Vanguard Music Championship — Season 1

Event Terms

Organizer: Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc.
Platform: Vanguard Platform
Version: April 30, 2026 Contact: connect@vanguardnetwork.org

Event Card

Item Details
Event Vanguard Music Championship — Season 1
Series Vanguard Music Championship
Season Season 1
Season title Open Signal
Format Public professional music competition conducted through one or more rounds, stages, or battle formats, as published on the Event page and in the applicable Round Materials
Type Public professional music competition / battle
Participation Individual participation only, unless the Event page expressly states otherwise
Age 14+
Minors Participants aged 14–17 may participate only with parent or legal guardian authorization and supervision
Organizer Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc.
Organizer role Organizer of the Event and operator of the Vanguard Platform
Platform The Event is conducted through the Vanguard Platform, owned and operated by Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc.
Submission materials Track, audio, link, description, verification materials, credits, disclosures, or other materials required by the applicable Round Materials
Results Rankings, winner / finalist / placement status, badges, recognition, public Event records, or other results as applicable
Publicity Public display of results, placements, Submission excerpts, Event-context reviews, demos, highlights, and related Event records may apply as described in these Event Terms and applicable Event Materials
Personal information Handled under the Event-Specific Privacy Notice and the Vanguard Privacy Policy
Contact connect@vanguardnetwork.org
Jurisdiction / headquarters Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Plain-Language Summary

This is a professional music competition on the Vanguard Platform.

You submit your music-related work. It is reviewed under the published Event and Round rules. Results may be recorded, displayed, ranked, discussed, and preserved as part of the Event record.

You keep ownership of your music and creative work.

By submitting, you give Vanguard only the limited rights needed to operate the Event: receive, host, review, judge, display, rank, publish Event results, keep Event records, and protect the integrity of the competition.

Broader promotional use outside the ordinary Event context is governed separately by the Vanguard Content Promotion & Media License or another clearly accepted permission.

AI tools may be allowed only where the Event page or Round Materials permit them. AI-generated, AI-cloned, AI-converted, AI-simulated, or otherwise artificial vocals, rap delivery, singing, speech, or vocal likeness are prohibited for this Event.

Participation does not guarantee winning, advancement, feedback, promotion, representation, distribution, sponsorship, income, or any future opportunity.

1. General Provisions

1.1 What this document is

These Event Terms set the rules for participation in Vanguard Music Championship — Season 1: Open Signal (the “Event”).

The Event is organized by Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc. (“Vanguard,” the “Organizer,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) and conducted through the Vanguard Platform.

These Event Terms govern the relationship between the Organizer and each Participant in connection with this Event.

They describe, among other things:

  • eligibility and participation;
  • submission requirements;
  • originality, authorship, AI-use, and third-party rights rules;
  • judging, results, rankings, prizes, and recognition;
  • public display, Event records, and publicity boundaries;
  • limited rights granted to operate and document the Event;
  • personal information handling;
  • enforcement, disqualification, technical issues, and legal terms.

1.2 Canonical Event name

The full name of the Event is:

Vanguard Music Championship — Season 1: Open Signal

For clarity:

  • Vanguard Music Championship is the competition series;
  • Season 1 is the first season of that series;
  • Open Signal is the title of Season 1.

In these Event Terms, Vanguard Music Championship — Season 1: Open Signal is referred to as the “Event.”

Short public labels such as “VMC Season 1: Open Signal” may be used in Event pages, communications, rankings, social posts, badges, or platform displays.

1.3 Organizer and platform role

The Organizer of the Event is Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc.

The Vanguard Platform is also owned and operated by Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc.

For this Event, Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc. acts in two capacities:

  • as the operator of the Vanguard Platform, including infrastructure, accounts, logs, technical workflows, notifications, submission tools, judging tools, security systems, and related platform functions; and
  • as the Organizer of the Event, including Event content, Event rules, judging structure, results, prizes, recognition, publicity decisions, and related Event operations.

Rights and obligations relating to the conduct of the Event arise with Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc. in its capacity as the Organizer.

Platform access, accounts, security, and general use of the Vanguard ecosystem are governed by the Vanguard Terms of Service and related platform documents.

1.4 Relationship to other Vanguard documents

These Event Terms apply together with the following documents, to the extent they are applicable to this Event and clearly made available to the Participant:

  1. the Vanguard Terms of Service;
  2. the Vanguard Privacy Policy;
  3. the Universal Event Operations Framework;
  4. the Vanguard Music Championship — Season 1: Open Signal Event-Specific Privacy Notice;
  5. the Vanguard Content Promotion & Media License, where required for participation, public showcase, or promotional use;
  6. the Event page, Round pages, submission instructions, judging criteria, schedules, notices, FAQs, and other official materials published for this Event.

Together, these documents form the rules that apply to this Event.

No document will be treated as binding on a Participant under these Event Terms unless it is clearly identified and made available in connection with the Event.

1.5 Document priority

If there is a conflict between applicable documents, the following order applies within each document’s proper subject matter:

  1. Applicable law;
  2. Vanguard Terms of Service — for platform access, account use, platform conduct, security, and core platform rules;
  3. Vanguard Privacy Policy — for platform-level personal information handling;
  4. Event-Specific Privacy Notice — for Event-level personal information handling;
  5. Vanguard Content Promotion & Media License — for promotional, editorial, showcase, marketing, or ecosystem-wide use of submitted content where that License is required and accepted;
  6. Universal Event Operations Framework — for baseline event procedures, integrity standards, judging standards, conduct rules, and platform-level event operations;
  7. These Event Terms — for the specific Organizer–Participant relationship in this Event;
  8. Event Materials — for detailed operational rules of the relevant round, stage, battle, submission, deadline, judging method, or prize condition.

Event Materials may define detailed submission requirements, technical conditions, judging criteria, deadlines, publicity conditions, and round-specific rules.

Event Materials may not override higher-priority documents unless the higher-priority document expressly allows it.

1.6 Event Materials

“Event Materials” means the official materials made available by the Organizer for this Event, including:

  • the Event page;
  • Round pages;
  • round descriptions;
  • submission instructions;
  • technical requirements;
  • judging criteria;
  • scoring or advancement rules;
  • schedules and deadlines;
  • prize information;
  • AI-use rules;
  • notices, updates, FAQs, and support instructions;
  • any other official materials expressly identified by the Organizer as applying to the Event.

Event Materials are part of the practical operating rules of the Event.

Participants are responsible for reviewing the Event page and applicable Round Materials before submitting.

1.7 How the Participant accepts these Event Terms

A Participant accepts these Event Terms through actions taken in the Vanguard Platform interface, including:

  • clicking “I Agree,” “Register,” “Join,” “Join Round,” “Submit,” or any equivalent confirmation mechanism;
  • checking required acceptance boxes;
  • submitting a Submission;
  • entering a Round;
  • completing another participation step where these Event Terms are presented or linked.

By taking such action, the Participant confirms that they have read, understood, and accepted these Event Terms and any other Vanguard or Event documents clearly presented as required for participation.

From that moment, these Event Terms become binding between the Participant and the Organizer in relation to the Event.

The Organizer may maintain electronic records of acceptance, including:

  • checkbox selections;
  • timestamps;
  • account identifiers;
  • document names and versions;
  • submission records;
  • technical metadata;
  • related audit and integrity logs.

These records may be used for contract administration, Event administration, compliance, security, dispute handling, and recordkeeping.

1.8 Age and minors — short notice

Participation in this Event is permitted from age 14.

Participants aged 14–17 may participate only with the consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian.

The Organizer may require confirmation of parent or legal guardian authorization in a form reasonably acceptable to the Organizer.

Detailed eligibility and minor-participation rules are set out later in these Event Terms and in the applicable Event Materials.

Participation is void where prohibited by applicable law.

1.9 Short definitions

For the purposes of these Event Terms:

“Participant” means a person wh* r*gisters for, joins, submits to, or otherwise participates in the Event.

“Submission” or “Entry” means any material, content, file, link, audio, text, image, video, description, credit, disclosure, metadata, or other item submitted by a Participant for the Event.

“Round” means a stage, phase, battle, selection step, or other Event segment described in the Event Materials.

“Judge,” “Reviewer,” “Expert,” or “Evaluator” means a person authorized by the Organizer to review, assess, score, comment on, verify, or otherwise evaluate Submissions.

“Result” means the recorded outcome of participation in the Event, including ranking, placement, winner or finalist status, badge, recognition, public Event record, advancement status, disqualification, or other result-related designation, as applicable.

“Event Materials” has the meaning given in Section 1.6.

“Vanguard Platform” means the digital platform operated by Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc. and used to conduct the Event.

“Pathfinder” means Vanguard’s navigation module, where enabled, including profile, notification, participation, achievement, mission, or trajectory-related features connected to the Vanguard ecosystem.

“Content Promotion & Media License” means the separate Vanguard document that governs promotional, editorial, showcase, marketing, or ecosystem-wide use of Participant content outside the ordinary operation and documentation of the Event.

1.10 Plain-language rule of interpretation

These Event Terms are intended to be read together with the Event page and applicable Round Materials.

The legal terms protect the integrity of the Event, the rights of Participants, the operation of the Vanguard Platform, and the ability of the Organizer to run the competition fairly.

Where the Event page gives practical instructions, those instructions apply to the relevant round or participation step, provided they are consistent with these Event Terms and the higher-priority documents listed above.

