1. Introduction
These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and participation in Pitch Panchayat 2026 ("Event"), including registration, participation, submissions, judging, prizes, communications and related activities.
Pitch Panchayat ("Organizer", "we", "us" or "our") reserves the right to administer and conduct the Event in accordance with these Terms.
By registering for the Event, accessing the Event website, submitting information or participating in any Event activity, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms.
2. Eligibility
Participation is subject to the eligibility criteria published by the Organizer for the relevant edition of Pitch Panchayat.
2.1 General Eligibility
- Participants must satisfy the age, educational or other eligibility requirements announced by the Organizer.
- Participants must provide accurate information during registration.
- The Organizer may request proof of eligibility at any stage.
- Failure to satisfy eligibility requirements may result in rejection or disqualification.
2.2 Participants Below the Age of Majority
If a participant is below the applicable age of majority, participation may require consent from a parent or legal guardian.
The Organizer may request appropriate parental or guardian consent before permitting participation, travel, publication of media, receipt of prizes or other Event activities.
3. Registration
Registration must be completed using the official registration process provided by the Organizer.
- Each registration must contain truthful, complete and current information.
- Participants are responsible for reviewing their information before submitting it.
- Duplicate, fraudulent or misleading registrations may be rejected.
- The Organizer may contact participants to verify registration information.
- Submission of a registration does not necessarily guarantee selection for subsequent stages of the Event.
4. Team Registration
Where team participation is permitted, the team must provide the details of all required team members during registration.
4.1 Team Information
- A team must provide a valid team name.
- Each team member must provide accurate personal information.
- The Organizer may require the team to identify one member as the team leader or primary contact.
- The team is responsible for ensuring that every listed participant has agreed to participate.
4.2 Changes to Team Members
Changes to team composition may only be permitted before the deadline specified by the Organizer. Any change may require approval from the Organizer.
The Organizer may refuse team-member changes where such changes would affect eligibility, judging, verification or Event administration.
5. Accuracy of Information
Participants are responsible for ensuring that all information supplied to the Organizer is accurate, complete and up to date.
This may include, where applicable, names, phone numbers, email addresses, educational information, team details, startup information and submitted materials.
Important: Providing false, misleading, impersonated or fraudulent information may result in immediate rejection or disqualification.
6. Startup and Event Submissions
Participants may be required to submit information relating to their idea, startup, business model, presentation, prototype, pitch deck or other materials.
Participants are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights and permissions to submit such materials.
6.1 Prohibited Submissions
Participants must not knowingly submit materials that:
- infringe another person's intellectual property rights;
- contain unlawful, fraudulent or deceptive material;
- contain malicious software or harmful code;
- violate applicable laws or regulations;
- contain content that is abusive, threatening or inappropriate for the Event; or
- otherwise violate the rules communicated by the Organizer.
7. Intellectual Property
Participants retain ownership of intellectual property that they independently create and submit to the Event, subject to any separate written agreement that may apply.
By submitting material, participants grant the Organizer a limited, non-exclusive permission to access, reproduce and display the submitted material to the extent reasonably necessary to administer, evaluate, document and promote the Event.
Participants should avoid publicly disclosing confidential information, trade secrets or other information that they are not authorized to disclose.
Intellectual-property responsibility: Participants are responsible for determining whether their submissions contain information that should be protected before submission.
8. Confidentiality
Pitch Panchayat may involve public presentations, judging, networking and promotional activities. Participants should therefore carefully consider what information they disclose.
Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, the Organizer does not guarantee that information presented during the Event will remain confidential.
Participants are responsible for taking appropriate measures to protect their own confidential business information and intellectual property.
9. Judging and Selection
Teams and participants may be evaluated according to criteria determined by the Organizer and/or judging panel.
Possible Evaluation Criteria
- Innovation and originality
- Problem definition
- Solution quality
- Market potential
- Feasibility
- Scalability
- Business model
- Social or economic impact
- Presentation quality
- Team capability
- Response to questions from judges
The Organizer may modify the judging structure, criteria or format where reasonably necessary for Event administration.
Unless otherwise expressly stated by the Organizer, judging decisions are final for the purposes of the Event.
10. Disqualification
The Organizer may reject or disqualify a participant or team where it reasonably believes that the participant or team has:
- violated these Terms or Event rules;
- provided false or misleading information;
- engaged in cheating, manipulation or unfair conduct;
- attempted to improperly influence judges or Event officials;
- submitted plagiarized or infringing material;
- engaged in harassment, bullying, discrimination or threatening behaviour;
- interfered with Event operations or systems; or
- otherwise engaged in conduct that may adversely affect the integrity or safety of the Event.
11. Participant Code of Conduct
All participants are expected to behave respectfully toward other participants, judges, mentors, organizers, volunteers, staff, sponsors and visitors.
The following conduct is not permitted:
- Harassment or bullying
- Threats or intimidation
- Discriminatory conduct
- Violence or aggressive behaviour
- Impersonation
- Fraudulent activity
- Deliberate disruption of the Event
- Misuse of Event facilities or technology
The Organizer may take reasonable action where conduct creates a safety, integrity or operational concern.
12. Prizes and Awards
Any prizes, awards, grants, benefits or other opportunities announced for the Event are subject to the applicable eligibility and verification requirements.
