Winter Guard International
Black and white logo | |
| Abbreviation | WGI |
|---|---|
| Named after | Winter color guard competitive season |
| Formation | May 15, 1977 |
| Founded at | San Francisco |
| Type | 501(c)(3) organization |
| 31-1421760 | |
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Color guard, percussion ensemble, and winds competition circuit |
| Headquarters | Dayton, Ohio |
Region | United States |
Executive Director | Ron Nankervis |
President | Ed Devlin |
| Revenue | US$5.5 million (2023) |
| Expenses | US$4.9 million (2023) |
| Website | wgi |
Winter Guard International (WGI) is an American governing body that sanctions championship events for three competitive performing arts activities: winter guard, percussion ensembles, and indoor wind ensembles. WGI was founded in 1977 in response to inconsistent adjudication and rules of competition which made it difficult for color guards to compete nationally. Today, WGI publishes and maintains an adjudication handbook, with an accompanying "Rules & Regulations", that has been widely adopted.
WGI championship events are hosted from January to March and conclude with WGI World Championships in April. The first World Championship was hosted at Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on April 15, 1978. World championships for percussion ensembles began in 1992, and indoor marching bands, called winds, in 2015. A series of field band competitions, promoted as the WGI Friendship Cup were hosted from 1997 to 2003. The next World Championships is scheduled for April 2025 at UD Arena.
A majority of WGI's championships are hosted in the United States, however regional championships have been hosted in Japan, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Philippines, and Costa Rica.