24 Hour Song Challenge

Song Challenge FAQ

Where do I have to live to be eligible?

You are required to have your primary residence in WXPN’s FM listening areas to be eligible. This includes all of WXPN’s frequencies including:

  • 88.5 FM Philadelphia/South Jersey/Wilmington
  • 91.9 FM North Jersey/Poconos
  • 88.7 FM Lancaster/York
  • 90.5 FM Worton/Baltimore
  • 99.7 FM Harrisburg

If you can hear us on your FM radio in your primary residence, then you are eligible.

We will not judge the production quality of the audio and video. But providing us with the best audio and video you can helps to ensure we can focus on your songwriting.

You can submit as the sole songwriter, a group of songwriters or a band.

You can only submit one song.

All entrants including any performers on the song and in the video must be at least 18 years of age at the time of the recording.

There are no parameters as to how you choose to integrate the prompt into your song. It can be overt, subtle, metaphoric, direct, indirect, etc.

There are no parameters as to how you choose to integrate the prompt into your song. It can be overt, subtle, metaphoric, direct, indirect, etc.

The spirit of this contest is all about HUMAN songwriting. So please no use of AI software. Remember, WXPN is rhythms not algorithms!

We ask that you develop your song from scratch in the 24-hour period.

Your submission cannot contain material that could violate intellectual property rights or that could be copyright infringement. Your video also shouldn’t feature any music that you did not originally write and perform. Unfortunately, sampling falls under these categories.

Yes. You are not required to perform your song in the studio. The songwriter(s) should complete the registration and submit the song. There will be a place in the registration to list the performer(s) of the song. However, only the songwriter(s) will be considered eligible for the prizes.

The songwriter(s) listed in the registration will be the sole recipient of any prizes. It is fully up to the songwriter(s) to determine if/how they decide to share in any prizes.

Yes you can. However, remember you may only submit one song that you are listed as the songwriter.

Got Questions? Contact us!

Official Rules

The WXPN 24-Hour Song Challenge (the “Contest”) submission period begins at 12:00 pm EST on May 31, 2025 and ends at 11:59 am EST on June 1, 2025 (the “Submission Period”). WXPN’s clock is the official timekeeping device for the Contest. 

The Contest judging period begins on or about June 2, 2025 and ends on or about June 20, 2025 (the “Judging Period”).

Five (5) submissions being considered for the Grand Prize (the “Finalists”) will be publicly announced on or about June 23, 2025 through June 26, 2025. The Grand Prize Winner will be publicly announced on or about July 30, 2025. We will contact the Finalists and Grand Prize Winner directly via email and/or phone.

ELIGIBILITY

The Contest is open to all individuals and groups (the “Entrant(s)”) who are named as writer or a group of writers of the original song (the “Song”) submitted to the Contest.

Each Entrant (and all members of a group) must be at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of entry. If the entrant is a group, all individuals’ names must be listed.

The following individuals are not eligible to enter or win a prize: employees of WXPN and their immediate family members, and employees and their family members of any businesses who are official sponsors of the Contest.

An Entrant (either individually or as a group) can only submit one (1) Song.

Entrants must have their primary residence be in WXPN’s terrestrial broadcast listening areas (WXPN, WXPH, WXPJ, and WKHS).

Independent musician(s) who self-release their own recordings are eligible. Entrants must not be signed to any major or independent labels for distribution. WXPN will make any and all final determinations as to Entrant(s)’ status as independent musician(s).

In order to submit a Song to the Contest, contestants must register via an online form at songchallenge.xpn.org no later than May 23, 2024 at 11:59 pm EST.

To enter the Contest, you must create a video (the “Entry Video”) under five (5) minutes in length of the performance of a single, original song by the end of the Submission Period that is inspired by a thematic prompt (the “Prompt”) that WXPN will announce on June 1, 2024 at 12 pm EST.

Submit a hyperlink to an embeddable, publicly viewable recording of the Entry Video to YouTube by the end of the Submission Period on June 2, 2024 at 11:59 am EST.

The Entry Video must:

  • contain a Song that is the original work of the Entrant (or all members of an Entrant, if a group). Covers of other songwriters’ or performers’ songs will not be accepted.
  • be inspired by the Prompt that WXPN establishes. (There are no parameters as to how you choose to integrate the Prompt into your Song. It can be overt, subtle, metaphoric, direct, indirect, etc.)
  • be created specifically for the Contest and not have appeared on any previous media streaming platform (e.g. Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, SoundCloud, etc).
  • be a maximum five (5) minutes in length.

