ASPIRING CANADIAN WRITERS CONTESTS
2014 SINGER-SONGWRITER MENTOR EXPERIENCE

Entrant Requirements
  • Legal residents of Canada (excluding Quebec).
  • Age of majority (in the province or territory in which you reside, see below). Contest winners will be required to show proof of age and residency.
          Alberta:  age 18
          British Columbia:  age 19
          Manitoba:  age 18
          New Brunswick:  age 19
          Newfoundland and Labrador:  age 19
          North West Territories:  age 19
          Nova Scotia:  age 19
          Nunavut:  age 19
          Ontario:  age 18
          Prince Edward Island:  age 18
          Saskatchewan:  age 18
          Yukon:  age 19
  • Solo singer-songwriters only.
  • Entrants must not currently be, or have ever been, signed to a major or independent label in Canada or internationally.
  • Entrants must not be employees, representatives or agents (and those with whom such persons are domiciled, whether related or not) of Sponsor (Aspiring Canadian Writers Contests Inc.), its prize suppliers, the Judges, the Mentor, or advertising/promotion agencies.
  • Entrants are forbidden from attempting to contact a Judge or Mentor in any way whatsoever and in the event an entrant attempts to contact a Judge or Mentor, he/she may be disqualified, as determined by the Sponsor (Aspiring Canadian Writers Contests Inc.) at its sole discretion.
  • All entrant requirements and general conditions (including those listed above) are outlined in the Contest's Official Rules. Entrants must read and accept our Official Rules prior to submitting their entry.

Entry Submission
  • No entry fee.
  • One song per video entry.
  • One video entry per entrant.
  • Video entry uploaded from a computer or phone must be no longer than six minutes in length, in any of these accepted formats: 3gp; flv; mov; mp4; mpeg; mpeg4; wmv; avi; vob; amc.
  • Any musical genre.
  • English language only.
  • Video entry must include a vocal and instrumental performance by only the entrant (no accompanying vocalists or musicians), of an original song written solely by the entrant (no collaborations with co-writers), a song for which the entrant has copyright and will retain copyright. If an entry is submitted that is not the entrant's original song, the contest entrant shall indemnify and hold harmless the Contest Sponsor, Aspiring Canadian Writers Contests Inc., and all individuals and organizations affiliated to Aspiring Canadian Writers Contests Inc. and the 2014 Singer-Songwriter Mentor Experience from any resulting legal action.
  • Video entry (and song within) must never have been previously selected as a winner (or a finalist) in any other contest.
  • Video entry must not not violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation.
  • Video entry must not contain any reference to or likeness of any identifiable third parties, unless consent has been obtained from all such individuals and their parent/legal guardian if they are under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence.
  • Video entry will not give rise to any claims of infringement, invasion of privacy or publicity, or infringe on any rights and/or interests of any third party, or give rise to any claims for payment whatsoever.
  • Video entry is not defamatory, trade libelous, pornographic or obscene, and further  will not contain, depict, include, discuss or involve, without limitation, any of the following: nudity; alcohol/drug consumption or smoking; explicit or graphic sexual activity, or sexual innuendo; crude, vulgar or offensive language and/or symbols; derogatory characterizations of any ethnic, racial, sexual, religious or other groups (including, without limitation, any competitors of Sponsor); content that endorses, condones and/or discusses any illegal, inappropriate or risky behaviour or conduct; personal information of individuals, including, without limitation, names, telephone numbers and addresses (physical or electronic); commercial messages, comparisons or solicitations for products or services other than products of Sponsor; any identifiable third party products, trade-marks, brands and/or logos, other than those of Sponsor (e.g. any clothing worn and/or products appearing in your Video must not contain any visible logos, trade-marks or other third party materials unless the appropriate consents have been obtained); conduct or other activities in violation of these Rules; and/or any other content that is or could be considered inappropriate, unsuitable or offensive, all as determined by the Sponsor in its sole and absolute discretion.
  • Contest will accept a maximum 300 entries.
  • Entry period begins October 8, 2013 at 12:00:01 am Eastern Time and ends on December 22, 2013 at 11:59:59 pm Eastern Time or when 300 eligible entries are reached, whichever comes first.
  • All entry submission requirements and general conditions (including those listed above) are outlined in the Contest's Official Rules. Entrants must read and accept our Official Rules prior to submitting their entry.

Contest Judging Process:
  • The Contest will accept a maximum 300 entries beginning October 8, 2013.
  • Preliminary Judges will judge a maximum 300 entries and select the Top 75 Semi-Finalists on/around January 24, 2014.
  • The Semi-Finalist Judge will review the Top 75 Semi-Finalists and select the Top 25 Finalists on/around February 14, 2014.
  • The Finalist Judge will review the Top 25 Finalists and select the Top 3 Grand Prize Winners on/around March 7, 2014.
  • Within 10 business days of the Prize Winners Selection Date on/around March 7, 2014, the Top 25 Finalists and Top 3 Grand Prize Winners will be notified of their win. Following that, each potential Prize winner must sign and return within 10 business days a declaration and release prepared by the Contest Sponsor, Aspiring Canadian Writers Contests Inc.
  • Winners Announcement Date: on/around March 31, 2014.
  • Judging criteria and weight is: composition/song (50%); vocal and instrumental performance (50%).
  • Judging and selection process is outlined in the Contest's Official Rules, which all entrants must read and accept prior to submitting their entry.
  • Aside from the information provided in the Contest's Official Rules, no further details regarding the Prize winner selection process will be provided, including, without limitation, the relative rankings of Entries, Semi-Finalists and Finalists. All judges' decisions are final and will not be challenged or disputed by entrants, other individuals, or organizations.

How To Enter:
  • Read the Contest's Official Rules. If you accept the terms of the Contest and its official rules, scroll to the bottom of the Official Rules page, and click on the link:
I read, accept and agree to be legally bound by the terms and conditions of these             Official Contest Rules.
  • After accepting the Official Contest Rules, follow the instructions provided by Sociamonials, the company hired by the Contest Sponsor (Aspiring Canadian Writers Contests Inc.) to receive video entries. It is mandatory to accept and check the checkbox stating that you accept the terms of use, meet the entrant requirements, and agree to the official rules. Upload your video entry from your computer or phone in any one of the following formats: 3gp; flv; mov; mp4; mpeg; mpeg4; wmv; avi; vob; amc. You may use Sociamonials' live streaming recording feature, although an upload from a previously recorded video is recommended if you have continuing issues with a slow Internet connection. After you submit your video, you will be asked to provide your contact information. All fields (first name, last name, e-mail address, phone number) are mandatory. Contact Sociamonials at support@sociamonials.com for any technical difficulties experienced while submitting your contest entry.
  • Your uploaded or recorded video is not available for viewing by the public. Our Contest Judges have restricted account access to view contest video entries on Sociamonials' server. Closed viewing respects the privacy of an entrant and the copyright in and to his/her Song and Video. All video entries will be deleted from Sociamonials' server in calendar year 2014 following the completion of the contest. To learn more about Sociamonials, visit www.sociamonials.com. For more information on protecting your copyright and your privacy, visit the General Conditions section in the Official Rules.