NUR EIN

The Practical Part

Nur Ein Rules

This is the working version of how the contest usually runs. The archive is historical, so older years may differ, but the spine is stable: titles, mandatory challenges, judge rankings, eliminations, and one survivor.

Read the Lore
RoundsHow the contest works

Each round has a title and a required creative challenge. Acts have a short window, usually about a week, to write, record, and submit an MP3. Judges rank the entries. The bottom acts are eliminated until only the champion remains.

Round Zero

Round Zero is the open entry round. If 25 or fewer acts show up, everybody usually advances. If the field is bigger, the judges trim it down for Round One.

Forfeits

Missing the deadline means the act is out. The clock is not a vibe. The clock is a machine.

Challenges

The challenge is not optional. Meeting it keeps you alive; using it brilliantly can make the song feel inevitable.

Shadows

Eliminated acts, judges, immune acts, and other community members may still submit shadow entries when allowed.
RankingsScoring and judging

Judges rank the songs from best to worst. In a ten-song round, first place receives 10 points, last place receives 1 point, and higher summed scores are better. Forfeits are not ranked.

Judges consider both the song and the required challenge. The panel has varied over time, but it usually draws from past champions, Song Fight regulars, and trusted community ears.

Finals have evolved. The last round is usually a head-to-head fight, and some eras include votes from eliminated competitors or the wider community alongside the jury.

SurvivalImmunity, shadows, and returns

Round winners may receive immunity for the following round, depending on the year's rules. Immune acts can submit, but they cannot be eliminated while protected.

Shadow songs are real songs in the archive, even when they do not count toward survival. They are part victory lap, part stubbornness, part “I already wrote the thing, so here it is.”

Nur Ein XX experimented with a sharper shadow mechanic: eliminated acts could shadow the next round, and unanimous judges could reinstate a shadowing act in early rounds.

SubmissionsHow to enter

When Round Zero is open, write a song matching the title and challenge, export it as an MP3, and email it to nurein.sidefight@gmail.com.

File naming: bandname_titleacronym.mp3

Example: Manhattan Glutton submitting “Heart Shaker” becomes manhattanglutton_hs.mp3

Use accurate ID3 tags when possible. By entering, you confirm the song is original work and grant Nur Ein permission to host it in the archive.

Legal-ishRights and archive license

By submitting a song, you represent that you own or control the necessary rights in the submitted work and grant Nur Ein a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to reproduce, host, stream, distribute, publicly perform, display, archive, promote, and otherwise use the submission in connection with Nur Ein and its related projects, including the website, forum posts, podcasts, listening parties, compilations, recaps, promotional materials, and historical archives.

You retain ownership of your song. This license exists so Nur Ein can keep the contest, its records, and its community artifacts available without having to chase paperwork every time the archive gets rebuilt, replayed, discussed, or bundled into something gloriously ill-advised.

FormatHow this differs from Song Fight
  • Strict deadlines and a compressed weekly pace.
  • Every title includes a mandatory challenge.
  • Judges determine round scores rather than open public voting.
  • Eliminations continue until one champion remains.
  • Bands, solo acts, and collaborations are treated as acts, and those identities can get delightfully complicated over time.