Because of the current pandemic, this year anyone can attend the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition. Hosted by George Tech, the competition is “a worldwide competition to discover new ideas in musical instruments.” Musicality, design, engineering, and impact are all taken into consideration. This year, judges include DJ spooky and Kaki King. If you’ve got an amazing and innovative new instrument, applications are open until October 1, 2020. Here’s more from CDM:

Here are some of the past finalists, though I expect this year could be a different year as the event expands into new partners, audiences, and format. (And maybe your entry will be part of that.) There have been well-known finalists like the OP-1, Roli Seaboard, and Guitarbot – but also lesser-known underground additions, too.

Here’s one of the 2018 winners in action, an electroacoustic gramophone designed by Jassie Rios:

Hear and see more!