Georgia Championship 2026

Date: Jan 17 - 18, 2026
City: Dalton, Georgia, United States
Venue: Dalton Convention Center
Address: 2211 Tony Ingle Parkway, Dalton, GA 30720
Details: Banquet Hall I + II
Contact: Organization team
Organizers: Alan Smith, Clay Moore, Eli Smith, Raymond Goslow, Rohan Raj, and Southeast Cubing
WCA Delegates: Andrew Clippinger, Cady Shields, Clay Moore, Dalton Padgett, Jacob Ambrose, Jared Stinson, Justin Barker, Katie Hull, Raymond Goslow, Roman Wofford, and Roxana Johnson

: Download all the competition's details as PDF here.

Information

Welcome to the first Georgia state championship in over 7 years!

All competitors who officially declare their residency on their CubingUSA account in Georgia by Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM Eastern will be eligible for Georgia Champion titles. Please note that you may be asked to verify your residency at the competition with identifying documentation if you achieve a Georgia Champion title.

By entering the competition venue, you consent to potentially being videotaped and broadcasted, and you agree to not set up your own livestream or live broadcast of the competition. Please remember as well that outside food is not allowed in the venue.

This competition is supported by Southeast Cubing, Inc., the official nonprofit organization for speedcubing in the Southeast! Please check out the Southeast Cubing, Inc. tab to learn more about the organization and what you can do to support the mission.

Events
Main event

Competitor limit: 200

Number of times bookmarked: 111

Registration period: Online registration opened and will close .
Registration requirements: Create a WCA account here if you don't have one.
If this is not your first competition, associate your WCA ID to your WCA account here.
Register for this competition here.
There is a competitor limit of 200 competitors.
The base registration fee for this competition is $60 (United States Dollar).
The registration fee has to be paid through Stripe here once registered.
If your registration is cancelled before you will be refunded 75% of your registration fee.
Registrants on the waiting list may be accepted onto the competitor list until .
If you are a registered competitor you may change your registered events until on the Register tab.
No on the spot registrations will be accepted.
Any spectator can attend for free.

Registrations are accepted manually, so please be patient while waiting for your name to appear on the competitor list after you submit payment for your registration. Your registration is not complete until you pay. If you still do not see your name on the competitor list 48 hours after submitting your payment, then please contact the organizers to resolve the issue. You do not have a confirmed spot at the competition until you receive an email with the subject line: "Registration Accepted: Georgia Championship 2026." Any travel plans that you make before receiving the acceptance email are at your own risk.

After the competitor limit has been reached, you may still submit payment for your registration in order to be put on the waiting list. If you are first on the waiting list and someone cancels their registration, then you will receive an email from the organizers notifying you that you are being accepted into the competition. After registration closes, all competitors left on the waiting list will receive a refund for the registration cost, minus processing fees.

First-Time Competitors

Familiarize yourself with the WCA Regulations before the competition. Watching a competitor tutorial video before the competition can help you become familiar with the key procedures of competing and the relevant regulations, but the full regulations always apply - even those not mentioned in a tutorial.
Bring documentation showing your name and birthdate and present it during the check-in period (8:00AM-8:40AM on Saturday) to verify the information on your WCA account. Due to the age of the average competitor, a birth certificate is generally the most common document suiting this need, but a drivers license or passport will work perfectly too (as long as it is for the competitor themselves and not a parent/guardian). If you have any concerns about this, please reach out ASAP ahead of the competition.
Attend the new competitor tutorial at 8:40AM on Saturday. Even if you have read the Regulations and watched an online tutorial, attending an in-person tutorial will help familiarize you with the specific procedures and expectations for this competition, and it's also your chance to ask questions if anything is still puzzling you before you actually compete.

All Competitors

Reach out at least two weeks before the competition if you need accommodations. If there is any circumstance (e.g. disability) that would prevent you from competing normally. reaching out ahead of the competition will give the organizers and WCA Delegates time to best accommodate your unique needs.
Be present at least 15 minutes early for any round you are competing in. If the competition gets ahead of schedule, it will stay ahead of schedule, and you may not be able to compete if you miss your scheduled group (especially for subsequent rounds).
Fulfill all judging assignments throughout the competition. In addition to the groups you are assigned to compete in, you will also be scheduled to judge in certain groups throughout the day. Your judging assignments will usually come immediately after you compete or far enough before you compete to give you time to warm up. If you repeatedly miss your judging assignments, you may be subject to disqualification from the competition - the WCA is a volunteer-driven organization, so everyone is expected to help out at least as much they compete.
Let the organizers know if you are leaving before your last round. If you need to skip a round that you advanced to, letting the organizers know ahead of time will allow someone else to take your place in the round.