2. Nature of the Event and Participation Rules

2.1 Nature of the Event

The Event is a public professional music competition conducted through the Vanguard Platform.

The purpose of the Event is to allow eligible Participants to submit music-related works, have those works reviewed under published criteria, and receive recorded Event results such as rankings, placements, finalist status, winner status, badges, recognition, or other Event-related designations.

The Event may include one or more rounds, stages, battles, qualification steps, public displays, judging processes, or result-publication formats, as described on the Event page and in the applicable Event Materials.

The Organizer is responsible for publishing the practical rules that apply to each Round or participation step before that Round or participation step begins.

2.2 What the Event is not

Unless expressly stated otherwise on the Event page or in the applicable Event Materials, the Event is not:

  • an educational service, course, school, training program, or curriculum;
  • an offer of employment, a job posting, or a guarantee of receiving an offer;
  • a guarantee of representation, management, label signing, sponsorship, publishing, distribution, promotion, bookings, income, or future collaboration;
  • a commercial music-production, development, consulting, mentoring, or career-management service;
  • a talent agency, record label, publisher, manager, promoter, or representative relationship.

Any review, commentary, feedback, judging note, public discussion, or expert opinion provided during the Event is part of professional evaluation and competition activity only.

It does not create an obligation for the Organizer to provide training, mentoring, career development, a fixed number of feedback hours, a specific level of exposure, or any guaranteed outcome.

2.3 No guarantee of outcomes

Participation in the Event does not guarantee:

  • acceptance of a Submission;
  • advancement to another Round;
  • a score, ranking, placement, badge, finalist status, or winner status;
  • a prize or award;
  • publication, promotion, or showcase placement;
  • feedback from Judges or the Organizer;
  • representation, sponsorship, label attention, distribution, collaboration, income, or any future opportunity.

The Organizer may, in its discretion, contact selected Participants regarding possible future opportunities.

Any such future opportunity is separate from the Event and requires a separate written agreement if the parties decide to proceed.

2.4 Eligibility

Participation in the Event is open only to individuals who:

  • meet the age requirements for the Event;
  • have a valid Vanguard account or other access method accepted by the Organizer;
  • accept these Event Terms and all required Event documents;
  • satisfy any eligibility requirements published on the Event page or in the applicable Event Materials;
  • are legally permitted to participate from their jurisdiction;
  • are not prohibited from participating under applicable law, sanctions, platform restrictions, or Event-specific restrictions.

The Organizer may impose additional eligibility requirements, including geographic, technical, identity, sanctions-related, language, category, genre, skill-level, or Round-specific requirements, provided those requirements are clearly published before the relevant participation step begins.

Participation is void where prohibited by applicable law.

2.5 Age and parent / legal guardian authorization

Participation in this Event is permitted from age 14.

Participants who are 14–17 years old may participate only if:

  • their parent or legal guardian has authorized their participation;
  • their parent or legal guardian agrees to be responsible for the minor Participant’s participation and compliance with these Event Terms;
  • the Participant participates in a manner consistent with the Vanguard Terms of Service, these Event Terms, the Event-Specific Privacy Notice, and the applicable Event Materials;
  • any required parent or legal guardian confirmation is provided in a form reasonably acceptable to the Organizer.

The Organizer may request reasonable confirmation of age, identity, or parent / legal guardian authorization.

The Organizer may refuse, suspend, restrict, or cancel participation if required authorization is not provided, appears invalid, or if participation may create legal, safety, privacy, or compliance risk.

Individuals under age 14 may not participate in this Event.

2.6 Individual participation

This Event is designed for individual participation unless the Event page expressly states otherwise.

A Participant submits and competes as an individual.

If a Submission includes contributions from other people, including co-writers, producers, performers, beatmakers, engineers, visual creators, or other collaborators, the submitting Participant remains responsible for ensuring that all required rights, permissions, credits, consents, and authorizations have been obtained.

Unless the Event page expressly allows team participation, a Submission will be treated as the Submission of the individual Participant who submitted it.

The Organizer is not responsible for resolving private disputes between collaborators, co-authors, producers, performers, rights holders, or other third parties.

If a dispute creates a credible rights, authorship, eligibility, prize-delivery, or Event-integrity concern, the Organizer may pause review, restrict display, withhold advancement or prizes, request clarification, or take other reasonable action until the issue is resolved to the Organizer’s reasonable satisfaction.

2.7 Participant obligations

The Participant agrees to:

  • provide accurate, complete, and current information where required for registration, participation, eligibility verification, judging administration, prize fulfillment, communication, compliance, or Event integrity;
  • comply with these Event Terms, the Vanguard Terms of Service, the Universal Event Operations Framework, the Event-Specific Privacy Notice, and the applicable Event Materials;
  • review the Event page and applicable Round Materials before submitting;
  • meet all deadlines, format requirements, technical requirements, disclosure requirements, and procedural requirements applicable to the Event;
  • ensure that each Submission is lawful and does not infringe third-party rights;
  • ensure that the Participant has the necessary rights, permissions, licenses, consents, and authority to submit the Submission;
  • comply with all published originality, authorship, AI-use, tool-use, voice-use, sample-use, beat-use, licensing, attribution, and third-party-material rules;
  • avoid fraud, manipulation, cheating, plagiarism, impersonation, harassment, threats, abuse, or other prohibited conduct;
  • cooperate with reasonable requests for clarification, verification, rights information, eligibility confirmation, or prize-delivery information.

Failure to comply may result in rejection, removal, disqualification, withholding of results or prizes, restriction of participation, or other enforcement measures described in these Event Terms.

2.8 Organizer responsibilities

For this Event, the Organizer is responsible for:

  • conducting the Event through the Vanguard Platform;
  • publishing or making available the Event page and applicable Event Materials;
  • defining the Event structure, including Rounds, deadlines, submission requirements, judging criteria, scoring or selection methods, advancement rules, and prize conditions;
  • appointing Judges, Reviewers, Experts, or other evaluators where applicable;
  • administering submission intake, review, judging workflows, results, rankings, recognition, and prize fulfillment;
  • taking reasonable steps to protect Event integrity, fairness, safety, and lawful operation;
  • communicating material Event updates through the Event page, platform notices, email, Pathfinder, or other Event-related communication channels where available;
  • handling Event-related personal information in accordance with the Event-Specific Privacy Notice and applicable law.

The Organizer may use Vanguard Platform tools and authorized personnel, contractors, service providers, Judges, Reviewers, Experts, or other Event roles to operate and administer the Event.

2.9 Changes before a Round or participation step begins

Before a Round, stage, battle, deadline, submission window, judging step, or other participation step begins, the Organizer may clarify, refine, or update Event parameters, including:

  • timing;
  • deadlines;
  • submission format;
  • technical requirements;
  • judging criteria;
  • scoring method;
  • advancement rules;
  • prize conditions;
  • AI-use or tool-use rules;
  • publication or display conditions;
  • communication or verification procedures.

Any such update must be published on the Event page, Round page, or otherwise made available through the Vanguard Platform or official Event communication channels before the relevant step begins.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, updates apply prospectively only and do not retroactively change requirements, results, or validly completed actions from a completed Round or participation step.

The Organizer may make urgent changes where reasonably necessary to address security, fraud, abuse, technical failure, legal compliance, safety, or Event-integrity concerns.

2.10 Refusal, suspension, disqualification, or removal

The Organizer may refuse registration, reject a Submission, suspend participation, disqualify a Participant, remove or restrict a Submission, withhold advancement, revoke recognition, withhold a prize, or take other reasonable Event-related action if the Organizer reasonably determines that:

  • the Participant does not meet eligibility requirements;
  • required parent or legal guardian authorization is missing or invalid;
  • the Participant provided false, misleading, incomplete, or unverifiable information;
  • the Submission violates these Event Terms, the Event Materials, platform rules, applicable law, or third-party rights;
  • the Submission includes prohibited AI-generated or AI-transformed vocals;
  • the Submission involves plagiarism, impersonation, fraud, manipulation, cheating, or undisclosed prohibited assistance;
  • the Participant attempts to interfere with judging, scoring, platform systems, other Participants, Judges, or Event operations;
  • the Participant engages in harassment, threats, abuse, hate, discrimination, doxxing, or other prohibited conduct;
  • rights, authorship, consent, eligibility, or prize-delivery issues cannot be reasonably resolved;
  • action is reasonably necessary to protect Event integrity, safety, legality, or the Vanguard Platform.

Any enforcement measure should be reasonably related to the nature and seriousness of the issue.

Where reasonably appropriate, the Organizer may request clarification, correction, supporting information, or verification before taking action. The Organizer is not required to provide such opportunity where immediate action is reasonably necessary to protect safety, legal compliance, security, fairness, or Event integrity.

2.11 Plain-language summary of participation

You can participate if you are eligible, old enough, authorized where required, and follow the published rules.

You compete as an individual.

You are responsible for your work, your rights, your collaborators, your samples, your beats, your credits, your tools, your disclosures, and your conduct.

The Organizer runs the Event, publishes the rules, appoints Judges where applicable, records results, and may take action if something creates a legal, rights, safety, cheating, AI-voice, or fairness problem.

