How To Hold A Laughter Championship
Laughter contests are fun and easy to organize. To compete in the World Laughing Championships you need to have won a national laughing championship or be a wild card. Laughing championships have already been held in many countries but NOT in most of the world. (If there is no laughing championships in your country, there will be a wild card component which anyone can enter.)
If a laughing championship has not been held in your country, and you understand the spirit of the event, we encourage you to organize your own laughing championship.
COUNTRIES THAT HAVE ALREADY HAD OR SET LAUGHTER CHAMPIONSHIPS:
USA
Canada
Slovenia
Ireland
France
Czech Republic
Mexico
Malaysia
Uruguay
HOW TO ORGANIZE A LAUGHTER CHAMPIONSHIP
Because of the current pandemic most laughter contests will likely have to be held on Zoom. Here is the easiest way to hold one on Zoom.
1) Give yourself a few weeks. Ask people to submit videos on a Facebook page of their most "Contagious Laugh". Contagious means the laugh that is most likely to make other people laugh.
2) Chose the 8 most contagious laughs for the competition.
The reason 8 is a good number is that Zoom allows for a panel of 10 people on a page at time. That allows you to have 2 hosts. One host and a color commentator or tech person plus the 8 contestants. As the contest goes on, the 8 are narrowed down to a final 3 and eventually to a champion.
3) Have a group warm up that emphasizes everyone laughing together. Have everyone sing the national anthem together like in major sporting events.
4) Laughter Challenges. If you have 8 candidates you need 7 laughter challenges where someone is eliminated in each round. We recommend you also have group laughs between the rounds often with "celebrity laughers" or "special laughs". The idea is to de-emphasize elimination and we all laugh together no matter what. Usually you appoint one judge or two judges watches the Zoom audience in gallery mode. Their job is to eliminate the least contagious laughers. You may also ask the audience to show their approval by using "Reactions" in Zoom. This is optional.
5) You will soon arrive at your National Laughing Champion. Name your champion and celebrate.
6) Inform the World Laughing Championship who has won your Championship.
HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!