Registration

Question	Answer
Why am I not on the competitor list yet? I already signed up and paid!	Registrations are approved manually, so it may take some time for the organizers/WCA Delegates to see and accept your registration. If you still do not see your name on the competitor list 48 hours after submitting payment, please reach out via the contact link. Please note that if registration is already full when you register and pay, you will remain on the waiting list with a pending registration status until a spot opens up, which may take weeks or months if it happens at all. (All competitors on the waiting list who do not get a spot receive a full refund minus processing fees.)
How do I change my events or cancel my registration?	You are able to change your own registered events for this competition on the Register tab. If you need to cancel your registration entirely, please reach out via the contact link and an organizer or WCA Delegate will handle your request. Please note that no refunds, cancellations, event changes, etc. can be processed after the deadlines listed on the General Info tab under "Registration Requirements".
Are spectators or guests allowed to attend? Do they have to pay an entrance fee?	At this competition, there are no limits or fees for spectators or guests. You are welcome to attend as a friend/family member of a competitor or even just as a non-competitor who is interested in the event.

At the Competition

Question	Answer
Do I use my own cubes to compete?	Yes, you are responsible for providing your own puzzles. Be sure to review Article 3 of the WCA regulations and confirm that your puzzles are competition legal before the event. Some examples of non-legal puzzles are electronic cubes (such as Giiker, GOcube, or GAN356i), cubes with carbon fiber stickers, cubes with more than one logo, and cubes with significantly damaged or missing stickers/pieces.
Do I use my own timer to compete?	No, all equipment for the competition (timers, displays, etc.) is provided by the organizers/WCA Delegates.
How fast do you have to be to compete?	As long as you are able to solve the puzzle within the time limit listed on the Events tab, you are fast enough to compete!
What will the average age of competitors be?	Most competitors are between 10 and 25 years old, with the average age usually falling in the early to mid-teens. However, all ages are welcome - everyone can and should cube!
Are competitors divided by gender/age/experience/any other distinction?	All competitors compete on the same even playing field and are recognized in the official WCA results without any distinction.
How do I know when/where exactly I will be competing?	About a week before the competition, your first round assignments will become available on Competition Groups, detailing when you will compete in each of your events and on which stage of the competition. (The nametag that you receive at check-in will also list those first round assignments.) If you advance to the next round in any event, information about group assignments for subsequent rounds will be added to Competition Groups before the round begins. Please be familiar with which group you are in and be ready to compete at least 15 minutes before your scheduled time - the competition may run ahead of schedule, and you may not be able to compete if you miss your group.
What do I do while I'm not competing?	In addition to the groups you are assigned to compete in, you will also be assigned to judge throughout the competition. Your judging assignments will usually come immediately after you compete (though you are welcome and encouraged to judge as much as you want - it's a fun way to get right up in the middle of the action!) When you're not judging or competing, you'll probably want to hang out at the tables with other cubers and make some new friends!
Can I leave in between rounds/go home early for the day if I don't have anything to compete in?	We hope you're having enough fun to stay through the whole competition, but you are welcome to leave in between rounds or leave early for the day. (Please return at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of the next round you plan to compete in just in case the competition is running ahead of schedule.) If you plan to leave early and are going to miss a subsequent round that you advanced to, please let the organizers know so they can accept someone else to the round in your place.

Results

Question	Answer
Where do I find my results during the competition?	During the competition, you can see results on WCA Live as they are entered. Please note that all results are entered by hand and there may be delays depending on the availability of volunteers to enter data.
How will I know if I made it to the next round?	As the results are entered on WCA Live, the competitors whose names are highlighted in green are the ones who will be advancing to the next round. (Names highlighted in yellow are in a position to advance at the moment but still have the potential to be bumped out as more results are entered.) Please note that the advancing competitors are not 100% locked in until every competitor's results are entered - you can scroll down to the bottom of the page to see if anyone is still missing results.
Where do I find my results after the competition?	Within a week of the end of the competition, the results of the competition will be uploaded on the main WCA website and will appear on your WCA profile. You will receive an email notification when this happens.

If you have any other question about the competition that's not answered here, you can always reach out via the contact link and we'll get back to you shortly!

Venue

This competition takes place in Banquet Hall I + II of the Dalton Convention Center (2211 Tony Ingle Parkway, Dalton, GA 30720). The banquet hall space is on the upper level of the convention center, immediately to your right after entering through the upper-level entrance. Ample free parking is available across the convention center property.

Dining

The venue will be operating a concession stand through the competition as an on-site food option. There are also a few fast food restaurants by the highway, a very short drive from the venue. Please note that outside food is not allowed in the venue.

Lodging

A selection of hotels very close to the venue are providing room blocks for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at various price points. Please review the hotel block flyer and use the links listed there to book at the competition rate before the blocks are released to the general public on December 26th.

