WCoPA is a Gold Medal Winner

An Olympian Event on a Global Scale

 

Welcome to the Gold Medal Round! Think America’s Got Talent, but bigger. Think So You Think You Can Dance, but bigger. Think The Voice, but bigger. Think America’s Next Top Model, but bigger. Think international… it’s that big. This international competition invited singers, dancers, actors, musicians, models, and variety artists to strut their stuff for the judges at the 23rd annual World Championships of Performing Arts® (WCOPA), in Long Beach, California, also known as “Hollywood at the Beach.” The competition was staged in the magnificent Terrace Theatre and the finals were webcast live globally.

Each year, previous contestants and winners are invited back to perform on the world stage. This year’s guest artists were: Stefan Benz, 12-year old actor and singer from South Africa who was crowned the 2018 Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World and was immediately signed with Hit Music Partners, Upscale Records, and one of the top talent agencies in the world, Creative Artists Agency (CAA). His career is now skyrocketing with Cool 4 Me, the first single from his first album being released to rave reviews. In 2010, a 14-year-old contestant from Malaysia, Cheryl Koh won several gold medals and now her career is soaring. She is the incredible vocalist singing the theme song Money on the soundtrack of the great hit movie, Crazy Rich Asians. Due to their individual rising careers, Stefan and Cheryl are each now living in Los Angeles.

As a division of Worldstars® International Inc., this global competition is often cited as the official “Talent Olympics” for aspiring performers and entertainers, and the only event of its kind held annually in the Hollywood area, the Entertainment Capital of the World!

“Contestants this year were vying for the gold PLUS prizes, cash and a total of half a million dollars in scholarships,” says Griff O’Neil, WCOPA Founder/CEO and a former executive of the Miss Universe Pageant, adding, “our mission is finding and discovering the treasure trove of talent crossing several continents.” To help process the talent, the veteran entertainment producer licensed seventy-five Scouts and National Directors who scoured the globe for potential talent. Selections for official contestants were held in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Thousands of people around the world applied to participate in WCOPA 2019.

There are six categories of competition: dancing, singing, modeling, acting, instrumental and variety arts (Juniors, ages 15 and under; Seniors, ages 16 and over; Solos and Groups). Each act is allowed one minute to showcase their skills. There are preliminary and semifinal rounds of elimination which ultimately determine the finalists competing during the thrilling final night showcase, which leads to the selection and announcement of the world medal winners.

Throughout the exciting week, over a hundred judges from the entertainment industry were involved before the main prizes were awarded. Gold, silver and bronze medals, official World Champion trophies and plaques, recording contracts and scholarships were all given away to the winning contestants. Finally, the top prize of all, the coveted titles 2019 Junior and Senior Grand Champion Performers of the World were handed out to the winners.

However, every contestant is considered a “Worldstar Winner” since the networking opportunities are inestimable, the competition experiences are beyond belief, the industry informational seminars are invaluable, and the friendships made with talent throughout the world are priceless!

With shows like The Voice and So You Think You Can Dance contending for airtime on TV, it’s no wonder there’s such a proliferation of talent looking for a home. These talent shows score some of the biggest audience ratings and their renewed popularity has made WCOPA more relevant than ever.

“Each year the talent is more amazing than the years prior. This year, every contestant came ready, not just to compete, but to take a serious shot at the Grand Champion titles, which made the level and spectrum of talent at an all-time high,” states Gwen Wilson, WCOPA President.

Occurring each year after the orientation process is the Team Show Night, where teams from various countries put together fun routines for all attendees to enjoy and watch. Winners of this year’s team competition were: 1st place Team Philippines; 2nd place Team Germany; 3rd place Team Trinidad and Tobago.

Launching the nine-day exciting world competition every year is the highly-anticipated Worldstars® Boot Camp. This event is an unmatched phenomenon of educational seminars and workshops held by industry experts in the fields of music, dancing, acting and modeling.

 

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