Thanks to Hilda Baci’s successful attempt, a handful of young Nigerians have been inspired to break their own Guinness World Records, the most controversial being a young lady from Ekiti, Chef Dammy.
While inspiration is a beautiful thing, following due process is even more fire. The GWR has strict rules and guidelines that anyone hoping to make their attempts count must follow to the T.
How can I apply for a Guinness World Record in Nigeria?
Source: Guinness Word Records
Get on the official GWR website and create an account. You’ll receive an activation link which will lead you to your dashboard, where you can track the progress of your application. Now that you have an account, follow the steps outlined below:
Choose a record
Source: WikiHow
More than five people have attempted their own cook-a-thon since Hilda’s attempt, which brings us to the conclusion that people are not doing their research. While you can attempt a cook-a-thon, there’s an endless list of GWRs waiting to be broken. After selecting your preferred record, submit your application. You can even “apply for a new record title” by clicking that option.
Read the GWR guidelines
Source: Guinness World Records
Before diving headfirst, get familiar with the guidelines set by GWR. It should be your holy book for the months leading up to your attempt. Hilda mistakenly made a miscalculation about the time allotted for rest and this reduced her time by a whopping seven hours. God, abeg.
After submitting your application, look out for the record guidelines GWR will send to your account, outlining the evidence you need to submit to back your record title attempt.
PS: You must make your online application and receive specific guidelines from GWR before sending evidence of your attempt.
Gather evidence and witnesses
Your record-breaking attempt doesn’t have to be a grand affair, depending on your preference, budget and the type of attempt. What’s important is gathering solid evidence to back your submission. Document your journey with videos, photos and testimonies from credible witnesses. Make sure every moment — from preparation to the final attempt — is captured.
Submit your evidence
Once you’ve completed your attempt and gathered all the necessary evidence, it’s time to submit everything on the GWR website. You’ll do this via the account you created when you applied. Proceed to provide detailed information about your record attempt, including the category, description, evidence and witnesses.
Await verification
It took 30 days for the GWR to officially recognise Hilda for successfully breaking a world record. You should hear from the team between two weeks to a month.
Is there a Guinness World Record application fee?
At the moment, there’s no fee attached if you want to apply for a Guinness World Record. It’s completely free to do so. However, a non-refundable fee of £5/$5 (plus VAT) applies if you’re applying for a record that’s never been attempted or isn’t on the GWR database.
What happens if my record attempt is successful?
Source: Punch
You’ll receive an official GWR certificate once the submitted evidence has been reviewed and your attempt deemed successful. It goes straight to the official database, and you might also be featured in the yearly publication or other media platforms.
PS: Currently, Guinness World Record doesn’t award cash gifts or prizes to its record-breakers.
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