Terms of Service

Please read these Terms of Service ("Terms," "Agreement") carefully before using the Art for Awareness website (artforawareness.art) and participating in our competitions. By accessing or using our Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "Participant," "you") and Art for Awareness ("we," "us," "our," or the "Platform").

1. Eligibility & Participation

• Grade Requirement: Participation is open exclusively to students currently enrolled in grades 1 through 12 in recognised educational institutions.
• Age Requirement: Participants must be at least 6 years of age. There is no upper age limit provided the participant is in grade 12 or below.
• Geographic Scope: While primarily designed for students in India, international students meeting the grade criteria are welcome to participate unless restricted by local laws.
• Parental Consent: All participants under the age of 18 must obtain verifiable consent from a parent or legal guardian before registering or submitting artwork. The parent/guardian contact information collected during registration is used solely for consent verification and competition-related communication.
• Accurate Information: You agree to provide truthful, accurate, and complete registration information. Providing false information may result in disqualification.

2. Account Registration & Security

• You may register using email and password or via Google OAuth. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.
• You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorised use of your account or any other breach of security.
• We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or engage in fraudulent activity.

3. Monthly Competition Rules

3.1 The Official Worksheet

Every competition comes with an official Art for Awareness worksheet, available to download from our website. Participants must use this worksheet to create and submit their artwork. Submissions on plain paper, notebooks, or any surface other than the official worksheet will not be accepted and will be disqualified.

• Download the official worksheet for the current month's competition from our website before you begin.
• The worksheet is available in A4 and A3 sizes. You may use either.
• Complete your artwork within the designated drawing area on the worksheet. Do not crop, trim, or alter the worksheet format.
• The worksheet design changes each month to match the theme. Only the current month's worksheet is valid for that month's competition.
• Take a clear, well-lit photograph of the completed worksheet and upload it as your submission. All edges of the worksheet must be visible in the photograph.
• Submissions that do not clearly show the official Art for Awareness worksheet will be disqualified without exception.

3.2 Originality & Content

All submitted artwork must be entirely original and created solely by the registered participant. By submitting artwork, you represent and warrant that:

• The artwork is your own original creation and does not infringe upon any third-party copyright, trademark, or intellectual property rights.
• The artwork has not been copied, traced, or substantially derived from another artist's work, photograph, or digital asset without authorisation.
• You have not used AI-generated imagery as the primary or substantial component of your submission unless explicitly permitted for a specific competition theme.
• Submissions must not contain violent, offensive, sexual, or harmful content. We reserve the right to reject or remove any submission at any time.

3.3 Submission Guidelines

• Each participant may submit only one entry per monthly competition. Multiple entries from the same person will result in disqualification of all entries.
• Accepted formats: JPEG or PNG.
• Maximum file size: 10 MB.
• Minimum image resolution: 1,200 x 900 pixels.
• The photograph must be clear, in focus, and well-lit. Blurry or dark images may be rejected.
• Entries must be submitted within the declared submission window. Late entries will not be accepted.
• Submissions must align with the stated theme of the competition month.

4. Intellectual Property & License

4.1 Ownership

By submitting an artwork to Art for Awareness, you confirm the work is your own original creation and you transfer the copyright in the submitted artwork to Art for Awareness. We may display, reproduce, share, and use the artwork on our website, social channels, contest materials, and promotional collateral, with credit to you as the artist. You warrant that the work does not infringe any third party's rights.

4.2 License Grant to Platform

By submitting artwork to the Platform, you grant Art for Awareness a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license to use, reproduce, display, distribute, and create derivative works of your submitted artwork solely for the following purposes:

• Displaying in the online gallery and competition results pages.
• Promotional and marketing materials related to the competition and the Platform's mission.
• Social media features, press releases, and sponsor reports (with appropriate attribution).
• Educational and awareness-building content aligned with our cause-based mission.

This license survives termination of your account to the extent necessary for us to maintain historical competition records and continue displaying archived gallery content. You may request removal of your artwork from active promotional channels by contacting us.

4.3 Attribution

Wherever your artwork is displayed by the Platform, we will make reasonable efforts to attribute the work to the participant's first name and grade category, unless you request anonymity.

5. Judging Criteria & Process

All submissions are evaluated by a panel of judges based on the following criteria:

• Creativity & Originality (30%): Unique concept, imaginative interpretation, and innovative approach.
• Technique & Execution (25%): Skill in medium, composition, colour use, and technical proficiency.
• Relevance to Theme (25%): How well the artwork addresses the monthly cause and theme.
• Overall Impact & Message (20%): Emotional resonance, clarity of message, and awareness value.

Judging decisions are final and binding. We do not entertain appeals regarding subjective artistic evaluation. However, technical errors in scoring or eligibility verification may be raised with us within 7 days of result announcement.

6. Prizes & Rewards

• Prize Distribution: Top 3 (1st, 2nd, 3rd place) in each judging category receive contest prizes. Judging categories are organised across 5 audience buckets — Kindergarten (LKG/UKG), School (one category per grade, Grade 1 through Grade 12), College (UG / PG), Adults (under 59 years), and Senior Citizens (60 + years). Each school grade is judged separately so a Grade 3 student does not compete against a Grade 12 student. Contest prize details are announced with the winner list on the website.
• Participation Rewards: Every verified participant receives a digital Certificate of Participation.
• Non-Transferable: Prizes are non-transferable, non-exchangeable, and cannot be redeemed for cash unless explicitly stated otherwise.
• Tax Obligations: Winners are solely responsible for any applicable taxes on prizes as per Indian or local tax laws.
• Winner Response: Winners will be contacted via the email address provided at submission. Winners must respond within 14 days with the required details. Failure to respond within this window will result in forfeiture of the prize, which will then be awarded to the next eligible entry.
• Delivery: Physical prizes are shipped to the address provided during registration. We are not responsible for non-delivery due to incorrect addresses or delays caused by incorrect contact details.

7. Disqualification & Account Termination

We reserve the right to disqualify any participant and/or terminate any account without prior notice for:

• Submitting plagiarised, AI-generated (where prohibited), or non-original artwork.
• Providing false, misleading, or fraudulent registration information.
• Attempting to manipulate voting, judging, or competition results.
• Engaging in harassment, abuse, or harmful conduct toward other participants, judges, or staff.
• Violating any applicable law or regulation.
• Creating multiple accounts to gain unfair advantage.

Disqualified participants forfeit any prizes, certificates, or rewards associated with the relevant competition event.

8. School Partners

• School partner accounts must be used only for educational participation in Art for Awareness competitions.
• Schools are responsible for obtaining parental consent for all student participants.
• Schools must not resell or sublicense access to the platform.
• Annual partner fees are non-refundable after 30 days from the invoice date.
• Additional terms specific to each school partnership are set out in the separately signed School Partner Agreement.

9. Sponsors

• Sponsorship terms are governed by the Sponsor Agreement signed separately.
• Sponsors have no right to influence, direct, or override competition results or jury decisions.
• Monthly Impact Reports are shared with sponsors within 10 business days of the competition month closing.
• Sponsorship fees must be paid before a campaign begins.
• We may decline any sponsorship that conflicts with our values.

10. Code of Conduct

All users of the Platform must adhere to the following code of conduct:

• Treat all participants, judges, moderators, and staff with respect and courtesy.
• Do not post or share content that is defamatory, obscene, threatening, or discriminatory.
• Do not spam, phish, or distribute malware through the Platform.
• Do not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform or other users' accounts.
• Respect intellectual property rights at all times.

Violations may result in content removal, account suspension, or permanent banning, at our sole discretion.

11. Platform Availability & Modifications

• We strive to maintain continuous availability of the Platform but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. Scheduled maintenance and unforeseen technical issues may cause temporary downtime.
• We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature, competition, or service at any time with reasonable notice.
• Competition themes, rules, dates, and prize structures may be updated per event. Registered participants will be notified of material changes via email.

12. Limitation of Liability

Art for Awareness provides the platform on an "as available" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• Art for Awareness and its directors, volunteers, judges, and partners shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of the Platform.
• We are not liable for technical issues, submission loss, or delays outside our reasonable control.
• Our total liability to any user will not exceed the amount, if any, paid by that user to us in the 12 months before the claim.
• We are not responsible for lost, corrupted, or misdirected submissions due to technical failures beyond our reasonable control.
• We do not guarantee that participation in our competitions will lead to any specific outcome, recognition, or career benefit.

13. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not warrant that the Platform will be error-free, virus-free, or meet your specific requirements.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Art for Awareness, its affiliates, volunteers, and partners from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with your violation of these Terms, your artwork submissions, or your misuse of the Platform.

15. Dispute Resolution & Governing Law

• Governing Law: These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of India.
• Jurisdiction: Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
• Contact Us First: Contact us at artforawareness.official@gmail.com — we will try to resolve any issue informally before any formal process.
• Good-Faith Negotiation: Before initiating any legal proceedings, the parties agree to attempt to resolve disputes amicably through good-faith negotiation for a period of 30 days.
• Arbitration (Optional): At our discretion, we may elect to resolve disputes through binding arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, with the seat in Chennai and language English.

16. Third-Party Links & Services

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services (e.g., Google OAuth, Instagram, sponsor sites). We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of any third-party sites. Your use of third-party services is governed by their respective terms.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

18. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Art for Awareness regarding your use of the Platform.

19. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify registered users by email at least 14 days before significant changes take effect. Continued use of the Platform after that date means you accept the updated Terms.

20. Contact Us