Figure Artworks & Fancy Skating Procedures & Protocols

2026 WORLD FIGURE & FANCY SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS on Black Ice

FIGURE ARTWORKS (FA) – Fine Art On Ice

Skating Artists should bring their personal best and act as role models of of sportsmanship and community. They should arrive as early as possible for the opportunity to train on the World’s Greatest Black Ice.

World Championship (WC) Division: Skating Artists qualify for the WC at the discretion of World Figure Sport. The World Championships’ Titles will be calculated from the combined score of five selected Figure Artworks (valued at 10% each), a Creative Figure (25%), and Fancy Skating (25%).

World Junior Division: Skating Artists qualify for the Junior Division by being 21 years of age or younger as of October 12, 2025. Qualifying Skating Artists may enter the World Championships at the discretion of WFS and World Junior Divisions at the same event. The World Junior Championships’ Titles will be calculated from the combined score of 4 selected Figure Artworks (valued at 50%) and Fancy Skating (50%). Additional Figure Artwork Events are available.

International Open Division: Skating Artists qualify for the International Open Division by being 18 years of age or older as of October 12, 2025 and not participating in the World Junior or World Championship Divisions. The International Open title will be calculated from the combined score of 3 selected Figure Artworks (valued at 50%) and Fancy Skating (valued at 50%). Additional Figure Artwork Events are available.

World Team Fancy Skating: Skating Artists at any age qualify for World Team Fancy Skating with teams composed of 2 – 16 per team. Team Fancy Skating Artists qualify by participating and performing one or more Figure Artworks in any division or exam(s) and enjoy the World Skating Festival.

Inclusive Skating: Skating Artists at any age qualify for Inclusive Skating with any type of disability.

Exams: Figure & Fancy Skating Exams from The Art of Skating curriculum may be scheduled.

The World Skating Festival on Black Ice runs for 5 consecutive days. Events for any single division will be scheduled for either one or two days (note: WC Division does not always have consecutive days – usually Ladies Thursday & Saturday with Men’s Friday & Saturday), please check the entire tentative schedule for details.

Event Protocols

During performance/competition flights, Skating Artists will enter and exit the ice under direction of the Chief Referee. They will obtain an identifying letter for each flight from the Chief Accountant at rink side. They will be directed to a section of the ice to perform each Figure Artwork. After all the Figure Artworks are completed, the Skating Artist will place their letter by the starting center of each of their Figure Artworks. 

Skating Artists will communicate with both of the Chief Accountant and Chief Referee regarding any penalty points. Skating Artists will stay on the ice and/or in the box with the Chief Accountant to fill out and sign their Segment Artwork Documents noting any penalty points. The document needs to be directly handed to the Chief Accountant and receipt acknowledged by the accountant’s confirmation of receipt. Any questions should be immediately directed to both the Chief Accountant and Chief Referee at that time (and not after the fact).

After competition flights, Fancy Skating Artists should stay in the building with their costume on for various post-competition segments (e.g. medal ceremonies, audience interaction, official photography) that might require their presence.

Fancy Skating Artists may choose to request to perform only portions of the overall events in their Division with combined communications before the start of the competition to both the Chief Referee and Accountant. They will be ranked in portions entered, but will not receive an overall ranking in their Division.

Penalties to be assessed as follows:

● Pre-Sets (Championship and Junior Divisions): 9 points

● Starting before whistle – 3 points

● Foot/blade Touchdown (except Creative Figure segment) – 3 points

● Fall– 6 points

● Hand touchdown – 6 points

● Marking of long axis with blade – 9 points

● Interfering with another Skating Artist – 9 points

● Unsportsmanlike conduct – stomping, kicking ice, refusing to sign penalty papers, not making the Chief Accountant aware of any needed penalties, leaving the ice before placing the on-ice indicator letters by one’s Figure Artworks – 9 points

● Publishing information on Creative Figures prior to event – 3 points

● Creative Figure Artworks are open to a skating artists’ creativity and drawing is allowed either before or after skating the artwork to make it pop and stand out as much as possible for the judges and spectators.

The maximum penalty is 9 points per Figure Artwork.

The judges do not have access to the referee’s papers, which are only seen by the Chief Accountant. The on-ice letter indicators may be touched by the official Chief Referee and/or WFS Official photographer and will be immediately replaced in the original position to allow for beautiful photography.

JUDGES: The judging panel will be sequestered and will not witness the live skating. They will only evaluate the Figure Artworks left behind on the ice by the skating artists and identified by their letters. Judges will rank order the Figure Artworks such that the lowest number indicates the highest quality rank:

• World Championship Division is judged on the following: Edges, Tracings, Turns, Loops, Cross-cuts, Centers and Alignment, Spinning Center/Flying take off/landing and Overall Quality of a Figure Artwork.
• All Other Divisions: Overall Quality.

Upon request by the Skating Artist, the Chief Accountant might request a Figure Artwork to be judged for Figure Artwork Exam credit.

TIE BREAKERS:

World Junior and International Open Divisions: If a tie occurs in the first three placings, it will be broken by prioritizing figures already competed and judged.

