Contest Rules
March Sadness 2026 — Official Rules
PLEASE READ THESE OFFICIAL RULES CAREFULLY BEFORE PARTICIPATING IN THE MARCH SADNESS TOURNAMENT. By submitting a bracket or casting a vote, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Official Rules, the Never A Phase Network Terms of Service, and the Never A Phase Network Privacy Policy.
1. Tournament Overview
March Sadness is an annual bracket-style elimination tournament hosted by Never A Phase Network LLC ("NAPN," "we," "us," or "our") on neveraphasenetwork.com. Sixty-four (64) bands and artists from across the emo, punk, and alternative music landscape are seeded into a single-elimination bracket. The community votes to decide which bands advance through each round, while participants compete for prizes by predicting the outcomes in advance.
March Sadness is a skill-based contest. Winners are determined by the accuracy of their bracket predictions, not by random chance. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.
2. Sponsor
The March Sadness Tournament is sponsored and administered by Never A Phase Network LLC, an Ohio limited liability company, in partnership with The Digital Fair (Phillip Fairbrother LLC, thedigitalfair.com). Contact: neveraphasenetwork@gmail.com. Mailing address: 964 High House Road, PMB #4605, Cary, NC 27513.
The Digital Fair is a co-sponsor of the March Sadness Tournament. Third-party prize sponsors, including Ticketmaster and SmartPunk, are not responsible for the administration of this contest and are providing prizes or prize fulfillment only. All questions and correspondence should be directed to Never A Phase Network.
3. Eligibility
The March Sadness Tournament is open to individuals worldwide who are at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of entry, except where participation is prohibited or restricted by applicable law. Employees, officers, directors, and agents of Never A Phase Network LLC, its affiliates, subsidiaries, and any third-party sponsors, and their immediate family members and household members, are not eligible to participate.
Void where prohibited or restricted by law. A registered NAPNET account on neveraphasenetwork.com is required to participate. NAPNET accounts are free to create, persist across tournament years, and may be used for other NAPNET features and services. One (1) entry per person. Multiple accounts or bracket submissions by the same individual are prohibited and may result in disqualification.
4. Key Dates
All dates are for the 2026 tournament year. All times are Eastern Time (ET).
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Bracket Submission | March 15–16, 2026 |
| Round 1 — Opening Act (64 bands) | March 17–19, 2026 |
| Full-Points Bracket Deadline | End of Round 1 voting |
| Round 2 — The Mosh Pit (32 bands) | March 20–22, 2026 |
| Round 3 — Bittersweet 16 (16 bands) | March 23–25, 2026 |
| Round 4 — The Emo Eight (8 bands) | March 26–28, 2026 |
| Round 5 — The Final Tour (4 bands) | March 29–31, 2026 |
| Round 6 — The Head-to-Headliners | April 1–3, 2026 |
| Winners Announced | April 4, 2026 |
Brackets submitted before the close of Round 1 voting are eligible for full scoring. Late brackets may be submitted after this deadline subject to the conditions described in Section 5.3.
5. How to Enter
5.1 Account Registration
To participate, users must create a free NAPNET account by providing a valid email address and a display name (maximum 30 characters, must be unique, subject to automated profanity filtering). At registration, participants must agree to the Terms of Service and these Official Rules. Participants may also optionally opt in to receive the NAPNET newsletter; this opt-in is separate from contest entry and is not required to participate.
Authentication is performed via magic link (a one-time-use link sent to the participant's email). No passwords are used. Magic links expire after seventy-two (72) hours.
5.2 Bracket Submission
Participants must complete a bracket predicting the winner of all sixty-three (63) matchups across all six (6) rounds. Each participant may submit only one (1) bracket. Brackets are saved automatically as picks are made. Participants may edit their bracket at any time before the close of Round 1 voting. After Round 1 voting closes, all previously submitted brackets are locked and cannot be modified.
Brackets that are incomplete will still be accepted, but unpredicted matchups will receive zero (0) points.
5.3 Late Entry
Participants who register after Round 1 voting has closed may still submit a bracket. Matchups that have already been decided will be automatically populated with the actual community-voted results ("auto-filled picks"). Auto-filled picks are not eligible for scoring and will receive zero (0) points. The participant may make their own predictions for all remaining undecided matchups, which will be scored normally. Late entrants are ranked on the same leaderboard as all other participants.
5.4 Community Voting
In each round, registered users vote to determine which band advances from each matchup. Each registered user may cast one (1) vote per matchup. Participants may change their vote at any time before voting closes for that matchup. The band receiving the most votes advances. In the event of a tied vote, the higher-seeded band advances.
6. Scoring
Points are awarded per correct pick, doubling each round:
| Round | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opening Act | 1 |
| 2 | The Mosh Pit | 2 |
| 3 | Bittersweet 16 | 4 |
| 4 | The Emo Eight | 8 |
| 5 | The Final Tour | 16 |
| 6 | The Head-to-Headliners | 32 |
Maximum Possible Score: 192 points. Auto-filled picks from late brackets are excluded from scoring.
7. Tiebreaker Rules
Participants are ranked by total score. Ties are broken in this order:
- Total Correct Picks — more correct predictions wins.
- Highest Correct Round — correct pick in a later round wins.
- Earliest Bracket Submission — earlier first-save timestamp wins.
If a tie remains after all tiebreakers, tied participants will split the applicable prize equally.
8. Prizes
| Place | Prize | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | $100 gift card (Ticketmaster or SmartPunk) + a vinyl record from the artist you selected as your bracket champion (up to $50 value) | $150 |
| 2nd | NAPN t-shirt | $30 |
| 3rd | NAPN t-shirt | $30 |
Prizes are non-transferable and may not be redeemed for cash. Winners are responsible for applicable taxes. Winners will be announced on April 4, 2026 and notified via email within two (2) business days.
9. Code of Conduct
The following conduct is prohibited and may result in disqualification:
- Creating multiple accounts or submitting multiple brackets
- Using bots, scripts, or automated tools to vote or manipulate results
- Colluding with others to manipulate voting outcomes
- Vote manipulation of any kind, including vote brigading
- Offensive, discriminatory, or inappropriate display names
- Harassing or abusive behavior toward others
- Attempting to exploit bugs or vulnerabilities
10. Intellectual Property
The March Sadness name, logo, bracket designs, and round names are the property of Never A Phase Network LLC. By participating, you grant NAPN a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use your username, bracket picks, scores, and participation data for operating and promoting the tournament.
11. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability
The tournament is provided on an "as is" basis. NAPN makes no warranties regarding the tournament. To the maximum extent permitted by law, NAPN shall not be liable for any damages arising from participation, including technical failures, scoring errors, or prize-related issues. NAPN's total liability shall not exceed the retail value of the prize(s) at issue.
12. Privacy
Information collected is subject to the NAPN Privacy Policy. Participant data including usernames, scores, and bracket picks may be displayed publicly on the leaderboard. NAPN will not share personal information with sponsors or third parties for marketing purposes.
13. Governing Law
These rules are governed by Ohio law. Disputes are subject to the provisions in the NAPN Terms of Service, including binding arbitration. Litigation shall be brought in Ottawa County, Ohio.
14. General Provisions
NAPN reserves the right to cancel, modify, or terminate the tournament due to fraud, technical failure, or force majeure. NAPN may amend these rules at any time with notice on the Site. For a list of winners, email neveraphasenetwork@gmail.com within 60 days of the tournament conclusion.
15. Contact Information
Never A Phase Network LLC
Email: neveraphasenetwork@gmail.com
Mailing Address: 964 High House Road, PMB #4605, Cary, NC 27513
Website: neveraphasenetwork.com