special sponsorship
special support
Partner media
An annual agreement for guitar lovers
The 9th KEPMA Cup Acoustic Guitar Competition is open to all players who love acoustic guitar. Whether you are fingerstyle playing or playing and singing by yourself, you only need to enter the competition with a true and complete work, and you will be able to step onto the stage that belongs to you.
This competition has two categories: Fingerstyle Division and Singing & Guitar Division. The Qualifying Round stage is open to solicitation in Douyin. All key times, registration entrances, and process nodes have been compiled in this entry guide.
Entry process
From receiving the event information package to submitting the registration, complete the entry process in five steps
How to get player information package
Please choose a more convenient registration method based on your actual situation.
Online registration·Official website collection
Enter the event special page of the KEPMA Guitars official website and download event instructions, registration information and official templates according to the page instructions. Suitable for most online registration players.
Go to event page→
Online registration·public account collection
Follow the official public account and reply to keywords in the background 2026KEPMA Cup, you can get the player information package download link, no need to find the entrance.
Offline registration·One-stop registration and competition
Players who register offline will be assisted by the store to complete the registration and video recording of the competition, and there is no need to receive the information package by themselves. Scan the QR code below to check for nearby registration stores.
Store information is subject to the results returned by the QR code.
Exclusive registration channel for overseas players
Overseas players can scan the QR code to enter the special event page of the official website to download exclusive registration materials for overseas players, and submit entries and registration forms according to overseas registration requirements to the designated email address.
Select the competition group
Pure guitar performance, no vocals included
Suitable for players who focus on guitar solo, arrangement, performance skills and musical performance. Focus on fingering, rhythm, dynamic control and overall appeal.
Guitar accompaniment + self-singing
It is suitable for players who mainly focus on playing and singing, singing, and stage appeal. Focus on singing, accompaniment, stage style and camera performance.
Recording requirements
First, shoot the entries in a horizontal screen, and then use the official website template to make a vertical video for publishing on the platform. Do not shoot directly in the vertical screen.
Horizontal 16:9 · 1080P · MP4
- screen orientationLandscape recording
- aspect ratio16 : 9
- clarityNo less than 1920 × 1080
- video formatMP4
- Video duration3 – 5 minutes
- shooting methodOne shot to the end, no editing/splicing/replacing audio and video
- Screen contentReal person appears on camera, fully revealing the guitar, hands and face
- Radio requirementsRecording equipment can be used without adding sound effects or post-processing
- The face, hands and guitar are all within the frame
- There is enough light and the picture should not be too dark
- The sound is clear without obvious popping, noise or distortion.
- Mobile phone or camera fixed and stable
- Video of a complete performance from start to finish
Demonstrations from previous champions
Please refer to the 2025 eighth KEPMA CupFingerstyle Division champion-Ma Zihan and Singing & Guitar Division champion-Zhang Shiyu, for the video recording demonstration for everyone.
Create a vertical video release
After the original film is completed, the official template is applied and a 9:16 vertical video is output for platform release. Players who are not familiar with editing are recommended to use the official automatic editing tool.
Official automatic editing tool
- Download and unzip the official automatic editing tool
- Open the “KEPMA Cup Vertical Video Editing Tool” folder and find the program
- Follow the prompts to add the recorded horizontal screen entry video
- Wait for the tool to automatically generate a vertical version of the film
- Check the final video in the output folder
Editing software manually produced
- Create a new 9:16 vertical version project
- Import official template
- Place the original horizontal screen image into the specified area of the template
- Make sure the horizontal screen video exactly coincides with the white area of the template
- Check audio and video synchronization before exporting
Work release
Publishing platform & video copywriting & designated topics
Douyin
The works of domestic contestants Qualifying Round are uniformly published to Douyin; contestants who register online use their personal accounts to publish; contestants who register offline are assisted by the store or published uniformly.
publicly visible
The video permissions need to be set to public visibility to ensure that both the judges and the public can play it normally. Please reconfirm permission settings before publishing.
Add specified topic
Three designated topics must be added to the publication copy, and all of them are indispensable. You can refer to the copywriting example below and replace it with your own track name.
