Terms of Service

1. Introduction

Welcome to Flare Process Review ("Flare Review," "we," "us," or "our"). By accessing our website at flarereview.org, creating an account, or participating in our competition, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms").

Flare Process Review is a global youth video editing competition that evaluates your creative process—not just the final cut. We believe in rewarding the thinking behind the work.

This project is fiscally sponsored by HCB, a fiscal sponsorship platform by Hack Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 81-2908499). Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

2. Design Principles

These non-negotiable principles govern everything we do:

3. Eligibility

• •Participants must be under 18 years of age at the time of submission.
• •Finalists will be required to verify their age through our secure verification process.
• •Participants under 18 must have parental or guardian consent to participate.
• •Each participant may submit one entry per category (up to two total).
• •There are no geographic restrictions—participation is open worldwide.
• •There is no entry fee to participate.

4. Submission Requirements

• •All submitted work must be original and created by the participant.
• •Videos must be 3 minutes or less (strictly enforced).
• •Videos must be hosted on YouTube or Vimeo (unlisted is acceptable).
• •Content must not contain copyrighted material unless properly licensed or within fair use.
• •AI tools used in creation must be disclosed. AI use is permitted but must be transparent.
• •Content must not contain hate speech, explicit material, or content promoting violence.
• •A process statement (200-500 words) describing your creative process is required.
• •Earlier versions and project files are optional but encouraged to show progression.

5. Participant Benefits

All participants receive:

• •Professional judging focused on process and creative decisions
• •Written or rubric-based feedback (scope depends on submission volume)
• •Inclusion in Flare Review archive (with consent)

Winners & Finalists

• •Public recognition on our website and social channels
• •Optional public profile feature (with parental consent if applicable)
• •Digital certificate of achievement

6. Sponsor Acknowledgment Policy

As a nonprofit project fiscally sponsored by HCB, sponsors receive acknowledgment for their charitable contributions to support young creators.

• •Logo placement and acknowledgment on our website
• •Recognition in winner announcements and press materials
• •Post-competition impact summary (aggregated, anonymized data only)
• •Social media acknowledgment

7. Data & Privacy

7.1 Information We Collect

• •Account information (email, name via Clerk authentication)
• •Submission data (video URLs, process statements, credits)
• •Optional profile information (for public recognition if you win)
• •Age verification data (for finalists only, handled securely and deleted after verification)

7.2 How We Use Your Information

• •To process and evaluate your submission
• •To communicate competition updates and results
• •To publicly recognize winners (with consent)

7.3 What We Never Do

• ✗Share participant data with sponsors
• ✗Sell your personal information
• ✗Use data outside the competition context
• ✗Retain data longer than necessary

8. Intellectual Property

• •Participants retain full ownership and copyright of their submitted work.
• •By submitting, you grant Flare Process Review a non-exclusive license to display, promote, and share your work in connection with the competition.
• •This license includes use in promotional materials, social media, and finalist showcases.
• •We will always credit you as the creator when sharing your work.
• •You may request removal from the archive at any time.

9. Judging & Evaluation

• •Submissions are evaluated based on creative process, not just final output.
• •Judging criteria: Process Quality (25%), Decision Clarity (15%), Craft Execution (25%), Originality (20%), Constraint Handling (15%).
• •All judging is anonymous—judges do not see participant names or profile settings.
• •Opting in or out of public recognition has no impact on judging decisions.
• •Sponsors have absolutely no influence over judging decisions.
• •All judging decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
• •Rubrics are published publicly for transparency.

10. Disqualification

Submissions may be disqualified for:

• •Submitting multiple entries in the same category or using alternate accounts
• •Plagiarism or submitting work that is not your own
• •Exceeding the 3-minute duration limit
• •Failure to verify age when requested (for finalists)
• •Providing false information in your submission
• •Undisclosed AI usage
• •Violating any of these Terms of Service

11. Limitations & Disclaimers

Flare Process Review is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of our service or participation in the competition.

All decisions regarding eligibility, disqualification, and judging are at the sole discretion of Flare Process Review administration and are final.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. Significant changes will be communicated to participants via email and announced on the website. Continued participation after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the modified terms.

13. Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us through our support page.