3. Submissions, Originality, AI Use, and Content Requirements

3.1 What counts as a Submission

A “Submission” or “Entry” means any material submitted by a Participant for the Event, including, as applicable:

  • audio files;
  • tracks;
  • demo recordings;
  • vocal recordings;
  • instrumental tracks;
  • lyrics;
  • toplines;
  • melodies;
  • song concepts;
  • beat, production, or arrangement materials;
  • descriptions, credits, notes, disclosures, or explanations;
  • links to external materials, where permitted;
  • images, artwork, video, or supporting materials, where required or allowed by the Event Materials;
  • any other material requested or accepted by the Organizer for the relevant Round.

The accepted formats, size limits, upload method, required links, deadlines, technical requirements, and required disclosures are stated on the Event page or in the applicable Round Materials.

A Submission may be rejected or treated as incomplete if it does not follow the published requirements.

3.2 Submission through the Vanguard Platform

Submissions must be made through the Vanguard Platform or another official submission method clearly identified by the Organizer.

The Participant is responsible for ensuring that:

  • the correct file, link, or material is submitted;
  • the Submission is complete;
  • uploaded files can be opened and reviewed;
  • external links remain accessible during the review period;
  • required credits, descriptions, and disclosures are included;
  • any passwords, private links, permissions, or access settings required for review are provided where requested;
  • no secret keys, passwords, private credentials, or unrelated confidential information are included unless specifically required and safely handled under Event instructions.

The Organizer is not responsible for a Participant’s failure to submit correctly due to the Participant’s device, internet connection, incorrect file, expired link, broken access setting, wrong format, or missing required materials.

3.3 Originality and authorship

By submitting an Entry, the Participant represents and confirms that:

  • the Participant created the Entry, or has the lawful right and authority to submit it;
  • the Participant has all rights, licenses, permissions, releases, and consents required for participation in the Event;
  • the Entry does not unlawfully infringe copyright, neighbouring rights, performer rights, trademark rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, confidentiality obligations, contractual restrictions, or other third-party rights;
  • the Entry is not plagiarized, falsely attributed, or submitted in a misleading way;
  • the Participant has accurately disclosed any required contributors, tools, sources, samples, beats, or third-party materials where required by the Event Materials.

The Participant remains responsible for all authorship, originality, rights, and clearance issues relating to the Submission.

3.4 Music-specific rights and clearances

For music-related Submissions, the Participant is responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights, permissions, and authority in relation to all relevant elements of the Submission, including, where applicable:

  • lyrics;
  • melody;
  • composition;
  • arrangement;
  • beat;
  • instrumental;
  • sample;
  • loop;
  • sound recording;
  • vocal recording;
  • performance;
  • production elements;
  • cover art;
  • featured voice, name, image, likeness, or persona;
  • any other material included in or connected to the Submission.

If a Submission includes material created, performed, produced, recorded, written, mixed, mastered, or otherwise contributed by another person, the Participant is responsible for having the necessary authorization from that person or rights holder.

The Organizer may request reasonable proof of rights, permissions, authorship, credits, licenses, releases, or authority where necessary to address complaints, verify eligibility, administer judging, resolve disputes, or protect the lawful operation and integrity of the Event.

3.5 Beats, samples, loops, and third-party materials

If the Submission includes beats, samples, loops, stems, instrumentals, sound packs, melodies, recordings, images, videos, fonts, artwork, templates, or other third-party materials, the Participant is responsible for ensuring that their use is lawful and permitted.

This includes confirming, where applicable, that:

  • the Participant has a valid license or permission;
  • the license allows the material to be used in a competition submission;
  • the license allows review, judging, display, publication, and Event-related use as described in these Event Terms;
  • any required attribution is provided;
  • the use does not violate the terms of any beat marketplace, sample library, software platform, producer agreement, label agreement, publishing agreement, or other contract.

The Organizer is not responsible for clearing third-party rights on behalf of the Participant.

If a third-party rights claim or credible complaint arises, the Organizer may request proof of rights, restrict display, pause judging, remove the Submission, disqualify the Participant, withhold prizes, or take other reasonable action.

3.6 Collaborators, producers, performers, and featured persons

If a Submission includes contributions from collaborators, producers, writers, vocalists, performers, engineers, visual creators, or other contributors, the submitting Participant is responsible for ensuring that:

  • the contributor authorized the Submission;
  • the contributor’s work may be used for Event participation, judging, display, recordkeeping, and publication within the Event context;
  • the contributor is credited where required;
  • any performer, voice, likeness, image, name, or personal information included in the Submission is used lawfully;
  • no collaborator agreement, label agreement, publishing agreement, management agreement, production agreement, distribution agreement, beat license, or other contract is breached.

The Organizer is not responsible for resolving private disputes between collaborators, co-authors, producers, performers, managers, labels, publishers, distributors, or other third parties.

If such a dispute affects eligibility, authorship, rights, judging, public display, prize delivery, or Event integrity, the Organizer may take reasonable protective action.

3.7 AI and external tools — general rule

The use of AI tools, generative systems, external software, production tools, or third-party creative tools is permitted only to the extent expressly allowed on the Event page or in the applicable Round Materials.

The Organizer may require Participants to disclose AI tools, production tools, samples, beats, external materials, or other creative assistance used in connection with a Submission.

Where disclosure is required, the Participant must provide it accurately, completely, and in good faith.

Failure to disclose required tool use, AI assistance, samples, third-party materials, or other required information may result in rejection, disqualification, withholding of advancement or prizes, or other enforcement action.

3.8 Permitted non-vocal AI or tool use

For this Event, AI tools or other external tools may be used only where permitted by the Event page or Round Materials.

Where permitted, such tools may be used for limited non-vocal purposes such as:

  • brainstorming;
  • arrangement ideas;
  • instrumental production assistance;
  • beat-making support;
  • editing support;
  • mixing or mastering support;
  • formatting, cleanup, or technical preparation;
  • other non-vocal uses expressly allowed by the Event Materials.

Even where such use is permitted, the Participant remains responsible for:

  • the originality and legality of the Submission;
  • compliance with tool terms and licenses;
  • third-party rights clearance;
  • accurate disclosure where required;
  • ensuring the final Submission complies with all Event rules.

Permitted tool use does not excuse plagiarism, rights infringement, false authorship, prohibited AI voice use, or misleading disclosure.

3.9 Strict prohibition on AI voice and artificial vocal performance

For this Event, the following are strictly prohibited in any form:

  • AI-generated voice;
  • AI-generated vocals;
  • AI-generated rap delivery;
  • AI-generated singing;
  • AI-generated spoken-word performance;
  • text-to-speech;
  • text-to-voice;
  • text-to-singing;
  • text-to-rap;
  • voice cloning;
  • voice imitation;
  • voice conversion;
  • voice replacement;
  • synthetic reproduction of a real or fictional person’s voice;
  • AI-generated lead vocals;
  • AI-generated backing vocals;
  • AI-generated ad-libs;
  • AI-generated harmonies;
  • AI-generated doubles;
  • AI-generated spoken intros, spoken tags, or spoken interludes;
  • any use of AI to generate, substitute, materially transform, imitate, or simulate the human vocal performance presented as part of the Submission.

This prohibition applies even if the AI-generated or AI-transformed voice is based on the Participant’s own voice, another real person’s voice, a fictional voice, a licensed voice model, a voice filter, or a voice transformation tool.

The Event is intended to evaluate real human vocal performance, rap delivery, musical expression, authorship, and creative execution.

Use of prohibited AI voice, AI vocal simulation, AI voice conversion, AI voice cloning, or other prohibited vocal-generation methods may result in immediate rejection, disqualification, removal from display, withholding of advancement or prizes, or other enforcement action.

3.10 No impersonation or misleading voice use

A Submission must not falsely imply that a person performed, endorsed, approved, appeared in, or participated in the Submission if that is not true.

The Participant must not use another person’s name, stage name, image, likeness, voice, vocal style, persona, brand, trademark, or identity in a way that is unlawful, misleading, infringing, deceptive, or likely to cause confusion.

This includes impersonating or imitating artists, public figures, fictional characters, brands, or other identifiable persons in a way that violates law, platform rules, third-party rights, or Event integrity standards.

Parody, reference, influence, homage, or genre similarity may be allowed only where lawful and consistent with the Event Materials.

3.11 Prohibited content

A Submission, and any activity connected to a Submission, must not:

  • violate applicable law;
  • infringe third-party rights;
  • include plagiarized material;
  • include malware, exploits, credential theft, harmful code, or instructions intended to compromise systems;
  • include unauthorized disclosure of another person’s personal information;
  • include passwords, tokens, secret keys, private credentials, or access-sensitive materials not required for review;
  • include content that is fraudulent, materially deceptive, or submitted in bad faith;
  • include threats, harassment, doxxing, targeted abuse, hate-based conduct, or unlawful discriminatory material;
  • promote violence, exploitation, unlawful activity, or serious harm;
  • interfere with judging, scoring, platform systems, Event operations, or other Participants;
  • violate the Vanguard Terms of Service, the Universal Event Operations Framework, these Event Terms, or the applicable Event Materials.

The Organizer may set additional content restrictions for a specific Round, category, stage, or publication format.

3.12 Review, verification, and requests for clarification

The Organizer may review Submissions for compliance with these Event Terms, the Event Materials, platform rules, and applicable law.

The Organizer may request clarification, supporting information, credits, AI-use disclosures, rights documentation, contributor permissions, access corrections, identity confirmation, or other information reasonably necessary to:

  • verify eligibility;
  • confirm authorship;
  • assess compliance with Event rules;
  • resolve rights or integrity concerns;
  • administer judging;
  • process results;
  • deliver prizes;
  • respond to complaints;
  • protect the Vanguard Platform and Event integrity.

