Terms & Conditions

1. About Contest Hopper

Contest Hopper is an independent opportunity-discovery and information platform.

CH primarily focuses on opportunities relevant to:

• Indian students and participants
• Indian citizens residing in India
• Indians residing outside India
• Opportunities organized in India
• Opportunities open to Indians internationally
• Global opportunities that may be relevant to eligible Indian participants

Contest Hopper is also open worldwide. Users from other countries may use CH to discover opportunities available in their own countries or international opportunities for which they are eligible.

CH may therefore display opportunities from India and other countries.

The presence of an opportunity on CH does not mean that the opportunity is available to every user or every country.

Eligibility is determined by the respective organizer.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By using Contest Hopper, you acknowledge that:

• You have read these Terms.
• You understand these Terms.
• You agree to comply with these Terms.
• You agree to applicable laws and regulations.
• You understand that Contest Hopper is primarily an information and discovery platform.
• You understand that third-party opportunities are subject to the terms and decisions of their respective organizers.

If you do not agree with these Terms, you must not use the platform.

3. Applicable Law and International Use

Contest Hopper is operated with its primary legal and regulatory framework based on the laws of India.

These Terms are intended to be interpreted in accordance with applicable Indian law, subject to any mandatory rights or protections that may apply to users under the laws of their own jurisdiction.

Contest Hopper is accessible internationally. Users outside India may use the platform, subject to:

• Their local laws;
• Their eligibility for individual opportunities;
• The laws and requirements applicable to the relevant organizer; and
• Any restrictions applicable to the use of particular services.

CH does not represent that every feature, opportunity, or service is available or legally suitable in every country.

4. Eligibility

Contest Hopper is intended for users of different ages and backgrounds.

Users are responsible for determining whether they are eligible to participate in a particular opportunity.

An organizer may impose requirements relating to:

• Age
• Nationality
• Country of residence
• Gender
• Educational qualification
• University or institution
• Occupation
• Professional experience
• Geographic location
• Academic discipline
• Other eligibility criteria

Such requirements are determined by the organizer and not by Contest Hopper.

Where applicable law requires parental or guardian involvement for minors, users must comply with those requirements.

5. Nature of Contest Hopper's Service

Contest Hopper is an independent opportunity-discovery and information platform.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, CH:

• Does not organize third-party opportunities.
• Does not administer third-party competitions.
• Does not judge submissions.
• Does not select winners.
• Does not distribute prizes.
• Does not guarantee selection.
• Does not guarantee participation.
• Does not guarantee internships.
• Does not guarantee scholarships.
• Does not guarantee grants.
• Does not guarantee fellowships.
• Does not guarantee placements.
• Does not guarantee certificates.
• Does not guarantee awards.
• Does not guarantee funding.
• Does not guarantee travel support or accommodation.
• Does not act as an agent of the organizer.
• Does not represent itself as the organizer of third-party opportunities.

Unless clearly identified otherwise, an opportunity listed on CH is a third-party opportunity.

6. No General Payment to Contest Hopper

Contest Hopper currently provides its ordinary opportunity-discovery service free of charge.

CH does not charge users a fee merely for:

• Browsing opportunities;
• Searching opportunities;
• Reading opportunity information;
• Using ordinary discovery features; or
• Accessing publicly available opportunity listings.

CH does not currently operate a general paid subscription, premium-access requirement, or mandatory payment for opportunity discovery.

If CH introduces paid services in the future, the applicable pricing and terms will be clearly communicated before the relevant paid service is used.

7. CH Will Not Request Unofficial Payments or Credentials

Contest Hopper does not ask users to transfer money to individuals claiming to represent CH through unofficial channels.

CH will also never require users to disclose passwords, banking credentials, payment-card credentials, or OTPs through unofficial communications.

An OTP may be used by CH only where technically necessary for legitimate account-related purposes such as:

• Login verification;
• Two-step verification;
• Authentication; or
• Password or account recovery.

Users should never disclose an OTP to another person claiming to represent CH outside the official CH platform or authorized communication channel.

