North Star Literary Award

Legal information

Submission Terms &
Copyright Policy

Effective date: September 11, 2026 · Terms version: 2026-09-11

Please read these terms before submitting. By checking the acceptance box, typing your legal name and pen name, and submitting an entry, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these terms.

1. The Creator Keeps All Rights

Submitting a work to the North Star Literary Award does not sell, assign, transfer, surrender, or otherwise release the creator’s copyright or ownership. A submission is treated only as an entry for consideration. Except for the limited winner-promotion license described below, the creator retains every right in the submitted work.

The submission is not a work made for hire. North Star receives no publishing, adaptation, sequel, merchandising, dramatic, film, television, audio, translation, or other ownership interest merely because a work is submitted.

2. Authority to Submit

The entrant represents that they are the creator or an authorized rights holder and have full authority to submit the work. The entrant further represents that the submission does not knowingly infringe any copyright, trademark, privacy right, publicity right, contractual obligation, or other right of another person or entity.

3. Treatment of Submitted Materials

North Star Literary Award, Yellow House Publishing, and their affiliated or subsidiary publishing and media entities (collectively, “North Star”) may receive, store, copy, and provide the submission to judges and authorized administrators only as reasonably necessary to administer the award, evaluate the entry, maintain award records, protect the integrity of judging, and communicate with the entrant. This administrative permission does not transfer ownership.

North Star will not publish, sell, license, adapt, or publicly distribute the complete manuscript based solely on its submission to the award.

4. Limited 90-Day Winner-Promotion License

If an entry is selected as a finalist or winner, the entrant grants North Star a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, limited license for ninety (90) consecutive days beginning on the date the selection is publicly announced. During that period, North Star may use the entrant’s legal or pen name, supplied biography, supplied photograph, book title, book cover, synopsis, award placement, and reasonable excerpts from the winning submission to identify, announce, celebrate, and promote the entrant and the North Star Literary Award.

Permitted promotional uses include author spotlights, interviews, award showcases, press releases, websites, social media, streaming or interactive-reading platforms, email, video, audio, broadcast, digital displays, and printed award or promotional materials selected by North Star.

This license does not constitute a declaration or transfer of ownership, does not permit commercial publication or sale of the complete manuscript, and does not prevent the creator from publishing, licensing, selling, adapting, or otherwise using the work. North Star owes no royalty or usage fee for permitted promotional uses during the 90-day period. Materials lawfully produced or posted during the period may remain in archival award records after the period ends, but North Star will not create new promotional uses after expiration without additional permission.

5. Copyright Violations and Five-Year Ineligibility

An entrant who submits material that North Star reasonably determines infringes another party’s copyright, or who materially misrepresents ownership or authority to submit, may be disqualified and barred from entering any North Star Literary Award category for five (5) years from the date of the determination. North Star may request supporting ownership information and may remove an entry, finalist designation, or award while a credible infringement claim is reviewed.

This eligibility consequence is separate from any legal rights or remedies available to the affected copyright owner or other parties.

6. Judging and Award Administration

Submission does not guarantee review beyond eligibility screening, finalist status, an award, publication, publicity, or any other benefit. Judging decisions are final except where North Star determines that reconsideration is necessary to correct an administrative error, eligibility problem, or rights violation.

7. Electronic Acceptance

The entrant agrees that checking the required acceptance box, typing their legal name and pen name, and submitting the form constitutes their electronic acceptance of these terms. North Star may retain the submitted names, email address, acceptance date and time, terms version, and technical submission record as evidence of that acceptance and for award administration.

8. Changes to These Terms

The terms accepted with an entry are the version displayed and recorded at the time of submission. Material changes will apply prospectively unless the entrant separately agrees otherwise.

9. Optional Financial Support

Financial contributions to North Star are voluntary, are not required to submit an entry, and do not affect eligibility, judging, finalist selection, award placement, publicity, or any other decision. Unless North Star expressly states otherwise based on recognized tax-exempt status, contributions are not represented as tax-deductible charitable donations.

10. Questions

Questions regarding these terms should be submitted through the official North Star Literary Award contact channel. A submission should not be completed until the entrant understands and accepts these terms.

Plain-language summary: You keep your copyright. Entering does not give North Star ownership. If you become a finalist or winner, North Star may promote you and your work for 90 days without a fee, but it may not commercially publish or sell your complete manuscript without a separate agreement.