Last updated October 6, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Sponsor and Administrator<\/strong> 2. Agreement to Rules<\/strong> 3. Competition Period<\/strong> 4<\/strong>. Participating Campuses<\/strong> 6. Artists, Discovery, and the Starting Lineup<\/strong> The Starting Lineup. <\/strong>Each campus is represented in The Bracket competition by a Starting Lineup consisting of five eligible artists. For the first round, the Starting Lineup may be selected by the Beam Campus Ambassador. For each subsequent round, the Starting Lineup is reset based on Discovery score at the lineup-setting time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beam may adjust the number of Starting Lineup participants, the lineup-setting time, and the minimum roster gate between seasons, and during a season only as permitted under Section 13. Each matchup is decided by the window total. A campus may lead on season cumulative and still lose a matchup on the window total. Ties. <\/strong>Where two campuses finish a matchup window with equal The Bracket Score, the campus with the higher verified Student scoring total in that window advances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Byes and play-ins.<\/strong> Where the field is not a power of two, Beam may award byes or run play-in matchups, assigned by seeding position. 10. Prizes and Recognition<\/strong> 12. Integrity, Audit, and Beam\u2019s Authority<\/strong> 13. University Non-Affiliation<\/strong> 15. Sponsors<\/strong> 17. Communications<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last updated October 6, 2026 1. Sponsor and AdministratorThe Bracket 2026 (the \u201cBracket\u201d) is presented and administered by The Beam Group, LLC (\u201cBeam,\u201d \u201cwe,\u201d \u201cus\u201d), headquartered at 80 SW 8th Street, 22nd Floor, Miami, FL 33130. 2. Agreement to RulesBy participating in the Bracket in any capacity, by voting, submitting music, joining a campus, or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-904","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"The Beam","author_link":"https:\/\/thebeam.com\/corporate\/author\/stephenthebeam-com\/"},"comment_info":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebeam.com\/corporate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebeam.com\/corporate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebeam.com\/corporate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebeam.com\/corporate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebeam.com\/corporate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=904"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/thebeam.com\/corporate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/904\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":957,"href":"https:\/\/thebeam.com\/corporate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/904\/revisions\/957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebeam.com\/corporate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The Bracket 2026 (the \u201cBracket\u201d) is presented and administered by The Beam Group, LLC<\/strong> (\u201cBeam,\u201d \u201cwe,\u201d \u201cus\u201d), headquartered at 80 SW 8th Street, 22nd Floor, Miami, FL 33130.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By participating in the Bracket in any capacity, by voting, submitting music, joining a campus, or serving as a campus ambassador, you agree to these Official Rules, to Beam\u2019s Terms of Use<\/a>, and to Beam\u2019s Privacy Policy<\/a>.
These Official Rules govern the Bracket specifically. Where they conflict with Beam\u2019s general Terms of Use, these Official Rules control with respect to the Bracket.
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE OR TO VOTE IN THE BRACKET. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING OR THE STANDING OF ANY CAMPUS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bracket is structured as twelve weekly periods running Wednesday through Tuesday:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Campuses are grouped into Beam-operated conferences. Conference names, composition, and boundaries are determined by Beam in its sole discretion, may be changed between seasons, and do not reflect any athletic conference, institutional affiliation, or institutional preference.
Beam may add, remove, or substitute a participating campus before the close of the seeding phase. After the seeding phase closes, a campus that withdraws or is removed forfeits its position, and Beam may advance its opponent, award a bye, or take other action under Section 13.
5. Who Can Participate, and Whose Votes Count<\/strong>
Only current, verified students may compete in The Bracket.
Anyone may join or follow a campus. Joining or following a campus does not, by itself, mean that a user\u2019s votes count toward that campus\u2019s The Bracket Score.
Users may follow campuses, view brackets, and use all other platform features. Their activity is tracked for analytics and reporting and may be reflected in Discovery standing, but it does not contribute to The Bracket Score.
Beam may verify, re-verify, reclassify, suspend, or revoke any user\u2019s category or campus affiliation at any time. Eligibility is recomputed at the time scores are tallied, not only at the time a user joins\u2014a user who completes verification mid-season will have votes counted from the point of verification forward.
