THE SIMFILE MONTHLY (SIGNUPS OPEN!)

Click here for the pack category! (at least for 2026; as for future years, I'll cross that bridge when we get there)
Click here for the Discord server! (Joining not required to participate in the contest, but highly encouraged!)



So what exactly is THE SIMFILE MONTHLY?

It's a theme-based Zenius -I- vanisher year-round simfile contest with rounds lasting (you guessed it) a month each. Basically what I intend to be a more relaxed, slower paced contest that encourages its participants to take as much of that time they need to create the files they want to create for the next month, as well as to play each other's files for this month!

Now that I explained the contest, let's get to DA RULES (I know this is the boring part, and these in particular look a little long, but please bear with me, you'll want to know these rules)

Click here for the contest rules!

The January 2026 round will begin accepting submissions on December 1, 2025 @ noon ET. Theme reveal for January 2026 will also occur at that time.

Participant list:

Karl with a K
Nezemarth
LuzianoZOMBI3
dothedew219 / Thnikkafan
C0MPL1CAT10N
CLOUDIO / MEGAtive
DebuggerSRT
darkanine / vective
SpyHunter29
Peterrw9000

If you would like to sign up, either say so here or on the Discord server!

---

Sounds fun- I'd like to join, though I wonder who else is joining.

---

This should be nice, i'm in.

---

Awesome! Added you both to the pack!

Nezemarth you should also have the contest participant role in the Discord server now. Luziano, you are also free to join said Discord server (your choice as to whether you do though).

---

Hey, this sounds nice! I already jumped into the Discord and I'd love to join, partly to promote simfiles of my own original music if that's alright.

Btw, I noticed your VGen page. Do you have any invite codes left that you could DM to me on Discord? I've never opened up for music commissions before, but I certainly can and I think it would help me a lot. Here's my music demo in case you're interested. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gXc4rIxyh2YXXfRIV5A9pOvKKA-DqBwv/view?usp=drive_link

You're in! Welcome!


I would very much love to give you one, but I simply do not have any on me at the moment 😅. Will keep this in mind when I do get some codes though!

---

I would like to join this. Wishing the best of luck to all other contestants in the first round😊

Welcome aboard! You've been added to the simfile category.

---

Nice, a contest that are more relaxed. Count me in, please.

Also, hi Karl.

EDIT: I just realized the discord link doesn't let me in to the server. Expired invite?

---

Hi, Karl with a K. I’m interested for this, but I live in Singapore.

Both of you are in!

Also try this link, this one shouldn't ever expire: https://discord.gg/RzvjdEqpXn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two more weeks to the start of this contest!

As a reminder, to join, all you have to do is let me know you're interested so that I can add you to the category! Also, we have a public Discord server for this contest (check the first post on this thread for the link).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



(Also click here for our new Twitter/X page)

I should also share the default graphics

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

24 hours remain until this contest starts! Who's excited to find out what the first theme of this contest is?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



The contest known as THE SIMFILE MONTHLY has officially begun! Along with the opening of simfile submissions, the theme of the very first round is revealed! Here is what Karl with a K has to say about the theme of the month.

(Instrumental) Overture

"Overture (from French ouverture, lit. "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century." Thanks, Wikipedia, I'll take it from here.

As the first round of this contest, this round is, basically, an overture. This opening round shall set the tone for all future rounds to come, and thus, why not lean into that idea with the following theme requirement:

Your simfile's audio cannot contain any intelligible lyrics/spoken words with any semantic meaning.

