The world's finest air guitarists have been strutting their stuff in a bid to reach the Air Guitar World Championships.

In its 12th year, the event, which is held in Finland in September, tends to draw a large international crowd as guitarists from 11 countries battle it out for the title.

A host of contestants put their air guitar skills to the test in Germany before the big event in the autumn.

Meanwhile, the official UK Air Guitar Championships will be held on August 3.

Contestants at the Championships will be asked to perform for 60 seconds to a song of their choice without any actual visible instrument.

They will judged on a combination of technical prowess, stage presence and "air-ness".

The air guitar artform dates back to the 1970s when teens were inspired by the electric guitar solos by bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.

The first air guitar championship was held in Oulu in 1996.