Intercity Travel

Dalton does not have any bus service, train service, or commercial flights, making driving the only reasonable way to arrive from outside the local area. For those flying into the region, the most effective airport options are Chattanooga (limited destinations but close enough to reach Dalton via rideshare), and Atlanta (many destinations but far enough away to require a rental car).

A separate state championship for quiet events (BLD, FMC, 4BLD, 5BLD, MBLD) will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2026 in Columbus, GA.

Georgia Quiet Championship 2026

The winners from Georgia Quiet Championship 2026 will be recognized during the awards ceremony at Georgia Championship 2026!

We are recruiting a talented and hard-working Volunteer Team for this competition to carry out scrambling and running, along with any other necessary competition tasks at the direction of the organizers/WCA Delegates. In exchange for this hard work, all Competition Volunteers (formerly known as "competition staff") will receive snacks and lunch during the competition, a refund of the registration fee after the competition, and a free competition t-shirt.

Please note that all Competition Volunteers are expected to comply with the Southeast Cubing Code of Conduct for Competition Volunteers, and all applicants must agree to its terms in order to be considered for a Competition Volunteer role. Failure to act in accordance with these expectations may result in revocation of benefits and/or the inability to serve on the Volunteer Team at future competitions.

Applications for the Georgia Championship 2026 Competition Volunteer Team are now closed.

This competition will be livestreamed by Clicky Studios on their YouTube channel! By entering the competition venue, you consent to potentially being videotaped and broadcasted, and you agree to not set up your own livestream or live broadcast of the competition.

Placement of competitors on the livestreamed stations will generally be guided by speed/ranking, with faster/higher-ranked competitors being prioritized for livestream placement. Competitors will not be able to request to be placed on the livestream or to be excluded from it.

This competition will have professional photography! All photos taken will be uploaded to an online album after the competition where they will be available for free download.

This page will be updated with more details once they are available.

Competition shirts are now available to order in both short-sleeve and long-sleeve options through December 17th! The only way to get a shirt is to order it during the group order period and pick it up during competitor check-in at the competition. There will not be any extra shirts available for sale on-site, and we will not mail shirts to anyone who is not able to attend the competition.

Georgia Championship 2026 Apparel Order

This competition is in partnership with The Cubicle! They are providing gift cards for the podium in each event and to be raffled off to judges during the finals on Sunday afternoon.

This competition is sponsored by PB Performance Wear! They are providing funding towards various items that enhance the competitor and spectator experience.

If you are interested in sponsoring this competition or partnering with us, please contact the organization team to discuss your ideas further.

(Please note that these sponsorship deals do not include vending - there will be no official sales of merchandise on-site by The Cubicle, PB Performance Wear, or any other vendor.)

The top 3 competitors in each event will receive gift cards to The Cubicle in the following amounts:

1st place 3x3 - $50
2nd place 3x3 - $35
3rd place 3x3 - $25
1st place all other events - $15
2nd place all other events - $10
3rd place all other events - $7

Additionally, the Georgia Champion in each event will receive a custom physical prize!

About Southeast Cubing, Inc.

Southeast Cubing, Inc. (SECI) is the official 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization for speedcubing in the Southeast United States! SECI supports current and future cubers across the region by:

Collecting and sharing information on speedcubing competitions and clubs
Supporting the organization of more speedcubing competitions and clubs with resources, guidance, and logistical support
Organizing a regional championship every year
Engaging in outreach to expand the speedcubing community by visiting local community events
Providing spaces (both physical and virtual) for Southeast cubers and their supporters to connect and learn

Getting Involved with SECI

You can get involved with SECI in a variety of ways:

Following SECI's social media pages to keep up with the latest news about Southeast cubing:
Joining SECI's social media discussion groups to be a part of the online conversation:
Becoming a competition volunteer, a competition organizer, or a WCA Delegate in the Southeast
Hosting a cubing club in the Southeast
Volunteering as an SECI team or Board member
Donating directly to SECI to support the mission:

SECI Competition Support

This competition is officially supported by SECI through the organization's Supported Competitions Policy, meaning that SECI takes on the overall financial and legal responsibility for the competition by collecting registration fees, paying competition expenses and signing contracts. In return for this support, SECI retains any leftover competition funds to put towards all the important activities listed above that support the organization's nonprofit mission!

Time limit

If you reach the time limit during your solve, the judge will stop you and your result will be DNF (see Regulation A1a4).

Cutoff

The result to beat to proceed to the second phase of a cutoff round (see Regulation 9g).

Format

The format describes how to determine the ranking of competitors based on their results. The list of allowed formats per event is described in Regulation 9b. See Regulation 9f for a description of each format.