Terms and contest rules

Last updated [DATE]. These terms govern your use of kathaparva.com and entry into our short story contests. By creating an account or entering a contest, you agree to them.

Kathaparva is operated by [LEGAL ENTITY NAME], [ADDRESS], Hyderabad, Telangana, India. "We" and "us" mean that entity. "You" means the person using the site.

1. Your account

You must be 18 or older to enter a contest. You need an account to submit a story; reading published stories needs no account.

Keep your password to yourself. You are responsible for what happens under your account. Tell us promptly if you think someone else has access to it.

One account per person. Accounts created to enter the same story more than once may be closed without refund.

2. Entering a contest

Each entry costs ₹499 and covers one story. Entering more than one story means paying the fee for each. Payment is taken before your entry is recorded.

The current contest's closing date, word limits, theme if any, prizes and judging panel are published on the contest page. We will not change them after a contest opens except to correct an error, and we will tell entrants if we do.

Paying the entry fee buys consideration. It does not buy publication, a place on a shortlist, or a prize.

3. Your work must be yours

By entering, you confirm that:

• You wrote the story, and you own or control the rights to it
• It has not been published elsewhere in a way that would prevent us publishing it
• It does not infringe anyone's copyright, defame anyone, or break Indian law
• It is not generated by an AI system and presented as your own writing

If any of this turns out to be untrue, we may disqualify the entry and remove the story, without a refund. If a prize has already been paid, we may require it back.

4. Rights in your story

You keep every right in your story. Entering a contest transfers nothing to us.

You grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to publish your story on kathaparva.com and to show extracts of it when promoting the site or the contest, with your name or pen name attached. That licence lasts until you ask us to remove the story, which you may do at any time by writing to us.

You remain free to publish your story elsewhere, to sell film, television or adaptation rights to anyone, and to enter it in other contests, subject to their rules.

We are not your agent. If a producer or publisher approaches you through this site, any agreement is between you and them. We are not a party to it and take no commission from it.

5. Judging

Judges read entries against the criteria published with the contest. Their decision is final, and we do not enter into correspondence about individual scores or provide feedback on entries.

If too few entries of sufficient standard are received, we may decline to award a prize. If that happens, we will say so publicly and refund every entrant in full.

Anyone involved in running or judging a contest, and their immediate family, may not enter it.

6. Prizes

Prizes are as published on the contest page. They are not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash unless the prize is cash.

Winners are responsible for any tax on their prize. Where Indian law requires us to deduct tax at source before paying a prize, we will do so and give you the relevant certificate.

We may need your PAN and bank details to pay a prize. If you do not supply them within 30 days of being asked, we may award the prize to another entrant.

7. What we may remove

We may remove a story or close an account, without refund, for content that is unlawful, plagiarised, sexually explicit, promotes hatred against any group, or that we reasonably believe puts us or our users at risk.

We are not obliged to monitor submissions, but we will act on credible reports.

8. The service itself

We aim to keep the site available, but we do not guarantee it. We may change, suspend or withdraw any part of it. Keep your own copy of anything you submit — do not rely on us as your only backup.

To the extent Indian law allows, our total liability to you for anything arising out of this site or a contest is limited to the fees you have paid us in the twelve months before the claim.

9. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. The version that applies to your entry is the one published when you paid. We will email entrants about material changes.

10. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by Indian law. The courts at Hyderabad, Telangana have exclusive jurisdiction.

Before going to court, please write to us — most problems are quicker to fix that way. Contact details are on our contact page.