Entrants are permitted to have musicians/singers (“Performers”) other than themselves perform the Song. Performers are not eligible to receive any prizes directly from WXPN.

You represent that the Entry Video and Song does not:

  • contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including, but not limited to, privacy, publicity, copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property rights;
  • contain material that is indecent, lewd, pornographic, obscene, profane, hateful, defamatory, slanderous or libelous.
  • promote discrimination against or contempt for other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease
  • contain material that violates any federal, state, or local laws or ordinances.
  • contain material generated by any Artificial Intelligence (AI) software.


By submitting a Song and Entry Video, Entrant further represents and warrants that:

  • The Song, including the musical composition, are Entrant(s)’ original work of authorship and Entrant(s) are the sole creator and author of the Song, including the musical composition.
  • The Entry Video is Entrant(s)’ own original work of authorship or that Entrant(s) has all rights necessary (including all members of an Entrant, if a group) to submit the Entry Video, including without limitation, the title or rights in any content, trademarks, artwork, text, and/or music featured in the Entry Video.
  • Entrant has the right to grant WXPN the rights and licenses to use the Song, including the musical composition, and Entry Video. Use in any form includes but is not limited to: social media posts, on-air playback, on-air promotions, streaming playback, web site coverage.

WXPN claims no rights in the ownership of the Song or Entry Video. WXPN claims no rights in the ownership of the materials you submit in conjunction with the Contest. By submitting a Song and Entry Video through the Contest, you hereby grant WXPN a limited, non-exclusive license to use, stream, transmit, beam, store, publicly display, translate, reproduce, and distribute the Song and Entry Video, in any format, whether known or unknown, including the limited right to use your likeness, persona, logo, trademark, and right(s) of publicity.

WXPN reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any Entrant if WXPN does not believe that the Song and Entry Video qualifies under the Entry Guidelines or any other terms and conditions of the Official Rules.

All eligible Songs and Entry Videos that meet the requirements of the Entry Guidelines and Official Rules will be reviewed by a panel of judges selected by WXPN that will consist of WXPN staff, member(s), volunteer(s) as well as outside musicians. WXPN’s Program Director along with the Contest judges will have the final decision on the Finalists and the Grand Prize winner. Additionally there will be a public voting component and those results will be considered in the final determination of the Finalists and Grand Prize winner.

Songs and Entry Videos will be judged on the following criteria:

  • Lyrics – 40%
  • Composition/Melody – 40%
  • Performance – 20%

Video and audio quality/presentation is not an official criteria for the Contest. However, we encourage Entrants to provide the highest quality they are reasonably able to in order to best present their Song and Entry Video.

There will be Five (5) Finalists selected. One of these Five (5) Finalists will be selected as the Grand Prize winner.

All Finalists will be announced on or about June 23 – June 26, 2025.

The Grand Prize winner will be announced on or about June 30, 2025.

Prizes will be awarded jointly to the Entrant(s).

The Grand Prize winner will receive:

  • One Thousand US Dollars ($1,000) honorarium
  • $500 gift card to Russo Music
  • Ten (10) hours of studio time at MilkBoy Recording Studio 
  • A spot to perform the winning Song live at the XPoNential Music Festival
  • One (1) year WXPN Program Partner Membership

The remaining Finalists will receive:

  • Five Hundred US Dollars ($500) honorarium
  • $200 gift card to Russo Music

One (1) year XPN Membership

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We keep your personal information as safe as possible.

All our member data is managed securely and is compliant with the standards set forth by the University of Pennsylvania and the payment card industry. We monitor the most recent advances in security and adapt as required.

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We may also aggregate your personally identifiable information, such as your address, with others to produce non-personally identifiable information that we may use to analyze and improve what we do.

It is WXPN’s policy not to sell or exchange email addresses or phone numbers with any organization. If any situation comes up in which we would like to share this information with someone else (e.g. if we collect your email while ticketing an event, and want to share with our co-presenter), we will ask for your permission.

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Any content that you submit to us, must follow the University of Pennsylvania’s policy on Copyright Infringement located here.