Free tool · for writers, artists and applicants
Before You Submit: a record of the exact file you sent Fingerprint your final file, keep the exact copy, and see the deadline in your own time.
Your files never leave your device. They’re fingerprinted here in your browser. What you type stays on this page and is gone when you close it. Nothing is uploaded, stored or seen by TimeBinder®.
| # | File | SHA-256 fingerprint | Copy |
|---|
Deadline helper (optional)
Your submission record
This record uses your device’s clock, so it isn’t a timestamp. To add a recorded time that others can check, TimeBind the same file in the TimeBinder app. Start early: the recorded time comes when the fingerprint is written to the Bitcoin blockchain.
TimeBind your final file →Before You Submit is a free tool made by Inna Hall at TimeBinder, in Brisbane.
About to send a contest entry, a manuscript or a portfolio? Take one minute first. Drop in the exact file you’re submitting and this page lists it with its SHA-256 fingerprint, worked out on your device, so later you can check that a file is the exact one you listed. It also turns the organiser’s deadline into your own time and makes a calendar reminder.
Worth knowing: the date on a record comes from your device’s clock, so on its own it isn’t a timestamp. Your submission is what counts for the deadline, so submit on time first.
What is a submission record?
Short answer: a list of the exact file or files you send to a contest, publisher, agent or course, each with its SHA-256 fingerprint, a 64-character code worked out from every byte of the file. You keep it with the file. Later, you can check any file against the list: if its fingerprint is the same, it’s the same file, byte for byte. If anything in the file has changed, the fingerprint is different.
It’s a record you make yourself, with a date from your device’s clock. It doesn’t show that you submitted the file or that it arrived, who made it, when it was made, or whether AI was used.
What is TimeBinder? TimeBinder is a blockchain timestamping service. It shows that a digital file existed no later than a specific time, and that it still matches its fingerprint, by anchoring the file’s SHA-256 fingerprint to the Bitcoin blockchain. Files are hashed in your browser and never uploaded, and each TimeBind comes with a Proof of Time Certificate that can be checked later. It doesn’t show who created a file or that its contents are true.
How Before You Submit works
Three steps, each time you send work out.
Drop your final file.
The exact one you’re sending.
tide-line-final.docxGet its fingerprint.
Worked out on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
fingerprint 3f9a1c…07c1 · stays on your deviceKeep the record with the file.
Download it, tick the checklist, and set a deadline reminder.
submission-record-2026-11-09.txt
How to add a recorded time before you submit
Your record is your own. For a time that others can check, TimeBind the same file.
Finish the final file first.
Any later edit gives a new fingerprint.
final file · no more editsTimeBind it early.
Add the same file in the TimeBinder app. It’s hashed on your device there too, and nothing is uploaded. Start well ahead of any deadline, because the recorded time comes when the fingerprint is written to the Bitcoin blockchain, not when you start.
same file · same fingerprintSubmit, and keep the certificate.
The TimeBind records that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time. Later, you can show that the file you submitted still matches its fingerprint.
✓ certificate ready
What this record and a TimeBind do, and don’t, show
This record shows
- Which file you fingerprinted
- Its SHA-256 fingerprint
- A date from your own device
A TimeBind shows
- That this exact file existed no later than the time recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain
- Later, that a file still matches its fingerprint
Neither shows
- Who wrote or made the work
- Whether AI was used
- That you submitted it or that it arrived on time
- Whether an organiser will accept it. Each organiser sets its own rules and decides for itself, and this isn’t legal advice
Before You Submit: FAQ
Is my file uploaded?
No. Your browser reads the file and works out its fingerprint on your device. Nothing you add or type is uploaded or stored, and the page works offline once loaded. The site’s analytics count visits and when the tool is used, with no file details.
Why keep the exact file I submitted?
If you’re ever asked about your entry, you can show the file you sent, and anyone can check that it still matches the fingerprint on your record with the free SHA-256 file hash checker. A re-saved or re-exported copy gives a different fingerprint, even if it looks the same.
Does renaming the file change its fingerprint?
No. The fingerprint comes from the file’s contents, not its name. If an organiser asks for a particular file name, rename it, then make the record and keep that copy.
Does the record show when I wrote the work?
No. The date on the record comes from your device’s clock. A TimeBind records that a file existed no later than the recorded time, which others can check.
Will a TimeBind be recorded before my deadline?
This page can’t tell you. The recorded time is when the file’s fingerprint is written to the Bitcoin blockchain. A TimeBind is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity. Submit on time first, and if you want a TimeBind, start well ahead.
The organiser’s date and weekday don’t match. Which do I use?
Ask the organiser, and plan for the earlier of the two. The helper converts whatever date, time and time zone you enter.
Make it a habit for every submission
Fingerprint the exact file, keep it unchanged, keep your drafts, and TimeBind the submissions that matter, well before the deadline.