Submitting a song to a contest is no small thing. It takes courage to share original work, especially when that work carries your story, your voice, your memories, and your hopes for what might happen next.

As Round 2 results are shared, we know many entrants will be feeling a mix of emotions. Some will be celebrating. Some will feel disappointed. Some may feel confused by their scores or feedback. All of that is completely understandable.

But we want to say this clearly:

Not progressing to the semi-finals does not mean you have written a bad song.

In a contest with many entries, most songs do not move forward. That is the nature of a competitive process. A song can be meaningful, well-written, moving, memorable, and full of potential — and still not land in the group that progresses this year.

How songs were judged

Every song was scored against four songwriting criteria:

X Factor — 30 points
Overall impact, uniqueness, and emotional connection.

Lyrics — 30 points
Quality of songwriting, storytelling, and word craft.

Melody — 30 points
Musical composition, memorability, and flow.

Structure — 10 points
Song arrangement and organisation.

The numerical score was awarded against these songwriting areas only.

Judges may sometimes comment on vocals, production, arrangement, performance, or recording quality if they feel a note may be useful to the artist. However, these are not separate scoring categories. This is a songwriting competition, and the score is based on the songwriting criteria above.

Why scores and comments can vary

Songwriting has craft, but it also has feeling. Two experienced judges may respond differently to the same song, especially when considering emotional connection, originality, memorability, and overall impact.

That does not mean one judge is “right” and another is “wrong.” It means your song has been received by different listeners, each bringing their own musical experience and perspective.

Feedback is not a final verdict on you as a songwriter. It is a snapshot of how one song landed with one listener, or a small group of listeners, at one moment in time.

Take what feels useful. Leave what does not. Keep writing.

What “X Factor” means

We know “X Factor” can feel like a broad term, so here is how it is defined in the contest rules:

X Factor means overall impact, uniqueness, and emotional connection.

It is the part of the judging where we ask: does this song move the listener? Does it feel distinctive? Does it have something memorable, honest, surprising, or compelling about it?

You can read the full judging overview in the Rules tab here:
https://www.talentistimeless.com/groups/2026-competition/comp-rules/

This is one step, not the whole journey

The Annual Contest is a wonderful doorway into Talent Is Timeless, but it is not the whole house.

Many people first find us through the contest. They enter a song, receive feedback, and experience what it feels like to put their work forward. But the people who stay often discover something even more valuable: a community.

Talent Is Timeless exists to support the full lifestyle of being a songwriter over 50 — not just the outcome of one competition.

Inside the wider community, we run monthly songwriting challenges, regular live events, masterclasses with industry experts, songwriting workshops, small-group sessions, open mics, and constructive critique opportunities. These are spaces where you can keep developing, keep sharing, keep learning, and keep meeting people who understand what it means to be writing songs at this stage of life.

Because the real first step is not winning.

The real first step is finding your people.

Come for the contest, stay for the community

Most people who enter the Annual Contest are not yet Premium members, so you may not have seen everything happening inside the full Talent Is Timeless community.

But we would love you to know this: you are warmly invited to keep going with us.

Whether your song progressed or not, you are still a songwriter. You still have something to say. Your work still matters. And this does not need to be the end of the road.

It can be the beginning of a much bigger creative chapter.

Thank you for trusting us with your songs. Thank you for being brave enough to enter. And whatever your result this year, we hope you keep writing, keep connecting, and keep believing that your voice has a place.

Talent is timeless — and so is the songwriting journey.