Question 1

Will other songwriters see my score?

Accepted Answer

No.  If you don't win, your score is never revealed. Period. The live chart shows entries only, no numeric scores, no ranks, no "leader" labels.

Question 2

Will my score show on the live chart during the week?

Accepted Answer

No. The chart displays a '?' in place of every score and is shuffled server-side, so nobody can scout standings during the week. Only after Sunday at 11:59 PM CT, and only the winner's score, gets revealed.

Question 3

What happens to my score if I don't win?

Accepted Answer

It stays private forever. Period. Your review and score remain in your dashboard like any other review, they just never become public because you entered the contest.

Question 4

Can I still see my own score?

Accepted Answer

Yes, always. Your full review, scores, and section insights land in your dashboard and your review email the moment the analysis finishes. The privacy rule only applies to other people seeing it.

Question 5

Do I have to share my audio publicly to compete?

Accepted Answer

No. There are  two separate toggles  at submission: "Enter Weekly Contest" (defaults ON) and "Let people hear my song on the chart" (defaults  OFF ). You can compete without ever making your audio public.

Question 6

What does the 'Your Entry' badge on the chart mean?

Accepted Answer

It just confirms your submission is in this week's contest. It does NOT indicate your rank or score, those stay hidden until Monday's winner reveal.

Question 7

Is the contest live right now?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it's LIVE. This week's contest closes Sunday at 11:59 PM CT. Submit a Deep Dive (or, for members, any Double Fire review) with the 'Enter Weekly Contest' toggle ON before you hit submit.

Question 8

How do I enter?

Accepted Answer

Two requirements at submission time: Your review must be a  Deep Dive  (3 credits), or, if you're a Refinery member, any review (every member review is Double Fire and qualifies automatically). Toggle  "Enter Weekly Contest" ON  before you submit. It defaults to ON.

Question 9

Why aren't Standard or Quick Taste reviews eligible?

Accepted Answer

Standard 1-credit reviews and Quick Taste previews don't include the full-depth analysis the contest is judged on. The contest is gated to Deep Dive / Double Fire so every entry is scored on the same rubric and the same depth of feedback.

Question 10

I'm not a member, can I still enter?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Submit a Deep Dive review (3 credits) with the contest toggle ON. Non-members compete on the exact same chart as members.

Question 11

I'm a Refinery Member, do I need to do anything special?

Accepted Answer

Nope. Every member review is Double Fire automatically, so you qualify on every submission as long as the contest toggle is ON (it defaults ON).

Question 12

Does the contest cost extra?

Accepted Answer

No. There's no entry fee. You just spend the credits you'd already be spending on the review (3 for Deep Dive, 1 for member Double Fire).

Question 13

Can I enter more than one song per week?

Accepted Answer

Yes, every eligible submission you make during the contest week competes. Only your highest-scoring entry across all of them is what ranks, but there's no cap on how many you can submit.

Question 14

Can I opt my song into the contest after I get my review back?

Accepted Answer

No, eligibility for that specific submission is locked the moment its review completes.  BUT   if you submit a revision of the same song during the same contest week with "Enter Weekly Contest" toggled ON, and it scores higher, the revision  automatically replaces  your earlier entry. So leave the toggle ON every time, there's no downside.

Question 15

If I revise my song this week, does the revision replace my original entry?

Accepted Answer

Yes, automatically, as long as the revision is a Deep Dive (or Double Fire if you're a member) with the contest toggle ON (it defaults to ON in the Revision wizard). The contest picks the highest-scoring eligible entry across your entire revision chain. No manual swap needed.

Question 16

Should I leave the contest toggle ON every time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Only your best score competes, your score stays private if you don't win, and revisions can only replace earlier entries if the toggle is on. There is literally zero downside to leaving it on.

Question 17

Can I revise an old song from a previous week and enter it this week?

Accepted Answer

No. The original (root) of the revision chain must have been submitted during the current contest week. This anti-gaming rule prevents reviving old high-scoring songs to win. Revisions of last week's songs aren't eligible, even with the toggle on.

Question 18

How many times can I revise in one week?

Accepted Answer

No cap. Revise as many times as you want. Each revision that scores higher takes the spot of any earlier entry in the chain. This is the engine, refinement is the whole point.

Question 19

If my song wins, can I keep entering revisions of it in future weeks?

Accepted Answer

No. Once a song wins, the entire revision chain (original + all past and future revisions of it) is blocked from winning again. Time to write something new.

Question 20

How is the winner chosen?

Accepted Answer

The eligible entry with the highest Overall Score during the contest week wins. No voting, no judging panel, purely score-based.

Question 21

When are winners announced?

Accepted Answer

Every Monday. The winner is awarded automatically shortly after the contest closes Sunday at 11:59 PM CT, and the Hall of Fame updates on the /contest page.

Question 22

What does the winner get?

Accepted Answer

50 credits dropped into your account A Showcase feature A permanent Hall of Fame crown on the /contest page

Question 23

How will I know if I won?

Accepted Answer

You'll get an email and a notification in your dashboard. Your win also appears in the Hall of Fame section above this FAQ.

Question 24

What if there's a tie?

Accepted Answer

Every tied song wins, and the 50-credit prize is split evenly among the tied writers, rounded up to the next whole credit. Two winners get 25 credits each, four winners get 13 each. Every tied writer still gets the full Showcase feature and a Hall of Fame crown.

Question 25

Where do past winners live?

Accepted Answer

Right above this FAQ, in the Hall of Fame. Every win is preserved permanently.

Question 26

I submitted a Deep Dive with the toggle ON but my song isn't on the chart.

Accepted Answer

A few common reasons: The review is still processing, entries appear after the review completes. It was submitted as a Standard 1-credit review, not Deep Dive. It's a revision of a song whose original was from a prior week (root must be from this week). The contest toggle wasn't actually ON at submit (eligibility is locked once review completes). If none of those fit, message support and we'll dig in.

Question 27

Can I withdraw my entry?

Accepted Answer

There's nothing to withdraw from publicly, if you don't win, your score never goes public. Once a review completes, the per-submission eligibility is locked, but the privacy guarantee means there's no exposure to walk back.

Question 28

I changed my mind, can I un-share my audio after submitting?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The audio-share toggle ('Let people hear my song on the chart') is independent of contest eligibility and can be flipped off later from your review/dashboard. Your entry stays in the contest either way.

Question 29

I have a question that isn't here.

Accepted Answer

Hit the chat bubble in the corner, our support bot is loaded with the same answers and can dig deeper, and Keith reads every conversation.

Song of the Week Contest

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Hall of Fame

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Entering & eligibility

Revisions & strategy

Winning & prizes

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