NORTH STAR CONTESTS SOCIETY — TERMS & CONDITIONS

    Last Updated: November 16, 2025

    1. Introduction

    Welcome to North Star Contests Society (the "Organization"). We are a Canadian not-for-profit organization incorporated under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, with the objective of encouraging mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills through online contests, games, and related educational activities on our website northstartests.com (the "Site").

    Please read these Terms & Conditions ("Terms") carefully before using the Site or any products or services offered by North Star Contests Society ("we," "us," "our"). By accessing or using the Site or Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which forms an integral part of this Agreement.

    2. Acceptance of Terms

    By creating an account or using our Site, you agree to these Terms on behalf of yourself or, if you are registering on behalf of a minor, on behalf of the minor's parent or legal guardian.

    If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the Site or Services.

    Use of the Services by a Student under 18 years of age requires that a Parent or Teacher ("Authorized Adults") register a Family Account or School Account through the Site and agree to these Terms on the Student's behalf.

    3. Right to Amend

    North Star Contests Society reserves the right to modify, amend, or update these Terms at any time without prior notice. Any changes will be posted on the Site, and continued use of the Services constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

    4. Accounts and Registration

    4.1 Family Accounts and School Accounts

    Authorized Adults may register a Family Account or School Account. Both account types may add multiple Students. Each account requires a valid email address and password.

    4.2 Student IDs

    Each Student receives a unique ID associated with their first name, last initial, and grade. Students must use this ID to participate in contests and review past results.

    4.3 Responsibility for Account Activity

    Authorized Adults are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their login credentials and for all activity conducted under their accounts.

    5. Fees, Payments, and Refunds

    Certain contests are free. Others require payment ("Fees"), as displayed on the Site. Payments must be made using one of the approved methods (e.g., credit card, PayPal, Stripe).

    Refunds may be requested within seven (7) days of payment by emailing admin@northstartests.com

    Refunds may also be considered in cases of duplicate payments, payment made for the wrong student, or other reasonable errors. Refund decisions are made at the discretion of North Star Contests. Once a contest has been attempted, Fees associated with that contest are non-refundable unless required by law.

    6. Contest Participation Rules

    • 6.1 Students must participate in contests independently. Any form of cheating, external assistance, collaboration, or use of unauthorized tools is prohibited.
    • 6.2 Students must enter their correct first name, last initial, and grade when participating.
    • 6.3 Students must use their unique access code. Sharing or reusing another student's code is strictly prohibited.
    • 6.4 Any attempt to manipulate results, access other users' information, or interfere with contest operations may result in disqualification or account suspension.
    • 6.5 Teachers and coordinators must distribute access codes securely and may not disclose them publicly or to unauthorized persons.

    7. User Conduct Requirements

    Users may not

    • Engage in any unlawful, harmful, harassing, or disruptive activity.
    • Impersonate any person or misrepresent affiliation with any organization.
    • Attempt to access or modify accounts or contest data belonging to others.
    • Use automated tools, bots, scripts, or brute-force methods to access the Site.
    • Upload, distribute, or transmit any malicious code, viruses, or harmful material.
    • Attempt to reverse-engineer, copy, or extract contest questions, software code, or internal logic.
    • Create multiple accounts to gain unfair advantage or manipulate contest results.

    Violation of these rules may result in suspension, termination, or disqualification from current and future contests.

    8. Intellectual Property

    All contest questions, solutions, graphics, UI components, designs, text, logos, and underlying software are the exclusive intellectual property of North Star Contests.

    Users may not copy, photograph, record, distribute, publish, translate, or reproduce any contest content without prior written consent.

    Contest materials may not be used for commercial, institutional, or competitive purposes without authorization.

    Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution is strictly prohibited.

    9. Suspension and Termination

    North Star Contests Society reserves the right to suspend or terminate access to any account, Student ID, or Service if:

    • A user violates these Terms,
    • fraudulent or abusive behavior is detected,
    • misuse of access codes occurs,
    • contest integrity is compromised.

    We may also revoke access codes, void scores, or disqualify participants engaged in misconduct.

    10. Service Availability

    The Site and Services may occasionally be unavailable due to maintenance, updates, or unexpected technical issues.

    We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free service. Users understand that technical delays or failures may impact contest participation.

    11. Warranty Disclaimer

    The Services are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind.

    North Star Contests Society does not guarantee accuracy of contest questions, scoring algorithms, rankings, or outputs.

    We disclaim all implied warranties, including fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, and non-infringement.

    12. Limitation of Liability

    To the fullest extent permitted by law, North Star Contests Society shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages arising from use of the Site or Services.

    This includes, but is not limited to, damages resulting from:

    • loss of data,
    • inability to access contests,
    • incorrect contest results or rankings,
    • unauthorized account access,
    • downtime or technical failures.

    13. Third-Party Services and Links

    We may use third-party service providers for hosting, payment processing, analytics, or security (e.g., Stripe, Cloudflare and Replit).

    We are not responsible for the content, policies, or actions of third-party providers.

    Users are responsible for reviewing third-party terms and privacy practices.

    North Star Contests Society does not host or promote unrelated external links.

    14. Governing Law

    These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Canada, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

    Users agree to first attempt informal resolution of any dispute by contacting North Star Contests Society at admin@northstartests.com

    15. Contact Information

    Questions or concerns may be directed to:

    North Star Contests

    Email: admin@northstartests.com

    Address: North Star Contests Society, 2967 Dundas St. W. #427D, Toronto, ON M6P 1Z2