In case anyone is wondering about the extra specificity, that is to clarify that not ALL songs with vocals won't fit the theme (although all songs without vocals will)! The following vocal sounds (adapted from the list of borderline cases of instrumental music on Wikipedia) will be considered theme compliant:

- Repetitive nonsense words (e.g., "la la...")
- Wordless vocal effects, such as drones
- Vocal percussion/beatboxing
- Yelling
- Yodeling
- Whistling
- Gibberish
CAUTION: not to be confused with constructed languages, aka conlangs (ex. Klingon, Esperanto), which are NOT theme compliant
- Vocal sounds made by animals other than humans
CAUTION: not to be confused with onomatopoeia from any language spoken by humans that represent these sounds (such as meow and oink), which are NOT theme compliant. Example: Nyan Cat is not theme compliant, as “nyan” is an onomatopoeia used by humans to describe the sounds a cat makes.

Submissions for this round will be open until January 1st, 2026 @ noon EST (9am PDT | 5pm UTC | Jan. 2 @ 2am JST).

Note that it's also not too late for signups, and won't be for the foreseeable future! If you haven't signed up yet and decide at any point you would like to, let me know, and we can go through with the onboarding process!

---

btw I wasn't sure about the theme name specifically so I put '(Instrumental) Overture' as the theme name, hope you don't mind lol

Yeah that is exactly the theme name, you're good!

---

tysm master :3

Good afternoon (or whatever time of day it is in your area) contest participants! This is a reminder that the deadline for submitting files is in two weeks. Looking forward to seeing everyone's files!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Merry Christmas/Happy holidays! I hope everyone has a happy holidays.

In the meantime, this is the ONE WEEK LEFT announcement for the January 2026 round.



Twenty-four days ago, the contest known as THE SIMFILE MONTHLY has begun. And now, the one week to deadline mark has been reached, amid Christmas celebrations.

So far, two files have been submitted, one by DebuggerSRT and one by C0MPL1CAT10N. As per the theme, neither song (“POP! THAT! POOLTOY! - Wonder Mix” and “Rave Mozart”, respectively) contains any intelligible lyrics.

As we check in with contest host Karl with a K, who has just completed a chart and is in the process of creating lowers, he has the following to say about his file:

“It’s a fitting first file to submit to a contest like this. That’s all I’ll say for now.”

Well we will see what he has in store soon. One thing’s for sure: New Year’s will be an exciting time as submissions for the January 2026 round ends, voting begins, and the reveal of February 2026's theme occurs. Karl with a K has things to say about the next theme:

“I’ll drop one key word. NEXT. I’ll leave the speculation to you.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------



https://zenius-i-vanisher.com/v5.2/viewsimfile.php?simfileid=67689

[Important update regarding January 2026 submission deadline]



(Wait I meant seventy-tw- you know what, extendeding deadlines for submission and voting to the 5th instead.)

---

Can I still sign up now?

---

Yes you can! Might be a bit of a crunch to get a submission for the current round, but the next round should be starting real soon!

Adding you to the simfile category.



Happy New Year's! Hope everyone had a good New Year's Eve, however you choose to celebrate it.

In addition, time to announce the February 2026 theme!

February 2026: Electric Boogaloo

It’s a new year, and that also means new theme for THE SIMFILE MONTHLY. As we turn over to the next year, and the next round of the contest, contest host Karl with a K felt it would be very fitting to have a theme centered around the whole idea of “next.” How so? Well...

Your simfile, or its audio, must be a sequel in some way.

Either the song can be a sequel to another song, or the stepchart(s) is/are a successor to a simfile previously made by its stepartist(s) (note for collab files: the file need only be a sequel to a minimum of one of its stepartists' files).

For a series of three or more songs, only the first song in that series is not theme compliant (ex. Metallica has released songs titled "The Unforgiven", "The Unforgiven II", and "The Unforgiven III". Both II and III are theme compliant, but the first one is not (unless the charts are a sequel in some way).)

It is highly advised that stepartists provide explanations in the simfile descriptions detailing how the song or chart(s) comply with the theme. Failure to convince Karl that the file is a sequel in some way will result in the file being labelled as non-theme compliant, and ineligible for the scoring bonus that comes with compliance.

The deadline for submissions for the February 2026 round will be February 1, 2026 @ 12pm EST

This issue of THE SIMFILE MONTHLY also comes with a reminder that files for the January 2026 round are now due on January 5, 2026 @ 12pm EST. Voting for that round will also begin then and end February 5.



