OFFICIAL RULES
The Austin Air Guitar Championships obey the rules set forth by the Air Guitar World Championships.

• Each performance is played to 1 minute (60 seconds) of a song
• The 60 Seconds can start anywhere in the song.
• The instrument must be invisible and be a guitar or bass (i.e. air drums are not allowed)
• Air roadies are allowed, but must leave the stage before the performance
• Back up bands (air or real) are not allowed

US Air Guitar contests will each consist of two rounds:
Round 1 (freestyle): each competitor performs to a song of their choice
Round 2 (compulsory): top competitors from round 1 perform to a surprise song

JUDGING CRITERIA
2008 Champion Hot Lixx Hulahan will be judging the competition this year, and the judge’s opinions will be final!

All performances are scored on a scale from 4.0 to 6.0 - 6.0 being the highest possible.  Scores are given to one decimal point (e.g. 5.4 not 5.48).  A single score is given to each air guitarist based on their overall performance in that round.

The score reflects the quality of the performance based on three key criteria:

1. Technical Merit
You don’t have to know what notes you’re playing, but the more your invisible fretwork corresponds to the music that’s playing, the better the performance.

2. Stage Presence
Anyone can do it in the privacy of their bedroom.  Few have what it takes to rock a crowd of hundreds or even thousands - all without an instrument

3. Airness
The last criteria is the most difficult to define yet often the most decisive of all.  Airness is defined as the extent to which a performance transcends