Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Young CREATORS of MAYA website at creators.entermaya.com (the "Site") and participation in Young CREATORS of MAYA (the "Program"), operated by Mayaverse Media Pvt. Ltd. ("MAYA," "we," "us," or "our").

By creating an account or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

1. Eligibility

• The Program is open to individuals aged 15 to 23 at the time of registration.
• The Program is invite-only. You must have a valid invitation (received directly from MAYA or from another participant) to create an account.
• Each participant may create only one account. Multiple submissions are allowed.
• Each registered participant receives 3 invitations to share with others.
• If you are under 18, you represent that your parent or legal guardian has read these Terms and the Privacy Policy, understands the Program, and consents to your participation.

2. Parental and Guardian Consent

Because the Program accepts participants as young as 15, we take the following approach:

• Participants aged 15 to 17 must have the verifiable consent of a parent or legal guardian to register, use the Site, submit work, and receive any prizes.
• By allowing a minor to register, the parent or guardian agrees to these Terms on the minor's behalf and accepts responsibility for the minor's use of the Site.
• MAYA reserves the right to request proof of parental consent at any time, including before awarding prizes.
• If a minor wins a prize, the prize will be coordinated with and, where required by law, awarded to the parent or legal guardian on the minor's behalf.

3. Account and Security

• You are responsible for the security of your email account and for all activity under your MAYA account.
• You must provide accurate and complete information during registration.
• You must notify us immediately at support@entermaya.com if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.
• We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

4. The Program

4.1 What It Is

Young CREATORS of MAYA is a skill-based creative program (not a sweepstakes or game of chance). Participants read the novel MAYA: Seed Takes Root, identify the real scientific, philosophical, and political ideas hidden in the fiction, and submit an original essay or video responding to those ideas.

4.2 How It Works

1. Receive an invite and create an account.
2. Download and read the ebook (MAYA: Seed Takes Root).
3. Submit one original essay (PDF/DOCX, 300 to 5,000 words) or video (MP4/MOV/WebM, 3 to 15 minutes, or an external video link).
4. Submissions are reviewed and judged by the MAYA team.

4.3 No Purchase Necessary

Participation in the Program does not require any purchase or payment. The ebook is provided free to registered participants. Invitations are free.

5. Submissions and Intellectual Property

5.1 Your Ownership

You retain ownership of the original creative expression in your submission. We do not claim ownership of your original work.

5.2 License You Grant Us

By submitting to the Program, you grant Department of Lore (and its parent company Mayaverse Media Pvt. Ltd.) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license for a period of three (3) years from the date of submission to:

• Review, evaluate, and judge your submission as part of the Program.
• Use, share, or feature your submission for non-commercial promotional use on official MAYA platforms (Reddit, website, social media, articles, and publications), with attribution to you.
• Use your submission in connection with competition administration, judging, winner announcements, and promotional materials related to the Program.

This license does not transfer ownership. You may still publish, share, or use your work elsewhere. For non-winning submissions, you may revoke this license at any time by contacting us. After the 3-year term, this license expires automatically unless renewed with your consent.

5.3 MAYA Universe Intellectual Property

Department of Lore retains all rights to its characters, settings, stories, and all other intellectual property within the MAYA narrative universe, including future expansions thereof. Submissions do not create joint ownership or derivative rights of the MAYA intellectual property. The novel MAYA: Seed Takes Root and the MAYA universe were created independently before this competition.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-commercial license to use Department of Lore's intellectual property (including character names, settings, and story elements) related to the MAYA universe for the sole purpose of creating your submission. This license does not grant you any ownership, authorship, or derivative rights in any intellectual property owned by Department of Lore, and may be revoked at any time.

5.4 Originality

You represent and warrant that:

• Your submission is your own original work.
• It has not been generated by artificial intelligence tools.
• It does not infringe any third party's intellectual property, privacy, or other rights.
• It has not been previously submitted to another competition for the same purpose.
• If your submission contains the likeness or voice of any person, you have obtained their permission (or their parent/guardian's permission if under 18).

6. Prizes and Awards

6.1 Award Structure

The Program offers the following awards (subject to change with notice):

• All participants: 1-year MAYA site access, four masterclasses, full digital book, cohort community access.
• Top submissions: Physical softcover (Edition 0).
• Young Creator of MAYA Award: USD $500 cash, awarded to up to 5 winners. Selected work published on MAYA channels.
• Grand Prize: A day with the founders (Anand Gandhi and Zain Memon).

