Read this agreement carefully. By creating a Participant account on McCarthy’s AI, joining any Competition, or submitting any work, you agree to be bound by this Participant Agreement, the Master Terms of Service, the Privacy Policy, and (when you submit work) the Submission Terms. If you do not agree, do not create an account or join a Competition.
This Participant Agreement is between you (the Participant) and Verta Ventures Inc., a corporation existing under the laws of Ontario, Canada, with its registered address at 80 Mill Street, No. 1209, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 4T3, operating the McCarthy’s AI platform (“McCarthy’s”, “we”, “us”, “our”).
Key terms used in this Agreement:
2.1 “Competition” means an AI-related contest hosted on the Platform.
2.2 “Platform” means the McCarthy’s AI website, services, tools, and infrastructure.
2.3 “Sponsor” means the company that funded and is operating the Competition through McCarthy’s.
2.4 “Sub-Sponsor” means a third-party brand attached to a Sponsor’s Competition. Sub-Sponsors do not interact with you directly through the Platform.
2.5 “External Judge” means a judge invited by a Sponsor who is not a McCarthy’s employee.
2.6 “Submission” means any work you submit into a Competition.
2.7 “Prize” means cash awarded to a Winner.
2.8 “Submission Terms” means the separate terms you accept at the moment of submitting work, which include the assignment of intellectual property in your Submission to McCarthy’s.
3.1 Age. You must be at least eighteen (18) years old to create an account. We may verify age at any time, including by requesting government-issued identification.
3.2 Geography. You may join Competitions from most countries. You may not join, and you must not submit, if you are: (a) a resident of Quebec, Canada (we do not yet support Quebec users); (b) located in or ordinarily resident in a country subject to comprehensive Canadian or U.S. sanctions; or (c) included on the Canadian Consolidated Sanctions List, the U.S. OFAC Specially Designated Nationals List, or any other sanctions list applicable to McCarthy’s. Additional country-level restrictions may apply to specific Competitions, as noted in their published rules.
3.3 Capacity. You confirm you have the legal capacity to enter into this Agreement under the laws of your country of residence.
3.4 No conflicts. You may not participate in a Competition if you are: (a) an employee, officer, director, contractor, or immediate family member of the Sponsor, any Sub-Sponsor, or any External Judge for that Competition; or (b) any McCarthy’s employee, officer, director, or contractor. The Sponsor may, by disclosing the Competition as internal in the relevant published rules, expressly invite its own employees.
4.1 One account per person. You may hold only one Participant account. Operating duplicate, fake, or impersonating accounts is grounds for immediate suspension and forfeiture of any prizes.
4.2 Accurate information. You will provide accurate, complete, and current account information, including your real name, contact details, education, work history, and certifications, and you will keep this information up to date.
4.3 Account security. You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials. Notify us promptly at support@mccarthys.ai of any unauthorized access.
4.4 No transfer. You may not sell, rent, assign, or transfer your account or any in-progress Submission to another person.
4.5 Communications. By creating an account you agree to receive transactional communications from McCarthy’s necessary to operate Competitions (for example, application status, submission confirmations, judging updates, and Prize-related notices). Marketing communications are sent only with your separate, explicit opt-in consent given at signup, which you may withdraw at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in those messages or by contacting support@mccarthys.ai.
You agree that while using the Platform you will:
Violations may result in suspension, termination, forfeiture of any Prize, and reporting to law enforcement where appropriate.
6.1 Honest competition. You will compete honestly. You will not:
6.2 AI tools allowed by default. Most Competitions on the Platform permit and expect the use of AI tools. You must accurately disclose, at the time of submission, the AI tools and material third-party resources you used. Inaccurate disclosure is itself a violation, even if AI use would have been permitted had it been disclosed.
6.3 Pre-existing materials. If your Submission incorporates work you created before the Competition or third-party materials (open-source code, pre-trained models, datasets, assets), you must disclose this at submission and confirm the materials carry licenses compatible with the rights you are assigning under the Submission Terms.
