Mission Statement

Guitar Wars is Arkansas’ premier amateur guitar competition, and the Guitar Wars Music Education Program is dedicated to raising funds for underserved youth across multiple counties in Arkansas. Our nonprofit provides free guitars and four months of guitar lessons in their home counties to young aspiring musicians, fostering their talent and passion for music.

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QUALIFICATIONS

DETAILS

  • Must provide own guitar.

  • Open to guitar players of all styles and experience levels, such as international participants.

  • Must be an amateur player (no guitar teachers or professional musicians, please.

  • Must not make more than 20% of their annual income playing the guitar.

  • Must not be related to an event judge or sponsor.

There are two brackets to compete in: Youth (up to 17 years old) and Adult (18+ years old). There will be a Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced competition within each bracket.

$35 registration fee includes:

  • By June 30: Free T-shirt + one pack of guitar strings

  • After June 30: One pack of guitar strings.

  • ALL skill levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced are eligible for prizes.
    Contact Dave Dunavant with any questions: (501) 291-1171 or david@guitarwarsinc.com.

APPROVED BACKING TRACKS

Due to legal/licensing restrictions, these are the only backing tracks that can be used for the Guitar Wars event.

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Register

Register

Guitar Wars IV: Play It Forward

Contestant Registration 2026

Guitar Wars Guitar Wars
Guitar Wars
$35.00

PERFORMANCE RULES

  • We will provide a Marshall half-stack amplifier. You will not be allowed to adjust the amplifier's settings other than switching between clean and distortion. For consistency, all competitors will play through the competition amp. If you have any questions regarding how to switch, the emcee will let you know.

  • You must bring your own tuner and be in tune before you enter the backstage area. Contestants must be in tune and ready to play BEFORE they are called to the stage (there will be a test amp backstage for competitors to test gear before taking the stage).

  • Competitors may bring their own pedal board or effects to plug into the competition amp. Your pedal board must be completely set up the way that you want it to be before you enter the backstage area. You must bring an extra cable for backup!

  • If a looper pedal is used, you will be judged in the backing track bracket. Links to backing tracks are above this section.

  • Remember that you will have five minutes once you walk on the stage to play your guitar and exit the stage. There will be a timer set, and you will be cut off if you exceed the time limit.

  • Competitors may play acoustic or electric 6-string, 7-string, or 12-string guitars (all other variations are NOT permitted).

  • Solo guitar performances may not exceed 5 minutes in length.

  • Competitors may choose to play in standard tuning or in any alternate tuning of their choice.

  • Competitors may only play fingerstyle, with a pick, or with a slide.

  • Contestants will be called in alphabetical order by the judges.

  • Any substantial delay (other than breaking a string) once on stage will result in points deducted at the discretion of the judges.

  • Late arrivals will be eliminated from the event at the discretion of the event organizers.

  • Any inappropriate behavior from a contestant will result in immediate disqualification at the discretion of the judges and/or event organizers.

  • We are here for two reasons: to support each other and have a good time! Please stick around after you finish for the rest of the contest, if possible, to support your fellow contestants.

JUDGING

All judges are established professional musicians/music educators in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area. If the judges determine a competitor has registered in the wrong division, they will recategorize the competitor in the appropriate category to reflect his or her skill level.

Competitors will be judged on the following criteria, worth 100 total points:

Technical Ability / Accuracy (25 points)
Musicality (Dynamics + Tone) (25 points)
Overall Difficulty (25 points)
Rhythmic Ability (25 points)

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Jason Truby

A man with dark hair and a beard playing an electric guitar on stage.

William Moore

A man holding an acoustic guitar against a black background

Michael Carenbauer

2025 SPONSORS

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David Dunavant, Founder and Executive Director, Guitar Wars Inc.

David Dunavant is Arkansas’s highest-rated private guitar instructor and the founder of Guitar Wars Inc., the state’s only statewide amateur guitar competition and nonprofit for youth music education. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and a Master of Music in Jazz Guitar from Bowling Green State University. For 19 years, David has taught hundreds of students at four universities. He is known for expert instruction and mentorship.

He currently teaches private guitar lessons to adults and teens at Little Rock Music Academy. As the founder of Guitar Wars, David is dedicated to expanding music access for Arkansas youth through free instruments, music scholarships, and live performance opportunities.

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