Is there a song competition right now?
Yes. AetherWave runs a monthly song competition with a credit prize pool, open to everyone.
The live page at /contest is the source of truth for the current edition: its theme, its hashtag, its closing date and its prize pool. Each month is a separate competition with its own brief, so always check that page rather than relying on what a previous month's contest asked for. Some editions set a theme; others deliberately set none and simply ask for your best song.
The current edition is Best Song, and it has no theme at all. The brief is exactly what it sounds like: submit the one track you would hand someone to show what you can do. Any genre, any language, judged on craft.
How to post your song to the competition
Two steps, and your first entry is already paid for.
- Make the song on AetherWave. It has to be generated on the platform, using any music model. Uploaded tracks are welcome too, as long as you own the rights.
- Hit the ENTER CONTEST sticker on the track. It appears on the song as soon as it finishes, and again on the track in your gallery. It writes the feed post for you and takes the entry fee.
Prefer to do it by hand? Post the track to the community feed yourself and put the contest hashtag in the caption. For the current edition that hashtag is #BestSong2026. Same result either way.
For an entry to count, the post must be public on the community feed and the caption must carry the contest hashtag, a track title and a one-line artist statement. Tracks must be at least 30 seconds long. Submissions are accepted in any language.
What an entry costs
Entries are paid for in Influence Points, which is AetherWave's entry currency and separate from credits.
- An entry costs 5 Influence Points.
- Every new account is seeded with 5, so your first entry is covered.
- You may enter as many songs as you like; each costs 5 IP and is judged on its own.
- Your balance is shown on your artist profile.
If your balance is under 5 IP when you post, the track still goes to the feed but does not enter the competition, and nothing is deducted. Top up and post it again to enter.
Influence Points also arrive with purchases: a credit bundle grants IP at roughly one point per dollar (the $4.99 starter bundle grants exactly 5, which is one entry), and every subscription payment grants a fresh allowance on each renewal, from 5 on Starter up to 150 on Ultimate. Creating a band in Soul Forge grants some as well.
How winners are picked
There are two independent doors onto the shortlist, then a human pick.
- Top by community votes - likes from accounts at least 7 days old.
- Top by Vibe Score - craft and production, scored from the audio by AI.
Andrew then picks 1st through 3rd from the combined shortlist. The two doors are the point: a brand new user with no followers can shortlist on Vibe Score alone, and a community favourite with mid scores can shortlist on votes alone.
One prize per artist. If several of your tracks place, you take the highest and the next artist moves up.
What the Vibe Score measures
Every entry gets a 0 to 100 Vibe Score computed from the audio itself, so a quiet track from a new account stands on its own merit rather than on follower count. For a no-theme edition the rubric scores how well the song is made:
| Weight | What it scores |
|---|---|
| 35% | Production polish - dynamics, clarity, balance, no clipping or over-compression |
| 25% | Energy and arrangement - does the arc hold attention from first bar to last |
| 20% | Tempo and key - does the groove serve the song and stay committed to it |
| 20% | Lyric craft - writing, imagery, coherence; instrumentals judged on intent |
The prize pool
The current edition pays out 6,000 credits across three places:
| Place | Credits | Extras |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 3,000 | Radio feature plus a 7-day home page spotlight |
| 2nd | 2,000 | Radio feature |
| 3rd | 1,000 | Named in the winners post |
Prize pools and placings vary by edition; /contest carries the current numbers, the live leaderboard and the closing date.
You must own the rights to any song you enter, and by entering you grant AetherWave the right to feature your track on radio and socials with credit.