If anyone falsely claiming to represent Contest Hopper requests money, passwords, banking information, payment credentials, or an OTP for an unrelated purpose, users should treat the communication as suspicious and report it to CH immediately.

8. Opportunity Information and Sources

Contest Hopper may discover and collect opportunity information from publicly accessible or otherwise legitimately available sources, including:

• Official organizer websites;
• Official organizer announcements;
• Official social-media pages;
• Public social-media posts;
• Public newsletters;
• Public promotional announcements;
• Public documents;
• Organizer communications;
• Press releases;
• Publicly available event pages; and
• Other opportunity-discovery or listing platforms.

Where CH discovers an opportunity through another listing or aggregation platform, CH may use that source for discovery and may, where reasonably possible, identify and redirect users to the original or primary organizer source.

The purpose of CH is to make opportunities easier to discover and to direct users toward authoritative sources.

9. Opportunity Information Is Subject to Change

Contest Hopper makes reasonable efforts to organize, review, and update opportunity information.

However, CH cannot guarantee that information will remain accurate, complete, or current after publication. Organizers may change:

• Deadlines;
• Eligibility;
• Rules;
• Registration procedures;
• Fees;
• Prizes;
• Benefits;
• Locations;
• Application requirements;
• Selection procedures;
• Event dates;
• Participation conditions; or
• Other opportunity details.

Users must verify important information directly through the official organizer before applying, registering, paying, travelling, submitting work, or otherwise participating.

Where CH information conflicts with current official organizer information, the organizer's current official information should be treated as authoritative.

10. Direct Links to Organizers

Contest Hopper may provide an Apply, Register, Visit Website, or similar button that directs users to the organizer's official website or relevant external source.

These links are provided to help users reach the source responsible for the opportunity.

CH does not control what happens after a user leaves the Contest Hopper platform.

Users should review the organizer's:

• Terms & Conditions;
• Privacy Policy;
• Eligibility requirements;
• Registration requirements;
• Payment terms;
• Refund policy;
• Intellectual-property terms; and
• Other applicable rules

before participating.

11. Relationship with Third-Party Organizers

Unless expressly identified as a Sponsored, Partnered, Official, or otherwise disclosed relationship, Contest Hopper has no formal relationship with the organizer of an opportunity.

The listing of an opportunity on CH does not by itself mean that:

• CH endorses the organizer;
• CH certifies the organizer;
• CH has partnered with the organizer;
• CH guarantees the organizer;
• CH is responsible for the organizer; or
• CH is participating in the administration of the opportunity.

Participation creates a direct relationship between the participant and the relevant organizer.

12. Sponsored, Partnered and Official Opportunities

If Contest Hopper enters into a formal relationship with an organization, including a sponsorship, partnership, collaboration, promotional arrangement, or other official relationship, CH may identify the opportunity using an appropriate label or visual indicator.

Examples may include:

• Sponsored
• Partnered
• Official Partner
• Featured Partner
• CH Partner
• Other clearly defined labels

A CH logo or other visual mark used in connection with an organizer should not be interpreted as a partnership unless the opportunity is expressly identified as such.

Sponsored or partnered opportunities may be subject to additional disclosures and terms.

13. Registration Fees and Payments to Third Parties

Although Contest Hopper's ordinary opportunity-discovery service is free, some third-party opportunities may require users to pay fees.

These may include:

• Contest registration fees;
• Conference tickets;
• Event passes;
• Application fees;
• Certification fees;
• Program fees;
• Membership fees;
• Travel expenses;
• Accommodation;
• Equipment or material costs; or
• Other organizer-imposed expenses.

Such payments are made directly between the user and the relevant organizer or service provider.

Contest Hopper:

• Does not receive those payments unless expressly disclosed;
• Does not hold those funds;
• Does not control third-party payment systems;
• Does not determine third-party refund policies;
• Does not guarantee the security of third-party payment systems; and
• Is not responsible for third-party payment disputes.

Users should independently evaluate an opportunity before making any payment.