Failure to provide requested information within a reasonable time may result in rejection, disqualification, withholding of results or prizes, or other reasonable action.

3.13 Rejection, removal, or disqualification of Submissions

The Organizer may reject, remove, restrict, disqualify, or decline to evaluate a Submission if the Organizer reasonably determines that:

  • the Submission was late;
  • the Submission is incomplete;
  • required files, links, descriptions, credits, disclosures, or verification materials are missing;
  • the Submission does not meet format, technical, or Round requirements;
  • the Submission cannot be opened, accessed, played, reviewed, or verified;
  • the Participant does not have required rights or permissions;
  • a credible third-party rights claim exists;
  • the Submission includes prohibited AI voice or artificial vocal performance;
  • the Submission violates originality, authorship, tool-use, voice-use, sample-use, or third-party-material rules;
  • the Submission violates law, platform rules, these Event Terms, or Event Materials;
  • the Submission creates legal, safety, security, reputational, or integrity risk for the Event or Vanguard Platform.

The Organizer may also remove or restrict public display of a Submission while reviewing a complaint, rights issue, technical issue, safety concern, or compliance issue.

3.14 Participant responsibility for submitted materials

The Participant controls what they submit.

The Participant is responsible for checking the Submission before uploading or providing it.

The Participant should not include private, sensitive, confidential, access-restricted, or third-party personal information unless it is required for participation and the Participant has the right to provide it.

If a Participant includes personal information, images, voices, names, likenesses, or other protected elements relating to another person, the Participant is responsible for ensuring that such inclusion is lawful and properly authorized.

The Organizer may limit access to submitted materials as described in the Event-Specific Privacy Notice and these Event Terms, but the Participant remains responsible for the legality and appropriateness of what they submit.

3.15 Plain-language summary of Submission rules

Submit your own work, or work you have the right to submit.

Clear your beats, samples, loops, vocals, collaborators, artwork, and anything else you use.

Do not upload fake, stolen, infringing, unsafe, misleading, or prohibited material.

AI tools may be allowed only where the Event page says they are allowed.

AI vocals, AI rap delivery, AI singing, AI voice cloning, AI voice conversion, and artificial vocal performance are not allowed in this Event.

If there is a rights problem, AI-voice problem, authorship problem, access problem, or cheating problem, the Organizer can reject or disqualify the Submission.

4. Judging, Results, Prizes, and Recognition

4.1 Judging criteria and evaluation format

Submissions will be reviewed according to the judging criteria, scoring method, advancement rules, and result-formation process published on the Event page or in the applicable Round Materials.

Before Submissions open for a Round, stage, battle, or other participation step, the Organizer must publish the practical information needed for Participants to understand how that step will be evaluated.

This may include, as applicable:

  • judging criteria;
  • scoring rubric;
  • weighting;
  • pass/fail rules;
  • qualification thresholds;
  • ranking method;
  • advancement rules;
  • tie-break rules;
  • public voting rules, if any;
  • jury or panel decision rules;
  • technical or format requirements that may affect evaluation;
  • AI-use, originality, disclosure, or eligibility rules that may affect evaluation.

The criteria must be stated clearly enough that a reasonable Participant can understand what is being evaluated.

Results are based on the published Event and Round rules, not random chance.

4.2 Judges, reviewers, experts, and evaluators

Judges, Reviewers, Experts, jurors, or other evaluators are appointed by the Organizer.

Each Judge, Reviewer, Expert, or Evaluator must:

  • act in good faith;
  • apply the published criteria in a reasonably consistent manner;
  • avoid harassment, discrimination, abuse, bribery, manipulation, or improper influence;
  • disclose any actual, potential, or reasonably apparent conflict of interest to the Organizer;
  • comply with applicable confidentiality restrictions;
  • use access to Submissions and Participant information only for Event-related evaluation and administration.

The Organizer may replace, remove, limit, or reassign a Judge, Reviewer, Expert, or Evaluator where reasonably necessary to address conflict of interest, misconduct, availability, fairness, integrity, safety, legal compliance, or operational issues.

4.3 Conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest may exist where a Judge, Reviewer, Expert, or Evaluator has a relationship or interest that could reasonably affect impartiality.

Examples may include:

  • family relationship;
  • close personal relationship;
  • direct financial interest;
  • employment, management, label, publishing, agency, or representation relationship;
  • active collaboration;
  • direct coaching or paid assistance;
  • strong personal dispute;
  • any other relationship that may reasonably affect fairness.

If a conflict of interest is identified, the Organizer may take reasonable steps, including:

  • removing the affected Judge from evaluating the affected Submission;
  • assigning another Judge;
  • limiting the Judge’s role;
  • excluding the affected score;
  • applying another reasonable mitigation method.

Not every prior contact, public interaction, social media follow, community connection, or general industry familiarity automatically creates a conflict of interest.

The Organizer determines appropriate mitigation in good faith.

4.4 Formation of results

The Organizer is responsible for determining how results are formed under the published Event and Round rules.

Depending on the Round or format, results may be formed through:

  • Judge scores;
  • weighted scoring;
  • panel review;
  • rankings;
  • bracket or battle outcomes;
  • qualification thresholds;
  • jury selection;
  • moderation checks;
  • public or community voting, if expressly enabled;
  • technical or eligibility verification;
  • other methods published in the applicable Event Materials.

Where multiple Judges, scoring layers, or review steps are used, the Organizer may apply a reasonable method to combine, normalize, verify, or finalize results, provided that any method materially affecting results is disclosed in advance where reasonably practical.

4.5 Timing and publication of results

The Organizer determines when results are published and what details are displayed, subject to these Event Terms, the Event-Specific Privacy Notice, the Vanguard Privacy Policy, and the applicable Event Materials.

Results may include, as applicable:

  • accepted / rejected status;
  • qualification status;
  • advancement status;
  • scores;
  • rankings;
  • placement;
  • finalist status;
  • winner status;
  • badges;
  • recognition markers;
  • Judge comments;
  • public Event records;
  • winner pages;
  • showcase pages;
  • profile markers;
  • Event archive entries.

Results may be displayed on the Event page, Round pages, Participant pages, rankings, showcases, public result pages, platform records, social or communication channels, and other Event-related displays, where such display is part of the Event format or clearly disclosed in the Event Materials.

4.6 Public discussion of results

Where public review, commentary, recap, ranking, showcase, or battle discussion is part of the Event format, the Organizer may publicly discuss:

  • the Submission;
  • the Participant’s placement or ranking;
  • creative choices;
  • performance quality;
  • judging outcome;
  • strengths and weaknesses;
  • reasons for advancement or non-advancement;
  • Event-related context.

Such discussion must remain within the Event context and must not be used as a standalone commercial exploitation of the Submission.

Broader promotional, editorial, marketing, showcase, or ecosystem-wide use outside the ordinary Event context is governed by the Vanguard Content Promotion & Media License or another clearly accepted permission.

4.7 Finality of judging decisions

Unless the Event page or applicable Round Materials expressly provide an appeal, review, correction, or challenge process, judging decisions and Event results are final.

A Participant’s disagreement with a Judge’s taste, opinion, score, ranking, or artistic evaluation does not by itself create a right to re-judging.

The Organizer is not required to provide detailed explanations, score breakdowns, private deliberations, or internal judging notes unless the Event Materials expressly state otherwise.

4.8 Limited correction and integrity review

The Organizer may take limited corrective or protective action where reasonably necessary to address:

  • verified technical error;
  • administrative error;
  • incorrect score calculation;
  • mistaken identity or account association;
  • ineligible Participant;
  • late or invalid Submission;
  • plagiarism;
  • prohibited AI voice or artificial vocal performance;
  • undisclosed prohibited assistance;
  • fraud, cheating, collusion, manipulation, or bot activity;
  • credible third-party rights claim;
  • serious unmanaged conflict of interest;
  • breach of these Event Terms, the Vanguard Terms of Service, the Universal Event Operations Framework, or Event Materials;
  • legal, safety, security, or integrity risk.

Corrective action may include:

  • delaying result publication;
  • correcting an administrative or technical error;
  • excluding an invalid score;
  • requesting clarification or verification;
  • removing or restricting a Submission;
  • disqualifying a Participant;
  • changing advancement status;
  • withholding or reallocating a prize;
  • republishing corrected results;
  • taking another reasonable and proportionate step.

Except where an express review process applies, corrective action is limited to technical, administrative, eligibility, rights, integrity, legal, safety, or comparable non-merits grounds.

The Organizer is not required to conduct a full re-judging of *rtistic merit.

4.9 Prizes and recognition — general rule

This Event may include monetary and non-monetary forms of recognition.

Recognition may include, as applicable:

  • rankings;
  • placement;
  • finalist status;
  • winner status;
  • badges;
  • profile markers;
  • battle logos;
  • winner lists;
  • public Event records;
  • showcase placement;
  • archive entries;
  • eligibility for future Event formats;
  • public mention or acknowledgement.

No prize, award, payment, benefit, sponsorship, opportunity, placement, promotion, or collaboration is promised unless it is expressly stated on the Event page, in these Event Terms, or in the applicable Event Materials.

4.10 Monetary prize for this Event

Participation in this Event is intended to be free of charge unless the Event page clearly states otherwise.