Participants must be at least 18 years of age to participate in The Bracket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Any eligible artist may join their campus\u2019s Discovery pool. Discovery is uncapped and open for the full season. To join, an artist completes the Beam artist profile, uploads at least one recording, and verifies a school-issued (.edu) email address through the verification email Beam sends. Beam approves or declines each submission in its discretion.
Every vote cast for a Discovery artist builds that artist\u2019s Discovery score, in every week of the season, whether or not a matchup window is open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
7. How Scoring Works<\/strong>
The Bracket Score means the total of eligible scoring actions attributed to a campus, calculated under these Rules.
An eligible scoring action is a vote cast, during an open matchup window for an artist in that campus\u2019s Starting Lineup for that round.
What does not score.<\/strong> Page views, comments, shares, follows, profile visits, and other engagement are tracked for analytics, sponsor reporting, and editorial storytelling. They do not determine any matchup, seeding position, or competition result.
Window total versus season cumulative. <\/strong>Two totals are maintained:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
8. Seeding, Format, and Advancement<\/strong>
Seeding phase (Weeks 1\u20133). All participating campuses accumulate The Bracket Score. No head-to-head matchups occur. At the close of Week 3, campuses are ranked within their conference by cumulative Bracket Score.
Breakout.<\/strong> The top two campuses in each conference advance to the Main Stage. The remaining campuses enter The Encore.
Main Stage.<\/strong> Single-elimination. Qualifying campuses are seeded 1 through 16 by cumulative Bracket Score across all qualifiers, and paired highest-versus-lowest. Winners advance through Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and the Final. The Main Stage winner is the Campus Bracket Champion.
The Encore.<\/strong> A consolation bracket for campuses that do not reach the Main Stage, seeded the same way, concluding in Week 7 with an Encore Champion. The Encore does not feed back into the Main Stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inaugural Season Carryover.<\/strong> For the inaugural Beam Campus Bracket, eligible votes earned by participating student artists in the applicable Beam season before the opening of the Seeding phase may be attributed to the artist’s Campus and included in that Campus’s cumulative score for purposes of qualification and seeding. Such pre-Seeding votes do not count toward the score of any individual head-to-head matchup. Once bracket play begins, each matchup is determined solely by eligible scoring actions occurring during the applicable matchup window.
Starting Lineup Rotation.<\/strong> A campus’s Starting Lineup is not fixed for the duration of the Competition. Except as otherwise provided for the initial Starting Lineup, the five (5) highest-ranked eligible Artists on a campus’s Campus Chart as of the applicable lineup determination deadline will comprise that campus’s Starting Lineup for the next applicable round or matchup.
Campus Chart rankings may change throughout the Competition based on eligible voting activity. Accordingly, an Artist may enter or leave a campus’s Starting Lineup from one round to the next based on the Artist’s Campus Chart position at the applicable determination deadline.
Once a Starting Lineup is established for a particular matchup, that lineup will remain fixed for the duration of that matchup. Changes in Campus Chart position during an open matchup will apply only to the determination of the Starting Lineup for the next applicable round and will not alter the lineup for a matchup already in progress.
Beam may make reasonable adjustments to a Starting Lineup where an Artist becomes ineligible, withdraws, is disqualified, cannot be verified, or where necessary to correct invalid voting activity, technical errors, or other circumstances affecting the integrity of the Competition.
9. Results and Their Display<\/strong>
Beam may display live running totals, delayed totals, partial results, momentum indicators, or no interim results at all, and may vary this by round.
Any result displayed before a window closes and is audited is provisional and for information only. Results become official only after Beam has completed verification, eligibility, and fraud review under Section 13.
Beam will announce official results for each round on Wednesday at or around 9:00 a.m. ET.
Correction window.<\/strong> Beam may correct an official result within 72 hours of announcement where an error, fraud, or eligibility problem is identified. After that window closes, results are final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prizes are non-transferable. Beam may substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Prize recipients are responsible for all applicable taxes and must complete any documentation Beam requires, including tax forms and eligibility verification, within 28 business days of notification. Failure to complete required documentation forfeits the prize.
No participant, artist, campus, ambassador, or fan is guaranteed any prize, payment, placement, ranking, exposure, or opportunity by participating in The Bracket.
Prizes and recognition may be awarded to one or more categories of participants or campuses, including The Bracket Champion, Main Stage Finalist or Runner-Up, Encore Champion, Winning Starting Lineup artists, fans, ambassadors, campuses, or other recognition award recipients, as determined by Beam and announced in connection with The Bracket.
