Each US Regional will each consist of two rounds. In Round 1, each competitor performs to a song of their own choosing. In Round 2, the top competitors from Round 1 perform to a surprise compulsory song. In each round, contestants perform for one minute of a song and are judged on a combination of technical merit, stage presence, and "airness." All guitars must be invisible. In each city, the jury is a panel of independent judges that is hand picked by US Air Guitar. The results of the jury cannot be protested.

One winner from each city will be flown to a TBA city on this summer to compete in the US Air Guitar Finals for the crown of US Air Guitar Champion. The 2012 US Champ will then be sent to Oulu, Finland to represent the USA in the World Championships, where he or she will compete against national champions from all around the world.

Founded in 2003, US Air Guitar is the official Air Guitar Association of the United States and is responsible for operating the US Air Guitar Championships, official Regional events, and specialized championships. US Air Guitar is devoted to taking our nation's unofficial pastime out of the bedroom and putting it up on the world stage. US Air Guitar is an official member of the World Air Guitar Association. Entering its ninth year in the US and its sixteenth year worldwide, official national championships currently are held in 24 countries around the globe including the USA, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, South Africa, with more countries participating every year. The 2012 Air Guitar World Championships will take place in Oulu, Finland.