For this Event, one monetary prize may be awarded to the eligible Participant who finishes in first place, provided that the applicable minimum participation threshold is reached and the winner satisfies all eligibility, verification, and compliance requirements.

The monetary prize amount is determined by the number of eligible Round 1 Submissions.

An “eligible Round 1 Submission” means a Round 1 Submission that:

  • is submitted by an eligible Participant;
  • is received through the official submission method;
  • is submitted within the applicable deadline or accepted extension;
  • satisfies the minimum format and technical requirements;
  • is not rejected, disqualified, withdrawn, fraudulent, infringing, or otherwise invalid under these Event Terms or the Event Materials.

The prize scale for this Event is:

Eligible Round 1 Submissions Monetary Prize
16 eligible Round 1 Submissions, but only if 32 eligible Round 1 Submissions are not reached within 60 days after the Event opens for participation CAD $75
32 eligible Round 1 Submissions CAD $150
64 eligible Round 1 Submissions CAD $275
128 or more eligible Round 1 Submissions CAD $500

No monetary prize above CAD $500 will be awarded for this Event, regardless of the number of eligible Round 1 Submissions above 128.

4.11 Minimum participation threshold and Event continuation

The Event is designed to operate with a minimum participation threshold.

If at least 32 eligible Round 1 Submissions are received, the monetary prize scale begins at CAD $150.

If fewer than 32 eligible Round 1 Submissions are received within 60 days after the Event opens for participation, but at least 16 eligible Round 1 Submissions are received, the Organizer may continue the Event under the reduced CAD $75 prize threshold.

If fewer than 16 eligible Round 1 Submissions are received, no monetary prize is guaranteed unless the Organizer expressly states otherwise on the Event page or in the applicable Event Materials.

If the applicable threshold is not reached, the Organizer may, in good faith:

  • keep registration or submissions open;
  • extend the submission period;
  • continue the Event under the reduced threshold described above;
  • cancel or withdraw the Event;
  • republish the Event under updated terms;
  • take another reasonable action communicated through the Event page or official Event channels.

Any material update to threshold status, deadline, continuation, cancellation, or republishing must be communicated on the Event page or through official Event communication channels.

4.12 Winner eligibility and prize forfeiture

To receive a monetary prize, the winner must:

  • be eligible to participate;
  • comply with these Event Terms and Event Materials;
  • not be disqualified;
  • pass any reasonably required identity, age, eligibility, rights, authorship, AI-use, sanctions, payment, or compliance verification;
  • be legally permitted to receive the prize;
  • provide accurate payment information and any information reasonably required for lawful prize delivery;
  • respond to reasonable prize-delivery communications within the timeframe specified by the Organizer.

A prize may be forfeited if:

  • the winner is disqualified;
  • the winner is found ineligible;
  • the winner used prohibited AI voice or other prohibited methods;
  • the Submission infringes third-party rights;
  • the winner cannot lawfully receive the prize;
  • the winner fails verification;
  • the winner fails to provide required payment or identity information;
  • the winner fails to respond within a reasonable time;
  • delivery would violate applicable law, sanctions, payment restrictions, or platform rules.

If the first-place Participant forfeits the prize or is unable to receive it, the Organizer may award the prize to the next highest eligible finisher.

The same rule may be applied again if necessary.

4.13 Prize delivery

Any monetary prize for this Event will be delivered by the Organizer directly to the confirmed winner by money transfer or another reasonably equivalent payment method designated or approved by the Organizer.

Prize delivery is subject to:

  • confirmation of final results;
  • winner verification;
  • eligibility confirmation;
  • compliance review;
  • receipt of accurate payment details;
  • completion of any legally required tax, identity, sanctions, banking, or reporting checks.

Unless a different timeline is clearly published on the Event page or in the applicable Event Materials, the Organizer will aim to deliver the monetary prize within 30 calendar days after final results are confirmed and winner verification is completed.

The Organizer is not responsible for delays caused by:

  • inaccurate payment information;
  • failure to respond;
  • banking delays;
  • payment-provider restrictions;
  • currency conversion;
  • intermediary bank processing;
  • sanctions screening;
  • legal compliance checks;
  • tax or reporting issues;
  • circumstances outside the Organizer’s reasonable control.

4.14 Currency, fees, and payment method

Prize amounts are stated in Canadian dollars (CAD).

If a prize is paid in another currency or through a payment method involving conversion, the actual amount received may be affected by:

  • exchange rates;
  • bank fees;
  • payment-provider fees;
  • intermediary bank fees;
  • transfer charges;
  • platform or wallet limitations;
  • local receiving restrictions.

The Organizer is not responsible for currency conversion differences, transfer fees, bank fees, payment-provider fees, or intermediary charges unless required by applicable law or expressly stated otherwise by the Organizer.

4.15 Taxes and reporting

Each Participant is solely responsible for determining and fulfilling any tax, reporting, banking, currency-conversion, income, benefit, or similar obligations that may arise from receiving a prize, award, payment, benefit, or other compensation connected to the Event.

The Organizer does not provide tax advice.

The Organizer may request information reasonably necessary to comply with applicable legal, tax, reporting, sanctions, payment, or accounting obligations before releasing a prize.

The Organizer may withhold, deduct, report, or remit amounts only where required by applicable law.

4.16 Non-monetary recognition

The Event may include non-monetary recognition in addition to, or instead of, monetary prizes.

Non-monetary recognition may include:

  • ranking;
  • finalist status;
  • winner status;
  • placement marks;
  • public Event records;
  • badges;
  • profile markers;
  • battle logos;
  • inclusion in winner lists;
  • inclusion in Event archives;
  • public acknowledgement;
  • showcase placement;
  • eligibility for future winner-only or finalist-only formats;
  • privileged access or status inside the Vanguard ecosystem, where implemented.

Non-monetary recognition has no guaranteed cash value unless expressly stated on the Event page or in the applicable Event Materials.

The Organizer may modify the visual form, naming, display method, or technical implementation of non-monetary recognition as the Vanguard Platform evolves.

4.17 Future opportunities are separate

The Organizer may, in its discretion, invite selected Participants, finalists, winners, or strong performers to discuss future collaboration, projects, sponsorships, representation, publishing, distribution, performance opportunities, label conversations, media features, or other opportunities.

Such discussions are not guaranteed.

They are not part of the guaranteed prize package unless expressly stated on the Event page or in the applicable Event Materials.

No Participant is required to accept any future opportunity.

Any future commercial, professional, publishing, distribution, sponsorship, management, label, performance, or collaboration arrangement must be governed by a separate written agreement.

4.18 Plain-language summary of judging and prizes

Your work is judged under the rules published for the Event and each Round.

Results are based on judging and Event rules, not random chance.

Judging decisions are final unless there is a real technical, rights, eligibility, cheating, AI-voice, fraud, or integrity problem.

The first-place eligible winner may receive a cash prize, but the amount depends on how many valid Round 1 Submissions are received.

The maximum cash prize for this Event is CAD $500.

You are responsible for your taxes, payment details, rights, eligibility, and ability to receive the prize.

5. Intellectual Property, Event Records, Public Display, and Promotional Use

5.1 Ownership remains with the Participant

Except as expressly stated in these Event Terms, the Participant retains ownership of their Submission and all copyright, neighbouring rights, performer rights, and other intellectual property rights they hold in it.

This may include, as applicable:

  • lyrics;
  • melodies;
  • musical compositions;
  • arrangements;
  • beats or instrumentals owned or controlled by the Participant;
  • sound recordings owned or controlled by the Participant;
  • vocal performances;
  • demos;
  • artwork;
  • descriptions;
  • supporting materials;
  • any other original materials submitted by the Participant.

Nothing in these Event Terms transfers ownership of a Submission to the Organizer.

Nothing in these Event Terms makes Vanguard a record label, publisher, distributor, manager, producer, agent, representative, or owner of the Participant’s music.

5.2 Limited license for Event operation

By submitting a Submission to the Event, the Participant grants the Organizer, and authorizes Vanguard in its role as operator of the Vanguard Platform, a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use the Submission only as reasonably necessary to operate, administer, judge, display, document, and preserve the Event.

This limited Event-use license allows the Organizer and the Vanguard Platform to:

  • receive, upload, host, store, process, format, convert, and display the Submission;
  • make the Submission available to authorized Judges, Reviewers, Experts, moderators, administrators, technical personnel, and other Event roles;
  • review, evaluate, score, comment on, verify, and process the Submission for Event purposes;
  • display the Submission, in whole or in part, within the Event interface, judging workflow, result pages, rankings, winner pages, showcase pages, profile pages, Event archive, or other Event-related displays;
  • publish the Submission, or reasonable excerpts, clips, previews, thumbnails, descriptions, or representations of it, where public display is part of the Event format or clearly disclosed in the Event Materials;
  • retain the Submission as part of Event records, rankings, integrity records, audit records, historical archives, dispute records, and platform documentation;
  • use the Submission as necessary to investigate rights claims, cheating, AI-use issues, fraud, abuse, technical problems, eligibility issues, or Event-integrity concerns.

This license is limited to Event operation, Event administration, judging, result formation, public Event display, Event recordkeeping, archives, integrity protection, and platform operation in connection with the Event.

It does not, by itself, authorize standalone commercial exploitation of the Submission.