11. Music Rights<\/strong>
Artists retain ownership of the music they submit. Participation in The Bracket does not transfer ownership of any recording or composition.
Artists represent that they control, or have secured, all rights necessary for Beam to host, stream, display, and promote their submitted material in connection with The Bracket, and that the material does not infringe any third party\u2019s rights.
Where a prize includes a recording, release, distribution, publishing, or synchronization opportunity, that opportunity is governed by a separate written agreement that the winner must execute before the prize is awarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prohibited conduct.<\/strong> Participants may not create or use fake, duplicate, automated, purchased, or shared accounts; misrepresent student, alumni, campus, or artist affiliation; use bots, scripts, or automated tools to vote or engage; buy, sell, trade, or coerce votes; pay or offer anything of value to induce a person to vote or to vote a particular way; circumvent verification or scoring systems; use disposable or fraudulent email addresses; coordinate deceptive voting patterns; tamper with results, leaderboards, rosters, or referral codes; or interfere with another participant\u2019s participation.
Ambassador program. <\/strong>Beam operates a compensated campus ambassador program. Ambassadors are paid for verified recruitment activity, bringing artists into Discovery and bringing fans onto the platform and are not paid for votes cast or for any competition outcome. Ambassador activity and budget are not distributed equally across participating campuses, and no campus is entitled to any adjustment, relief, or remedy on that basis.
Audit.<\/strong> Beam may review any records relevant to eligibility and scoring, including votes, timestamps, verification status, affiliation, device and account signals, referral codes, and traffic patterns.
Authority.<\/strong> Beam may exclude ineligible scoring actions; adjust scores, seedings, or results; pause, extend, or reopen a window; correct bracket state; apply tiebreakers; disqualify any participant, artist, or campus; suspend or terminate accounts; and withhold or revise any prize. Beam\u2019s determinations on eligibility, vote validity, scoring, advancement, and final results are final and binding, subject to applicable law and to the correction window in Section 9.
Changes to these Rules.<\/strong> Beam may correct clerical errors and clarify ambiguities at any time. Beam will not change the scoring formula, the eligibility categories, or the competition format after the seeding phases begin each season except where necessary to address fraud, a technical failure, or a legal requirement, and then only with notice to affected participants before the next scoring window opens.
Suspension or cancellation.<\/strong> If The Bracket cannot be conducted as planned because of technical failure, fraud, or other causes beyond Beam\u2019s reasonable control, Beam may suspend, modify, or terminate it and determine results on the basis of eligible activity recorded before the disruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Except where Beam and an institution have entered a written participation agreement, and then only to the extent of that agreement, the The Bracket is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or affiliated with any university, college, athletics department, student organization, or alumni association.
References to institution names, campuses, and locations identify campus communities and competition participation. They do not imply endorsement.
Participants may not state or imply that the The Bracket is endorsed by or affiliated with any institution unless Beam has authorized that statement in writing.
Participants may not use university trademarks, logos, mascots, or other protected institutional branding in a manner that implies university endorsement without authorization.
14. Publicity<\/strong>
Except where prohibited, participants agree that Beam may use their name, username, artist name, image, likeness, campus affiliation, score, ranking, placement, and submitted content to operate, report on, and promote The Bracket and the Beam platform, including on campus pages, brackets, leaderboards, winner announcements, social media, email, SMS, press materials, sponsor reports, and sales materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If The Bracket includes a presenting sponsor or other sponsor, Beam may identify that sponsor on The Bracketpage or in related promotional materials. Sponsor involvement does not give the sponsor control over the Beam platform, voting system, eligibility determinations, scoring, advancement, or competition results.
16. Privacy<\/strong>
Information collected in connection with The Bracket is handled under Beam\u2019s Privacy Policy. Participation involves collecting and processing information such as school-issued email addresses, campus affiliation, account activity, voting activity, and other information described in Beam\u2019s Privacy Policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By participating, users may receive Bracket-related communications by email, SMS, push notification, and in-app message.
SMS.<\/strong> Beam sends recurring campus mobilization messages by SMS. Consent to receive them is obtained separately at signup, is not a condition of participation or of voting, and may be revoked at any time by replying STOP. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency may vary.
18. Governing Law and Disputes<\/strong>
These Rules are governed by the governing law and dispute resolution provisions of Beam\u2019s Terms of Use<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n