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Draft for internal review. These terms and conditions should be reviewed by a qualified attorney before public publication.
These terms govern participation in 7 in 7, a monthly short film screenwriting competition operated by [LLC Name] (the Organizer). By submitting an entry, participants agree to the following terms.
1. Eligibility
- The competition is open to writers worldwide, aged 18 or older.
- Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of the Organizer are not eligible to enter.
- Submissions must be original work written solely by the entrant during the competition window.
2. Entry
- The standard entry fee is $25 USD per cycle, payable upon registration before the prompt is released at 7pm ET on the 7th.
- Late entry is available after the prompt is released at $35 USD per cycle. The submission deadline is not extended for late registrants.
- An annual subscription is available for $240 USD, paid upfront, covering all 12 cycles in a calendar year (equivalent to $20 per cycle). Annual subscribers receive the prompt and their submission link automatically each month.
- Entry fees and subscription fees are non-refundable except as specified in Section 5 (Prizes).
- Each entrant may submit one script per cycle.
- Upon registration and payment, entrants receive a unique submission link via email. For standard registrants, this is delivered at 7pm ET on the 7th of the competition month together with the writing prompt. For late registrants, the link and prompt are delivered upon registration. This link is single-use and non-transferable. Submissions made without a valid link will not be accepted.
- Scripts must be submitted via the unique link before 7pm ET on the 14th of the competition month to be eligible for prizes. Scripts submitted after 7pm ET but before 11:59pm ET on the 14th are ineligible for prizes but will still receive written feedback. Scripts submitted after 11:59pm ET on the 14th will not receive written feedback.
- Scripts must be submitted in PDF format.
3. Prompt & Script Requirements
- The competition prompt is announced at 7pm ET on the 7th of each month and delivered by email to all registered entrants along with their unique submission link. Scripts must engage with the prompt in a meaningful way, as determined by the lead judge.
- Scripts must be no more than 7 pages in length, excluding any title page. Scripts exceeding 7 pages will be disqualified. Scripts shorter than 7 pages are permitted.
- Scripts must follow standard screenplay format, including sluglines, action lines, and dialogue blocks.
- Submitted PDFs must contain no identifying information. If a title page is included, it must feature the script title only, with no author name. Judging is conducted blind.
- Scripts that fail any disqualifying check are ineligible for prizes but will still receive written feedback.
4. Judging & Feedback
- All eligible submissions are judged by qualified judges selected by the Organizer.
- Scripts are scored across 7 categories on a scale of −5 to +5. Scores are used for ranking only and are not disclosed to entrants.
- All entrants receive written feedback addressing the scored categories, delivered by the 22nd of the competition month.
- Judging decisions are final. The Organizer reserves the right to withhold prizes if the quality of submissions does not meet a minimum standard.
5. Prizes
- 1st place: $100 USD plus a produced table read of the winning script on the 7 in 7 podcast.
- 2nd place: $50 USD.
- 3rd place: $25 USD (equivalent to the per-cycle entry fee).
- All prizewinning scripts must achieve a total judge score at or above 7 out of 35. Scripts that do not meet this threshold are not eligible.
- Prizes are delivered via Tremendous virtual Visa card. Winners must provide valid payment details within 30 days of notification. Unclaimed prizes are forfeited.
- There is no limit on how many times an entrant may win across competition cycles.
6. Tax Obligations
- US winners: Prizes are paid gross. Winners are responsible for reporting prize income to the IRS. If cumulative prize payments to a single winner approach $600 in a calendar year, the Organizer will contact the winner to complete a W-9 before that threshold is crossed, and a 1099-MISC will be issued.
- International winners: 7 in 7 is required by US law to withhold 30% of prize value before payment, unless the winner's country of residence has a tax treaty with the United States providing a reduced rate. A W-8BEN must be completed before payment is issued. The withheld amount is remitted to the IRS and a Form 1042-S is provided to the winner. Winners from treaty countries may claim a reduced rate by providing the applicable treaty article on their W-8BEN.
- Winners are responsible for any tax obligations in their own country of residence.
7. The 7 in 7 Podcast
- Each month's winning script is produced as a performed table read and published as an episode of the 7 in 7 Podcast. The Organizer also reserves the right to produce additional submitted scripts as podcast episodes at its discretion.
- The winner is invited to participate in the table read (e.g. as a voice actor or narrator) if available on the scheduled recording date. Participation is optional and does not affect the prize.
- The Organizer will make reasonable efforts to produce and publish the winning table read within 30 days of results. Entrants whose scripts are selected for additional production will be notified in advance.
8. Intellectual Property
- Submitted scripts remain the intellectual property of their authors. Entering this competition does not transfer ownership of any script to the Organizer.
- By entering, all participants grant the Organizer a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to: (a) reproduce excerpts of their script solely for the purpose of preparing and delivering written feedback; and (b) produce, record, and distribute their script as a podcast episode, should the Organizer choose to do so. All other rights, including the right to publish, adapt, sell, or submit the script elsewhere, remain solely with the author.
- The Organizer retains all rights to the 7 in 7 name, format, rubric, brand, and podcast.
9. Conduct & Disqualification
- Entries containing AI-generated content are automatically disqualified and will not receive written feedback. No refund will be issued.
- The Organizer reserves the right to disqualify any entry that contains plagiarized or previously published material. Such entries will not receive written feedback, and no refund will be issued.
- Scripts submitted after 11:59pm ET on the 14th of the competition month will not receive written feedback. No refund will be issued.
- The Organizer reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who engages in misconduct, harassment, or attempts to interfere with the judging process.
- Disqualified entrants are not eligible for prizes. Scripts disqualified for reasons other than plagiarism or AI-generated content will still receive written feedback.
10. Limitation of Liability
- The Organizer is not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected submissions.
- The Organizer's liability to any entrant is limited to the entry fee paid.
- These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia.