terms of service
Last updated: July 1, 2026
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using PocketPlots (the "Site"), including submitting a story, you agree to these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, do not use the Site. PocketPlots is operated by DartFrog Books LLC ("DartFrog," "we," "us," "our").
2. Eligibility
• You must be at least 18 years of age.
• You must provide accurate name and email information for prize notification, publication credit, and payment receipt purposes.
• Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of DartFrog involved in judging are not eligible to enter.
3. The Contest
A new writing contest launches on a recurring basis (currently every two weeks), each with its own writing prompt, word limit, start date, close date, and winner announcement date, as shown on the Site.
• Submissions are accepted only while a contest is open. Entries received after the close date will not be accepted.
• You may submit unlimited entries to a contest. Each entry requires a separate submission and a separate entry fee.
4. Entry Fee & Payment
• Each story submission requires a non-refundable entry fee of $3 USD, charged at the time of submission via Stripe Checkout.
• Entry fees are non-refundable once payment succeeds, regardless of whether your story is selected as a winner, finalist, or shortlisted entry.
• Once payment is confirmed, your submission is final and locked — it cannot be edited or withdrawn.
• We do not process or store your payment card details. Payments are handled entirely by Stripe, subject to Stripe's Services Agreement.
5. Submission Requirements
By submitting a story, you represent and warrant that:
• The story is your own original work, written by you (not AI-generated, not co-written, and not written by another person on your behalf).
• The story has not been previously published elsewhere, in any format, at the time of submission.
• The story does not infringe any third party's copyright, trademark, privacy, or other rights.
• The story does not contain content that is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable, as determined by DartFrog in its sole discretion.
We reserve the right to disqualify any submission that violates these requirements, without refund of the entry fee. Duplicate or substantially similar submissions (including resubmissions of the same story to a later contest) may be flagged and disqualified.
6. Story Rights & Anthology Publication
You retain full ownership and copyright of your story at all times. By submitting, you grant DartFrog a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:
• display your story (and your name) on the PocketPlots website;
• share excerpts of your story on DartFrog's social media and marketing channels; and
• if your story is selected as a winner, finalist, or shortlisted entry, publish it in the PocketPlots annual anthology (in print and/or digital form) with author credit.
This license continues even after a given contest cycle ends, so that winners can remain visible in the public winners archive and anthology. No royalty or other compensation is paid for use under this license.
7. Judging & Winner Selection
• All submissions are reviewed internally by the DartFrog team. There is no public voting or external judging panel.
• Winner, finalist, and shortlist decisions are entirely at DartFrog's discretion and are final.
• Winners and finalists will be notified by email and announced publicly on the PocketPlots winners page after the announcement date for that contest.
8. Prizes
There are no cash or material prizes. The only recognition for a winning, finalist, or shortlisted entry is publication and featured credit on the PocketPlots website and in the annual anthology.
9. Prohibited Conduct
You agree not to:
• submit content on behalf of someone else without authorization;
• attempt to submit more entries than intended by circumventing the payment flow;
• attempt to disrupt, reverse-engineer, or interfere with the Site's operation; or
• use automated means (bots, scripts) to submit entries.
10. Disclaimers
The Site and contest are provided "as is." DartFrog does not guarantee that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or available at all times. DartFrog is not responsible for lost or corrupted drafts due to browser, device, or network issues, though reasonable efforts (local auto-save) are made to prevent this.
11. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, DartFrog's total liability arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the Site will not exceed the amount you paid in entry fees in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim. DartFrog is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages.
12. Termination
DartFrog may suspend or terminate your ability to submit entries at any time, for any reason, including suspected fraud, abuse, or violation of these Terms.
13. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of North Carolina, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.
14. Changes to These Terms
DartFrog may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date above will reflect the most recent revision. Continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
15. Contact
Questions about these Terms can be sent to hello@pocketplots.com.