Terms and Conditions

1. Agreement to Terms

By submitting an application to GirlScript Summer of Code 2026 ("GSSoC 2026", "the Program"), you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions in their entirety. If you do not agree with any part of these terms, you may not apply to or participate in the Program.

These Terms constitute a binding agreement between you and GirlScript Foundation ("GirlScript", "we", "us", "the Foundation"), a registered non-profit organisation. The Program's technology infrastructure is operated in partnership with Smartly Ventures ("Smartly"), which acts as a technical service provider under a formal agreement with GirlScript Foundation.

We reserve the right to amend these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated to participants via email. Continued participation after notification of changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

2. Eligibility

• Applicants must be at least 13 years of age at the time of application
• Applicants must provide accurate, truthful, and complete information in their application
• Submission of multiple applications from the same individual is not permitted and will result in disqualification of all submissions
• Employees, directors, trustees, and immediate family members of GirlScript Foundation are not eligible to participate as applicants
• Smartly Ventures employees directly involved in program operations are not eligible to participate as applicants

3. Intellectual Property

All contributions made during GSSoC 2026 remain the intellectual property of the contributor and are licensed to the respective open source project under that project's existing licence. GirlScript Foundation and Smartly Ventures do not claim ownership of any code, documentation, or other creative work contributed during the Program.

By participating, you confirm that your contributions are original work and do not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party. You accept full responsibility for the originality and legality of your contributions.

Submissions of plagiarised code, code copied from closed-source or proprietary software, or AI-generated code submitted without attribution may constitute intellectual property violations and will result in immediate disqualification.

4. Program Rules and Conduct

Participants agree to abide by: these Terms and Conditions, the Code of Conduct, the AI Conduct Policy, and the specific role guidelines applicable to their accepted role. Violation of any of these documents may result in immediate disqualification without notice or appeal.

GirlScript Foundation reserves the right to modify program rules, timelines, scoring criteria, or prizes at any time at its sole discretion. Material changes affecting participant outcomes will be communicated via email with reasonable notice.

GirlScript Foundation reserves the right to disqualify any participant at any time for behaviour that, in the Foundation's reasonable judgment, is harmful to the community, the program, or the open source ecosystem — regardless of whether that behaviour is explicitly covered by the rules listed above.

5. Prizes, Certificates, and Swag

Prizes, digital certificates, and physical swag are awarded at GirlScript Foundation's sole discretion based on verified program performance, compliance with program rules, and availability of resources.

GirlScript Foundation reserves the right to withhold prizes, certificates, or recognition from any participant found to have violated program rules, even after apparent qualification.

Digital certificates are issued via the GSSoC platform and are non-transferable. Physical swag is subject to availability, production timelines, and shipping logistics. GirlScript Foundation is not liable for delays caused by third-party shipping or logistics providers.

Prize values and categories are subject to change. Publication of prize information at any point during the program does not constitute a binding commitment to deliver those prizes in that exact form.

6. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, GirlScript Foundation and Smartly Ventures shall not be liable for: indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages; loss of data or contributions; interruption or cancellation of the program; technical failures of the platform; decisions made by maintainers, mentors, or other participants; or any other outcome arising from participation in or exclusion from GSSoC 2026.

The Program, including all platform features, is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

In no event shall the total aggregate liability of GirlScript Foundation or Smartly Ventures exceed the monetary value of any prizes or certificates formally awarded to the participant in question.

7. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms, the Program, or your participation therein shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts located in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

For questions about these Terms, contact GirlScript Foundation at gssoc@girlscript.org.