- Prizes may be subject to verification of winner identity and eligibility.
- The Organizer may request supporting documents before awarding a prize.
- A prize may not be transferable unless expressly permitted by the Organizer.
- The Organizer may replace a prize with an equivalent alternative where reasonably necessary.
- Applicable taxes or statutory deductions, if any, shall be handled in accordance with applicable law.
The Organizer will communicate specific prize details and conditions separately where required.
13. Event Schedule and Changes
Dates, timings, locations, stages, judging sessions, mentorship sessions and other Event details may be changed where reasonably necessary.
The Organizer will make reasonable efforts to communicate significant changes through the official communication channels.
Participants are responsible for checking official Event communications and arriving at required sessions on time.
14. Cancellation, Postponement or Modification
The Organizer may postpone, modify, suspend or cancel all or part of the Event where reasonably necessary due to circumstances including operational, technical, safety, venue, regulatory or other unforeseen circumstances.
Where reasonably possible, participants will be informed of material changes through official communication channels.
15. Events Beyond Reasonable Control
The Organizer shall not be responsible for delays, interruptions or inability to conduct the Event caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, public emergencies, government restrictions, technical infrastructure failures, severe weather, venue issues or other unforeseen circumstances.
16. Photography, Video and Media
The Event may be photographed, recorded or otherwise documented for legitimate Event-related purposes.
Subject to applicable consent requirements, participants may appear in photographs, videos, recordings or other Event-related media.
Where a participant is a minor, the Organizer may require appropriate consent from a parent or legal guardian before using identifiable media for promotional purposes.
17. Personal Information and Privacy
The Organizer may collect information necessary to register participants, communicate with teams, administer the Event, verify eligibility, conduct judging and provide Event-related services.
Information may include, where necessary:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Team information
- Educational information
- Submitted Event materials
- Other information reasonably required for Event administration
Personal information will be handled in accordance with the Organizer's applicable privacy practices and Privacy Policy.
Participants should review the Privacy Policy before submitting personal information.
18. Participation by Minors
Because Pitch Panchayat may be open to school and college students, some participants may be minors.
Where required, the Organizer may request consent, authorization or additional information from a parent or legal guardian.
Parents or legal guardians may be required to review Event rules, safety requirements, media permissions and other applicable documents before a minor participates.
19. Website and Technical Requirements
Participants are responsible for maintaining access to a suitable device, internet connection, email account and phone number where required for registration and Event communications.
The Organizer is not responsible for failures caused solely by a participant's device, internet service, email provider or other third-party infrastructure.
20. Third-Party Services
The Event website may use third-party services for functions such as authentication, hosting, communications, analytics or other technical operations.
Third-party services may have their own terms, policies and technical requirements.
21. External Links
The Event website may contain links to third-party websites or services.
The Organizer is not responsible for the content, availability, security or policies of third-party websites.
22. Account and Registration Security
Participants are responsible for keeping their registration credentials and verification information secure.
Participants should immediately inform the Organizer if they believe their account or registration information has been accessed without authorization.
23. Limitation of Liability
To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Organizer shall not be responsible for indirect, incidental or consequential loss arising from participation in the Event.
Nothing in these Terms is intended to exclude or restrict any liability that cannot legally be excluded or restricted under applicable law.
24. Participant Responsibility
Participants are responsible for their own decisions, submissions, conduct and compliance with applicable laws and Event requirements.
Participants should independently evaluate the commercial, legal, financial and technical aspects of their startup ideas and should not rely on Event participation as professional legal, financial, investment or business advice.
25. Sponsors, Mentors and Judges
Sponsors, mentors, judges, speakers and other third parties may participate in the Event.
Their views, comments, feedback and opinions are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Organizer.
Participation in mentorship, judging or networking does not constitute a promise of investment, employment, funding, partnership or commercial engagement.
26. No Guarantee of Business Outcome
Participation in Pitch Panchayat does not guarantee investment, funding, customers, revenue, employment, incubation, partnership, publicity or any other commercial outcome.
27. Event Communications
Participants may receive communications relating to registration, verification, Event schedules, judging, mentorship, announcements and other Event activities.
Participants are responsible for providing a working email address and phone number and for checking official communications.
28. Changes to These Terms
The Organizer may update these Terms where reasonably necessary to reflect changes to the Event, applicable requirements, technical systems or operational processes.
The latest version published on the official website will apply to future registrations and activities, subject to applicable law.
29. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is determined to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply to the extent permitted by applicable law.
30. Waiver
Failure by the Organizer to enforce a provision of these Terms does not constitute a permanent waiver of its right to enforce that provision.
31. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms shall be governed by the applicable laws of India.
Subject to applicable law, disputes relating to the Event shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the appropriate courts having jurisdiction over [Hubballi/Dharwad, Karnataka].
32. Contact Us
If you have questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, please contact the Pitch Panchayat organizing team.
Email: support@pitchpanchayat.in
Location: Hubballi, Karnataka, India
Website: pitchpanchayat.in
33. Acceptance of Terms
By clicking "Register", submitting a registration, participating in the Event or otherwise accessing Event services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these Terms and agree to comply with them.
If you do not agree with these Terms, you should not register for or participate in the Event.