6.2 Judging

Submissions are judged by the MAYA team based on comprehension, independent thinking, creativity, and clarity. All judging decisions are final.

6.3 Taxes

Cash prizes may be subject to applicable taxes. Winners are responsible for reporting and paying any taxes owed in their jurisdiction. For US residents receiving prizes of $600 or more, an IRS Form 1099 may be issued. For minor winners, tax documentation will be coordinated with the parent or legal guardian.

6.4 Prize Conditions

• Prizes are non-transferable and non-exchangeable for cash (except where the prize is already cash).
• We may require winners to provide identity verification, a signed release form, and (for minors) a parental consent form before prizes are delivered.
• Prizes are void where prohibited by law.

7. User Conduct

You agree not to:

• Submit false information or impersonate another person.
• Submit content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, other users' accounts, or our systems.
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers) to access the Site.
• Circumvent the invite-only access mechanism.
• Use the Site for any commercial purpose unrelated to the Program.

8. Ebook License

The ebook MAYA: Seed Takes Root is provided to registered participants for personal, non-commercial reading as part of the Program. You may not redistribute, republish, or commercially exploit the ebook. All rights in the novel are reserved by the author and publisher.

9. Community Discussions

Program discussions take place on Discord (discord.gg/a3euhfFPqc), which is a third-party service governed by Discord's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Participants under 13 may not use Discord per Discord's own terms. We are not responsible for Discord's data practices.

10. Reddit Competition

The MAYA Reddit Competition is a celebration of imagination, creativity, and community. By submitting your work in the official contest thread on Reddit, you agree to the following additional terms.

10.1 Eligibility and Submissions

• The Reddit Competition is open worldwide, unless restricted by local laws.
• Entries must be posted in the official contest thread on Reddit, following the guidelines provided there.
• Submissions must be original and created by the person posting, without infringing on third-party rights. No AI-generated art allowed.

10.2 Reddit Competition Prizes

• Community Prize: Awarded to the entry with the most Reddit upvotes at the close of the contest.
• Jury Prize: Selected by the MAYA jury panel for creativity, originality, and alignment with the contest theme.
• Winners will be notified directly on Reddit and announced publicly.

10.3 Judging and Conduct

• The Community Prize is based solely on upvotes. The Jury Prize is decided by the MAYA jury panel, and their decision is final.
• Department of Lore reserves the right to disqualify entries that engage in vote manipulation, brigading, or other violations of community guidelines.
• Submissions that promote hate, violence, or discrimination will be disqualified. NSFW content will also be disqualified.

10.4 Reddit Competition IP

The IP terms in Section 5 of these Terms apply equally to Reddit Competition submissions. By entering the Reddit Competition, you grant the same non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license described in Section 5.2.

10.5 Reddit Competition Disputes

Disputes arising specifically from the Reddit Competition will be handled under the laws of the State of Delaware, in the courts of Delaware. All other disputes remain subject to Section 15 of these Terms.

11. Disclaimers

• The Site and Program are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
• We do not guarantee that the Site will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.
• We do not guarantee any specific outcome from participation in the Program.
• Masterclass schedules, formats, and instructors are subject to change.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, MAYA and its officers, directors, employees, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Site or participation in the Program, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of profits, or loss of goodwill, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Our total liability for any claim arising from these Terms or your use of the Site shall not exceed the amount you paid to use the Site (which is zero, as the Program is free).

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless MAYA, its officers, directors, employees, and affiliates from any claim, demand, loss, or damage (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the Site, your submission, your violation of these Terms, or your infringement of any third-party rights. If you are a minor, your parent or legal guardian agrees to this indemnification on your behalf.

14. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Site at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Upon termination, your right to use the Site ceases immediately. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (including Sections 5, 11, 12, 13, and 15) will survive.

15. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of India.

If there is a disagreement about the competition or these terms, we will try to resolve it informally first. If that does not work, any legal dispute will be submitted to binding arbitration in Mumbai, India, except where prohibited by law.

Nothing in these Terms limits your rights under mandatory consumer protection laws in your jurisdiction. Where local law requires a different dispute resolution mechanism, that mechanism shall apply to the extent required.

16. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

17. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email to registered users and by a prominent notice on the Site. Your continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

18. Contact Us

For questions about these Terms:

• Email: legal@entermaya.com
• Website: entermaya.com