5.3 No assignment and no transfer of music rights

Nothing in these Event Terms constitutes:

  • an assignment of copyright;
  • a transfer of ownership;
  • a transfer of publishing rights;
  • a transfer of master rights;
  • a transfer of distribution rights;
  • a transfer of label rights;
  • a transfer of producer rights;
  • a transfer of neighbouring rights;
  • a transfer of performer rights;
  • a transfer of moral rights;
  • a transfer of catalogue rights;
  • permission to sell, release, distribute, license, monetize, or commercially exploit the Submission as a standalone music product.

Any broader commercial use of a Submission, including commercial release, distribution, publishing, catalogue acquisition, sync licensing, compilation release, label arrangement, sponsorship exploitation, or similar commercial transaction, requires a separate written agreement with the relevant rights holder or rights holders.

5.4 Event context vs. broader promotional use

These Event Terms allow use of the Submission within the ordinary context of the Event.

“Ordinary Event context” includes:

  • submission intake;
  • judging;
  • review;
  • scoring;
  • rankings;
  • results;
  • public Event pages;
  • Participant pages;
  • Round pages;
  • winner pages;
  • battle pages;
  • Event records;
  • Event archives;
  • Event recaps directly connected to the Event;
  • Event-related public display clearly described in the Event Materials.

Broader promotional, editorial, marketing, showcase, advertising, partner, sponsor, press, media, or ecosystem-wide use outside the ordinary Event context is governed only by:

  • the Vanguard Content Promotion & Media License, where that License is required and accepted; and/or
  • another separate permission, release, or checkbox clearly presented and accepted by the Participant.

Unless such additional permission is obtained, these Event Terms alone do not authorize Vanguard to use a Submission for broader promotional or commercial media purposes outside the ordinary Event context.

5.5 Public display within the Event

Where public display is part of the Event format or clearly disclosed in the Event Materials, the Organizer may display or publish, within the Event context:

  • the Participant’s name, stage name, username, handle, or other Event attribution;
  • the Submission title;
  • the Submission itself, in whole or in part;
  • excerpts, clips, previews, thumbnails, waveform images, screenshots, descriptions, or summaries of the Submission;
  • scores, rankings, placements, finalist status, winner status, badges, recognition, or other Event results;
  • Judge comments, Event reviews, recap notes, or public commentary, where applicable;
  • Event-related profile markers, winner records, battle records, and archive entries.

Public display may appear on:

  • the Event page;
  • Round pages;
  • rankings;
  • Participant pages;
  • winner pages;
  • showcase pages;
  • battle pages;
  • Event archive pages;
  • Vanguard Platform displays;
  • Pathfinder-connected displays, where enabled;
  • official Event-related communication channels, where disclosed.

Public display within the Event context may remain available as part of the Event record, even after the Event ends.

5.6 Event reviews, commentary, and criticism

If review, commentary, recap, critique, battle discussion, judging explanation, or public analysis is part of the Event format, the Organizer may discuss the Submission within the Event context.

This may include discussion of:

  • vocal performance;
  • delivery;
  • lyrics;
  • flow;
  • rhythm;
  • originality;
  • production choices;
  • arrangement;
  • composition;
  • creative direction;
  • technical quality;
  • strengths and weaknesses;
  • reasons for advancement or non-advancement;
  • comparison to published judging criteria.

The purpose of such discussion is Event judging, Event documentation, public competition context, professional review, recap, and audience understanding.

The Organizer will not intentionally misrepresent authorship or present a modified Event-context display as the Participant’s original full work.

5.7 Attribution

Where reasonably feasible and consistent with the Event format, the Organizer may identify the Participant by:

  • name;
  • stage name;
  • username;
  • handle;
  • profile name;
  • team or collaborator information, if applicable and permitted;
  • other attribution information provided by the Participant.

The Organizer may also display the Participant’s placement, status, badge, ranking, result, or other Event-related designation.

The Organizer is not required to publish or feature every Participant or every Submission.

The Organizer may correct, remove, limit, or update attribution where reasonably necessary to address safety, privacy, rights, impersonation, eligibility, or legal concerns.

5.8 Materials not published by default

Unless clearly disclosed in the Event Materials or separately authorized by the Participant, the Organizer does not intentionally publish the following outside the necessary Event review or administration context:

  • private source files;
  • raw project files;
  • stems;
  • multitracks;
  • unpublished drafts;
  • private links;
  • passwords;
  • secret keys;
  • tokens;
  • private credentials;
  • sensitive personal information;
  • third-party personal information not reasonably necessary for Event display;
  • materials restricted by law, confidentiality obligations, or third-party rights;
  • materials that the Participant was required to provide only for verification, judging, or support.

The Participant remains responsible for avoiding the submission of unnecessary private, sensitive, confidential, or third-party information.

5.9 Event records and archives

The Event creates records.

These may include:

  • registration records;
  • submission records;
  • acceptance logs;
  • judging records;
  • scores;
  • rankings;
  • placements;
  • winner or finalist records;
  • badges;
  • recognition markers;
  • public Event pages;
  • archive entries;
  • audit and integrity records;
  • prize and verification records;
  • public display records;
  • dispute and enforcement records, where applicable.

The Organizer may retain and display Event records as reasonably necessary to:

  • preserve the integrity of the competition;
  • document results;
  • maintain rankings and historical records;
  • administer prizes and recognition;
  • resolve disputes;
  • comply with legal obligations;
  • protect against fraud, manipulation, cheating, or rights claims;
  • maintain the Vanguard Platform and Event archive.

Event records may remain available even if a Participant later requests deletion of optional promotional use, withdraws from future promotional use, changes their account status, or stops using the Vanguard Platform, subject to applicable law and the Event-Specific Privacy Notice.

5.10 Withdrawal from promotional use does not erase Event records

If the Participant has accepted the Vanguard Content Promotion & Media License or another promotional permission, the Participant may have rights to withdraw or limit future promotional use as described in that License or permission.

However, withdrawal from future promotional use does not automatically require the Organizer to remove:

  • official Event results;
  • rankings;
  • winner records;
  • finalist records;
  • badges;
  • public Event records;
  • Event archive pages;
  • judging records;
  • integrity records;
  • materials already used within the ordinary Event context;
  • materials that must be retained for legal, compliance, dispute, audit, or integrity reasons.

Promotional use and Event recordkeeping are separate.

The Content Promotion & Media License governs broader promotional use.

These Event Terms govern ordinary Event operation, Event display, Event results, and Event records.

5.11 Content Promotion & Media License

The Vanguard Content Promotion & Media License governs broader promotional, editorial, showcase, marketing, advertising, partner, sponsor, press, social media, demo, portfolio, and ecosystem-wide use of Participant content where that License is required and accepted.

Such uses may include, where permitted under that License:

  • highlight clips;
  • trailers;
  • teasers;
  • social posts;
  • newsletters;
  • press materials;
  • sponsor decks;
  • partner presentations;
  • paid ads promoting the Event or Vanguard;
  • case studies;
  • showcase compilations;
  • “best of” selections;
  • demo reels;
  • recap edits;
  • other promotional or editorial formats connected to Vanguard or the Event.

Acceptance of the Content Promotion & Media License must be clearly presented where required.

If the Participant does not accept the Content Promotion & Media License, the Organizer may still use the Submission within the ordinary Event context under these Event Terms, but may not rely on these Event Terms alone for broader promotional use outside that Event context.

5.12 No standalone commercialization

The Organizer may not, under these Event Terms alone:

  • sell the Participant’s Submission as a standalone product;
  • release the Submission as part of a paid album, mixtape, compilation, playlist product, catalogue, or music release;
  • distribute the Submission commercially as a music release;
  • license the Submission to third parties for independent exploitation;
  • transfer rights in the Submission to a label, publisher, distributor, sponsor, brand, or other third party;
  • monetize the Submission as a standalone commercial work.

Any such use requires a separate written agreement with the relevant rights holder or rights holders.

For clarity, platform monetization, Event sponsorship, advertising around the Event, paid promotion of the Event, or general promotion of Vanguard does not by itself constitute a standalone sale of the Participant’s Submission, provided the Submission is used only within the scope permitted by these Event Terms or by the separately accepted Content Promotion & Media License.

5.13 Moral rights, performer rights, and reputation

Nothing in these Event Terms assigns or transfers any moral rights, performer rights, or comparable personal rights that may exist under applicable law.

Where applicable law recognizes moral rights, including the right of attribution and the right to integrity of the work, those rights remain with the relevant author unless expressly waived in a separate written waiver to the extent permitted by law.

Where applicable law recognizes performer rights or comparable rights in a vocal or musical performance, those rights remain with the relevant performer unless expressly transferred or waived in a separate written agreement to the extent permitted by law.

No moral rights waiver is required merely to participate in this Event unless the Event page or a separately accepted document clearly states otherwise.

The Organizer will not intentionally distort, misattribute, or modify a Submission in a way that falsely represents the Participant’s authorship or is intended to harm the Participant’s reputation.

5.14 Minors and publicity

Where a Participant is under the age of majority, the Organizer may require parent or legal guardian consent before using the Participant’s name, stage name, username, likeness, profile elements, Submission, or related Event information for broader promotional, publicity, showcase, or media purposes outside the ordinary Event context.

If required parent or legal guardian consent is not provided in a form acceptable to the Organizer, the Organizer may restrict or decline broader promotional use of the minor Participant’s content or identifying information.

This does not prevent the Organizer from using or retaining information reasonably necessary for Event administration, judging, results, recordkeeping, integrity, safety, or legal compliance, subject to applicable law and the Event-Specific Privacy Notice.

