1. Organiser
The Score The World film scoring contest (“the Contest”) is organised by Score The World (“the Organiser”, “we”). Contact: mail@scoretheworld.com.
2. Purpose
The Contest gives composers the opportunity to write original music for a short film, receive personal feedback from a professional jury, and win prizes, while drawing attention to global environmental and social issues. For each edition we support a charity; 50% of the profits from the entry fees is donated to a chosen charity and we publish the result on our website after the Contest.
3. Eligibility
3.1. The Contest is open to composers of all ages and nationalities.
3.2. The Contest is intended for beginners and emerging composers. Entrants must not have more than 15 (fifteen) IMDb credits as composer and must not have composed music for a major studio feature film or series. If you are unsure whether you are eligible, contact us before registering.
3.3. Entrants under 18 may only enter with the consent of a parent or legal guardian, who accepts these Rules on their behalf. We may ask for proof of this consent at any time. Entrants under 16 also need parental consent for us to process their personal data, as described in our Privacy Policy.
3.4. Members of the jury, the Organiser and their close family members may not enter.
4. Timeline
4.1. Early-bird registration: October 1–31, 2026, entry fee 29 EUR.
4.2. Normal registration: November 1 – December 10, 2026, entry fee 39 EUR.
4.3. Entry deadline: December 24, 2026, 11:59 p.m. CET.
4.4. Evaluation: January 1 – February 14, 2027.
4.5. Announcement of winners: February 14, 2027.
5. How to enter
5.1. Register on the registration page (https://www.scoretheworld.com/registration/) and pay the entry fee through Stripe. After payment you receive the short film and the brief.
5.2. Score original music for the film following the brief. There are no restrictions on instrumentation; you may use live or virtual instruments.
5.3. Upload the film synchronised with your music to YouTube (unlisted) and submit the link through the official entry form by the deadline, together with your order id.
5.4. Each entrant may submit one entry. The first entry we receive is final; later versions will not be considered.
5.5. An entry is complete when the entry fee has been paid and the YouTube link has been submitted through the entry form. We cannot consider incomplete entries, entries submitted after the deadline, or entries whose video is unavailable during the evaluation period.
6. Entry fee, withdrawal and refunds
6.1. The entry fee depends on the registration date (see section 4) and includes all applicable taxes.
6.2. The Contest is a service related to leisure activities with specific dates of performance, as set out in section 4. For this reason, the 14-day right of withdrawal that normally applies to online purchases does not apply to your registration (Article 16(l) of Directive 2011/83/EU and section 29(1)(l) of Government Decree 45/2014 (II. 26.)).
6.3. The entry fee is therefore not refundable once paid, except in the cases set out in sections 11.2 and 14.
7. Judging
7.1. Entries are evaluated by the jury presented on our website. The jury assesses [e.g. originality, how well the music serves the film, craft and production quality].
7.2. Every entrant receives short, personal written feedback from the jury by email.
7.3. Up to [five] finalists are announced on our website. All other entrants receive their ranking by email in the weeks following the announcement.
7.4. The jury’s artistic assessment is final. This does not affect your legal rights as a consumer.
8. Prizes
8.1. Prizes are listed on our website and are provided by our sponsors. The Organiser may award additional prizes.
8.2. Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash. Digital prizes (such as sample libraries) are delivered by the sponsor, usually as a licence code, within [60] days of the announcement. The sponsor’s own licence terms apply to their use.
8.3. If a sponsor withdraws a prize for reasons beyond our control, we will replace it with a prize of similar or higher value.
8.4. Winners are responsible for any taxes on their prizes in their country of residence, except where the law requires the Organiser to pay or withhold them.
8.5. If we cannot reach a winner within 30 days of the announcement using the email address provided, we may give the prize to the next-ranked entrant.
9. Your rights to your music, and what you allow us to do
9.1. You keep all copyright in your composition.
9.2. By entering, you grant the Organiser a free, non-exclusive, worldwide licence to use your entry (the film synchronised with your music) and your composition to run the Contest and to promote Score The World: on our website, on our social media and YouTube channels, and in promotional material for current and future editions of the Contest. We always credit you as the composer. We do not use your music for any other purpose, and we do not sell it or license it to anyone else.
9.3. For entrants who are not finalists, we only use entries internally for judging, unless you agree otherwise.
9.4. You may ask us at any time to stop future uses of your entry. We will remove it from our own channels within 30 days, but we cannot recall content already shared by others.
10. The film and third-party rights
10.1. The short film remains the property of its owners. You receive it only for taking part in the Contest. You may not publish, distribute or use the film synchronised with your music outside the Contest, except for the YouTube upload required for your entry, unless the film owner has given permission. Contact us if you would like to ask the film owner for permission, for example to use your entry in your showreel.
10.2. You confirm that your composition is your own original work and that it does not infringe anyone else’s rights. If you use samples or libraries, you must hold the licences needed for this use.
10.3. If a third party makes a claim against the Organiser because your entry infringes their rights, you are responsible for that claim and will compensate the Organiser for the resulting damage, to the extent the law allows.
11. Disqualification and cancellation
11.1. We may disqualify an entry if it does not meet these Rules, in particular if the entrant is not eligible, the music is not original, the entry infringes third-party rights, or it contains offensive or unlawful content. We tell you the reason. If you are disqualified because of a breach of these Rules, the entry fee is not refunded.
11.2. We may cancel the Contest if there are not enough entries or for reasons beyond our control. In that case, every entrant receives a full refund of the entry fee within 30 days.
12. Photos and recordings
If we take photos or recordings of you in connection with the Contest (for example at an award event or online interview), we only publish them with your consent. You can withdraw that consent at any time.
13. Personal data
We handle your personal data as described in our Privacy Policy: https://www.scoretheworld.com/privacy-policy/
14. Changes to these Rules
We may change these Rules only for a good reason, such as a change in the law, a sponsor’s decision, or a correction of an error. We publish every change on this page and notify registered entrants by email. Changes that affect entrants negatively do not apply to entrants who have already registered, unless they agree. An entrant who does not agree to such a change may cancel and receive a full refund.
15. Complaints and disputes
15.1. If you have a complaint, email mail@scoretheworld.com. We will respond within 30 days.
15.2. As a consumer, you may also turn to a conciliation board (békéltető testület). For the Organiser this is [the Budapest Conciliation Board (Budapesti Békéltető Testület), 1016 Budapest, Krisztina krt. 99., www.bekeltet.hu . You may also go to court.
16. Governing law
These Rules are governed by Hungarian law. If you are a consumer living in another country, you keep the protection of the mandatory consumer law of your country of residence.