14. No CH Refund Policy for Free Access

Because ordinary access to Contest Hopper's opportunity-discovery service is currently free, CH does not have a general refund policy for ordinary platform access.

This does not apply to payments that users independently make to third-party organizers.

Any refund, cancellation, reimbursement, or payment dispute concerning a third-party opportunity must be handled according to the relevant organizer's policies.

Contest Hopper does not guarantee refunds from third-party organizers.

15. Prizes, Awards, Scholarships, Grants and Other Benefits

Contest Hopper does not guarantee the fulfillment of benefits advertised by third-party organizers.

CH is not responsible for:

• Prize distribution;
• Winner selection;
• Prize eligibility;
• Scholarship awards;
• Grant awards;
• Internship offers;
• Fellowship offers;
• Startup funding;
• Travel support;
• Accommodation;
• Certificates;
• Awards;
• Mentorship;
• Networking benefits;
• Employment opportunities; or
• Other organizer-provided benefits.

Any dispute concerning these matters should be addressed directly to the relevant organizer.

16. Organizer Miscommunication and Misrepresentation

Contest Hopper is not responsible for misleading, incomplete, inconsistent, outdated, or incorrect information supplied or published by an organizer.

This includes circumstances where:

• An organizer changes its rules;
• An organizer communicates information differently across platforms;
• A prize or benefit differs from an earlier announcement;
• Eligibility requirements change;
• An event is cancelled;
• An organizer fails to respond;
• An organizer fails to provide an advertised benefit; or
• An organizer makes statements that later prove to be inaccurate.

CH may, where reasonably possible, correct or remove information when a material discrepancy is identified.

17. Participant Intellectual Property

Contest Hopper does not control the intellectual-property practices of third-party organizers.

Participants should carefully review the organizer's intellectual-property terms before submitting any work. This may include terms relating to:

• Ownership;
• Licensing;
• Commercial use;
• Reproduction;
• Publication;
• Confidentiality;
• Transfer of rights;
• Use of winning entries;
• Use of submitted entries; and
• Future use of participant work.

Contest Hopper is not responsible for an organizer's alleged unauthorized use, copying, licensing, disclosure, or other treatment of participant intellectual property.

Users should retain copies of their original work and understand the applicable organizer rules before submitting it.

18. AI-Assisted Opportunity Content

Contest Hopper may use artificial intelligence tools, automation, and human editorial review to create or improve:

• Opportunity summaries;
• Descriptions;
• Explanations;
• Eligibility summaries;
• Requirement summaries;
• Categories;
• Tags;
• Opportunity insights;
• Translations;
• Educational explanations; and
• Other informational content.

CH may independently rewrite and organize information to make it easier to understand.

CH does not intend to reproduce third-party descriptions merely by copying them verbatim.

However, the underlying facts about an opportunity may necessarily remain similar to information published by the organizer because those facts originate from the organizer.

AI-assisted content may contain errors, omissions, outdated information, or other inaccuracies.

The official organizer information remains the authoritative source.

19. AI-Generated Visuals

Contest Hopper may create original AI-generated visuals when an official poster or suitable promotional image is unavailable, cannot reasonably be obtained, or is not suitable for the CH interface.

AI-generated visuals may be used to:

• Represent the general theme of an opportunity;
• Improve navigation;
• Help users visually identify opportunity categories;
• Improve presentation; or
• Reduce confusion between opportunities.

Unless expressly identified otherwise, a CH-generated image is not an official organizer poster or promotional asset.

Users should rely on the organizer's official website and materials for official branding and representation.

20. Third-Party Images, Posters, Logos and Trademarks

Opportunity names, logos, trademarks, photographs, posters, graphics, promotional materials, and other intellectual property displayed on CH may belong to their respective owners.

Contest Hopper does not claim ownership of third-party intellectual property.

CH may display third-party materials where it believes there is an appropriate legal basis for the display, such as authorization, applicable licensing, lawful public promotional use, or another applicable legal basis.

