Terms of Service

Important Notice

These Terms contain an arbitration agreement and a class action waiver in Section 14. Please read them carefully. By using the Service, you agree to resolve disputes through binding individual arbitration rather than in court, unless you opt out within the timeframe specified.

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a binding legal agreement between you and TJLim Co., LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company doing business as Student Excellence Foundation ("SEF", "we", "our", or "us"), governing your access to and use of the SEF website, platform, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

By creating an account, registering for a competition, paying a fee, or otherwise using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

For-profit entity. Despite the words "Foundation" in our brand name, SEF is operated by TJLim Co., LLC, a for-profit limited liability company. SEF is not a non-profit, charitable, or tax-exempt organization, and Entry Fees and other payments to SEF are not tax-deductible charitable contributions.

2. Definitions

• "Competition" means any contest, challenge, or selection program hosted on the Service.
• "Cohort" means a specific application cycle of a Competition with its own registration deadline.
• "Entry Fee" means the participation fee charged for entering a particular Cohort, displayed before payment.
• "Organizer" means the third-party club, organization, or institution that creates and administers a Competition through the Service.
• "User Content" means any materials you submit, upload, or transmit through the Service, including application answers, essays, and attachments.

3. Eligibility

To use the Service, you must:

• Be at least 13 years of age. The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13.
• If you are under 18 (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction), have the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian to use the Service and pay any Entry Fees.
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract.
• Meet the specific eligibility criteria for each Competition you apply to (which may include grade level, school enrollment, or other requirements set by the Organizer).

If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete that information promptly. A parent or guardian who believes their child under 13 has submitted personal information should contact us at [email protected].

4. User Accounts

You are responsible for:

• Providing accurate, current, and complete information during registration and keeping it updated.
• Maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials.
• All activities that occur under your account, whether authorized by you or not.
• Notifying SEF immediately at [email protected] of any unauthorized use or suspected breach.

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, that we reasonably believe to be fraudulent, or that have been inactive for an extended period, in our sole discretion.

5. Fees and Payment

Some Competitions require payment of an Entry Fee to apply to a specific Cohort. The applicable Entry Fee will be clearly displayed on the Competition page and on the checkout page before you confirm payment.

What the Entry Fee covers. An Entry Fee is a fee for a digital service: it grants you the ability to submit and have your application processed and evaluated for the applicable Cohort. The service is delivered immediately upon successful payment, when your application slot for that Cohort is unlocked. An Entry Fee is not a purchase of any physical product and does not guarantee any prize, award, placement, admission, or particular outcome.

• Currency: All Entry Fees are stated and charged in U.S. Dollars (USD) unless otherwise indicated.
• Taxes: Applicable sales, use, value-added, or similar taxes may be added to or included in the Entry Fee. Where taxes are added, the tax amount is shown before payment.
• Payment Processor: Payments are processed by Creem, our payment processor and Merchant of Record. By making a payment, you also agree to Creem's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. We do not store your full payment card number, CVC, or expiration date on our servers.
• Per-Cohort Charge: Each Cohort application requires a separate payment, even if you have previously paid for an earlier Cohort of the same Competition.
• Authorization: You represent that any payment method you submit is yours (or used with the legal owner's authorization) and that you authorize the charge.
• Failed Payments: If payment fails, expires, or is reversed, you will not be permitted to submit your application for the applicable Cohort.
• Pricing Changes: We may change Entry Fees for future Cohorts at any time. Fees in effect at the time you complete checkout are the fees that apply to your purchase.

6. Refunds and Cancellations

Default Refund Policy. Unless a particular Competition or Organizer publishes a more generous policy at the time of checkout, the following applies:

• Eligible for refund: Within seven (7) calendar days of payment, and only if you have not yet submitted your application for that Cohort.
• Not eligible for refund: After you have submitted your application; after seven (7) days have passed; if the Cohort registration deadline has closed; or if SEF determines, in good faith, that the request is fraudulent.
• How to request: Email [email protected] with your account email and the Competition name. Approved refunds are issued to the original payment method through Creem and typically appear within 5–10 business days.

Chargebacks. If you believe a charge is incorrect, please contact us first. Initiating a chargeback without first contacting SEF, or initiating a chargeback that we determine to be without merit, may result in suspension or termination of your account and forfeiture of any pending applications.

Cancellation by SEF. If a Competition or Cohort is canceled by SEF or the Organizer before the registration deadline, paid Entry Fees will be refunded in full to the original payment method.

