Official Contest Rules

Effective when the contest reopens. Contests are currently paused. When a monthly contest reopens, these Official Rules govern it, together with the brief, judging criteria, prizes, and deadlines posted on the contest page for that month.

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1. Sponsor

The sponsor and operator of every Studio Action contest is EgoPanda Creative (operator of studioaction.io, one operation with Aktion Film Ai, a registered business name of Ego Panda, LLC). Contact for anything contest-related: contest@studioaction.io.

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2. Nature of the Contest — Skill, Not Chance

Every Studio Action contest is a contest of skill. Entries are creative works — films, stills, and other pieces made to a posted monthly brief — and winners are chosen by judging entries on merit against the criteria in Section 5. There is no drawing, no raffle, no lottery, and no element of chance anywhere in how winners are determined. The entry fee is a fee for judged participation in a skill contest; it is not a wager or a ticket in a game of chance.

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3. Eligibility

• You must be 18 years of age or older (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, if higher) at the time of entry.
• Void where prohibited by law. You are responsible for confirming that entering a paid skill contest is lawful where you live.
• Employees and contractors of EgoPanda Creative, contest judges, and members of their immediate households may not enter.
• You must comply with the Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.

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4. How to Enter; Entry Fees

To enter, submit your piece through the contest page during the contest window, following the format and length requirements in the posted brief, and pay the entry fee at checkout (processed by Stripe).

Entry fee structure: historically $10 for your first piece and $5 for each additional piece in the same monthly contest. Pricing is subject to change; the fees in effect for a contest are the ones posted on that contest's page when it opens, shown again at checkout. Entry fees are non-refundable once an entry is submitted (see the Refund & Cancellation Policy); if we cancel a contest before judging, entry fees for that contest are refunded.

Each entry must be your own original work and must satisfy the representations in Terms §6. One person may submit multiple entries; each is judged independently.

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5. Judging — How Winners Are Selected

A judging panel selected by the sponsor reviews every eligible entry after the contest window closes. Entries are scored on the posted criteria, which are, unless the contest page for a given month states otherwise:

• Craft — the technical and artistic quality of the piece;
• Adherence to the brief — how well the piece answers the posted monthly brief;
• Community standing — the entrant's standing in the Studio Action community, per the criteria posted for that contest.

The highest-scoring entries win. Judging decisions are made on merit alone and are final, subject only to Section 9 (Disputes). If the posted criteria for a specific contest add to or reweight the above, the posted criteria for that contest control.

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6. Winners and Announcement

Winners are announced on studioaction.io and through the sponsor's official channels (Discord, mailing list, socials) within the timeframe posted on the contest page. Winners are also notified at the email used at entry. If a winner cannot be reached within 14 days of first notice, or is found ineligible, the prize passes to the next highest-scoring eligible entry.

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7. Prizes

The prizes for each contest are those posted on that contest's page before the contest opens. Prizes are not transferable and have no cash alternative unless the contest page says otherwise. Winners are solely responsible for any taxes on prizes. Where the posted prize includes placement in the story or canon, that placement is subject to the sponsor's creative discretion as described in the Terms of Service.

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8. Rights in Entries

You keep ownership of your entry. By entering, you grant the sponsor the display and promotion license described in Terms §6 — the right to host, display, stream, excerpt, and promote your entry on the Service and in contest-related marketing, with attribution to the name you entered under. Entries that win or place may remain displayed in the contest's historical record.

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9. Disqualification and Disputes

Disqualification. The sponsor may disqualify, without refund of the entry fee, any entry that: violates the Community Guidelines; infringes third-party rights; misrepresents authorship; was submitted through fraud or tampering; or breaks the posted brief's stated requirements. Attempting to influence judges outside the posted process is grounds for disqualification.

Disputes. Any dispute about a contest — eligibility, scoring, disqualification, prizes — must first be raised by email to contest@studioaction.io within 14 days of the winners' announcement. We will review and respond in writing. Unresolved disputes are governed by the dispute resolution terms in Terms §12 (Oregon law; informal resolution, then arbitration with a small-claims option and a 30-day opt-out).

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10. General

These Official Rules are incorporated into the Terms of Service. If a specific contest's posted page conflicts with these Rules on brief, fees, criteria weighting, prizes, or dates, the posted page controls for that contest; on everything else, these Rules control. The sponsor may amend these Rules prospectively — amendments never change a contest already underway except where required by law.