The fact that an image or poster is publicly accessible online does not by itself mean that it is free from copyright or other intellectual-property restrictions.

Where reasonably practicable, CH may provide:

• Attribution;
• Organizer identification;
• Source information; and/or
• A direct link to the relevant official source.

Rights holders may contact CH if they believe their material has been displayed improperly.

21. Copyright and Intellectual-Property Complaints

A copyright owner, trademark owner, organizer, author, or other rights holder may contact Contest Hopper regarding content displayed on CH.

A complaint should, where applicable, include:

• Identification of the protected work;
• Evidence or explanation of ownership or authorization;
• URL or location of the material;
• Description of the concern; and
• Contact information for follow-up.

CH will review legitimate complaints in good faith. Depending on the circumstances, CH may:

• Remove content;
• Replace content;
• Modify content;
• Add attribution;
• Correct source information;
• Restrict access; or
• Request additional information.

Nothing in this section prevents CH from considering applicable legal rights and defenses.

22. User Accounts

Certain CH features may require users to create an account.

Users agree to:

• Provide accurate information where required;
• Keep their credentials secure;
• Protect their password;
• Not impersonate another person;
• Not share accounts in a manner that violates CH rules; and
• Notify CH if they suspect unauthorized access.

Users are responsible for activity conducted through their accounts, subject to applicable law.

23. User-Generated Blogs

Contest Hopper may provide registered users with access to a free blog-writing and publishing dashboard.

The blog platform is intended to allow users to:

• Share ideas;
• Publish educational content;
• Share experiences;
• Discuss opportunities;
• Express opinions;
• Share knowledge; and
• Reach a wider audience.

Authors retain ownership of their original content.

By submitting content for publication, the author grants CH a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, display, publish, distribute, promote, format, and archive the content as reasonably necessary to operate, maintain, and promote Contest Hopper.

This license does not transfer ownership of the author's underlying intellectual property to CH.

24. Blog Review and Verification

Contest Hopper may review submitted blogs before publication.

The purpose of review may include:

• Checking for misleading claims;
• Identifying potentially harmful or inappropriate content;
• Checking for plagiarism;
• Identifying potentially infringing material;
• Checking whether opportunity-related information appears misleading;
• Maintaining platform quality;
• Protecting users from deceptive information; and
• Ensuring compliance with applicable law and CH policies.

CH may request an author to:

• Revise content;
• Correct information;
• Remove material;
• Add clarification;
• Provide a source; or
• Make other reasonable changes before publication.

CH may reject or delay publication if content does not meet its standards.

Publication of a blog does not mean CH endorses every statement, opinion, claim, or conclusion contained in that blog.

25. Author Responsibility for Blog Content

Authors are responsible for content they submit.

Authors must have the necessary rights, permissions, and authority to publish the material they submit.

Authors must not knowingly submit:

• Plagiarized content;
• Copyright-infringing material;
• Fraudulent claims;
• Malicious content;
• Defamatory content;
• Private or confidential information without authorization;
• Impersonation content;
• Illegal content;
• Misleading information presented as fact; or
• Content intended to harm or deceive others.

26. Content Removal and Moderation

Contest Hopper may remove, restrict, reject, modify, or disable access to content where CH reasonably believes that the content:

• Violates these Terms;
• Violates applicable law;
• Infringes intellectual-property rights;
• Violates privacy rights;
• Is fraudulent or deceptive;
• Is harmful or abusive;
• Is defamatory;
• Is inappropriate for the platform; or
• Creates a significant risk to users or the platform.

Where reasonably practicable, CH may provide the author with an opportunity to correct the issue.

Immediate action may be taken where necessary to comply with law, protect users, protect the platform, or prevent ongoing harm.

27. User Conduct

Users must not:

• Violate applicable laws;
• Harass, threaten, or abuse others;
• Impersonate individuals or organizations;
• Knowingly submit false or fraudulent information;
• Upload malware or malicious software;
• Attempt unauthorized access;
• Interfere with platform operations;
• Circumvent security measures;
• Abuse platform functionality;
• Systematically copy substantial portions of CH content without authorization;
• Use automated scraping or data-extraction tools in violation of CH's published restrictions;
• Infringe intellectual-property rights;
• Publish content without the necessary rights; or
• Use CH to facilitate unlawful activity.