Submissions are now closed for the January 2026 round of THE SIMFILE MONTHLY, and voting has begun!

Contest participants are advised to review the rules (see ⁠contest-rules for more info) of voting before playing through the files and submitting their votes. Key bullet points include:

Votes are based on each participant’s top five files of the round. Each participant gives 5 points to their favorite file, 4 to their second favorite, etc. ...1 to their fifth favorite.
Votes are based on non-EDIT singles charts
No vote from someone who submitted a file = disqualification of their file
You cannot vote for your own file
Those who didn’t submit a file can also vote!
Votes are PRIVATE until after results are revealed! DM votes to Karl with a K, do not reveal to anyone else.
The voting deadline is February 5, 2026 at 12pm EST. Late votes will not be accepted.

After voting, scores will be tallied and the winner will earn the right to pick the theme for the April 2026 round of this contest.

Speaking of future rounds, February 2026 submissions are already under way, and will remain so until February 1, 2026.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Late announcement, but a little under **two** weeks left for February 2026 round submissions! (plus a few more days for January 2026 votes!)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Two days remain for February 2026 submissions and one week remains for January 2026 votes!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
21 hours remain for Feb 2026 submissions! Can't wait to see what you have all been cooking!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Due to a massive slew of IRL things happening on my side affecting my ability to take care of running this contest at this specific time, as well as looking back, how many other IRL things generally happen on the 1st of the month, I have made a decision to reschedule ALL rounds' submission and voting deadlines (including the ongoing February 2026 submissions) to the **5th** of each month. In addition to fewer conflicts with said things that happen on the 1st, this should allow even more time for simfile creation (four more days to be precise), with the only tradeoff being slightly less time (but still plenty) for the winners of each round for coming up with themes. Thank you for understanding.

This means the new February 2026 submission deadline will be extended to February 5, 2026 at 12pm EST, consistent with the already planned January 2026 voting deadline. The rules document has been updated to reflect this new change.

As compensation for any inconvenience caused, I have decided to make a slightly early announcement the theme and open submissions for the March 2026 round (originally planned for less than an hour from now anyways, and will remain on the 1st of the month at 12pm EST for future rounds).

March 2026 Round: Groundhog Day

It’s March, and it’s time for a theme based on...wait, another February inspired theme? What is going on?

“Something happened with my sense of time, I totally did not just take inspo from another film’s existence” says contest host Karl with a K.

Only difference being, this time, it’s anything goes in terms of the songs stepartists can step, and the restriction is exclusive to how the song is charted

Your chart(s) must contain a portion of the chart that is copy/pasted exactly as is at least once into a future part of the chart.

The minimum size of the portion of the chart that must be copy/pasted will be scaled based on the BPM of the music to minimize cheesing, as follows:

220BPM or lower: 8 beats (2 measures for songs in 4/4)
>220BPM up to 440BPM: 16 beats (4 measures)
>440BPM up to 880BPM: 32 beats (8 measures)

Only the patterns and rhythms need to be copy/pasted. The different iterations of each pattern may feature different visual gimmicks (including BPM changes, scroll speed changes, warps, SM5/Outfox-friendly .lua shenanigans) so long as what the player is physically supposed to do stays the same

An explanation of where the copy/pasted portions happen (both the first time and its comeback) is advised.

The deadline for submissions this round will be March 5, 2026 at 12pm EST



Also worth noting! This could be the last time I decide the theme. April 2026's theme will be decided by...the winner of the January 2026 round!

Which reminds me, especially if you submitted a file that week, you should vote by the 5th, as it will be required if you want a chance at being that winner (and if you didn't you are more than welcome to!).

----------------------------------------------------------------------

We have reached the conclusion of the voting period for the January 2026 round!

