The IX Edition of the Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Building Competition in Granada

The IX edition of the Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Building Competition took place in Granada, Spain, from July 30 to August 1, 2026, once again confirming its reputation as one of the most prestigious lutherie competitions in the world. As always, we extend our deepest thanks to Vicente Coves and the European Guitar Foundation for organizing this remarkable event with such care and professionalism.

This year, GSI President David Collett once again served as a judge for both the classical and flamenco categories, further strengthening GSI's longstanding connection to this unique celebration of guitar craftsmanship. The rest of the jury included luthier José Marín Plazuelo, luthier Yuris Zeltins, luthier Manuel Cáceres, luthier Edmund Blöchinger, luthier José González López, luthier Qingchuan Li, and luthier Javier Mengual (from Alhambra Guitars). Also on the jury were the guitarists who brought the competing instruments to life on stage. María Esther Guzmán performed on classical guitars and Paco Serrano demonstrated flamenco instruments. Thanks also to Alberto Cuéllar, who once again served as secretary for the event.

This year's competition welcomed 27 contestants — 18 in the classical category and 9 in flamenco — representing 12 nationalities: Germany, Spain, Mexico, England, Brazil, France, Turkey, China, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, and Italy.

After thorough evaluation of the many instruments entered, the jury selected the following prize winners across both divisions.

Prize Winners

Classical Guitar Category:

• 1st Prize – Francesco Baccaglion (Italy)
• 2nd Prize – Nicolás Lamoureux (France)
• 3rd Prize – ex aequo: XiaoJiang (China) and Leopoldo Barberis (Italy)

Flamenco Guitar Category:

• 1st Prize – Jakob Biehler (Germany)
• 2nd Prize – Emilio Díaz Valero (Spain)
• 3rd Prize – Paul Aguilera (England)

Congratulations to all the participants and winners for their inspiring craftsmanship. We're already looking forward to seeing their instruments featured in our store.

Check out the photos below! (photo credit: Lucía Rivas Villa)