These Terms of Service form a legally binding agreement between Global Young Scientists Hub, Inc. and each participant in the GYSH Science Writing Competition.
1. General Terms and Organizer
1.1 The GYSH Science Writing Competition (the “Competition”) is an international science writing competition for students in grades 7–12, organized by Global Young Scientists Hub, Inc. (the “Organizer”).
1.2 These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) constitute a legally binding agreement between the Organizer and each participant (“you”). By registering, submitting an entry, or participating in any part of the Competition, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and the GYSH Privacy Policy.
1.3 If a participant is a minor, the participant’s parent or legal guardian must review and agree to these Terms and the Privacy Policy on the participant’s behalf. A minor may participate only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian.
2. Eligibility
2.1 The Competition is open to students worldwide in grades 7–12, generally ages 12–18, with separate Junior and Senior Divisions.
2.2 You represent that all personal information provided during registration and submission—including your name, age, grade, school, nationality, contact information, and identity documents—is true, accurate, and complete. The Organizer may disqualify any participant who provides false or misleading information.
2.3 You may participate only to the extent permitted by the laws of your country or region. The Organizer reserves the right to disqualify anyone who does not meet the eligibility requirements.
2.4 You are responsible for determining whether your school, prospective educational institution, or any other organization recognizes the Competition or its results. The Organizer does not guarantee recognition by any particular institution.
3. Entries and Academic Integrity
3.1 Every entry must be your own original work and must not have been previously published, including on an online platform. Plagiarism, ghostwriting, or misappropriation may result in immediate disqualification and notice to your teacher or legal guardian.
3.2 Your entry must not infringe any third party’s intellectual property, publicity, privacy, reputation, or other legal rights. If you use third-party material such as images, data, or quotations, you are responsible for obtaining any required permission and providing appropriate attribution.
3.3 You must personally complete the entry’s central analysis and writing. Presenting AI-generated content as your own work constitutes academic misconduct and may result in disqualification.
4. Personal Information and Data Processing
4.1 The Organizer must collect and process certain personal information to manage registration, verify identity, judge entries, issue awards, and send Competition communications. The categories of information, purposes of processing, retention periods, and your rights are described in the Privacy Policy.
4.2 You understand and agree that you may be required to provide a copy of an approved identity document, such as a passport or national identification card, to verify identity and protect the integrity of the Competition.
4.3 Information you submit, including judging results and rankings, may be disclosed to a Partner Institution, as defined in Section 7, so that the institution can verify your Competition results.
5. Online Defense and Recordings
5.1 The Competition may include an online oral defense or interview. To protect fairness and prevent misconduct, the Organizer may record audio, video, camera, microphone, and screen activity during that process.
5.2 These recordings are used only for Competition integrity, security, and anti-cheating purposes. If you do not consent, the Organizer may offer an in-person alternative or, depending on the circumstances, cancel your eligibility for the oral defense.
5.3 The Organizer may use facial recognition or another identity-verification technology only with your express consent. If you do not consent, you may select an alternative verification method.
5.4 Recordings will be retained for the periods described in the Privacy Policy and may be used for audits, investigations, and—after anonymization—system training.
6. Copyright and License to Entries
6.1 You retain copyright in your original entry. You grant the Organizer an irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, transferable, sublicensable, nonexclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, publicly display, publish, and create derivative works from the entry for Competition operations, promotion, academic education, and publication.
6.2 For promotion and presentation of Competition results, the Organizer may use the title, abstract, excerpts, and—if the entry receives an award—the full text in any medium, including official websites, social media, publications, and partner media.
6.3 The Organizer may recommend top-award entries for publication by partner academic journals. The author will retain attribution, and any publication arrangement will be discussed separately by the Organizer and author.
6.4 The Organizer has no duty to keep entries confidential and no obligation to use or display entries that do not receive an award.
6.5 You must disclose any content subject to third-party intellectual property rights. The Organizer may disqualify an entry containing such content at its discretion.
7. Partner Institutions and Disclosure
7.1 “Partner Institutions” are schools, universities, laboratories, academic journals, and professional organizations that recognize or support the Competition. They may include a U.S. university hosting an awards ceremony, laboratories offering internship opportunities, or journals considering publication recommendations.
7.2 With your authorization or when required by law, the Organizer may disclose personal information and Competition results to Partner Institutions to verify results, issue awards, or provide related opportunities such as internships, publication recommendations, or awards ceremony invitations.
8. Judging, Awards, and Finality of Decisions
8.1 Entries are evaluated for scientific accuracy, academic standards, logical reasoning, language, and original thinking. The official Competition announcements govern the judging process, schedule, and awards.
8.2 All judging decisions are final. The Organizer does not accept appeals or requests for reconsideration, but it may revise results following an investigation into misconduct.
8.3 Award recipients must complete any required eligibility verification and may be required to sign an eligibility confirmation and liability release and, where permitted by law, a publicity release before receiving an award or related benefit, including participation in a U.S. awards ceremony, laboratory internship, or publication recommendation.
9. Misconduct, Disclaimers, and Indemnification
9.1 The Organizer may retain entries for quality control and investigations of suspected misconduct. When misconduct is suspected or identified, the Organizer may submit relevant entries and materials to the appropriate authorities or institutions.
9.2 Competition materials, including prompts, judging standards, and Masterclass content, are owned by the Organizer and protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. They may not be copied or distributed without authorization.
9.3 The Organizer makes reasonable efforts to provide accurate Competition information. That information is provided for personal and educational purposes. Except where applicable law provides otherwise, the Organizer is not liable for losses arising from use of Competition information or participation in the Competition.
9.4 You—or your legal guardian if you are a minor—agree to indemnify and hold the Organizer harmless from claims, liabilities, losses, and expenses arising from your entry or participation, including infringement by your entry or breach of these Terms.
10. Changes, Governing Law, and Severability
10.1 The Organizer may revise these Terms or the Privacy Policy. Revisions will be posted on the official website, and continued participation after publication constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
10.2 These Terms and any dispute concerning them are governed by the laws applicable where the Organizer is located in the United States, including applicable conflict-of-laws principles.
10.3 If any part of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
11. Contact
Questions about these Terms may be sent to gyshwrite@gmail.com.