Official Rules — $10K Rap Challenge — Sneakz & Beatz

2. Eligibility

Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years of age (or the age of majority in their state of residence, whichever is older) at the time of entry.

Employees, officers, directors, and contractors of Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, and immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings, children) and household members of each are NOT eligible.

Excluded jurisdictions: Void in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and any other U.S. territory or foreign jurisdiction. The Promotion specifically excludes residents of New York, Florida, and Rhode Island from any prize tier with a perceived retail value greater than $5,000 unless and until Sponsor has registered the Promotion and posted bond as required by those states’ sweepstakes laws.

Subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited.

3. Entry Period

The Promotion will run only after the Sponsor confirms a minimum of five thousand (5,000) verified email subscribers to the official Sneakz & Beatz newsletter at sneakzandbeatz.substack.com (the “Audience Threshold”). Once the Audience Threshold is met, Sponsor will publicly announce the start and end dates of the Submission Period by email to all subscribers and on sneakzandbeatz.com at least seven (7) calendar days before submissions open.

The Submission Period will be no fewer than thirty (30) calendar days. If the Audience Threshold is not met within eighteen (18) months of these Official Rules being posted, Sponsor will, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, either (a) extend the announcement period, or (b) cancel the Promotion. Beat bundles purchased separately are standalone products and are NOT refundable as a consequence of any cancellation of the Promotion.

4. How to Enter

The Sneakz & Beatz Bundle and the Rap Challenge are two separate things. The bundle is a standalone product. Buying the bundle does NOT automatically enter you in the Promotion. At checkout, an explicit opt-in checkbox asks if you wish to also enter the Promotion. The opt-in is optional and unchecked by default.

All entrants, regardless of entry method, must:

Be following @sneakz_beatz on Instagram
Be following @SneakzandBeatzOfficial on TikTok
Be following @sneakzandbeatz on X (Twitter)
Be subscribed to @sneakzandbeatz on YouTube
Be a verified member of the Sneakz & Beatz Discord server
Submit a recording meeting the Submission Requirements (Section 6)
Provide their Discord username on the entry form for cross-verification

There are two (2) methods of entry. Each method counts as one (1) entry per eligible Submission:

(a) Bundle entry — opt-in at checkout: Purchase any tier of the Sneakz & Beatz Bundle (Standard Vault $79, Producer Pack $149, or Industry Pack $399) and check the box at checkout reading “Enter the $10K Rap Challenge.” The bundle includes 200+ mastered beats, drum kit, vocal kit, sample pack, t-shirt, and merchandise. Buying the bundle without checking the box gives you the bundle product only — no contest entry. Entry is initiated at the moment of bundle purchase + checkbox tick, but entry is NOT COMPLETE until all four (4) post-purchase steps are completed within fourteen (14) calendar days of purchase: (1) follow all required social accounts; (2) join the Sneakz & Beatz Discord; (3) submit the video meeting the Submission Requirements; (4) acknowledge these Official Rules via the entry-completion form. Failure to complete all four steps within the deadline forfeits the Promotion entry. The bundle product itself is non-refundable regardless of entry status.

(b) Free entry — see Section 5 (AMOE).

An entrant may submit multiple entries via the AMOE path. Each entry must be a different recording and must independently satisfy one of the entry methods above. Identical or substantially similar recordings submitted multiple times will be treated as a single entry. All entries must verify the social-follow and Discord membership requirements above. Bundle entries are limited to one (1) per bundle purchase.

5. Free Entry — Alternative Method of Entry (AMOE)

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. To enter without payment or purchase, mail a 3″×5″ index card with your full legal name, date of birth, email address, mailing address, and a working URL link to a recording satisfying the Submission Requirements (Section 6) to:

Sneakz & Beatz Rap Challenge — Free Entry
[iPostal1 mailbox — confirm before publish]
Los Angeles, CA 90001

Mailed entries must be postmarked during the Submission Period and received within seven (7) calendar days of the close of the Submission Period. Limit one (1) AMOE entry per envelope. Mechanically reproduced entries are void. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, misdirected, postage-due, or undelivered mail. AMOE entries have an equal probability of winning as paid or bundle entries.

6. Submission Requirements

Each submission (the “Submission”) must:

Use a beat from the Sneakz & Beatz catalog (sneakzandbeatz.com/beats) or a beat included in the Standard Bundle. No other beats permitted.
Be a vocal recording — verse, hook, or full song — performed by the entrant. Length: minimum 60 seconds, maximum 4 minutes.
Be uploaded to a publicly accessible platform (SoundCloud, YouTube, Audiomack, Instagram Reel, or TikTok) and tagged @sneakz_beatz with hashtag #SBRapChallenge.
Be the entrant’s original work. No samples not pre-cleared by entrant. No AI-generated vocals. No vocals performed by anyone other than the entrant.
Not contain content that is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, infringing on third party rights, or in violation of the platform’s terms of service.
Not be removed, made private, or deleted prior to the announcement of winners.

Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Submission that, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, fails to meet these requirements.

7. Judging

All eligible Submissions will be reviewed by the judges panel — Sponsor (PHRHX) plus at least two (2) independent guest judges per round (names announced no fewer than fourteen (14) calendar days before voting opens). The top twenty-five (25) Submissions will advance to the community-vote and public-vote rounds.

Final scoring weights — three tiers:

Judges’ panel score: 50%
Discord community vote: 30% (members-only — see integrity rules)
Public YouTube vote: 20% (single platform — see procedure)

Judges’ panel criteria (50% weight): lyricism (10 points), flow & delivery (10 points), originality (10 points), beat selection & use (10 points), production quality (10 points). Each finalist receives a numerical score from each judge from 0–50. The panel score is the average of all judges’ scores.

Discord community vote (30% weight) — integrity rules: The Discord vote is conducted in the official Sneakz & Beatz Discord server (link at sneakzandbeatz.com/community).

One vote per Discord member. Each member may cast a single reaction-vote across all twenty-five (25) finalists during the seven (7) day voting window.
No self-voting. A member’s vote will be automatically rejected if their verified Discord username matches the submission Discord username of the finalist they voted for. The voting bot enforces this match check at vote-cast time. Repeated self-vote attempts may result in disqualification of the submitter’s entry at Sponsor’s sole discretion.
Membership cutoff. Only Discord members who joined the server at least seven (7) calendar days before the voting window opens are eligible to vote. Accounts created or joined after the cutoff are excluded by the voting bot.
One Discord account per voter. Use of multiple Discord accounts to cast multiple votes is prohibited and may result in disqualification of the offending account’s submission(s).
Public tally. Sponsor will publish the full per-finalist Discord vote count after the voting window closes for transparency.

Public YouTube vote (20% weight) — single platform, like-count method:

All twenty-five (25) finalist videos are uploaded by Sponsor to the official Sneakz & Beatz Rap Challenge YouTube playlist within 72 hours of the voting window opening.
Public votes are measured as like count on each finalist video over the seven (7) day voting window. Likes count, dislikes do not subtract.
Each finalist’s public-vote score is the percentage of total combined likes their video received. (E.g., if a finalist’s video has 200 likes and the playlist total is 1,000 likes, that finalist’s public-vote score is 20%.)
Sponsor reserves the right to invalidate suspicious like-count spikes consistent with bot activity. Invalidated likes will be subtracted from the final tally and a public note will be issued.
Cross-platform shares (TikTok, Instagram, X) are encouraged but do NOT count toward the public-vote score. Only YouTube playlist likes count.

Final winner determination. The final score for each finalist is calculated as: (Panel Score / 50) × 50% + (Discord vote share) × 30% + (YouTube vote share) × 20%. The finalist with the highest final score is the 1st place winner; second-highest is 2nd place; third-highest is 3rd place.

In the event of a tie, the entrant with the higher panel-only score will prevail. If still tied, Sponsor will conduct a single-question tie-breaker decided by Sponsor in good faith. All judging decisions are final and binding.

8. Winner Selection & Notification

Potential winners will be notified by the email address on file within five (5) business days of the close of the public-vote round. Each potential winner must respond and complete an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability/Publicity Release, and (if required) IRS Form W-9 within seven (7) calendar days of notification, or the prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner selected.

If a potential winner is unreachable, ineligible, declines the prize, or fails to return the required documents, the prize will be forfeited and Sponsor may, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, select an alternate winner from the next-highest scoring Submissions.

9. Prizes

Prizes are awarded as a combination of cash, physical product, gift cards, digital download licenses, paid advertising co-promotion, and merchandise. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) by tier:

1st Place ($10,000+ ARV) — 1 winner: $2,500 cash (Cash App, Zelle, or check — winner’s choice); Sony PS5 Pro + 2 AAA games; $500 StockX gift card; custom 1-of-1 painted sneaker; anime exclusive box; 1 free exclusive beat per month for the remainder of calendar year 2026; 10 vocal kits + 5 drum kits + 5 melody loop packs (Logic / Pro Tools / FL / Ableton); PHRHX 1-of-1 custom beat; $500 paid Instagram ad-spend co-promotion of winner’s next release; Sneakz & Beatz merch (t-shirt + hoodie + hat); a full episode feature on The PHRHX Show; opener slot (track #1) on “Sneakz & Beatz Cypher Vol. 1.”
2nd Place ($3,000+ ARV) — 1 winner: $500 cash; $250 StockX gift card; 5 vocal kits + 1 drum kit + sample pack; Sneakz & Beatz t-shirt + hat; cypher tape feature track (slots #5-10); behind-the-scenes mention on the PHRHX Show winner episode.
3rd Place ($1,000+ ARV) — 1 winner: $200 cash; $100 StockX gift card; Standard Bundle (100 mastered beats + t-shirt); 2 vocal kits; cypher tape feature track (slots #15-25).
Top 25 Finalists ($300+ ARV each) — 25 winners: producer credit on “Sneakz & Beatz Cypher Vol. 1” (released to all DSPs); 30% of streaming royalties on the finalist’s track on the cypher tape; Sneakz & Beatz t-shirt; Standard Bundle at 50% off ($39) if not already purchased; Sneakz & Beatz follow + 1 promo Reel mention.
Total Prize Pool ARV: approximately $21,500, of which approximately $3,200 is cash.

