Guthman Competition instruments in hexagon crops.

2026 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition

2026 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition

The Guthman Musical Instrument Competition is the only competition of its kind — an event that identifies the newest and greatest ideas in music. Every year, we invite musical inventors from around the world to share their creations and ideas about the future of music.

On March 13 and 14, 2026, ten finalists from around the world will showcase the next generation of musical instruments. Discover their musical and design excellence as they competed to win $10,000 in prizes.

2026 Competition

Thinking about Submitting Your Work?

If you missed our info session this year, you can still watch the webinar replay online. Hear directly from the competition organizer and a past-year judge as they walk you through what the competition is all about, how to craft a compelling submission, and what judges really look for.

Jeff Albert playing trombone

Jeff Albert

Director of Guthman 2026
Professor at Georgia Tech

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Paul McCabe headshot

Paul McCabe

Judge at Guthman 2025
Senior VP at Roland

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Watch Webinar Replay

2025 Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Guthman Musical Instrument Competition!

Passepartout Duo performing onstage at the Ferst Center for the Arts

1st Place: Chromaplane

Passepartout Duo & KOMA Elektronik – Italy & Germany

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Lockruf Music playing the Mulatar onstage with Jeremy Muller at Ferst Center for the Arts

2nd Place: Mulatar

Lockruf Music – United Kingdom & Germany

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Courtney Brown performing with the Dinosaur Choir onstage at Ferst Center for the Arts

3rd Place: Dinosaur Choir: Adult Corythosaurus

Courtney Brown & Cezary Gajewski – United States

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Andrew Reid playing the 3 Axis MIDI Guitar onstage at Ferst Center for the Arts

Judges' Special Award: 3 Axis MIDI Guitar

Andrew Reid – United States

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Jacob Barton plays the Udderbot onstage at Ferst Center for the Arts

Judges' Commendation: Udderbot

Jacob Barton – United States

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Emily Koh plays her ModμMIDI onstage at Ferst Center for the Arts.

Judges' Commendation: ModμMIDI

Emily Koh et. al* – Singapore & Georgia

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Lockruf Music playing the Mulatar onstage with Jeremy Muller at Ferst Center for the Arts

People's Choice: Mulatar

Lockruf Music – United Kingdom & Germany

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A collage of the finalist instruments of Guthman 2025

2025 Finalists

Meet the ten Guthman Musical Instrument Competition finalists. Each finalist and their instrument has a compelling story — these are the world's next generation of musical instruments. Discover their musical and design excellence.

Meet the Finalists

Featured Stories

Bosko plays the ElectroSpit

Ten Instruments That Will Change the Way You Think About Music

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Students watch a Guthman competitor demonstrate his new instrument.

Students Touch the Future of Music at Guthman

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The robot medusai

Our Latest Music Technology Research

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A dark gray map of the world with gold dots and lines, showing Guthman competitors origins.

Music Technologists Find Inspiration, Community at Guthman Competition

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A picture of circuit boards

Student Hackathon Returns 2024

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See 2024 Finalist Instruments Read Gizmodo's Coverage

Start Your Music Technology Journey

At the Georgia Tech School of Music, our students combine technical skill with exceptional music talent to truly change the way the world experiences music. Learn more about our bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in music technology, our pre-college summer studio, and our innovative research labs.

School of Music Explore Our Degree Programs

Guthman Musical Instrument Competition Updates

Sign up for Guthman Musical Instrument Competition communications to receive updates on milestones about the competition, as well as information regarding our 2024 finalists, events, and concert.

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