28. Data Mining, Scraping and Automated Access

Contest Hopper's databases, structured listings, organization of information, user-generated content, website structure, and other platform materials represent substantial editorial, technical, and database investment.

Unless expressly permitted by CH, users and third parties must not systematically:

• Scrape;
• Crawl;
• Extract;
• Republish;
• Mirror;
• Aggregate;
• Repackage;
• Resell; or
• Automatically collect

substantial portions of CH's platform data.

This restriction does not prevent lawful activities that cannot legally be restricted under applicable law.

CH may implement technical measures to protect its systems and data.

29. External Websites and Third-Party Services

Contest Hopper may link to websites and services operated by third parties.

CH does not control and is not responsible for:

• External website content;
• External security;
• External privacy practices;
• External payment systems;
• External registration systems;
• External terms;
• External availability;
• Third-party data collection; or
• Third-party conduct.

A link does not necessarily constitute an endorsement or recommendation.

Users access third-party websites at their own risk.

30. Platform Availability

Contest Hopper aims to maintain a reliable platform but does not guarantee uninterrupted availability.

CH may temporarily restrict or suspend access because of:

• Maintenance;
• Security updates;
• Technical failures;
• Hosting issues;
• Infrastructure changes;
• Cybersecurity incidents;
• Updates;
• Legal requirements; or
• Other circumstances beyond CH's reasonable control.

CH may modify, add, remove, suspend, or discontinue features at any time.

31. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Contest Hopper is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis.

CH does not guarantee that:

• Opportunity information will always be accurate;
• Opportunity information will always be complete;
• Opportunity information will always be current;
• External links will always function;
• Listed opportunities will remain available;
• Organizers will honor their promises;
• AI-assisted information will always be accurate;
• AI-generated visuals will represent official event materials;
• The platform will always be available; or
• The platform will always operate without errors.

Users should independently verify information that is important to their decisions.

32. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Contest Hopper shall not be liable for losses or damages arising from or relating to:

• Missed deadlines;
• Missed opportunities;
• Application rejection;
• Financial loss;
• Third-party payment disputes;
• Prize disputes;
• Scholarship disputes;
• Grant disputes;
• Internship disputes;
• Fellowship disputes;
• Organizer misconduct;
• Organizer misrepresentation;
• Event cancellation;
• Changes to opportunity conditions;
• Third-party website failures;
• Third-party data practices;
• Third-party intellectual-property disputes;
• Misuse of participant intellectual property by an organizer;
• Reliance on inaccurate or outdated third-party information;
• Technical interruptions; or
• Indirect or consequential losses,

except to the extent that such liability cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited under applicable law.

33. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by applicable law, users agree to indemnify and hold harmless Contest Hopper, its founders, team members, moderators, contractors, affiliates, and service providers from claims, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, and reasonable expenses arising from:

• Their unlawful use of the platform;
• Their submitted content;
• Their violation of these Terms;
• Their infringement of another person's rights;
• Their misuse of the platform; or
• Their unlawful interactions with third parties through the platform.

34. Privacy and Personal Data

Contest Hopper may collect and process personal information when users:

• Create an account;
• Use platform features;
• Submit blogs;
• Contact CH;
• Participate in platform activities; or
• Otherwise voluntarily provide information.

The types of personal information collected, purposes of processing, retention, security measures, user rights, consent mechanisms, and other data-protection matters are described in the Contest Hopper Privacy Policy.

CH will handle personal information in accordance with applicable Indian data-protection law and other applicable legal requirements.

Users outside India should also consider the data-protection laws applicable in their own jurisdiction where relevant.

35. User Privacy and Third-Party Links

When a user follows an Apply or other external link, the user may provide personal information directly to the third-party organizer.

Once information is submitted directly to a third-party website, the third party's privacy policy and terms generally govern that processing.

