Frequently asked questions (2024)

For organisations

For individuals

1. Register for an account
2. You will receive an email with an activation link. Click on the link, and you will be brought to a dashboard page.
3. Click on the green ‘Apply for a record’ button.
4. Search for the record that you want to break.
5. When you find the record, click the ‘Apply Now’ button. If you cannot find the record you can apply for a new one by clicking ‘Apply for a new record title’ at the bottom of the page.
6. Complete the application form.

Once you have submitted your Standard Application, our dedicated Records Management Team at Guinness World Records HQ will review the application. If you have applied for an existing title, or for a new title that we find acceptable, we will make the Record Guidelines available to you via your online account, as well as the Guide to Your Evidence. This outlines the evidence you need to submit in order for Guinness World Records to assess the outcome of your record title attempt. This document will also include printable templates of documents to submit to us.

Visit our How to collect and submit evidence to get an idea of the evidence you need to provide as part of your record attempt.

All evidence must be submitted online. You can upload your evidence by logging into your account. Please do not send evidence to Guinness World Records by post as all file types are accepted online.

After this, our expert Records Management Team will assess your evidence. If your attempt is verified as successful, you will be eligible for one complimentary Official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ Record-Holder Certificate to confirm your record-holder status!

Unfortunately we are unable to respond to letters, so please make an application online or check our contact page.

Please do not send us evidence before submitting an application and receiving your guidelines, as we will not be able to process it.

Guinness World Records has an expertly trained Records Management Team who undertake substantial research and verification checks to confirm whether a new record title has been achieved.

When you submit an application for a new record title, Records Category Specialists carefully assess it to confirm whether or not your proposal can be accepted. When you submit your evidence for a new or existing title, the Records Management Team will run comprehensive checks on this evidence to confirm whether it is sufficient to demonstrate that you have achieved the record title in question.

If you are submitting an application, it is important that you provide us with as much information as possible, including:

• What you want to achieve
• How, where and why you want to achieve it
• Any links that may help our team to understand your proposal.

During the application process you will be able to search our entire database of records and find out if we already have a record matching your idea and what the target to beat is.

If your proposal for a new title is accepted, or if you are applying for an existing title, you will receive your guidelines to attempt the record. It is important that you read these and the evidence checklist pack carefully, and document all requested evidence. This is so our team can assess all evidence provided and verify whether your attempt has been successful.

It is also important that you ask any questions well in advance of any record attempt. This is to ensure we have time to respond, as it can take up to 2 weeks for us to get back to you. If your application has been accepted, you will be able to send all correspondence via your online account directly to your records manager.

Visit our How to collect and submit evidence to get an idea of the evidence you need to provide as part of your record attempt.

For new record ideas please note that Guinness World Records only recognises WORLD records. We do not verify national / country specific achievements.

All Guinness World Records record titles must fulfill key criteria including:

1. Measurable - Is it the fastest / longest / heaviest / most?
2. Breakable - Can the record be broken or repeated by someone else? All our record titles must be open to being challenged.
3. Standardisable - Can the record title be done universally? For example, it cannot be related to something restricted to a region.
4. Verifiable - Can the claim be proven? For example, a claim such as ‘the man who never drank water’, can never be verified unless the man spent his whole life from birth under surveillance by a witness.
5. One Variable – We can verify the largest painting but would not consider the largest painting by the most people.
6. Universal - The proposal must be something, or about something that is known to the majority of the world. It cannot be too specific / regional.
7. Substantially different from a current record - If your record suggestion is similar to something we already have, we will ask you to break the current record rather than approving a variation of the same title.

We currently hold more than 15,000 records online, so if you wish to find out if a record exists, please feel free to explore our website!

You can locate a record by using the search and entering keyword(s).

To search for specific keywords, please use quotation marks (“xxxx”), as this will show all results containing your chosen keywords.

If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, it may be that the record you are interested in has not been updated on our website yet, is not a record that we currently monitor or currently does not exist.

If you are enquiring about a record to break or set, then please register an account with us. Then login, click on ‘Apply for a record’ in your dashboard to make an application. You will have the option to 'Apply for a New Record Title' if you cant find the record you are looking for.

As we do not provide an individual consultative service, we are currently unable to answer questions relating to multiple record enquiries or specific detailed record enquiries.

You can also review the rest of our FAQ sectionfor more answers.

We assess each and every application that we receive - but many cannot be recognised as a world record. (See: What makes a Guinness World Records title)

• We do not accept applications based on subjective measures for example - beauty, kindness, loyalty.
• Other activities that are not records include those which are not sufficiently challenging, those which are too specific to a single person or anything that is unbreakable.
• We do not endorse unsuitable activities or those which could cause potential harm or danger to spectators / animals.
• We do not permit people under the age of 16 to attempt or hold records which are considered unsuitable for minors. In these instances Guinness World Records works in association with the official regulatory body for the particular skill / sport.

