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Widely recognized as the world’s premier new instrument competition—described by London’s The Guardian as “the Pulitzer of the new instrument world”
The 28th Annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition at Georgia Tech has announced its 2026 winners, unveiling a remarkable class of instruments that expand what it means to play, perform, and compose. The Guthman Competition has a proven track record of identifying instruments that go on to influence how music is made, with past finalists including the ROLI Seaboard, OP-1, and Artiphon Orba.
1st Place – The Masterpiece (Daniel’s Music Foundation collaboration)
The Masterpiece is an open-source instrument that offers a new approach to polyphonic synthesis and looping. Nine pressure-sensitive zones respond to gradations of physical pressure, shaping dynamics, timbre, and texture. RFID key cards and textured fabrics replace screens, broadening access for performers using assistive devices.
2nd Place – Fiddle Henge
Fiddle Henge is a robotic sound sculpture mounting four violins on a bass drum, bowed by a rotating acrylic disk. Servo-driven pan/tilt mounts enable precise string targeting and variable bowing pressure, all controlled via MIDI.
3rd Place – VERTO
VERTO is a fully analog instrument built around rotating tonewheels and wearable fingertip pickups. Hand proximity to the spinning wheels controls pitch, volume, and timbre—with no digital processing or screens in the signal chain.
People’s Choice Award – The Lethelium
The Lethelium is a 24-string chromatic instrument built from bicycle and guitar parts, with a resonator of overlapping steel cups and a dual-gear tuning system. It responds to sticks, fingers, bows, and picks, and its modular design supports customization and part replacement.
Honorable Mentions: Amphibian Modules and Post Digital Sax
Honorable mentions were awarded to Amphibian Modules and Post Digital Sax, both of which demonstrated inventive approaches to sound generation and musical interaction.
“Every year the Guthman Competition reminds us how much territory is still unexplored in instrument design,” said Jeff Albert, Associate Professor at Georgia Tech School of Music and Chair of the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition. “The 2026 winners aren’t iterating on existing instruments—they’re proposing entirely new relationships between musicians and sound. That’s exactly what this competition is here to celebrate.”
About the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition
Founded in 1996 and hosted annually by the Georgia Tech School of Music, the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition is one of the world’s leading showcases for cutting-edge musical invention. The competition celebrates instruments that redefine how sound is generated, manipulated, and performed. For a full list of winners, performance demos, and event coverage, visithttps://guthman.gatech.edu/2026-competition.
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