Fill out the registration form
The registration form needs to fill in the entry link, which will serve as an important basis for Qualifying Round’s scoring and review. Please post first and then fill in.
- The work has been published publicly
- The video can be played normally
- The correct work link has been copied
- Name, contact information, group, and track information are accurate
Sign up for surprise Easter eggs
The following benefits are subject to the official event description and actual implementation rules. Players who have successfully registered can receive them according to the official instructions.
Wang Yemin tour poster to be replaced‘” />
2026 Wang Yemin Tour Concert Discount Tickets
After successful registration, you will receive discounted ticket purchasing benefits for the “2026 Wang Yemin Tour Concert”. You need to add “kepma20” as a friend and submit your name and phone number. After verification, you can get exclusive discounts for purchasing tickets.
SHUBB
REBOUNDNo. 18 / 98 / 168 / 228 / 298th registered player
According to the order of registration backstage, the 18th, 98th, 168th, 228th, and 298th registrants will have the opportunity to win prizes such as SHUBB capo and REBOUND strings. The list of easter eggs is subject to official announcement.
Scoring rules
musical expression
- Emotional expression and repertoire interpretation
- Melodic Lines and Dynamic Control
- overall appeal
playing technique
- Pitch, rhythm accuracy
- Fingering accuracy
- Special skill completion
Track difficulty
- Technical difficulty of the track
- complexity
- originality
stage performance
- Typhoon and confidence
- Lens performance
- Overall look and feel and interaction
Qualifying Round promotion rules
In the event of a tie, both teams will be counted into the promotion quota, and no additional screening will be conducted. The actual number of people promoted in each group may be greater than 50. Anyone who successfully advances will be awarded the title of “2026KEPMA Cup·Top 100 Players”.
Highlights of Semifinals and Finals
After entering Semifinals, you need to prepare Semifinals works again, and Finals will be held offline in Shanghai.
Contestants entering Semifinals need to prepare Semifinals works again. Semifinals works cannot use the same track as Qualifying Round works. Domestic online Semifinals players can participate in KEPMA’s new generation A1 rafting experience event.
Finals will be held on October 28th at the Bandai Namco Cultural and Art Center in Shanghai. Finals will set up live performances, judges’ scoring and other aspects on the day.
All contestants who enter Finals will be invited to attend the master dinner held on the same day. Communicate face-to-face with artists and celebrity judges at a dinner party.
Judges lineup
This competition will invite Lan Haipeng, Chen Liang, Wang Yemin, Sai Ping, Guo Wei, Ivy Lyu, Eunho Yoo, Eddie van der Meer, Casper Esmann Many professional musicians at home and abroad serve as judges. Among them are young fingerstyle players and guitar education promoters, as well as vocal music educators and international fingerstyle guitarists who are active on domestic and foreign stages. They will professionally review the entries from the dimensions of performance technology, musical expression, originality, and stage presentation.
Common error reminder
Check the seven “wrong/correct” items below to eliminate common problems one by one before submitting the registration form.
Final self-check before submission
Please check the following checklist item by item before submitting your registration form. If any item fails, please make adjustments before submitting.
- 01I have confirmed that the registration group is Fingerstyle Division or Singing & Guitar Division.
- 02My entry videos are of real people appearing, performing, or singing.
- 03The video is recorded in landscape orientation, with a ratio of 16:9 and a resolution of no less than 1920×1080.
- 04Video format is MP4 and duration is 3-5 minutes.
- 05The video is shot to the end without editing, splicing or replacing audio and video.
- 06There are no effects added to the audio and no post-processing.
- 07I have used official templates or official automatic editing tools to create vertical publishing videos.
- 08I’ve added #KEPMA Cup2026 #KEPMA Guitars #DOUBLE Pickups in the release copy.
- 09The work has been released to the public and can be played normally.
- 10I’ve copied the correct video link.
- 11I have filled out the registration form and carefully checked all the information.
- 12If it is an original work, I have filled in the introduction and creative background of the work.
- 13If it is a remake, cover or adaptation, I have indicated the original composer and source.
