Contestants may submit as many songs into as many categories as he/she wishes, but each category submission or additional song requires an additional entry fee.  One check or money order payment for multiple entries/categories is permitted. (All fees are non-refundable from the point/date of purchase). Neither Song of the Year nor any of its affiliates are responsible for lost or damaged entries. If a damaged product arrives by mail you will be notified and will have the opportunity to resend the material. The resent material must be received within 5 business days after you are contacted to be eligible for that monthly round. Otherwise, your song will be automatically submitted into the next monthly round. CD's, cassettes, or other submitted materials will not be returned. Do not send the original copy of your material.

  It is the contestant's responsibility to submit the correct amount for the song entries. If multiple songs are entered and the monies submitted to Song of the Year do not cover all the song submissions, Song of the Year will accept the first songs listed on the submission form as entries into the contest. It is the contestant's responsibility to select the appropriate pricing package when entering. It is the contestant's responsibility to provide accurate and complete information on the submission form. The contestant is responsible for providing Song of the Year their material either through postal mail, email, upload, or via a website and/or EPK. Entries submitted by postal mail must have an email address specified on the submission form as this will be used for further contact and announcement notifications.

The yearly winners will be selected by an elite panel of judges. This panel will consist of successful songwriters as well as music industry professionals. Songs will be judged based on melodies, music, and lyrics (when applicable). The "Lyric Category" will be judged on just the lyrics. Recording quality will not be considered. Home recordings and live recordings are acceptable and will not negatively affect the judging of the songwriting. If critiques are ordered, they will be sent to the email address provided on the submission form.

  Song of the Year's  monthly winners and finalists will be chosen in each category on a monthly basis. Song of the Year reserves the right to place your song in the next monthly round if postmark exceeds the prior monthly timeline. The postmark will determine which month the song is enrolled in. Song of the Year reserves the right to extend deadlines of a monthly competition if deemed necessary. All postmarks after December 31st, 2009 will not be accepted for the December 2009's competition but will be entered into the January 2010 competition. Song of the Year reserves the rights to exchange the prize packages at anytime with other products or service with the same or greater value. The 2009 cash amount and prizes may vary from the 2007, 2008, and 2009 contest. The monthly winner's song in each category will compete against the other monthly winners in their respective category at the end of the year to determine which song will represent each category for the final judging. These top songs from each category will be considered the "Top Ten" yearly winners as indicated for the prize packages. The top pick from each category will then compete with the top picks from all of the other categories for the Grand Prize.

  All winners and finalists will be contacted after each month's results are in. Song of the Year winners will be sent additional information which will include a Distribution Agreement. This form must be returned within 7-10 business days after it is mailed to the songwriter. This document will give Song of the Year permission to submit your material to various media outlets, not limited to television, radio, internet sites, and publications for publicity and advertising purposes. Enclosed with the Distribution Agreement will be additional forms that allow Song of the Year to submit your song(s) to record labels, management firms, entertainment attorneys, publishing companies, and other industry professionals. The songwriter is not required to sign the Distribution Agreement. Neither Song of the Year nor any of its affiliates will own any part of your song or copyright. The songwriter will continue to be the sole owner of any material submitted into the contest. 

Song critiques are not given unless otherwise specified and paid for during submission. The songwriter must specify the critiques on the checkout page. The default quanity on the checkout page is zero and can be changed to the number of critiques desired. Song critiques are available for those who do not wish to submit an entry into the contest. Song critiques have a $8.95 fee per song. The critique reviewers are professionals in the music industry and are not directly employed with Song of the Year. The reviewers operate anonymously on a contingency basis and are unavailable for further comment. The critique "look and feel" and whether or not there is written commentary on a critique may vary per each individual reviewer. Starting in October 2009, the new graphical critique will start being used by most of the reviewers. The new critique will not have the written commentary however will instead rate more aspects of the song. The critiques are sent out through email and may be sent from another domain other than songoftheyear.com.
Once a critique is sent out, it is the songwriter's responsibililty to keep their original copy. Neither Song of the Year nor the critique services will be maintaining the critiques for an extended period of time and therefore will be unable to resend them after 90 days from the order date.

 Refunds will not be issued by Song of the Year nor any of its affiliates that are involved with processing applicable monies. If credit card payments are mailed in, the charges on credit cards will appear as 'Song of the Year'. Payments made online will appear from "Song of the Year". Song of the Year reserves the right to not accept submissions and payment for individuals and companies at it's own discretion. Only Visas and Mastercards are accepted if you are paying with a credit card. Any payment that can 'not' be cashed or deposited will be considered a “non-payment”. “Non-payments” include insufficient funds with credit cards, bounced checks, and fraud. Any “non-payment” will disqualify the songwriter’s entry in the competition (including any placements or benefits from placing in the competition). A disqualification due to “non-payment” may extend even after the contest’s results have been announced. Bounced checks are subject to a $10 charge each time a check (or legal copy of the check) bounces.

  Rules and regulations and sponsorship prizes are subject to change at Song of the Year's discretion. Song of the Year reserves the right to make any final decision on the judging should there be any problematic or unforeseen issues that arise. Song of the Year reserves the right to add new (or change judges) throughout the year. Cash and prizes may be subject to local, state, and federal taxes. It is the songwriter's responsibility to make all tax payments relating to cash or prizes. Song of the Year will report all cash prizes distributed. Cash and prizes, contest rules, and entry to the contest are subject to all laws set forth. It is the responsibility of the contestant to investigate and abide under any and all federal, state or local laws. Void where prohibited.

Song of the Year reserves the right to 'not' accept payments for any reason.  Any "spamming" or inappropriate use of the Song of the Year website or email addresses is forbidden. In the event these actions are maliciously conducted by a contestant in the competition, that contestent will be removed from the competition including any and all previous or future entries, transactions, and postings. All celebrity judges in December's round will be reviewing the top one hundred songs (those top songs selected by Song of the Year's monthly judges). The celebrity judges' votes will then help determine which of those top ranking songs will end up winning December's monthly round.