As the world's unrivalled authority on record-breaking achievement, our role is to celebrate the world’s best, to inspire ordinary people and to entertain and inform.

For these reasons, we do not pay record-breakers for their achievements or for carrying out a record title attempt. We are also unable to cover any expenses, offer sponsorship or provide equipment for anyone attempting a record.

In addition, we are unable to make contributions to individuals, charities or businesses. This is to maintain our unbiased stance as the world's global record breaking authority and to ensure that we are truly inclusive of all applicants.

There are more than 40,000 current records in our database, however due to space constraints, we can only publish around 4,000 records in the book each year which always makes it a tough decision for our editorial team and editor-in-chief!

If your record hasn't been selected for publication, there's always a chance that it may be included in future editions, or it may appear on our official website.

For any record titles associated with large amounts of food, our Record Guidelines stipulate that it must either be consumed or distributed for consumption after it has been measured. As with all record titles, the Record Guidelines must be adhered to in order to be considered a successful Guinness World Records title.

Please refer to our record policies page.

To enable us to continue to be a part of thousands of personal achievement journeys, we can only provide access to use services such as an official adjudicator through our fee-based Consultancy service.

Visit the business solutions section to learn more about the services they provide; if you would like to speak to a member of the Consultancy team, please select the option to Contact an Account Manager.

If you wish to break an existing record or set a new record, and want to view the guidelines, you will need to submit an online application first.

Each application for a new record title is reviewed individually by an expert and we are unable to tell you if your record can be accepted by email or phone.

If you need some ideas on what to choose, take a look at What Makes a Guinness World Records title? or explore our records showcase for inspiration.

Also visit our guide to evidence page to get an idea of the evidence you need to provide as part of your record attempt.

Please note, we cannot respond to postal enquiries.

We do not provide individual consultative services as part of the Self-service application. All Self-service application proposals must be made via our website by submitting an application.

Before suggesting a new record, please view What makes a Guinness World Records title?

If you are applying on behalf of a business, agency or non-profit organisation, you may be interested in our Record Consultancy Service.

Yes, depending on the type of record you wish to attempt. However, if you are under the age of 13, you will need either a parent or guardian to create an account and submit the application on your behalf.

If you need some tips on what is a record then please have a look at What makes a Guinness World Records title?

Don’t forget, you can always explore our Records Showcase to get some great ideas too!

Guinness World Records enforces a minimum age limit of 16 years old on a number of record categories. These are typically for highly physical, dangerous or endurance based records. There are also other records we consider unsuitable for people under the age of 16 to attempt, this is at Guinness World Records discretion.

If you’re under 16 you’ll be unable to apply for the record, so we encourage you to apply again when you’re older. In the meantime please search the website for other records you can attempt.

Guinness World Records does not accept any records relating to chain letters, sent by post or e-mail.

If you receive a letter or an e-mail which promises to publish the names of all those who send it on, it is not genuine.

Even if it states that Guinness World Records or the postal service are involved, we are not and no such attempt would be recognised as a world record.

Guinness World Records receives over 50,000 record applications a year - almost 1,000 applications every week. To allow us to provide the best possible service to everyone, we have placed a limit of 3 applications per person during a 24 hour period.

If you have reached your limit, you will get a message on your dashboard that will tell you how long you have to wait until you can make another application.

First of all, congratulations - you are Officially Amazing!

As a Guinness World Records record holder, you will be entitled to one complimentary record holder certificate.

All newly approved record holders will need to personally order their own Record Holder certificate direct from the Guinness World Records Store. Please log into the Store using your login and password for your Guinness World Records account and your free certificate will be added to your basket automatically. This certificate is free of charge. If you would like to order any further Record Holder certificates then please add these to your basket.

Please note: We do not currently provide ‘soft’ or electronic copies of certificates.

If your order is for your complimentary certificate only then you can choose to have them delivered for free via a non-trackable service. Please select “Free Shipping” on your checkout page and allow 2-4 weeks from receipt of your order. If you wish to upgrade to a tracked service, please choose one of the chargeable shipping options. You will receive a confirmation email once your order ships.

If your order contains other paid-for items as well as your complimentary certificate, that you have chosen from the Store, then the Store requires proof of delivery for the paid for items, so unfortunately we cannot offer free non-trackable shipping in this instance so you will need to choose a paid for courier service to receive all of your items. If you incur any problems or have any questions concerning your order or the status of your order, contact our customer service representatives who are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. GMT Monday through Friday.

Please use our forgotten password function to reset your password.

Visit the Guinness World Records store certificate page and simply click on the ‘add to basket’ underneath the certificate of participation section to bring up the ‘Find your official (Guinness World Records) record breaking event’ box.

There you will be able to search for a Record Title by entering the date and country of where the record took place. Once selected, click on continue to bring up the search results of all records that took place in that location and date. Select your Record Title, click continue and then follow the instructions on the next page to purchase.