Official Rules

The competition is open to musical acts (solo artists, duos, or full bands) of any genre. All performing members must be at least 18 years of age, or 13–17 with written consent of a parent or legal guardian.

All members must be legal residents of the United States. Employees, immediate family, and household members of Rock God Entertainment Group, LLC and the guest judges are not eligible to compete.

Each act may submit only one entry. Performers may not be members of more than one competing act.

Entry Deadline: Sunday, July 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

A submission is not considered complete until the band has been approved.

By submitting your entry, you authorize Rock God Entertainment Group, LLC to list your act on the public voting page upon approval.

Each entry must include: band name, contact name, email and phone number, city/state, genre, brief bio, a band photo, and at least one audio sample (MP3) or performance video link (YouTube/Vimeo).

Submissions are reviewed by Rock God Entertainment Group, LLC. Any submission deemed offensive, infringing, incomplete, or otherwise unsuitable may be rejected at the sole discretion of the organizers.

Voting Period: Voting opens once an act is approved and closes Sunday, July 12, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Vote Limit: One (1) vote per verified email address per band per calendar day (Eastern Time). Voters must verify their email address before their vote is counted.

Anti-Fraud: Rock God Entertainment Group, LLC employs technical and manual review to detect fraudulent activity, including but not limited to vote-bots, disposable email services, IP manipulation, and bulk-account creation. Votes determined to be fraudulent will be invalidated. Acts found to be soliciting or benefiting from fraudulent voting may be disqualified.

The five (5) acts with the highest verified vote totals at the close of the online voting period will advance to the Finals.

Finalists will be notified by email and phone within 48 hours of the close of voting and must confirm their participation within 72 hours of notification, or the next-highest-ranked act will be invited.

In the event of a tie at the cutoff, all tied acts will advance.

Date: Sunday, July 26, 2026.

Venue: House of Blues Cleveland, 308 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114.

Performance: Each finalist will perform a set of approximately 20 minutes (final length determined by the producer based on the number of finalists). Set lists must be submitted in advance for approval. Performance order will be determined by random draw.

Acts must arrive for sound check at the time scheduled by the production team. Failure to appear or be ready to perform at the assigned set time may result in disqualification. The house backline and PA will be provided; specific equipment requirements will be communicated to finalists in advance.

Performances must comply with House of Blues Cleveland venue policies and all applicable laws. No pyrotechnics, open flame, projectiles, or hazardous materials are permitted.

The winner of the Live Finals will be selected by the panel of guest judges, which currently includes Vinny Appice, Tony Cavazo, Doug Aldrich, and Mark Kendall, with additional judges to be announced. The judges' decision is final.

Judging criteria include, in approximately equal weight: musicianship and technical ability, songwriting and originality, stage presence and showmanship, and overall audience response.

The winning act will perform two (2) well-known songs alongside the guest judges as the closing finale of the event. Additional prize details, if any, will be announced prior to the Finals.

No cash equivalent or substitution of the prize will be offered. The prize is non-transferable.

By entering, each participant grants Rock God Entertainment Group, LLC, the venue, the beneficiary, and their respective partners the perpetual, royalty-free right to use the participant's name, likeness, voice, biographical information, photographs, audio, and video of submissions and live performances for promotional, news, archival, and fundraising purposes in any media now known or later developed.

Participants retain ownership of their original musical compositions and master recordings.

All participants, guests, and voters are expected to conduct themselves in a professional and respectful manner. Harassment, hate speech, threats, or unlawful behavior toward other participants, judges, staff, or attendees will result in immediate disqualification and removal from the event without refund.

Participation in the competition is voluntary. Each participant assumes all risks associated with travel to and participation in the event. To the fullest extent permitted by law, participants release Rock God Entertainment Group, LLC, House of Blues Cleveland, the guest judges, and their respective officers, employees, and affiliates from any and all claims, damages, or liability arising from participation.

Travel, lodging, and personal expenses are the sole responsibility of each act.

Rock God Entertainment Group, LLC reserves the right to modify these rules, the schedule, the venue, or any other aspect of the competition at any time, and to cancel or suspend the competition due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control (including but not limited to force majeure, public health orders, or venue unavailability). In the event of cancellation prior to the Finals, organizers will determine in good faith an equitable resolution, which may include rescheduling, refunds, or alternative arrangements.

These rules are governed by the laws of the State of Ohio, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to the competition shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Questions regarding these rules may be directed to Rock God Entertainment Group, LLC at RockGodOfficial@gmail.com or (440) 785-0100.

Rock God Entertainment Group, LLC will use reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and proper administration of all aspects of the competition. However, the organizers are not responsible for any unintentional errors, omissions, miscommunications, technical malfunctions, website issues, vote-tabulation errors, or other inadvertent mistakes that may occur in connection with the competition.

The organizers reserve the right to correct any such errors or omissions, and such corrections shall be final. Participants agree that no claim, action, or remedy shall arise from any good-faith administrative or technical error made by the organizers.