Results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19H4vule0SKkm6rb1E3WSw3NhIDBqjxZSLp9kFtvQWBE/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you to everyone who gave me the points I need to win the first round of this contest! That means I will be picking the April 2026 round's theme!

(Tbh though, I'll take suggestions at this point, I am running low on ideas :sweat_smile

This round also marks the conclusion of the submission period for the February 2026 round, and the beginning of its voting period!

(Special clause for voting this round: there are only four files this round; as a result, voting will simply be +5 for your favorite down to +2 for your fourth favorite; there will be no +1s for fifth favorites this round)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Two weeks remain for February 2026 votes and March 2026 submissions! Please note that the deadline for both is not March 1, but March 5 (12pm ET as usual though).

ONE WEEK (and 13 minutes) remains for February votes and March files! Make sure to get to those soon if you haven't already!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

While a few days remain for March files and February votes, it's time to announce the April theme!

April 2026 Theme: Soflan

For the April 2026 round, Karl with a K (the January 2026 round wiiner) has opted to crowdsource the theme, claiming he was “running low on ideas.” Knowing what kind of day April 1st is considered to be (at least where he is from), he has opted to take up this simple, yet potentially effective nonetheless, suggestion by @psyhunter29.mkii:

Your simfile must double or halve the BPM at any point at least once, or otherwise have BPM changes that aren’t actually in the song itself.

“So basically, think the MAX series” Karl says. As for the last part, where it doesn’t have to be exactly double or half, perhaps the recently released Superior MAXXX and the ending of Vertex2 from ITG could be pointed at as examples.

Also fun fact: While SOFT LANDING ON THE BODY is also an example (assuming the IIDX BPM changes are implemented), ironically, Konran shoujo soflan-chan does not necessarily qualify for the theme, assuming a copy/paste of its BPM changes from either SDVX or DDR.

The deadline for submissions for this round will be April 5, 2026 at 12pm EST. This will also be the deadline for March 2026 votes, as well as when the results are tallied for that round and its winner/the theme picker for the June 2026 round is determined.

March 2026 files and February 2026 votes remain due on March 5, when the winner for February/theme picker for May 2026 will also be determined.



----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello! So this is going to be a moment of me being transparent about not just how this round is going to work, but the future of the contest.

Before I begin, I'll get this out of the way: no I am not ending the contest. All that is happening is: some deadlines may be delayed by quite a bit.

These delays are a result of myself having been recently hired to sub for a middle school choir director long-term. This is something that popped up abruptly, and will be taking up much of my weekday mornings and afternoons for at least the next couple of months (no one knows if the teacher I am subbing for is coming back or, if she does, will do so indefinitely).

This was not something I anticipated happening when I founded this contest, and thus the contest was not exactly designed to be run by a teacher with essentially a full-time working schedule. Therefore, to keep this contest running, changes will have to be made regarding how it's run.

For this reason, deadlines will be delayed to fit my current work schedule. Allow me to clarify that this is not a move that is made solely to give myself (or any other contestant) more time to make files and vote, but is a move designed to allow me to take on contest responsibilities outside of school hours (which 12pm EST isn't on school days). You may notice changes such as:
inconsistencies on dates of the deadlines (none will fall before the 5th as was promised as of right before this announcement, but expect some to fall after.).
inconsistencies with deadline times. I will experiment with deadlines that fall on 12:01am EST instead of noon EST (the latter time which, as previously mentioned, isn't always outside of work hours for me).

This will start with the following change to the deadline for both the March 2026 submission and February 2026 voting deadline.

Old deadline: Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 12pm EST
New deadline: Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 12:01am EST

Apologies for any inconvenience caused by these changes, and thank you for understanding. In addition, good luck to the February round participants as voting comes to a close, and to those planning to submit for March!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok last deadline change for April 2026 files/March 2026 votes I promise.

Looking back, 12:01am is probably not an ideal time for making deadlines. Changing it to same day, 11:59pm EDT. Meaning the deadline is now 72 hours away

---