6.4 Investigations. We may investigate suspected violations at any time. You will cooperate reasonably with investigations, which may include requests for source files, drafts, build logs, or other evidence of authorship. Refusal to cooperate is itself grounds for disqualification.
6.5 Consequences. Confirmed integrity violations may result in disqualification from one or all Competitions, suspension or termination of your account, forfeiture of any Prize whether already paid or owing, public disclosure of the violation to affected Sponsors, and (where appropriate) reporting to law enforcement.
7.1 How you can join. You can be added to a Competition either by (a) the Sponsor inviting you directly, or (b) you applying and the Sponsor approving your application.
7.2 Sponsor’s discretion. The Sponsor decides which Participants to admit to a Competition based on its own criteria. McCarthy’s does not guarantee admission to any Competition. Sponsor decisions on admission are final, except that McCarthy’s may override admission to enforce platform rules (for example, to keep out sanctioned or suspended individuals).
7.3 Competition-specific rules. Each Competition has its own published rules, including objective, deliverables, judging criteria, prize structure, timeline, and any specific eligibility restrictions. By joining a Competition you accept its published rules. The Competition’s published rules are part of this Agreement for that Competition.
7.4 Withdrawal before submission. You may withdraw from a Competition at any time before clicking Submit, with no consequence to your account. After submission, the no-withdrawal rule in the Submission Terms applies.
8.1 Submission Terms apply. At the moment you click Submit, you accept the Submission Terms, which include (a) assignment of intellectual property in your Submission to McCarthy’s, (b) waiver of moral rights in the Submission to the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law, (c) a publicity release allowing McCarthy’s to use your name and Submission for marketing and other purposes, (d) confirmation that the Submission is yours and does not infringe any third party’s rights, and (e) acceptance that you cannot withdraw the Submission after clicking Submit.
8.2 Read the Submission Terms before clicking Submit. The Submission Terms make significant changes to your rights in the work you submit. You should read them carefully each time. If you do not agree, do not click Submit.
8.3 Voluntariness. Submitting work is voluntary. No one is forcing you to submit. By submitting, you confirm you are doing so of your own free will and with full knowledge of the consequences.
9.1 What we share by default. When you join a Sponsor’s Competition, the Sponsor can see your profile information (name, contact details, education, work history, certifications, and any submission preview information) as needed to operate the Competition. After the Competition concludes, the Sponsor may export this data, along with your Submission, through our export feature, subject to the restrictions in our Sponsor Agreement.
9.2 How Sponsors can use your data. Sponsors may use your data only for evaluating you in connection with the Competition’s stated objective, hiring or contracting with you, and internal record-keeping. Sponsors must not sell your data, use it for mass marketing unrelated to the Competition, or share it with Sub-Sponsors without additional consent.
9.3 Sub-Sponsors. Sub-Sponsors receive no data about you from McCarthy’s by default. A Sponsor may, with your separate consent given outside the Platform, share data with its own Sub-Sponsors; that consent is between you and the Sponsor.
9.4 Sponsor retention. Sponsors are required to delete or anonymize exported Participant data after twenty-four (24) months unless a separate engagement (such as an employment or contractor agreement) provides for longer retention.
9.5 Your privacy rights. Your rights regarding your personal information, including how to access, correct, or request deletion, are set out in our Privacy Policy. Please refer to the Privacy Policy for the full description.
10.1 Source of Prize. Prizes are paid by McCarthy’s, not by the Sponsor or any Sub-Sponsor. McCarthy’s is the legal Host and Operator of every Competition; the Sponsor pays McCarthy’s a single fee that funds platform services and Prize amounts.
10.2 Currency and method. Prizes are denominated and paid in U.S. Dollars (USD) via Wise (or such other payment method as McCarthy’s may use from time to time).