World Championship Division: If a tie occurs in the first three placings, the tied Skating Artists resume competition and re-skate the Swirling Mirror (Double-Sided RFI-LFI) to break the tie. During a World Championships’ Medal tie-break all judges rank the Overall Quality of the Figure Artworks.

Fancy Skating (FS): The Art of Skating, a World of Possibilities –

With World Figure Sport, Skating Artists create an original Fancy Skating performance without constraint. The number of rotations in any type of Flying Figures will not have precedence over the quality of execution, flights of fancy, originality, and musical necessity when performed.

Whether a Soloist or a Team, Fancy Skating is a performance of athletic art in which the Skating Artist(s) present(s) an original choreographed composition set to live music or other suitable recorded sound track.

Fancy Skating has a vast and unlimited repertoire that encompasses a World of Possibilities and includes all types of Fundamental, Special, Creative, Free, Flying and Spinning Figure Artworks.

• Every edge, extension, nuance, and expression should flow together on the ice originating solely from the musical necessity with world class skating technique and riveting choreography.
• The purpose of Fancy Skating is to unite the Skating Artists’ profound technical and artistic mastery of the Art of Skating with fine, performing, decorative and recording arts, thereby transcending oneself and the audience.
• Contorted positions, bent lines, and contrived bombastic use of body, arms, and legs (including excessive grabbing foot or blade) are not usually considered valuable in Fancy Skating. Therefore, unnecessary use is detrimental to grace.
• Skating Artists should strive to maintain exquisite world class positions and extensions that are superbly executed and sustained throughout the entire on-ice composition.
• Skating Artists should focus on executing beautiful positions originating from the edge of one’s blade and carried through a pointed foot into the body to the top of the head.
• Skating Artists should choose to present their best style and repertoire as a performer that includes an engaged and passionate performance while striving for world class technique and interpretation produced from an unlimited skating repertoire including flights of fancy and pirouettes.
• Fancy Skating combines the epitome of technical and artistic merit by striving for world class skating technique, edge quality, speed, flow and ice coverage with exquisite form, world class sustained body positions and musicality that creates the Art of Skating as moving sculpture.

JUDGING CRITERIA

I. EDGE and STROKING MASTERY, CHOREOGRAPHY and MUSICALITY, OVERALL SKATING.

II. BEAUTY OF POSITIONS, VISUAL MASTERY, OVERALL SKATING.

III. AUDIENCE APPEAL.

RANKING

Each group carries equal weight and will be evaluated by a distinct judge (with possible audience involvement on III). Each judge will rank-order the skaters for their category. The lowest sum of all skaters’ Fancy Skating Points obtains the highest Championship Rank.

FANCY SKATING PENALTIES are as follows:

• Music with any derogatory language – 9 point penalty
• Unsportsmanlike conduct – 9 point penalty

 Please contact World Figure Sport’s Global Headquarters with any questions at 518.304.3029.

FANCY SKATING MUSIC INFORMATION FOR ALL DIVISIONS

Music for the World Championships and World Junior Divisions – Music Length: 2:00 – 3:40 minutes + or – 10 seconds

Music for the International Open, Team Fancy Skating and Inclusive Skating Divisions – Music Length: 1:30 – 3:40 minutes + or – 10 seconds

Choose from the following musical options:

• Live Music: Live performing artist: vocal or instrumental 

• Additional Music: Any recorded music: vocal or instrumental from any genre or time period

• Original Music: WFS can create an original score or recording with your help

** Music copyright issues affect everyone’s ability to release works across global social media and video platforms. Since 2016, WFS has taken a positive artistic approach to this issue by expanding the genre of Recording Arts available for use. WFS works with a growing network of professional musicians to score and record original instrumental and/or vocal music in all genres, which may be used for WFS events to be released globally and shared on any sites. Anyone may request permission to license WFS copyrighted works for other purposes. The initial published results of this effort are available on World Figure Sport’s Black Ice and Deo gratias Albums. They include 38 musical pieces and are available on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.

With guidance from WFS, Skating Artists may efficiently adapt any previous or current programs into a beautiful Fancy Skating performance.

World Figure Sport has the capacity to help all Skating Artists and coaches with music consultation, editing services, and original arrangements. Skating Artists preparing for World events and other divisions are encouraged to set up a music consultation by texting 518.304.3029 to request a music appointment.

PUBLIC DOMAINS

Music is not protected by copyright when it’s in the public domain, which means it is not protected by copyright laws:

• All works first published or released in the United States before January 1, 1929 have lost their copyright protection 95 years later, effective January 1, 2024. In the same manner, works published in 1929 will enter the public domain as of January 1, 2025…and this cycle will repeat each year…(source Public domain in the United States).

VIDEO/FILMING/PHOTOGRAPHY

In the World Figure & Fancy SkatingChampionships’ Division Skating Artists should be prepared to perform in spotlights, any lighting questions should be directed to the WFS Office before Worlds. All divisions may be followed closely on the ice by official WFS videography and/or photographers while performing their Figure Artworks and Fancy Skating choreography.

World Figure Sport’s Procedures and Protocols’ documents may be updated by the WFS Board of Directors at its discretion. Please contact World Figure Sport’s Global Headquarters with any questions by phone, text or WhatsApp at 518-304-3029.