InterContinental Music Awards (ICMA) Terms and Conditions
InterContinental Music Awards (ICMA) is a Music Competition that runs and operates in California, USA.
The InterContinental Music Awards is a global music competition, and participation does not guarantee finalist or winner status. Every year, hundreds of entries are evaluated by a panel of industry professionals, and decisions are made solely based on artistic and technical merit. We encourage all entrants to view the experience as an opportunity for artistic growth, visibility, and connection, regardless of final results.
Relationship : Every entrant hereby acknowledges and agrees that the relationship with InterContinental Music Awards (hereby referred to as “ICMA”) is not a confidential, fiduciary, or other special relationship, and that entrant’s decision to provide a submission does not place ICMA or any of its business partners and sponsors in a position that is any different from the position held by members of the general public. Entrants retain any and all ownership rights in and to the submitted songs, and ICMA shall not be deemed to be the owner of these songs under these Terms and Conditions. Moreover ICMA reserves the right to cancel or postpone the competition in the event of a virus, due to technical difficulties, fraud, tampering or unauthorized intervention. On a case by case scenario ICMA may disqualify any entrant found to be involved with such tampering or providing incorrect information during the submission process.
Copyright: By entering the ICMA competition, one becomes an “Entrant”. Entrants acknowledge and agree that ICMA doesn’t have or will have any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of any copyright of the submitted song.
License: Each entrant will grant ICMA and its business partners and sponsors the non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, fully paid up and royalty-free, sub-licensable, transferable right to exploit the copyright, solely for programming, advertising, publicity, promotional and any other non-commercial purposes, in the recording and the underlying composition thereto and any and all ancillary and subsidiary rights therein in any media now known or hereafter developed, with respect to the songs submitted, including without limitation the right to edit, publish, use, adapt, exploit, perform, modify, copy, disseminate or dispose of any submitted song, the compositions embodied therein or any elements thereof (including the names and likenesses of any individuals and any property embodied therein), online (including, without limitation, other sites owned by ICMA and third party websites), in print, film, television, or in any other media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide in perpetuity, without compensation, without payment of residuals, costs or fees, and without permission or notification to entrant (including all band and/or group members, if applicable) or any third party of any kind, unless otherwise specified by ICMA, except as prohibited by law.
Privacy: For the purpose of administering the awards, ICMA will collect personal data (name, mailing address, email address). ICMA may reserve the right to disqualify candidates that do not provide this mandatory data for registration. ICMA and business partners/sponsors will treat this data securely in accordance with the US laws. Payment related information is however handled and endorsed by a trusted third party in compliance with existing laws. ICMA may also use automated systems, AI processors, bots, or intelligent agents to manage administrative, IT-related, or data processing tasks as part of its internal operations and services.
Data Retention: ICMA retains competition-related participant data — including submission details, and relevant communications — for up to two (2) years after the end of each competition cycle. This retention period supports competition administration, dispute resolution, historical referencing, and performance analysis. After this period, data may be deleted. This does not affect public records of award results (e.g., winners and finalists listed on the official website), which remain part of ICMA’s permanent recognition archive. After the 2-year period, internal data may be deleted or anonymized.
Legal Age: If the entrant is not of legal age (in many places legal age is 18), the entrant must prove and agree that they possess the legal consent of their parent or guardian to access and use our Services.
AI-Generated Content: Entrants must disclose the use of AI tools in the creation of their submission. ICMA reserves the right to evaluate AI-assisted submissions based on criteria determined by the judges, but the use of AI tools will not disqualify an entry. All decisions regarding the influence of AI in the evaluation process will be at ICMA’s sole discretion.
Entrants must fill out the designated section in the submission form if any AI tools were used.
Publicity: Through the award ICMA reserves the right to use entrant’s names, likenesses, voices, performances, award received, photographs, statements and biographical information (all at ICMA’s discretion) for future advertising, publicity and other purposes relating to this award in any and all media now or hereafter devised throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification or permission.
Conflicts of Interest: Entrants must disclose any personal or professional relationships with ICMA judges at the time of submission. Failure to disclose such relationships may result in disqualification. ICMA reserves the right to manage any conflicts of interest at its sole discretion.
Optional Feedback Service: For an additional fee, entrants may opt to receive a detailed analysis report of their submission from industry experts. This service includes feedback on song, composition, audio quality, and suggestions for improvement. Opting into this service will not impact the judging or final results of the competition.
ICon Award Eligibility: Finalists wishing to be considered for the ICon Award must submit all requested materials within 20 days of receiving the official Finalist Information Request email. Previous ICon Award recipients are not eligible for nomination again for a period of 10 years. Additionally, the selected ICon Award winner must be legally able to receive prize funds via bank transfer or check.
Liability: By entering the award process, entrants agrees to release and hold harmless the ICMA and business partners and sponsors from all claims, liability or damage caused or claimed to be caused, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in connection with entering in this award, or acceptance or use of any award, the administration of the award, the operation of any website (including the Website) or Third Parties use’ of any of the rights granted herein (including, but not limited to, any claims arising out of the use of third party content and any claims of copyright infringement). ICMA is not liable for technical difficulties, any errors or malfunctions occurring as part of processing, judging or voting of submitted songs, the tabulation and processing of votes, or deletion of any submissions. ICMA may reserve the right to extend deadlines, in order to address any technical problems.
Tax Responsibility: Winners are solely responsible for any federal, state, local, or international taxes or fees associated with any awards, prize money, or benefits received from the competition. ICMA does not provide tax advice or issue tax forms unless legally required.
Arbitration: Every entrant in this award agrees that any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with this award, or any opportunities provided, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by final and binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and held at the AAA regional office nearest in Los Angeles, CA; the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. No entrant will be allowed to obtain awards for, and each entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than entrant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with entering in this award), and entrant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
Disputes: Except where prohibited by law, entrants agree that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Competition or any award provided shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in Los Angeles in the State of California, USA. Any issues related to terms and conditions provided here will be governed by the laws of California, therefore excluding any other choice of jurisdiction.
Publicity Release: Entering in this Competition constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) for the ICMA and its official Public Relations and Social Media partners to use entrant’s names, likenesses, voices, performances, award received, photographs, statements and biographical information (all at ICMA’s discretion) for future advertising, publicity and other purposes relating to this Competition in any and all media now or hereafter devised throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification or permission.
Refunds and Withdrawals: All submission fees are non-refundable once an entry is submitted, regardless of the entrant’s results or status in the competition. Entrants may request to withdraw their submission prior to the judging period; however, refunds will not be issued. Participation in the InterContinental Music Awards constitutes agreement to these terms, and entrants understand that not being selected as a winner or finalist is a natural outcome in any competitive event and does not entitle the entrant to a refund or reconsideration.
Disqualification and Conduct Policy: ICMA reserves the right to disqualify any entrant at any time for misconduct, including but not limited to plagiarism, fraudulent submission, misrepresentation of identity, abusive behavior, hate speech, discriminatory content, or attempts to manipulate the competition process. Disqualification may also occur if an entrant is found to have violated any of these Terms and Conditions or failed to disclose relevant conflicts of interest. All decisions regarding disqualification are final and at the sole discretion of ICMA.
Updated September 2025
For more information on the Awards Process and the Competition Rules, click here.