Rules and Regulations

All of the entries submitted into the competition will be reviewed in their entirety. The songwriter will maintain full ownership of their material. No ownership rights are compromised when entering the songwriting competition. Each song submitted must be the contestant's original work. Songs may have multiple co-writers. Prizes will be awarded to the primary person on the submission form. It is the winner's responsibility to allocate the prize money and awards to any co-writers as he/she deems necessary. Recording quality will not be considered when determining the winner. Only the songwriting of the material is taken into consideration. Home recordings and live recordings are acceptable and will not negatively affect the judging of the songwriting.

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. By entering the contest the writer accepts that neither Song of the Year nor any of its affiliates are responsible for damaged or corrupted submissions. It is the contestant's responsibility to make sure that the song being entered into the contest plays properly. Do not send the original copy of your material. Submissions can not be returned.

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. Refunds will not be issued if the contestant does not provide their submission to Song of the Year. Entries submitted must have an email address specified on the submission form as this will be used for further contact and announcement notifications.

Song of the Year's winners and finalists will be selected in each category on a "per-contest" basis. Song of the Year reserves the right to extend deadlines of a competition and the winner announcement dates at any time and without prior notice if deemed necessary. The current cash amounts and prizes may vary from previously held contests. The songwriter with the highest scores from the judges, within each category, will be the "Category Winner". There will be one winner from each of the ten categories. Those top songs from each category will be considered the "Top Ten" winners (or "Category Winners") and entitled to the prize packages as specified online at the time of entry. The top ten "Category Winner's" songs will then compete against each other (category versus category) for the Grand Prizes. There will only be one Grand Prize winner from the top ten "Category Winner's" songs which will be announced by December 14, 2011. Only the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners from the top ten will be awarded cash prizes as specified online (unless otherwise posted at the time of entry). The prize packages are based on a "per song" basis and will only be awarded to one primary songwriter (though multiple writers for the winning song can be posted online as co-writers). It is that winner's responsibility to distribute the money and prizes to the other co-writers (if applicable). Having multiple songwriters on a winning song does not multiply the cash and/or prize packages. All promotions, pricing and opportunities made available before September 10th, 2011 are void.

All winners and finalists will be contacted after the results have been determined. There will be no additional "secondary placements" offered (other than the winner's and finalist's placements) unless Song of the Year decides of offer such placements at a later time. All personalized placement pages posted online for a songwriter are posted at Song of the Year's discretion. Song of the Year reserves the right to not offer personalized placement pages or remove any such posting at any time as this service is not deemed part of the contest and is only offered on a case by case basis as an extra promotional tool. Only those writers who receive a placement in the contest will be personally notified in regards to the results of their placing song. Only the Song of the Year winners and finalists (1 winner and 4 finalists from each of the 10 categories) will be sent additional information which will include a Distribution Agreement (aka 'Release Form'). This form must be returned within 10 business days after it is distributed to the songwriter. This document will give Song of the Year permission to submit the songwriter's material to various media outlets not limited to television, radio, online media and publications for publicity and promotional purposes. Enclosed with the Distribution Agreement will be additional forms that allow Song of the Year to submit the songwriter's song to record labels, management firms, entertainment attorneys, publishing companies and other industry professionals for review and further consideration. The distribution of material is only extended to the winners and finalists but not extended to secondary placements in the contest. The winners and finalists are not required to sign the Distribution Agreement. Should the songwriter decide not to have their material distributed to the Song of the Year resources, they will still be eligible for all prizes. The songwriter will continue to be the sole owner of any material submitted into the contest. No songwriter's rights of the material are compromised by entering or winning the contest. Any judges listed as "Guest Judges" will only be reviewing and voting on the "Category Winner's" songs to determine the grand prize winner.

Refunds will not be issued by Song of the Year nor any of its affiliates that are involved with processing applicable monies. Song of the Year reserves the right to not accept submissions and payment from individuals and companies at it's own discretion and without explanation. Any “non-payment” will disqualify the songwriter’s entry in the competition. A disqualification due to “non-payment” may extend even after the contest’s results have been announced. Song of the Year is 'only' responsible for the services provided as a songwriting contest (submissions into the competition). All other services or products purchased at www.songoftheyear.com but offered by third-party or affiliate companies will constitute a customer relationship directly between the purchaser and that organization. That organization will be responsible for providing the services or products purchased.

Song of the Year reserves the right to 'not' accept payments or submissions 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 contestant will be removed from the competition including any and all previous or future entries, transactions and postings. Duplication of Song of the Year emails and/or any part of the Song of the Year website including text, images and media is prohibited unless properly authorized.

Only the information posted at the time of entry on the 'official' website located at www.songoftheyear.com will be considered current and correct information. Computer cache files may display older information. Refreshing a computer's browser and removing cookies will give an updated version of the current site. All third party offers or promotions by email or via the internet are void. Song of the Year can only vouch for information as posted on the official website (www.songoftheyear.com) and emails coming from songoftheyear.com. No other advertising or promotions are endorsed by Song of the Year.

The "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 results should there be any problematic or unforeseen issues that arise. Song of the Year reserves the right to add new (or change) judges at anytime. 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 and/or prizes. Song of the Year will report all cash and prizes distributed. By entering the competition, the contestant agrees to abide under these rules. Cash and prizes, contest rules and entry into the contest are subject to all laws set forth in Australia, The United States and globally. It is the responsibility of the contestant to abide under any and all federal, state and/or local laws. Void where prohibited.