle guitarist whose enduring passion for the instrument has led him to create high-quality covers of popular songs. His YouTube channel has amassed more than 375 million views and over 2.5 million subscribers.

从政

A pioneering figure in Chinese fingerstyle guitar, an advocate for acoustic guitar culture, and the founder of Rusi Acoustic and its affiliated brands.

杨家胜

KEPMA guitar artist and founder of the “JESSON 啃吉他” brand, working across acoustic guitar performance, composition, and education. Notable work: the original fingerstyle guitar album Virgo Fantasy. His compositions draw on classical orchestral music, contemporary pop, and roots music, which he skillfully weaves into his fingerstyle arrangements.

07Next Stop: Shanghai

NEXT STAGE: SHANGHAI

After the semifinals,
the competition jury will select from the 105 contestants:

Fingerstyle

15 contestants

Singing & Guitar