My clip did not count in the clipping championship: a seven-reason checklist
Almost every video that misses the leaderboard falls into one of seven buckets, and the most common one is fixed by editing the post description, no deleting, no reposting. Here is the checklist in the order worth checking, with the fix for each.
My clip did not count in the clipping championship: a seven-reason checklist
The fact: when a clip does not show up on a championship leaderboard, the reason almost always sits in one of seven buckets, and the first one (a tag missing from the description) is fixed by editing the post text, without deleting or reposting. After the edit, the video enters on its own within 5 minutes.
Before opening a support ticket, check in the order below. The order is deliberate: most common reason first, rarest last.
A shortcut: in your videos tab inside the championship, posts that were left out are marked "Did not join", with a "Why it was left out" list. Start there. This post explains what each item means and what to do.
1. The hashtag or mention is missing from the description
Reason number one, by far. A video enters the championship through what is written in the post description, which needs the hashtags and mentions the organizer required for that network.
The mistakes we see most:
- Hashtag in the comments. Does not count, not even in a pinned comment. It has to be in the description.
- Hashtag spelled differently. The screen shows "you wrote" next to what was required. One wrong letter is enough to be left out.
- Profile name without the @. A mention only counts with the @. Typing the profile name as plain text does not.
- Tagging through the TikTok or Facebook picker. Those networks swap the @ for the profile's display name. The organizer can register that name so the tag is accepted; if they did not, type the @ by hand.
Fix: edit the description in the network's app. Not the video, the text that goes with the post. The championship screen shows exactly what is missing and has a button to copy it. Then use "Refresh description" if you want to force a re-read: within minutes, the video is in.
Do not delete the post. You would lose the views it already had, and those count.
2. The network or format is not allowed
Each championship sets its allowed networks. If the organizer opened TikTok and Instagram and you posted on Kwai, that video stays out, and the screen says "This network is not part of this championship".
Also worth knowing:
- Only video counts. Photos and carousels are left out, even with the right tag.
- X and Pinterest do not score today in any championship, because there is no reliable metric to read.
- YouTube and Kwai are read from the public video link; TikTok, Instagram and Facebook through your connected account.
Fix: none. Read the network list on the championship page before you clip.
3. The video was posted outside the window
Three different windows, and all three knock videos out:
- Before the start. The screen shows "Published before the championship started", with the date. An old clip with a new tag does not count.
- After the end. Same reason, other side.
- Before your entry was approved. In some cases your entry goes through review, and only videos posted after it is approved count.
Mind the time zone: the window is the championship's, and the page shows the start and end time and zone.
Fix: none for the old video. Post a new one inside the window.
4. The account is disconnected or already scores for someone else
On networks where metrics come from the connected account (TikTok, Instagram and Facebook), the connection has to be alive.
- The network disconnected your account. It happens when permission expires or you change your password. The screen warns you, and that account's videos stop counting until you reconnect. Videos already submitted stay in the championship.
- The account already scores for another participant. A social account can only count for one person in the same championship. If you and a friend share a profile, only one of you gets it.
- Accounts-per-network limit. There is a maximum number of accounts you can connect per platform for championships. To swap, disconnect one.
Fix: reconnect the account on the championship page. The fastest fix on this list.
5. The post is already in another championship
If the same clip carries the tags of two championships, it goes into one of them, and the screen shows "Already in the championship" with the other one's name. No need to touch it: it is scoring there.
That is on purpose. One clip, one championship. To compete in both, make two clips, and use it to test different hooks.
6. The video is under review or was rejected
Every video goes through the organizer's review. Meanwhile it shows as "Under review", and the page shows how long it has been waiting and the usual time for that championship.
When the organizer rejects it, they pick a reason:
| Rejection reason | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Unrelated content | The clip is not from the championship's material |
| Rules violation | A requirement from the rules was missing |
| Outside the period | Posted outside the window |
| Video unavailable | Post deleted, private or offline |
| Duplicate video | Same clip submitted more than once |
| Suspicious metrics | Numbers that do not match normal behavior |
| Inappropriate content | Breaks the content rules |
"Rules violation" deserves extra attention, because organizers can require more than a tag: minimum length, on-screen text, caption text, a bio link, their logo in the video, or that certain people appear. All of it is on the championship page, under video requirements.
Fix: you can appeal the rejection for 7 days. Be specific: say which rule you met and where it is in the video. If the appeal is accepted, the video goes back into the ranking. After the deadline, you cannot.
7. The video was disqualified as a copy
There are two automatic duplicate disqualifications:
- Identical copy of another participant's video. Downloading someone's clip and posting it on your account gets caught.
- The same video was already entered by your account. Posting the same file twice does not double the prize.
On top of that, any participant can report a video, and the organizer decides. A report does not punish by itself, but an accepted report removes the video from the ranking, and whatever it had earned is settled.
Fix: none, and that is a good thing. It is what protects people who actually clip.
Counted, but earned nothing: three cases
Sometimes the video shows as approved and the amount does not move. Not a bug:
- Below the minimum views. In a per-thousand-views championship, the organizer can set a minimum per video. Below it, the video earns nothing. Once it crosses, it earns on all its views, not only the extra ones. The screen shows how far you are from the next thousand.
- Per-video cap. The video already earned the maximum a single video can.
- Per-participant video limit. The championship may cap how many videos each person enters, across all networks.
And one case of patience: metrics are not read in real time. The screen shows when the first read happened and when the next one comes.
The checklist, one line per item
- Exact tags in the description, not in the comments.
- Allowed network, video format.
- Posted inside the window, after your entry was approved.
- Connected account, yours, within the limit.
- One clip, one championship.
- Video requirements met; if rejected, appeal within 7 days.
- No copies, yours or anyone else's.
If you are still learning the format, the guide on how a clipping championship works explains the prize models. And if you are on the other side, organizing, the walkthrough on how to create a clipping championship shows where each of these rules is configured, which helps you write rules that cause fewer rejections.
Sources: Open championships on Cut.Pro, with each one's rules
