Sanctioned WATL Tournaments are tiered as Nationals, WATL, Regionals, or Locals.

Rec and Am Hatchet competitors may register in either Open Hatchet or Am Hatchet, but not both at the same tournament.

Circuit Points are awarded in all WATL disciplines based on discipline participation, and Local Tournaments must meet minimum participation requirements to qualify for Circuit Points.

National, WATL, and Regional tiers require a WATL or WKTL certified Head Judge. A Head Judge can cover multiple disciplines, but may not act as Head Judge for any discipline they are participating in.

Nationals

2027 Scheduling

  • 1 National per season
  • Nationals and Regionals may not be scheduled:
    • Within a 6-hour drive of each other, or
    • In the same region within a 2-3 week timeframe (dependent on region and competitor density).
  • Application window for Nationals:
    • 9/10/2026 – 10/8/2026
  • The final schedule of National tournaments between Jan 1, 2027 – June 30, 2027 should be announced no later than November 1st, 2026.
  • Recommended Discipline Schedule:
    • Friday: Knife immediately followed by Knife Duals
    • Saturday: Am Hatchet immediately followed by Open Hatchet
    • Sunday: Big Axe immediately followed by Hatchet Duals

Discipline Regulations

  • WATL: Tournament must host all official WATL disciplines.
    • Bids
      • WAKTC Bids for Open Hatchet (8), Am Hatchet (8), Big Axe (8) and Hatchet Duals (4) per National.
      • Provisions & Restrictions
        • Ams placing in the top 3 at any National Am Hatchet bracket may only compete in National Open Hatchet brackets for the remainder of the qualifying year. Participation in Am Hatchet brackets in Regional or Local tournaments is still permitted.
  • WKTL: Tournament must host all official WKTL disciplines.
    • Bids
      • WAKTC Bids for Knife (8) and Knife Duals (4) per National.

Entry Fees/Prize Pool

  • All WATL and WKTL discipline prize pools (except Am Hatchet) require a minimum of 50% of entry fees plus at least $1,000 added cash overall or the equivalent*.
    • *ex. higher entry fees that are equal to the calculated 50% + $1000 added cash
  • Comped Entries:
    • Venues may grant up to 3 comped entries per discipline. These do not count toward the prize pool.
    • Any comps beyond 3 in a single discipline must be counted as paid entries toward the prize pool.
Sanctioned Tournament Application

Regionals

2027 Scheduling

  • 3 Regionals per season
  • Nationals and Regionals may not be scheduled:
    • Within a 6-hour drive of each other.
    • In the same region within a 2-3 week timeframe (dependent on region and competitor density).
  • Application window for Regionals:
    • 9/10/2026 – 10/31/2026
    • If necessary, application windows will reopen again to fill any remaining spots as follows:
      • 1/1/2027 – 1/31/2027 – for S2, S3, S4
      • 4/1/2027 – 4/30/2027 – for S3, S4
      • 7/1/2027 – 7/30/2027 – for S4

Discipline Regulations

  • WATL: Tournament must host all official WATL disciplines.
    • Bids
      • WAKTC Bids for Open Hatchet (3), Am Hatchet (3), Big Axe (3) and Hatchet Duals (3) per Regional.
      • Bids trickle down to the next competitor as necessary.
  • WKTL: Tournament must host all official WKTL disciplines.
    • Bids
      • WAKTC Bids for Knife (3) and Knife Duals (1) per Regional.

Entry Fees/Prize Pool

  • All WATL and WKTL discipline prize pools (except Am Hatchet) require a minimum of 50% of entry fees plus a minimum amount in added cash according to the number of total unique competitors across all disciplines: 8-29: $250, 30-49: $500, 50+: $750 or the equivalent*.
    • *ex. higher entry fees that are equal to the calculated 50% + added cash
  • Comped Entries:
    • Venues may grant up to 2 comps per discipline. These do not count toward the prize pool.
    • Any comps beyond 2 in a single discipline must be counted as paid entries toward the prize pool.
Sanctioned Tournament Application

Locals 

2027 Scheduling

  • Unlimited Locals per season
  • No scheduling restrictions but may be reviewed based on their proximity to other events.
  • Application window for Locals:
    • Minimum 4 weeks prior to start date

Discipline Regulations

  • WATL & WKTL: Tournament may host any combination of official WATL & WKTL disciplines.
    • Provisions & Restrictions
      • Hatchet may be combined under one Open Division if registrations do not exceed 48 competitors.
        • The App rules for that bracket must be set to ‘Player Defined’.
      • For all disciplines, the minimum number of competitors required to earn Circuit Points is 8 per discipline, and the minimum number of teams required to earn Circuit Points is 6.

Entry Fees/Prize Pool

  • Payouts:
    • No added cash is required.
    • All WATL and WKTL discipline prize pools (except separate Am Hatchet) require a minimum of 50% of entry fees.
    • For separate Hatchet brackets, Am entry fees for separate Am Hatchet Tournaments may be up to 75% of the Open Entry Fee.
      • Am prize pool is a maximum of 25% of the Open Entry Fee and is exclusive to Am Hatchet competitors.
      • A maximum of 50% of the Open Entry Fee goes to the host venue.
    • For combined Hatchet brackets, entry fees match Open Hatchet, and the prize pool must be at least 50% of entry fees.
  • Comped Entries:
    • Venues may grant up to 1 comped entry per discipline. These do not count toward the prize pool.
    • Any comp beyond 1 in a single discipline must be counted as paid entries toward the prize pool.
Sanctioned Tournament Application

Charity Tournaments

  • Follow Local tournament guidelines in order for competitors to earn Circuit Points.
  • Language must be very clear and include that there will be NO Prize Pool payouts to competitors. Instead, payouts must go to the certified non-profit charity organization selected by the venue and receipt must be provided to WATL.

ALL TIERS

Payouts

  • All entry fees and prize pools are now discipline-specific and no longer use a sliding scale between any disciplines.
  • Payout depths and amounts for entry fees, added cash, and combo reductions are based on competitor count within each discipline. Venues may extend payout depth by adding funds beyond required amounts for Regionals and Nationals.
    • The lowest payout should equal or exceed the entry fee for each discipline.
  • Any App fee applied to reduce the prize pool must be disclosed in the original registration and cannot be added after registration opens. Tournament hosts utilizing the unlimited axethrowing.org subscription service may deduct a maximum of the service’s value.
  • Prize pool payouts must be confirmed with WATL and published at least 24 hours before the first event. Any advertised added cash or entry fee percentage is binding and cannot be retracted.
  • Added cash beyond the required 50% may be allocated at the venue’s discretion but must be disclosed.
  • Am Hatchet prize pool must be a maximum of 25% of Open Hatchet entry fees for all tiers except in a combined Hatchet tournament at the Local tier.
  • Payouts must be made within 2 weeks of the tournament’s final event date. Late payouts may result in sanctions, including loss of Affiliate benefits until paid.
    • WATL strongly encourages same-day payouts; Nationals bids will weigh this in selection.

Tournament applications are not guaranteed approval and will be reviewed based on competitor population density, location, and prior feedback. Regulations and guidelines subject to change as required.