No cash substitution for non-cash prize components, except by Sponsor in the event a specific component becomes unavailable; in such a case Sponsor may substitute a component of equal or greater perceived retail value.

Skill-based determination. Winners are selected primarily on the basis of skill — judging on lyricism, flow and delivery, originality, beat selection and use, and production quality (Section 7). The community-vote component (30%) reflects audience preference among the top 25 finalists already pre-selected on skill. This Promotion is not determined by chance and does not constitute a lottery under California Penal Code §319 or the laws of any other jurisdiction.

Full prize component breakdown is published at sneakzandbeatz.com/rap-challenge.

10. Prize Fulfillment

W-9 required before any prize is delivered. Each winner of a prize tier with ARV at or above $600 USD must complete and return IRS Form W-9 to Sponsor before any prize component (cash, physical, or digital) is delivered. Failure to return the W-9 within fourteen (14) calendar days of request will result in forfeiture of the prize and selection of an alternate winner.

Cash prize delivery. The cash component of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes ($2,500 / $500 / $200 respectively) will be delivered via the winner’s chosen method (Cash App, Zelle, or paper check) within fourteen (14) calendar days of W-9 receipt.

Physical prizes (PS5 Pro, custom sneaker, anime exclusive box, merchandise) will be shipped within thirty (30) days of W-9 receipt to a U.S. address provided by the winner.

Gift cards and digital prizes (StockX gift cards, beat catalog access, kit downloads, monthly exclusive beats) will be delivered electronically within seven (7) days of W-9 receipt. The 1st-place “1 free exclusive beat per month” component runs from the calendar month immediately following W-9 receipt through December 2026.

Cypher tape royalty splits will be administered through a standard distribution agreement signed by the finalist, granting the finalist 30% of net streaming royalties on the finalist’s track and Sponsor 70%. Royalties are paid quarterly per the distributor’s schedule.

Paid co-promotion (1st place). The $500 Instagram ad-spend co-promo will be executed through Meta Ads Manager pointing to a release of the winner’s choice (single, EP, music video, etc.). Ad creative is the winner’s; Sponsor handles execution. Spend window: 30 days from launch.

Tax obligations. All federal, state, and local taxes on prizes (cash and non-cash) are the sole responsibility of the winner. Winners receiving prizes with ARV ≥ $600 will receive an IRS Form 1099-MISC by January 31 of the year following award. Failure to return a completed W-9 will result in mandatory federal backup withholding at 24% applied to any cash component of the prize, which will be remitted to the IRS on the winner’s behalf.

11. Rights & Releases

By submitting an entry, each entrant grants Sponsor a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, and publicly perform the Submission in connection with administration and promotion of the Promotion and Sponsor’s related media for a period of two (2) years from the close of the Submission Period. Entrant retains full ownership and copyright in the Submission.

Top 25 finalists who appear on the “Sneakz & Beatz Cypher Vol. 1” distribution will sign a separate, customary distribution agreement granting Sponsor the right to distribute the specific track on streaming platforms in exchange for a 30% share of net streaming royalties on that track, payable quarterly.

By accepting a prize, winners consent to use of their name, likeness, hometown, and Submission for promotional purposes by Sponsor without further compensation, except where prohibited by law.

12. General Conditions

Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Promotion if fraud, technical failure, or any other factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control impairs the integrity of the Promotion. Any attempt to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Promotion is a violation of criminal and civil law, and Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such entrant to the fullest extent permitted by law.

By participating, entrants agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor and its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from any liability for injury, loss, or damage arising out of participation in the Promotion or receipt or use of any prize.

These Official Rules will be governed by, and interpreted in accordance with, the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-laws provisions. Any disputes will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California.

13. Privacy

Personal information collected from entrants is subject to Sponsor’s Privacy Policy. By entering, you consent to the collection and use of your information for the purpose of administering the Promotion and, if you opt in, for marketing communications from Sponsor.

14. Winners List

For a list of winners, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the address in Section 5 marked “Winners List” within ninety (90) days of the close of the Submission Period. Winners list will also be posted at sneakzandbeatz.com/rap-challenge/winners.

15. Contact

Questions regarding these Official Rules may be sent to info@sneakzandbeatz.com.

Official Rules — $10,000 Rap Challenge

1. Sponsor