Users should review the relevant organizer's privacy policy before submitting personal information. For full details on our data protection commitments, consult our Privacy Policy.

36. Equality and Non-Discrimination

Contest Hopper welcomes eligible users from all countries and backgrounds.

CH does not discriminate against users on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics, subject to applicable law.

However, individual opportunities may have eligibility requirements established by their organizers. CH does not create or modify those eligibility requirements.

Users should rely on the organizer's official eligibility rules.

37. Opportunity Verification and CH Editorial Independence

Contest Hopper may review opportunities before publishing or updating them.

Verification may involve checking:

• Organizer identity;
• Official website;
• Official announcement;
• Deadline;
• Eligibility;
• Application link;
• Opportunity details; and
• Other publicly available information.

Verification by CH does not mean that CH guarantees the organizer or the opportunity.

CH may independently decide whether to:

• Publish an opportunity;
• Update an opportunity;
• Correct information;
• Mark an opportunity;
• Remove an opportunity; or
• Decline to publish an opportunity.

38. Account Suspension and Termination

Contest Hopper may suspend, restrict, remove, or terminate a user's account or access to features where reasonably necessary because of:

• Violation of these Terms;
• Illegal activity;
• Fraud;
• Abuse;
• Repeated harmful conduct;
• Intellectual-property violations;
• Security threats;
• Misuse of the platform; or
• Other serious violations of CH policies.

Where reasonably practicable, CH may provide notice before taking action.

Immediate action may be taken where required to protect users, the platform, or legal compliance.

39. User Account Deletion

Users may request deletion of their CH account, subject to applicable technical, legal, and retention requirements.

Deletion of an account may not automatically remove:

• Information that CH is legally required to retain;
• Content that must be retained for legal or security purposes; or
• Content that has been lawfully reproduced or archived where retention is legally permitted.

Further details on data deletion procedures are provided in the Privacy Policy.

40. Changes to These Terms

Contest Hopper may update these Terms from time to time.

The updated Terms will be published on the platform with a revised effective date or update date.

Where appropriate, CH may provide additional notice of material changes.

Continued use of Contest Hopper after updated Terms become effective may constitute acceptance of the updated Terms, subject to applicable law.

41. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the applicable laws of India.

42. Jurisdiction

Subject to applicable law, disputes arising from these Terms or the use of Contest Hopper shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent courts located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

Nothing in this section is intended to remove any mandatory legal rights that a user may have under applicable law.

43. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is determined to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue to apply to the maximum extent permitted by law.

44. No Waiver

Failure by Contest Hopper to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of the right to enforce that provision in the future.

45. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Contest Hopper Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Community Blog Guidelines, and any other policies expressly incorporated into these Terms, constitute the applicable terms governing use of the platform.

46. Contact Information

For questions or notices regarding these Terms, please contact us at:

• General Support: [email protected]
• Legal Matters: [email protected]
• Copyright & Intellectual Property: [email protected]
• Privacy & Personal Data: [email protected]

Contest Hopper may update these contact addresses or provide alternative official contact mechanisms through the website.

47. User Acknowledgment

By using Contest Hopper, you acknowledge that:

• Contest Hopper is an independent opportunity-discovery platform.
• CH is primarily focused on serving Indian users and Indian-related opportunities while remaining open worldwide.
• Users from other countries may use CH to discover opportunities available to them.
• Most listed opportunities are operated by third parties.
• CH does not ordinarily organize or administer the opportunities listed on its platform.
• Official organizer information should be verified before participation.
• Third-party payments are made at the user's own discretion.
• CH does not guarantee prizes, selection, benefits, or organizer conduct.
• AI-assisted content may be used to explain opportunities.
• AI-generated visuals may be used where appropriate.
• User-generated blogs may be reviewed before publication.
• Users are responsible for the content they submit.
• Users should review third-party terms before submitting personal information, making payments, or participating in an opportunity.

By continuing to use Contest Hopper, you agree to these Terms & Conditions.