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Contest rules

What are the rules for public voting?

  • Anyone can vote.
  • To cast a valid vote for a mix/remix, verification via a captcha code and confirmation via email is required.
  • Registered contest participants can also cast votes, but cannot vote for themselves.
  • A maximum of one vote per mix/remix may be cast by one person. Of course, it is possible to vote for many different mixes/remixes.
  • Multiple voting for the same mix or remix, fake votes, excessive seeking for votes in the comments ("vote for vote") and mass comments with copied texts are not allowed and may lead to exclusion from the contest.
  • Fake votes will be detected by the system and deleted automatically.
  • Creating multiple accounts per person is also prohibited.

What needs to be considered when using the comment function?

  • Registration and login are required to use the comment function.
  • We deal nicely with each other – please respect the netiquette. Friendly and constructive criticism is welcome.
  • Please write in English or German.
  • Comments with extreme political or religous positions and/or criminal, pornographic, xenophobic or defamatory content and content that is potentially harmful to young persons will be erased.

What happens in the event of a rule violation?
In the event of a rule violation, we reserve the right to remove the mix/remix and profile and exclude the person the competition.

FAQ

How to participate in the contest?
The individual tracks of the contest song will be available for download from the start of the contest (December 1). After a mix and/or remix has been created, it must be uploaded to the platform (hofa-contest.com) to participate in the contest. A HOFA Contest account is required for this.

What's there to win?
In both categories "mix" and "remix" there is a main prize of €1,500 conferred by HOFA, which is awarded by the jury. The first-place winners of the public voting in both categories "mix" and "remix" will receive an audience award. In addition, many attractive special prizes will be awarded by the jury. The main prizes will be transfered to the winners via bank transfer, the special prizes will be sent by mail or made available as a download link.

Who can enter the contest?
Anyone can take part and participation is free of charge.

What is the schedule of the contest?
The contest starts on December 1, 2025 and mixes/remixes can be uploaded until January 31, 2026 at 23:59:59 CET (22:59:59 UTC). From February 2, 2026 the jury listens to the mixes and remixes and rates them. The community can vote from December 1, 2025 to February 15, 2026 at 23:59:59 CET (22:59:59 UTC). The winners and awardees will be announced on February 17, 2026.

Who is responsible for the contest?
The XMAS MIX CONTEST is organized by HOFA.

Can both a mix and a remix be submitted?
Yes, both can be submitted.

Which formats are supported?
WAV, AIF and MP3 files are supported. We recommend the uncompressed versions WAV and AIF, however.

Which sample rate shall be used?
It is best to use the sample rate of 48 kHz defined in the recordings.

Is it possible to replace the mix or remix subsequently?
Yes – but in order to do that the "old" mix/remix must be erased. Thus all corresponding votes and comments are removed. A new mix or remix can be uploaded then.

Is it okay to use samples for the remix?
Yes, samples are allowed as long as they do not infringe any copyrights.

Can generative AI be used to create the remix?
Remixes that are entirely generated by AI are not permitted. Remixes in which a significant portion of the musically relevant content was generated by artificial intelligence are also not eligible. However, AI-powered plugins and tools for mixing and mastering, like EQs, guitar amps, or de-noising, can be used.
If generative AI was used to create parts or elements of the remix, the relevant box on the form needs to be checked when uploading the remix.
The organizer of the contest reserves the right to request the individual tracks of the remix in case of doubt and to determine whether the remix will be excluded.

How are the winners determined?

  • The winners of the main prizes will be chosen by a jury from HOFA.
  • When judging the mix, the jury is looking for harmonious sound characteristics that fit in the genre, with powerful drums and bass, balanced levels and a well-defined spatial depth.
    For the remix, the decisive criteria are creativity, quality of sound, sound design, arrangement and balanced proportions.
  • The rankings in the Top 20 and the winners of the audience award are determined solely by the number of votes in the public voting.
  • It is also possible to win both the jury's main prize and the audience award for the first place(s) in the public voting.
  • All other special prizes will be awarded by the jury.

What happens in the event of a tie in the public voting?
If the number of votes received is equal, the audience awards will be decided by lot for the first-place winners in each category.

Which mixes/remixes will be heard by the jury?
All submitted mixes and remixes will be heard by the jury.

How to get more votes in public voting
To collect more votes, the respective mix or remix can be shared on social networks with the request to vote for the entry. The Facebook "share" button, which is displayed under each mix/remix, can also be used for this purpose. Another option is to copy the URL from the browser address bar and share it with some friends. We would like to point out that multiple votes are not possible! Whoever encourages his friends and fans to vote several times or tries to get fake votes with other methods will be excluded from the contest.

What is the LQ/HQ button?
LQ (Low Quality) is a MP3 file with a bit rate of 192 kbps.
HQ (High Quality) is the unchanged original file.

Why can't the HQ version be played?
There may be various reasons. Depending to the format in which the mix/remix was uploaded, the browser may cause problems. In this case, it is recommended to use the LQ version or try another browser.
When using a mobile device, the bandwidth may be too low for streaming the original file. It might help using the LQ version or find faster internet access.

What happens if an account is deleted?
The mix/remix, all votes and comments, and the data stored in the profile will be deleted. In addition, all votes that have been casted for other mixes or remixes will be deleted.