World Championships of Performing Arts
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The World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) is an international talent competition held annually in Los Angeles, California. Competitors of every age are judged in acting, singing, dancing, modeling, instrumentalists, and variety categories. Participants from all over the world pay their own way to Hollywood to compete in what is the single largest worldwide talent search in existence.
Founded by Griff O'Neil in 1996, The World Championships has sought out and found the next WorldStars from over 70,000 applicants and 47 countries in its decade-long competition, which culminates in an annual televised final awards show, in Hollywood.
An "Olympics-style" competition in which singers compete only against other singers, dance groups compete only against other dance groups, and so on, the participants are grouped by age into Juniors and Seniors, and then a winner is selected in each performance category, for both Juniors and Seniors, over a week long audition process. Industry heavy-weights, talent agents, record execs and television producers judge the talent to determine who moves onto the finals. Once at the finals, a champion is selected by 16 celebrity judges from among the top 3-4 performers in each category and both age groups. Of the eight category winners, a Junior and Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World is selected and awarded.
Thanks to the huge visibility the televised event provides, the winning performer (along with many other participants over the years) has found WCOPA a very useful stepping stone in launching a career in TV, films and music.