5.15 Third-party use outside Vanguard’s control

If a Submission, excerpt, result, ranking, page, clip, image, or Event record is made public as part of the Event, third parties may view, share, copy, repost, embed, comment on, or otherwise interact with it outside the Vanguard Platform.

The Organizer does not control all third-party uses of publicly available materials.

The Organizer is not responsible for unauthorized third-party copying, reposting, distribution, commentary, or use outside Vanguard’s reasonable control, except to the extent required by applicable law.

Participants should consider this before submitting materials to a public Event.

5.16 Participant’s right to use their own work

The Participant remains free to use, publish, distribute, monetize, license, perform, promote, or otherwise exploit their own Submission elsewhere, subject to any third-party rights, collaborator agreements, beat licenses, sample licenses, platform rules, label or distributor agreements, and other obligations that may apply to the Participant.

Participation in the Event does not prevent the Participant from using their own music outside Vanguard.

The limited rights granted to the Organizer are non-exclusive.

5.17 Rights claims and takedowns

If the Organizer receives a credible complaint, claim, notice, or concern that a Submission infringes third-party rights, violates law, misuses a person’s voice or likeness, includes unauthorized materials, or otherwise creates legal or integrity risk, the Organizer may:

  • request proof of rights, permissions, releases, licenses, credits, or authorship;
  • temporarily restrict public display;
  • pause judging or result publication;
  • remove or disable access to the Submission;
  • disqualify the Submission or Participant;
  • withhold advancement, recognition, or prizes;
  • take other reasonable action to address the claim or risk.

If the issue is resolved to the Organizer’s reasonable satisfaction, the Organizer may restore display, judging, or participation where appropriate.

The Participant remains responsible for resolving claims arising from the Participant’s Submission, rights representations, collaborators, samples, beats, vocals, likenesses, or third-party materials.

5.18 Plain-language summary of rights

You keep your music.

Vanguard does not become your label, publisher, distributor, manager, or owner.

By submitting, you let Vanguard use your work only as needed to run the Event: upload it, host it, judge it, show it in Event pages, publish rankings, keep records, and protect the competition.

If Vanguard wants to use your work more broadly for promotion, ads, showcases, social media campaigns, partner decks, or similar uses, that is handled by the separate Content Promotion & Media License or another clear permission.

We can keep official Event records, rankings, winner pages, archives, and integrity logs.

We cannot sell your track as a standalone product without a separate written agreement.

6. Personal Information, Communications, Technical Issues, Enforcement, and Legal Terms

6.1 Personal information used for Event purposes

When a Participant registers for the Event, joins a Round, submits a Submission, accepts required checkboxes, communicates with the Organizer, or otherwise participates in the Event, Vanguard may collect, access, use, store, disclose, and otherwise handle personal information and submitted materials to the extent reasonably necessary to operate and administer the Event.

This may include, as applicable:

  • registration and participation management;
  • eligibility review;
  • age or parent / legal guardian authorization checks;
  • communication with Participants;
  • submission intake and review;
  • judging administration;
  • score, ranking, and result processing;
  • publication of Event results and Event records;
  • prize verification and delivery;
  • rights, authorship, and AI-use verification;
  • fraud, abuse, cheating, and integrity review;
  • support, security, audit, compliance, and recordkeeping.

Personal information for this Event is handled in accordance with the Vanguard Music Championship — Season 1: Open Signal Event-Specific Privacy Notice and the Vanguard Privacy Policy.

6.2 Vanguard’s roles in personal information handling

For this Event, Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc. acts in two capacities:

  • as the Organizer of the Event; and
  • as the operator of the Vanguard Platform and Pathfinder navigation module, where enabled.

Because Vanguard is both the Organizer and platform operator for this Event, Event-related personal information may be accessed and used by authorized Vanguard personnel, systems, contractors, service providers, Judges, Reviewers, Experts, or other Event roles only to the extent reasonably necessary for Event and platform purposes.

This may include access to:

  • account and profile details;
  • registration information;
  • Submissions;
  • credits and disclosures;
  • judging interfaces;
  • scoring records;
  • communications;
  • Event status and result records;
  • acceptance logs;
  • technical logs;
  • audit and integrity records.

Access is limited to what is reasonably necessary for Event administration, platform operation, judging, support, security, compliance, prize fulfillment, recordkeeping, and integrity protection.

6.3 Event-Specific Privacy Notice

The Event-Specific Privacy Notice explains how personal information is collected, used, disclosed, retained, and protected for this Event.

Participants should review the Event-Specific Privacy Notice together with:

  • these Event Terms;
  • the Vanguard Privacy Policy;
  • the Vanguard Terms of Service;
  • the Vanguard Content Promotion & Media License, where accepted;
  • the Event page and applicable Event Materials.

If there is a conflict regarding Event-level personal information handling, the Event-Specific Privacy Notice governs Event-level privacy matters within its proper scope, subject to applicable law.

6.4 Communication with Participants

The Organizer may contact Participants about the Event through the Vanguard Platform, email, Pathfinder, messenger-connected channels where enabled, or other contact channels provided by the Participant.

Event-related communications may include:

  • registration confirmations;
  • submission confirmations;
  • deadline notices;
  • Round updates;
  • clarification requests;
  • rights, authorship, AI-use, or eligibility verification requests;
  • judging or result notices;
  • prize coordination;
  • technical support;
  • policy or document updates;
  • safety, security, fraud, compliance, or integrity notices.

Participants are responsible for keeping their contact information accurate and checking official Event communication channels.

Failure to read or respond to Event communications may affect eligibility, participation, prize delivery, or other Event-related actions.

6.5 Marketing and promotional communications

The Organizer may send marketing, promotional, newsletter, showcase, partner, opportunity-related, or similar electronic communications only where permitted by applicable law and, where required, with the Participant’s consent.

Marketing or promotional messages will identify the sender and include an unsubscribe mechanism where required by applicable law.

Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not prevent the Organizer from sending non-marketing Event, account, security, transactional, legal, platform-operation, or participation-related communications that are reasonably necessary for the Event or use of the Vanguard Platform.

6.6 Technical issues

The Vanguard Platform, Pathfinder, hosting providers, email systems, file upload systems, streaming or playback systems, third-party services, and communication channels may experience technical issues.

Technical issues may include, without limitation:

  • service outages;
  • upload failures;
  • delayed uploads;
  • corrupted files;
  • playback errors;
  • display errors;
  • email or notification delays;
  • login or account-access issues;
  • payment or prize-transfer provider issues;
  • third-party platform interruptions;
  • timing desynchronization;
  • security restrictions;
  • connectivity problems.

The Organizer will make reasonable efforts to operate the Event in a stable and orderly manner, but does not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free, or fully secure operation at all times.

6.7 Participant-side technical responsibility

The Participant is responsible for their own device, browser, software, account access, internet connection, upload preparation, file format, external links, credentials, and ability to submit on time.

The Organizer is not responsible for a Participant’s failure to submit or participate due to:

  • poor internet connection;
  • device failure;
  • unsupported software;
  • incorrect file format;
  • wrong upload;
  • missing file;
  • expired link;
  • private or inaccessible link;
  • incorrect access permissions;
  • forgotten login;
  • late submission;
  • local network restrictions;
  • third-party tool or platform issues outside Vanguard’s reasonable control.

Participants should submit early enough to allow time to correct basic technical problems before the deadline.

6.8 Organizer response to technical issues

If a technical issue materially affects the Event, a Round, judging, submission access, result publication, or fairness, the Organizer may take reasonable steps to preserve Event integrity.

These steps may include:

  • extending a deadline;
  • reopening a submission window;
  • allowing resubmission;
  • delaying judging;
  • delaying result publication;
  • correcting a technical or administrative error;
  • rerunning a scoring or verification step;
  • excluding invalid technical data;
  • applying another reasonable remedy.

The Organizer determines the appropriate response in good faith based on the nature, seriousness, and impact of the issue.

Not every technical issue requires an extension, resubmission, correction, or change to results.

6.9 Events beyond reasonable control

The Organizer is not responsible for delay, interruption, cancellation, non-performance, or modification of the Event caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

Such circumstances may include, without limitation:

  • internet, hosting, or infrastructure failures;
  • cyberattacks or security incidents;
  • third-party service outages;
  • payment-provider or banking restrictions;
  • government action;
  • legal or regulatory restrictions;
  • sanctions or compliance restrictions;
  • natural disasters;
  • war, civil unrest, emergency, or public safety event;
  • serious illness, death, or unavailability of key personnel, Judges, or contractors;
  • other events outside the Organizer’s reasonable control.

Where reasonably possible, the Organizer will communicate material changes through the Event page or official Event communication channels.

6.10 Event modification, suspension, cancellation, or withdrawal

The Organizer may modify, suspend, cancel, withdraw, pause, postpone, or republish the Event, a Round, a deadline, a prize condition, or a participation step where reasonably necessary due to:

  • low participation threshold;
  • technical failure;
  • security incident;
  • fraud, manipulation, or abuse;
  • rights claims;
  • legal or regulatory issue;
  • sanctions or payment restrictions;
  • safety concern;
  • integrity failure;
  • operational impossibility;
  • circumstances beyond reasonable control.

The Organizer will act in good faith and will communicate material updates through the Event page or official Event channels where reasonably possible.

If the Event is cancelled before results are finalized, no prize is owed unless the Organizer expressly states otherwise or applicable law requires otherwise.

