AUTHOR SUBMISSION AGREEMENT, TERMS OF ENTRY, AND COMPLAINT POLICY

By submitting a book, manuscript, or related materials to The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards ("PIHBA"), the author, publisher, or rights holder ("Entrant") acknowledges and agrees to the following terms and conditions.

1. AUTHORSHIP AND OWNERSHIP DECLARATION

By submitting an entry, the Entrant affirms and warrants that:

• The submitted work is the Entrant's original work or that the Entrant possesses all necessary rights, permissions, and authority to submit the work.

• The Entrant owns the copyright to the work or has obtained all required permissions from the copyright holder(s).

• The work does not knowingly infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other legal rights of any individual or entity.

• Any quotations, images, excerpts, research materials, or third-party content included in the work have been properly licensed, credited, or used with permission where required.

• All statements, opinions, claims, experiences, and representations contained within the work remain the sole responsibility of the author.

2. RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONTENT

PIHBA serves as a literary recognition platform and does not independently verify every factual statement, personal account, opinion, or allegation contained within submitted works.

The author accepts full responsibility for the accuracy, legality, and content of their submission.

Submission to PIHBA does not constitute endorsement, verification, or legal validation of any claims made within the book.

3. JUDGING CRITERIA

Awards are based upon literary merit, originality, impact, inspiration, storytelling, contribution to hope, and alignment with the mission of The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards.

Awards are not a legal determination of truth, ownership disputes, personal disputes, or competing claims between individuals.

4. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COMPLAINTS

If PIHBA receives a complaint alleging plagiarism, copyright infringement, unauthorized use of materials, or intellectual property violations, the following procedure shall apply:

a) Complaints must be submitted in writing.

b) Complaints must include supporting evidence.

c) Anonymous complaints, social media accusations, hearsay, personal disputes, harassment campaigns, or unsupported allegations may not be considered sufficient evidence.

d) The author will be notified and provided an opportunity to respond and submit supporting documentation.

e) PIHBA reserves the right to request additional information from all parties involved.

f) PIHBA may temporarily pause review of a submission while evidence is evaluated when deemed necessary.

5. FAIR REVIEW PROCESS

PIHBA is committed to fairness, professionalism, and due process.

No award, finalist designation, recognition, certificate, or title shall be revoked solely on the basis of an accusation, complaint, online post, rumor, or unverified claim.

Any decision affecting an author's eligibility shall be made only after reasonable review of available information.

6. LIMITATION OF INVESTIGATION

PIHBA is not a court of law, law enforcement agency, arbitration service, or investigative body.

PIHBA does not adjudicate personal disputes, defamation claims, family disputes, business disputes, contractual disagreements, or allegations that require legal determination.

Where legal disputes exist between parties, PIHBA may defer to official court rulings, legal documentation, or other competent authorities.

7. RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY

PIHBA reserves the right to reject, disqualify, remove, or revoke an entry, finalist status, or award if credible evidence demonstrates:

• Plagiarism.

• Copyright infringement.

• Fraudulent representation.

• Submission under false identity.

• Fabricated authorship.

• Deliberate misrepresentation of ownership rights.

• Conduct that materially compromises the integrity of the awards program.

Such decisions shall be made at the sole discretion of PIHBA following reasonable review.

8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

The Entrant agrees to release, indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards, its officers, directors, employees, volunteers, judges, sponsors, affiliates, and representatives from any claims, liabilities, losses, damages, legal fees, costs, or expenses arising from:

• The content of the submitted work;

• Alleged infringement claims;

• Defamation claims;

• Privacy claims;

• Intellectual property disputes;

• Disputes between authors and third parties;

• Any representations made by the Entrant.

9. USE OF AUTHOR MATERIALS

By entering, the author grants PIHBA permission to use the author's name, book title, cover image, author photograph, biography, award designation, interview materials, and promotional content for award-related marketing, publicity, educational, and promotional purposes.

Copyright ownership remains with the author.

10. FINAL DECISIONS

All judging decisions are final.

PIHBA reserves the right to interpret and apply these policies in a manner consistent with its mission of honoring stories of hope while protecting the integrity of the awards program.

11. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS

Submission of an entry constitutes full acceptance of these terms, conditions, policies, and procedures.

The Entrant acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agreed to these requirements prior to submitting their work.

The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards

"Honoring Stories of Hope Worldwide"