NT Music School UnCovered Terms and Conditions and Important Information
Opening and Closing Dates
· Competition Opens April, Term 2.
· All entries must be submitted online no later than Friday, 19th September 2025.
· NT Music School reserves the right to extend this date at its discretion.
Entrants
· All entrants must be students at a Northern Territory Government school.
· The entrant/s must credit all writers of the composition entered.
· Entrants must not have had assistance in the writing of the song from a person who is not of a school student age.
· Entries must be the exclusive original work of the entrant/s and must not infringe any copyrights or any other rights of third parties.
· Song entries must have both lyrics and music. Purely instrumental works must only be entered in the instrumental category. See Frequently Asked Questions for more details.
· Compositions that have been commercially released and/or are currently available for sale or monetisation are not eligible for entry.
· Failure to complete any required sections of the entry form properly and honestly will render the entry ineligible.
Talent Release Form
· All participants must upload the associated talent release forms to be eligible to enter the competition. See Talent Release Form page. (Link)
Multiple Composers
· Compositions may be written by school students working together in a group.
Number of Entries
· There is a limit of three compositions per individual or song writing team.
· The same composition cannot be entered into multiple categories.
· School class groups are limited to 3 compositions per class (primary school entries).
· Each song entered must have its own entry form and be accompanied by both an mp3 audio file and accompanying song lyrics. Lyrics are not needed for the instrumental category.
Languages Other Than English
· Where a song has been composed in a language other than English, a full written translation of the song in English must be provided.
Entry Material
· Recordings must be submitted online in mp3 or m4a audio format ONLY.
· Each entry must be labelled with the entrant/s’ name, composition title, school name and grade(s)/year(s).
· Lyrics must be included with the entry in either .docx or .pdf format.
Confirmation of Entry Receipt
· A confirmation of entry receipt will be sent to the email address provided on the entry form within one business day of receipt of entry. If you have not received confirmation for your entry within 24 hours of submission to NT Music School, please email ntms.uncovered@education.nt.gov.au
· All entries will be judged between the 19th September and the 17th October 2025. The judges’ decision is final with no exceptions, and no correspondence will be entered into.
· Production values of the song recording will not be judged. The judging will be for the songwriting, not the recording.
Notification of Results
· Winners and runners-up will be notified on Friday 31st October.
· Winners and runners-up will be posted on the NT Music School Facebook and Instagram pages.
· Winners will also be featured on the NT Music School website upon completion of the judging process after winning entrant/s have been informed via phone and/or email.
· Prizes will be sent to the winning entrant/s.
Prizes
· Winners in each category will receive a certificate and recording gear and/or performance gear up to the value of $600 (inc. GST). Other prizes may be added during the competition at the discretion of NT Music School. Please consult the prizes table on NT Music School’s website for more information.
Multiple Winner
· In the event of a winning entry being a composition with more than one composer, the allocation of the prize is a matter to be determined by the winning composers.
Promotional Use
· By entering the competition, the entrant/s agrees that entry materials may be used by NT Music School for non-sale promotional purposes. This may include placing samples of the winning entries and reproducing the winning lyrics on the NT Music School website and social media. The rights and ownership of the songs will remain with the composers.
Protection and Destruction of Personal Information
· NT Music School will not use or distribute the entrant/s’ personal information for marketing or any other purposes. All personal information shall be destroyed within a reasonable time after the determination of winners.
Performance and Media Opportunities
· By entering the competition, winners of NT Music School’s UnCovered Competition automatically agree to the use of their winning song by NT Music School for a period of 12-months from the close of the competition. Entrants also agree to conduct various media interviews as requested by NT Music School.
· The winning entrant/s may be invited to perform their composition if an appropriate opportunity arises.
By submitting an application form to NT Music School, the entrant/s agrees to be bound by NT Music School’s UnCovered Competition Entry Terms and Conditions.