UPSTARTERS – TERMS & CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

1. Program Period 

The Upstarters Program will operate between 1 July 2026 and 31 December 2026 ("Program Period"). Activities associated with the Program, including applications, judging, announcements, promotional activity, live events and the awarding of any grants or support initiatives, may occur during this period. Applications must be submitted via the Program's online application portal by 11.59pm AEST on August 15th, 2026.



2. Eligibility 

By submitting an application to Upstarters ("Program"), entrants agree to these Terms & Conditions. In these Terms & Conditions, "Promoter" means Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited (ABN 11 068 049 178) trading as Up, and Monster Children Pty Ltd (ABN 69 105 337 308). 

Entrants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Directors, employees and agents of Up, Monster Children and BIGSOUND, and their immediate family members, are not eligible to enter. Each artist or band may submit only one (1) application to the Program. The Program is open to Australian artists only.

3. Ownership of Music and Intellectual Property 

Entrants retain full ownership of all intellectual property rights, including but not limited to: 

  • Original songs and recordings 

  • Lyrics and compositions 

  • Artist names and branding 

  • Images, videos and creative materials 

  • Any other submitted intellectual property. 

Submission to the Program does not transfer ownership of any intellectual property to Up, Monster Children or BIGSOUND. 



4. Promotional Use of Submissions 

By entering the Program, entrants grant Up (presenting partner), Monster Children (media partner), and BIGSOUND (festival partner) a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use submitted materials during the Program Period and for a reasonable period thereafter for the purposes of administering, documenting and promoting Upstarters. 

This may include: 

  • Sharing submitted content on websites, social media channels and digital platforms; 

  • Inclusion in editorial content, promotional materials, marketing campaigns and press announcements; 

  • Use in Program-related video, audio or photographic content; 

  • Announcing applicants, shortlisted artists, finalists and winners. 

Any use of submitted materials will be directly connected to the promotion, administration or documentation of the Upstarters Program. 

Entrants are solely responsible for ensuring their submission complies with the submission requirements and is submitted in the prescribed format. Any submission that is incomplete, inaccessible, incorrectly formatted, contains broken or invalid links, references private or restricted accounts, or otherwise fails to comply with the submission requirements as a result of an error or omission by the entrant may, at the Promoters’ (Monster Children - as media partner, and Up as presenting partners) sole discretion, be deemed invalid and rendered null and void.



5. Showcase Performance Requirement 

Artists selected as one of the five shortlisted finalists must be available to perform at the Up x Monster Children Showcase at BIGSOUND, scheduled to take place between 1 September and 4 September 2026. 

The final performance date, venue and event details will be confirmed by the Program partners. By submitting an application, entrants acknowledge and agree that availability to participate in this showcase is a requirement of being selected as a finalist. 

If a shortlisted artist is unable or unwilling to participate in the showcase event, the Program partners reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to withdraw that artist's finalist status and select an alternative entrant. 



6. No Commercial Exploitation 

The Program partners will not sell, commercially release, license or otherwise commercially exploit an entrant's music or intellectual property outside the promotion and operation of the Program without the entrant's prior written consent. 



7. Warranties 

Entrants confirm that: 

  • They own or control the rights necessary to submit the material; 

  • The submitted material does not infringe the rights of any third party; 

  • They have obtained any necessary permissions from collaborators, co-writers, performers or rights holders. 



8. Selection Process 

Submission to the Program does not guarantee selection as a finalist, recipient of funding, or participation in any associated activities. Finalists and the winner will be selected solely on artistic and creative merit as assessed by the Promoter, and does not involve any element of chance.

If an entrant is selected as a shortlisted finalist to perform at the UP x Monster Children Showcase at BIGSOUND, the entrant must confirm acceptance of the invitation within forty-eight (48) hours of notification by the Promoter. Failure to provide acceptance within the required timeframe will be deemed a forfeiture of the band's place in the showcase, and the Promoter reserves the right to offer the opportunity to another entrant. 

All judging and selection decisions are agreed and made by Up, BIGSOUND and Monster Children. All decisions are final. 

The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any entrant, at any time, who engages in fraudulent, offensive, unlawful or otherwise non-compliant conduct in connection with the Program, including but not limited to providing false or misleading information, manipulating voting or judging processes, or breaching these Terms & Conditions. 



9. Changes to the Program 

The Program partners reserve the right to amend, postpone, reschedule or cancel the Program or any associated events if necessary due to circumstances beyond their control. 



10. Payment of prize money 

The $20,000 prize will be awarded to the winning Entrant and paid by Monster Children Pty Ltd within thirty (30) days of the winner being confirmed, notified in writing, and satisfying all applicable eligibility and documentation requirements. 

Personal information collected from entrants, including contact details and bank details for prize payment, will be collected, used and stored in accordance with the Privacy Policy: 



Privacy and personal information

Any personal information collected by the Promoter in connection with the Promotion, including a prize winner's banking details provided for the purpose of prize fulfilment, will be collected, used, stored and disclosed only for the purposes of administering the Promotion, verifying eligibility, and facilitating prize payment. The Promoter will handle all personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy and applicable privacy laws. Banking details will not be used for any other purpose and will not be disclosed to any third party except where reasonably necessary to process the prize payment or as required by law.

The $20,000 AUD prize is inclusive of GST. By accepting the prize, the winning Entrant consents to the Promoter and BIGSOUND using their name, image, likeness and voice in photographs, video and interviews for the purpose of publicising the Program and the winner announcement, without further compensation. 



11. Acceptance 

By submitting an application to Upstarters, entrants acknowledge that they have read, understood and agree to these Terms & Conditions. 



12. Governing Law and Jurisdiction 

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. Entrants irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales and any courts entitled to hear appeals from those courts. 

13. Liability and Indemnity 

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Promoter excludes all liability (including negligence) for any loss, damage, cost or expense, whether direct or indirect, arising out of or in connection with an entrant's participation in the Program, including but not limited to travel, accommodation, equipment or performance at any Program-related event. Nothing in this clause excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy conferred on an entrant under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified. 

Each entrant indemnifies the Promoter and BIGSOUND against any loss, damage, cost, expense or liability (including legal costs) arising from any claim by a third party that the entrant's submitted material infringes that third party's rights, or otherwise arising from a breach of the entrant's warranties under Clause 7. 

14. Severability

If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is held to be void, illegal, invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be severed and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.