6.11 Prohibited conduct

Participants must not engage in conduct that harms the Event, Vanguard Platform, other Participants, Judges, Reviewers, Experts, Organizer personnel, contractors, or third parties.

Prohibited conduct includes:

  • harassment;
  • threats;
  • bullying;
  • hate-based conduct;
  • discrimination;
  • doxxing;
  • stalking;
  • bribery;
  • coercion;
  • intimidation;
  • attempts to influence Judges improperly;
  • fraud;
  • cheating;
  • plagiarism;
  • impersonation;
  • fake accounts;
  • vote manipulation;
  • bot activity;
  • collusion;
  • submission of stolen or infringing content;
  • undisclosed prohibited AI use;
  • AI voice or artificial vocal performance prohibited by these Event Terms;
  • attempts to bypass platform controls;
  • attacks on the Vanguard Platform;
  • malware, exploits, credential theft, or other security abuse;
  • false claims about sponsorship, affiliation, endorsement, identity, or authority;
  • conduct that violates law, platform rules, Event rules, or third-party rights.

6.12 Enforcement measures

If the Organizer reasonably determines that a Participant, Submission, account, action, or related activity violates these Event Terms, the Event Materials, the Vanguard Terms of Service, the Universal Event Operations Framework, applicable law, or Event integrity standards, the Organizer may take one or more enforcement measures.

These may include:

  • warning;
  • request for correction;
  • request for clarification or verification;
  • rejection of a Submission;
  • removal or restriction of a Submission;
  • exclusion from judging;
  • score adjustment or invalidation where appropriate;
  • disqualification;
  • withholding or revocation of advancement;
  • withholding or revocation of recognition;
  • withholding or forfeiture of a prize;
  • reassignment of a prize to the next eligible finisher;
  • restriction from future Rounds;
  • account restriction or suspension under platform rules;
  • removal from the Event;
  • reporting to authorities where required or appropriate;
  • other reasonable action necessary to protect the Event, Participants, Vanguard, or the Vanguard Platform.

Enforcement measures should be reasonably related to the issue, the seriousness of the conduct, the risk created, and the need to protect fairness, safety, legality, and Event integrity.

6.13 Appeals, complaints, and review requests

Unless the Event page or applicable Event Materials provide a specific appeal process, judging decisions and results are final.

Participants may submit a complaint or review request if they believe there has been:

  • a technical error;
  • an administrative error;
  • mistaken identity or account association;
  • rights infringement;
  • plagiarism;
  • cheating;
  • fraud;
  • prohibited AI voice use;
  • conflict of interest;
  • harassment or abuse;
  • material violation of published Event rules.

A complaint or review request should include:

  • the Participant’s name or account identifier;
  • the relevant Event, Round, Submission, or result;
  • a clear description of the issue;
  • supporting evidence, screenshots, links, files, or other relevant materials;
  • the requested remedy.

Submitting a complaint or review request does not guarantee a change in score, ranking, advancement, result, or prize outcome.

The Organizer may decline to review complaints that are abusive, unsupported, repetitive, late, made in bad faith, or based only on disagreement with artistic judgment.

6.14 Disclaimer of warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Event, Vanguard Platform, Pathfinder, Event pages, submission tools, judging tools, communications, rankings, results displays, and related services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.

The Organizer does not guarantee:

  • uninterrupted operation;
  • error-free operation;
  • availability of all features at all times;
  • specific judging speed;
  • specific feedback volume;
  • specific audience reach;
  • specific number of Participants;
  • specific exposure;
  • specific score, ranking, advancement, placement, prize, or result;
  • future career, representation, label, distribution, publishing, sponsorship, collaboration, income, or opportunity;
  • that the Event will meet the Participant’s expectations.

Nothing in these Event Terms excludes rights or warranties that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

6.15 Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc., in its capacity as Organizer and platform operator, will not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, punitive, or similar damages, including lost profits, lost opportunities, lost exposure, lost reputation, lost data, lost goodwill, or lost business, arising out of or relating to the Event.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Vanguard’s total liability for claims arising out of or relating to this Event is limited to the greater of:

  • the amount paid by the Participant to participate in this Event, if any; or
  • CAD $100.

This limitation does not apply where liability cannot be limited under applicable law.

6.16 Participant responsibility and indemnification

The Participant is responsible for their Submission, conduct, representations, warranties, rights clearances, collaborators, samples, beats, vocals, likenesses, third-party materials, AI-use disclosures, and compliance with these Event Terms.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Participant agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc., its directors, officers, employees, contractors, service providers, Judges, Reviewers, Experts, partners, and representatives from and against third-party claims, damages, liabilities, losses, and reasonable costs arising out of or related to:

  • the Participant’s Submission;
  • infringement or alleged infringement of third-party rights;
  • unauthorized use of a beat, sample, loop, instrumental, recording, voice, likeness, image, name, performance, or other protected material;
  • breach of these Event Terms;
  • breach of Event Materials;
  • breach of the Vanguard Terms of Service;
  • false authorship, plagiarism, impersonation, or misrepresentation;
  • prohibited AI voice use or prohibited AI-assisted conduct;
  • unlawful conduct;
  • fraud, cheating, manipulation, or bad-faith participation.

This indemnification applies only to the extent the claim arises from the Participant’s actions, omissions, Submission, breach, or violation of law.

6.17 Governing law

These Event Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the applicable federal laws of Canada, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

If a Participant accesses or participates in the Event from outside Canada, local laws may provide rights or obligations that cannot be waived. These Event Terms apply to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

6.18 Venue and jurisdiction

Subject to applicable law, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Event Terms or the Event will be brought in the courts located in Ontario, Canada, and the Participant consents to the jurisdiction of those courts.

Where local law does not allow exclusive Ontario jurisdiction, disputes may be brought in another competent court, but Ontario law will still govern these Event Terms to the extent permitted by applicable law.

6.19 Good-faith resolution

Before starting formal legal proceedings, the Participant and Organizer agree to attempt to resolve disputes in good faith where reasonably possible.

A Participant may contact the Organizer at:

connect@vanguardnetwork.org

The message should include:

  • the Participant’s name or account identifier;
  • the Event name;
  • the relevant Submission, Round, result, or issue;
  • a clear description of the concern;
  • supporting materials;
  • the requested outcome.

6.20 Changes to these Event Terms

The Organizer may update these Event Terms where necessary to reflect:

  • Event changes;
  • operational changes;
  • legal or regulatory requirements;
  • technical changes;
  • platform changes;
  • safety, security, or integrity needs;
  • clarification of existing terms.

Material changes will be communicated through the Event page or official Event communication channels where reasonably possible.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, updates apply prospectively and do not retroactively change completed Rounds, validly submitted Submissions, or finalized results, except where reasonably necessary to address legal compliance, security, fraud, cheating, technical error, rights infringement, prohibited AI use, or serious Event-integrity issues.

The version posted or linked at the time of the relevant participation step applies to that step, unless an update is required by law or accepted by the Participant.

6.21 Severability

If any provision of these Event Terms is found invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect to the fullest extent permitted by law.

The invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable provision will be interpreted or modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid, lawful, and enforceable, while preserving its original purpose as closely as possible.

6.22 No waiver

If the Organizer does not enforce a provision of these Event Terms immediately, that does not mean the Organizer waives the right to enforce it later.

Any waiver must be express and in writing to be effective.

6.23 Assignment

The Participant may not assign or transfer rights or obligations under these Event Terms without the Organizer’s prior written consent.

The Organizer may assign or transfer these Event Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, asset transfer, platform transfer, or similar transaction, provided that Participant rights are handled in accordance with applicable law.

6.24 Entire Event agreement

These Event Terms, together with the documents listed in Section 1.4, form the applicable agreement for participation in the Event.

They replace prior drafts, informal statements, chats, messages, promotional descriptions, or non-final materials regarding the legal terms of participation, except where a separate written agreement is expressly entered into by the relevant parties.

The Event page and Event Materials remain part of the practical operating rules of the Event, as described in these Event Terms.

6.25 Contact

For Event-related questions, support, complaints, legal notices, privacy questions, or rights-related concerns, contact:

Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Email: connect@vanguardnetwork.org

Privacy-related requests should be submitted in accordance with the Event-Specific Privacy Notice and the Vanguard Privacy Policy.

6.26 Final plain-language summary

This Event is run by Vanguard Creative Platforms Inc. through the Vanguard Platform.

You are responsible for your Submission, rights, collaborators, samples, beats, vocals, disclosures, AI/tool use, eligibility, conduct, and payment details if you win.

Vanguard is responsible for running the Event, publishing rules, administering judging, recording results, handling Event-related data, and protecting the integrity of the Event.

Your music remains yours.

Vanguard can use your Submission to run and document the Event.

Broader promo use requires the separate Content Promotion & Media License or another clear permission.

AI vocals and artificial vocal performance are not allowed.

Judging decisions are final unless there is a real technical, rights, cheating, AI-voice, eligibility, fraud, or integrity issue.

The maximum cash prize for this Event is CAD $500, depending on the number of eligible Round 1 Submissions.

Acceptance Statement

By registering for, joining, submitting to, or otherwise participating in Vanguard Music Championship — Season 1: Open Signal, the Participant confirms that they have read, understood, and agree to these Event Terms and the other required Vanguard and Event documents clearly presented or linked in connection with the Event.

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