10.3 Winner confirmation. The Sponsor recommends Winners. McCarthy’s confirms Winners after sanctions screening, identity checks, and any other verification we consider appropriate. Sponsors’ recommendations are not final until McCarthy’s confirms.
10.4 Verification required before payout. To receive a Prize, you must provide:
10.5 Withholding. Where required by the Income Tax Act (Canada) or other Applicable Law, McCarthy’s will deduct withholding tax at source (which may be up to 25%) on Prize payments to non-resident Winners and remit those amounts to the relevant tax authority. The Prize amount published by the Sponsor is the gross amount; the net amount you receive may be less after withholding.
10.6 Tax responsibility. You are solely responsible for reporting and paying any income tax, capital gains tax, value-added tax, or other taxes on a Prize under the laws of your country of residence and any other country to which you are subject. McCarthy’s withholding (where applicable) does not satisfy your personal tax obligations elsewhere. McCarthy’s does not provide tax advice; consult a qualified tax advisor.
10.7 Timing. McCarthy’s will use commercially reasonable efforts to pay confirmed Prizes within sixty (60) days of Winner confirmation, provided you have supplied all required information and verification.
10.8 Forfeiture. If you do not supply required information and verification within sixty (60) days of being notified that you are a confirmed Winner, McCarthy’s may declare the Prize forfeited. McCarthy’s may then offer the Prize to a replacement Winner recommended by the Sponsor or retain the unawarded amount.
10.9 No assignment. Prizes are personal to you and may not be assigned, transferred, or paid to a third party (including a personal corporation) except as McCarthy’s may permit in writing in special circumstances.
10.10 Disputes about Prizes. Any dispute about Prize entitlement must be raised in writing to support@mccarthys.ai within thirty (30) days of the published Winner declaration, after which McCarthy’s declaration is final.
11.1 Sponsor confidential materials. Some Competitions involve confidential information from the Sponsor (briefs, datasets, prompts, etc.). When you join a Competition that involves confidential materials, you will be required to accept a Competition-specific confidentiality undertaking. You must keep those materials confidential and use them solely for the purpose of preparing your Submission.
11.2 Your own Submission. You may not publicly share another Participant’s Submission. You may share your own Submission publicly only to the extent permitted by the Submission Terms (which assign IP in your Submission to McCarthy’s; McCarthy’s grants you a limited non-exclusive licence to use your Submission for personal portfolio purposes as set out in the Submission Terms).
12.1 By you. You may close your account at any time by emailing support@mccarthys.ai. Closure does not entitle you to a Prize that has not yet been paid if you have not completed required verification, and does not revoke the Submission Terms accepted in respect of any work you have already submitted.
12.2 By us. We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have breached this Agreement, the Master Terms of Service, the Submission Terms, or any other applicable policy, or if we are required to do so by Applicable Law. Termination does not refund any fees (Participants do not pay fees) or revoke the Submission Terms in respect of work already submitted.
12.3 Effect of termination. On termination, your access to the Platform ends. Submissions already accepted into Competitions remain governed by the Submission Terms. McCarthy’s may retain data as required by Applicable Law and for legitimate business purposes, as described in the Privacy Policy.
13.1 Discretion. McCarthy’s may, at its discretion, void or suspend a Competition, disqualify any Participant or Submission, change Competition rules in genuine error correction, or take any other action it reasonably considers necessary to protect Participants, the Platform, or the integrity of any Competition.
13.2 Platform changes. McCarthy’s may add, modify, or discontinue features of the Platform. Material changes affecting Participants will be communicated reasonably in advance where practicable.
You represent and warrant that:
THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS”. MCCARTHY’S MAKES NO PROMISES ABOUT THE OUTCOME OF ANY COMPETITION OR ANY BENEFIT YOU WILL RECEIVE FROM PARTICIPATING.
15.1 No guarantee of hiring. McCarthy’s does not guarantee that any Sponsor will hire, contract with, or engage you in any way, whether you win a Competition or not.
