Terms of Service

Welcome to PoetryContest.com (the "Site," "we," "us," or "our"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and participation in the poetry contests, features, and services offered on the Site (collectively, the "Contest" or "Services"). By accessing the Site, creating an account, or submitting an entry, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

Participation in the Contest is free. No purchase, payment, or fee of any kind is required to enter, and we do not offer paid memberships, subscriptions, or any premium tier. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning, because there is nothing to purchase.

• You must be at least 13 years old to create an account or submit an entry. If you are under 18 (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction), you may only participate with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian, who agrees to these Terms on your behalf.
• Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of PoetryContest.com may be restricted from winning prizes, at our discretion, to keep judging fair.
• We may ask you to confirm your age or eligibility at any time and may remove entries or accounts that don't meet these requirements.

If the Site allows you to create an account, you agree to provide accurate information and to keep your login credentials secure. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

By submitting a poem or other content ("Submission") to the Contest, you represent and warrant that:

• The Submission is your own original work and does not infringe anyone else's copyright, trademark, privacy, or other rights;
• The Submission does not contain content that is unlawful, obscene, defamatory, hateful, harassing, or otherwise inappropriate;
• You have the right to grant the license described in Section 6 below.

We reserve the right to reject, remove, or disqualify any Submission that violates these Terms, at our sole discretion, without notice.

You retain full ownership and copyright in every Submission you enter. You are not giving up your rights as the author.

By submitting an entry, you grant PoetryContest.com a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license to reproduce, display, distribute, and publicly perform your Submission solely for purposes related to the Contest — including judging entries, publishing the Submission on the Site, announcing and showcasing winners and finalists, and promoting the Contest (for example, on our social media accounts or in newsletters). This license lasts as long as reasonably needed for those purposes. You may ask us to stop using a specific Submission for future promotion by contacting us (see Section 16); this will not affect uses that already occurred.

We will always credit you as the author when we display or share your Submission.

• Contest rules, submission periods, judging criteria, and any prizes will be described on the relevant contest page. All decisions of the judges are final.
• Because this Site does not charge for entry or offer paid memberships, any prizes offered are provided at our discretion and, unless stated otherwise on the contest page, have no cash value and are not transferable.
• We may modify, suspend, or cancel a contest at any time, including for reasons such as low participation, technical issues, or suspected fraud.

When using the Site, you agree not to: impersonate another person; submit content you don't have the rights to; attempt to manipulate voting or judging; upload viruses or malicious code; scrape or misuse the Site; or otherwise interfere with the Site's normal operation.

Other than user Submissions, all content on the Site — including text, graphics, logos, and design — is owned by us or our licensors and is protected by copyright and other laws. You may not copy or reuse it without permission.

The Site and Contest are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We do not guarantee the Site will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, PoetryContest.com and its operators will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Site or participation in the Contest. Because participation is free and no money changes hands, our total liability to you for any claim will not exceed fifty U.S. dollars ($50).

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claims, losses, or damages arising from your Submission or your violation of these Terms.

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will post the updated Terms on this page with a new "Effective Date." Continuing to use the Site after changes take effect means you accept the new Terms.

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site at any time, for any reason, including if we believe you have violated these Terms.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at support@poetrycontest.com.