ST26 Round 2 Challenge

With forty-four songs to listen to, evaluate, and compare, the judges aren't quite ready to release their Round 1 results yet. But we don't want you to have to wait any longer to get started on your Round 2 entries. This one is a contrast to Round 1's thematic challenge. Read on to find out what we're asking of you...

All-Request Listening Party Tonight at 8 pm EDT

While we wait for the judges to finish up the hard work of reviewing and ranking 44 Round 1 entries, let's hang out and revisit your favorite songs from SpinTunes past!

Tommy G will host an All-Request Listening Party tonight at 8 pm EDT. If there's a song you'd like to hear tonight, drop it in the comments on this post, or make a request in the live chat at the Listening Party!

Join us on YouTube or embedded below.

SpinTunes 26 Round 1 Album

We had a great time at the Round 1 Listening Party last night. If you missed it, be sure to take a listen to the Round 1 album, now available to stream or download on Bandcamp or embedded below. Our faithful graphic designer Matt Schubbe returns to provide charming cover art for the album. Thanks, Matt!

ST26 Round 1 Listening Party and Deadline News

Congratulations to everyone who has submitted to SpinTunes 26 Round 1!

This is shaping up to be a terrific tournament. Round 1 consists of forty-three forty-four* competing entries, and, as of this writing, two shadow entries. (Shadow entries are never late, so if you're still working on one, get it to me when you can!)

Your first chance to hear all 45 46* songs is at tonight's Listening Party, hosted by Tommy G at 8 pm EDT. Join us on YouTube or embedded below:

*If you're reading this in the future, a missed entry has been added to the album, but was not identified in time to be played at the Listening Party.

After the Listening Party, these songs are in the hands of the judges. Their rankings and reviews will be posted on Sunday, September 13.

With 44 competing entries, the elimination schedule will proceed as follows, barring ties on the threshold:

• Round 1:
• 44 songs compete
• 13 songs eliminated
• 31 songs move on to Round 2
• Round 2:
• 31 songs compete
• 13 songs eliminated
• 18 songs move on to Round 3
• Round 3:
• 18 songs compete
• 13 songs eliminated
• 5 songs (top 4 + 1 wild card) move on to the Final Round
• Final Round:
• 5 songs compete
• 4 songs eliminated
• 1 contestant earns the title of SpinTunes 26 Champion!

SpinTunes 26 - Meet the Contestants

Now that our Round 1 challenge has been posted, contestants are hard at work on their entries. But who are these contestants? Who will be vying for the title of SpinTunes 26? Fifty-three contestants have thrown their hats in the ring, and what a varied collection of hats they are. We have long-time contestants and first-time contestants, singers and emcees, pianists and guitarists, former champions and former judges. Read on to meet them!

ST26 Round 1 Challenge

Circle up, folks! I hope you've squared away the rest of your responsibilities, because SpinTunes 26 has begun, and it's gonna be a ball.

If you haven't signed up yet, we're keeping the form open until 11:59 EDT, so get your name in now!

Once that's taken care of, read on for your Round 1 challenge...

SpinTunes 26 - Meet the Judges and Support Staff

As the Round 1 challenge nears, you may be wondering who will be listening to the fresh batch of songs that are about to be written. I am very excited to announce the SpinTunes 26 judging panel. Read on to get to know them, then - if you haven't already - head over to the sign-up page to get your name in as a competitor!

Announcing SpinTunes 26!

Hello, everyone! Micah here, excited to announce that SpinTunes 26 will be happening August 21 to October 26, 2026.

SpinTunes is a four-round tournament for songwriters and recording artists. In each round, contestants receive a challenge prompt and have ten days to write and record a brand-new song that meets the challenge. Our panel of judges then review and rank all entries on the strength of their songwriting, performance, and production, with the highest-ranked contestants moving on to the next round. The winner of the fourth round earns the title of SpinTunes 26 Champion!

SpinTunes is an opportunity to create new songs and hone your musical skills; to receive thoughtful feedback from fellow musicians; to connect with a vibrant and supportive musical community; and to engage in some playful competition.

Below, find links to all the information about the upcoming tournament. We hope you will join us for SpinTunes 26!

• Official rules
• Full schedule
• Meet the judges
• Sign-up form

SpinTunes 26 Sign-Up Form

If you're ready to sign up for SpinTunes 26, you're in the right place! Be sure you've read the rules and consulted the schedule; then fill out the form below! If the form is not displaying properly, you can access it directly here. If you can't access it there either, please contact me by email at spintunescontest@gmail.com.

This sign-up form must be filled out by 11:59 pm EDT on Friday, August 21. (Note that the Round 1 challenge will be posted earlier in the day, at 9:00 am; since this is earlier than in past tournaments, we'll keep the sign-up deadline the same.)

SpinTunes 26 Schedule

Below is the full SpinTunes 26 schedule. All times given are in US Eastern Daylight Time.

Please note the change in when challenges are posted and songs are due. In recent tournaments, challenges were posted at 12:01 am on Saturday and songs were due nine days later, at 11:59 pm on Sunday. Now challenges will be posted at 9:00 am on Friday, and songs will be due ten days later, at 9:00 am on Monday.

When in doubt, the SpinTunes Google calendar should list all deadlines in your local time.

Read on for the full SpinTunes 26 schedule.

SpinTunes 26 Official Rules

Welcome to SpinTunes 26. I'm your contest administrator, Micah Sommersmith, and I'm excited to begin a new tournament!

If you’ve competed before, welcome back! The rules below are the same as in SpinTunes 25, with some minor edits for clarity; the Final Round Wild Card rule introduced in SpinTunes 25 will be used again this tournament. The timing of when challenges are posted and when entries are due has been adjusted slightly, as indicated in the contest schedule.

I'll also remind you that there is a Suggestion Box that you can use to submit suggestions for challenges or rule changes at any time. You'll find it in the left-hand sidebar if you're viewing this on a PC.

If you have any questions about any of the rules, feel free to contact me at SpinTunesContest@gmail.com.

Read on for the full rules!

SpinTunes Polka Medley Premieres April 13

Have you ever wished that you could hear your favorite SpinTunes entry as a polka? How about a hundred of your favorite SpinTunes entries? If you answered "yes", you won't believe your luck!

Join us Monday April 13 at 8 pm EDT for the premiere of the SpinTunes Polka - a 42-minute-long medley of 100 SpinTunes entries spanning the entire history of the contest so far, selected by our illustrious founder Travis, aka Spintown, and arranged and performed by the talented Joe Romero.

The medley premieres on YouTube, so join us there to hear it first and chat with Joe, Travis, and your fellow SpinTunas. Will your song get polka-fied? Find out on Monday!

Ode to Joy - A SpinTunes Tribute to Joy Sitler

Joy Sitler, a talented and dedicated member of the SpinTunes community, died in September of last year.

After her death, we compiled a tribute album consisting of covers of her songs, as well as new songs written in her memory.

The album, with 29 songs by SpinTunes members and cover art by Leonie Connellan, is available to download or stream on Bandcamp or embedded below. Like all SpinTunes albums, it is free to download. However, if you choose to pay for the album, our share of the revenue will be donated to the Sitler Family Fine Arts Scholarship Fund.