Over the weekend, Brookfield was alive with the sweet sounds of the almighty six-string as Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts hosted another installment of its annual Wilson Center Guitar Competition & Festival. The large-scale event featured a total of 61 semi-finalists from 50 cities around the world competing for a chance to win a share of $40,000 in prize money. First place winners in each division took home $5,000 apiece, with second and third place winners each winning $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.

Once the axes were set down, amps went silent, and votes were tallied, winners (and runners up) were named in each of the five categories. Milwaukee’s own Michael McKinnon won top honors in Fingerstyle, with William Boulé taking third place in the same category. Also among with winners is Millisa Henderson, a 16-year-old from Boston who claimed the top spot in the Rock competition. Congrats to the winners. You can see the full list of winners and finalists here.

BLUES

1st Place: Roger Schaumann — Canyon Country, CA
2nd Place: Jackson Potter — South Miami, FL
3rd Place: Aaron Bissoondial — Wayne, NJ

CLASSICAL

1st Place: Kacey Ellis — Chicago, IL
2nd Place: Samuel Hines — Mora, MN
3rd Place: Yerum Yoon — Columbia, MD

FINGERSTYLE

1st Place: Michael McKinnon — Milwaukee, WI
2nd Place: Casey Smithley — Plymouth, MN
3rd Place: William Boulé — Milwaukee, WI

JAZZ

1st Place: James Zito — New York, NY
2nd Place: Robert Varon — Pittsford, NY
3rd Place: Nathan Borton — Lansing, MI

ROCK

1st Place: Millisa Henderson — Boston, MA
2nd Place: Max Boras — Boston, MA
3rd Place: Yeril Lozano — Simpsonville, SC