15.2 No guarantee of Sponsor conduct. McCarthy’s screens Sponsors at onboarding but does not guarantee Sponsor legitimacy, payment of additional benefits, or Sponsor compliance with this or any other agreement. Your interactions with the Sponsor outside the Platform (for example, employment negotiations following the Competition) are between you and the Sponsor.
15.3 No guarantee of Sub-Sponsor conduct. McCarthy’s has no relationship with any Sub-Sponsor. Any benefit, prize, or representation attributable to a Sub-Sponsor is the responsibility of the Sponsor, not McCarthy’s.
15.4 General disclaimer. To the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law, McCarthy’s disclaims all warranties, express, implied, or statutory, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
THIS SECTION LIMITS MCCARTHY’S LIABILITY TO YOU. READ IT CAREFULLY.
16.1 Exclusions. To the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law, McCarthy’s is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, or exemplary damages, or for loss of profits, loss of opportunity, loss of goodwill, or loss of data, arising out of or relating to your use of the Platform or any Competition.
16.2 Cap. McCarthy’s total aggregate liability to you under or relating to this Agreement will not exceed the greater of (a) the total amount of Prize you have actually received from McCarthy’s in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred Canadian Dollars (CAD $100).
16.3 Consumer rights preserved. Nothing in this Section limits any right you have under mandatory consumer protection laws of your country of residence. If a court of competent jurisdiction holds any part of this Section unenforceable, the remainder will continue to apply to the maximum extent permitted.
16.4 Time limit on claims. Any claim against McCarthy’s must be brought within one (1) year of the event giving rise to the claim, or it is permanently barred, to the maximum extent permitted by Applicable Law.
17.1 Governing law. This Agreement is governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.
17.2 Informal resolution first. Before commencing any formal action, you will contact support@mccarthys.ai with a description of the dispute and proposed resolution, and we will attempt in good faith to resolve it within thirty (30) days.
17.3 Mediation. If informal resolution fails, the dispute will be referred to mediation in Toronto, Ontario, before a mediator agreed by the Parties (or appointed by the ADR Institute of Ontario if the Parties cannot agree).
17.4 Court venue. If mediation fails, you may bring the dispute in (a) the Ontario Small Claims Court (for claims up to CAD $35,000), or (b) the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto for larger claims. McCarthy’s may also bring proceedings against you in any court of competent jurisdiction over you.
17.5 Class action waiver. You agree to bring any dispute against McCarthy’s in your individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, consolidated, or representative proceeding. If a court of competent jurisdiction holds this waiver unenforceable, the dispute will proceed in court but each Party retains all other rights under this Agreement.
17.6 Injunctive relief. Nothing in this Section prevents McCarthy’s from seeking interim injunctive or equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect its intellectual property, Confidential Information, Platform integrity, or other rights.
18.1 Entire agreement. This Agreement, together with the Master Terms of Service, the Privacy Policy, the Submission Terms, and any Competition-specific published rules, is the entire agreement between you and McCarthy’s on its subject matter.
18.2 Changes. We may amend this Agreement on at least fifteen (15) days’ notice (including by email or in-Platform notice). Continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree to the changes, you may close your account before the effective date.
18.3 Assignment. You may not assign this Agreement. We may assign this Agreement to an affiliate or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Platform business.
18.4 Notices. Notices from you to McCarthy’s must be sent to support@mccarthys.ai. Notices from McCarthy’s to you will be sent to the email address on file for your account, or shown to you in the Platform.
18.5 Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, the rest remain in force, and the unenforceable provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary.
18.6 Survival. Sections that by their nature should survive (including Sections 8, 9, 10.5, 10.6, 10.10, 11, 12.3, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18) will survive termination.
18.7 Language. The English version of this Agreement is the controlling version. Any translation is for convenience only.
Manage invitation for competition.
You can successfully announced the winners.
Invite participants of for competition.