EU/UK consumers — right of withdrawal. If you are a consumer in the European Union or the United Kingdom, you may have a statutory right to withdraw from a purchase within fourteen (14) days. Because an Entry Fee is for digital content/services that begin immediately, by completing checkout you expressly request that we begin performance right away and acknowledge that you lose your statutory right of withdrawal once the service has been fully performed (i.e., once your application slot is unlocked). This does not affect the voluntary refund rights described above.

7. Competition Rules and Submissions

When participating in any Competition, you agree to:

• Comply with the specific rules, guidelines, and eligibility criteria of each Competition.
• Submit only original work that is your own, unless the Competition rules expressly permit otherwise.
• Not engage in plagiarism, fabrication, unauthorized collaboration, or any form of academic dishonesty.
• Respect all deadlines set by the Organizer.
• Accept the decisions of judges as final.

Violations may result in disqualification, removal of submissions, refusal of refunds, suspension or termination of your account, and other remedies at SEF's discretion.

Organizer Relationship. Each Competition is administered by an Organizer. SEF provides the platform but is not the Organizer of every Competition, does not award prizes for every Competition, and is not responsible for the substantive decisions, judging, or prize fulfillment of Competitions administered by third-party Organizers.

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 Your Content

You retain all ownership rights in User Content that you submit. By submitting User Content, you grant SEF and the relevant Organizer a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, display, and distribute that User Content as reasonably necessary to operate the Service, evaluate your application, judge the Competition, and announce or promote results. This license terminates when you or we delete the User Content, except to the extent we are required to retain it for legal, audit, or fraud-prevention purposes.

8.2 SEF Content

All content on the Service that is not User Content — including logos, text, graphics, software, layouts, and design — is the property of SEF or its licensors and is protected by U.S. and international intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, reverse engineer, scrape, or create derivative works from any part of the Service without our prior written permission.

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws or regulations.
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation, age, school, or grade.
• Upload, transmit, or distribute any content that is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, harassing, hateful, or that infringes any third-party rights.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service, other accounts, or any related systems or networks.
• Use any automated means (bots, scrapers, crawlers, or similar) to access, monitor, or interact with the Service without our prior written consent.
• Interfere with, disrupt, or impose unreasonable load on the Service or its infrastructure.
• Use the Service to send unsolicited communications, spam, or marketing messages.
• Submit false information, including fraudulent payment details or false eligibility representations.

10. DMCA Notice and Takedown

If you believe that material on the Service infringes your copyright, please send a written notice to our designated DMCA agent at [email protected] with the subject line "DMCA Notice" containing:

• Your physical or electronic signature.
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
• Identification of the allegedly infringing material and information sufficient to locate it on the Service (e.g., URL).
• Your contact information (address, telephone number, email).
• A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the owner's behalf.

We will respond to valid notices in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512. Knowingly submitting a false notice may result in liability under federal law.

11. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, SEF DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND QUIET ENJOYMENT.

SEF DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE; THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED; OR THAT THE SERVICE OR THE SERVERS HOSTING IT ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. SEF MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE OUTCOME OF ANY APPLICATION OR THE AVAILABILITY OF ANY PRIZE.

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL SEF, ITS AFFILIATES, OR ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, EVEN IF SEF HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IN NO EVENT WILL SEF'S TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE TOTAL AMOUNTS YOU HAVE PAID TO SEF IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100). SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES, SO PORTIONS OF THIS SECTION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

13. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless SEF, its affiliates, and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party right, including any intellectual property, publicity, privacy, or contractual right; (d) your User Content; or (e) any false information you provide.

14. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

Please read this Section carefully. It requires you and SEF to resolve disputes through binding individual arbitration and waives your right to participate in class actions or a jury trial.

14.1 Informal Resolution

Before filing arbitration, you agree to first contact us at [email protected] and provide a brief written description of the dispute. The parties will attempt to resolve the dispute in good faith for at least sixty (60) days before initiating arbitration.

14.2 Binding Arbitration

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service that is not resolved informally will be resolved by binding, individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Consumer Arbitration Rules then in effect. The arbitration will be conducted in Cheyenne, Wyoming, or, at your election, by telephone or videoconference. The arbitrator's award is final and may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

14.3 Class Action Waiver

YOU AND SEF AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not preside over any form of representative or class proceeding.

14.4 30-Day Opt-Out

You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing [email protected] with the subject line "Arbitration Opt-Out" within thirty (30) days of first accepting these Terms. Your email must include your full name and the email address associated with your account. Opting out will not otherwise affect these Terms.

14.5 Exceptions

Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may (a) bring an individual action in small claims court for disputes within that court's jurisdiction, and (b) seek injunctive or equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement of intellectual property rights.

15. Governing Law and Venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. Subject to Section 14, any action that may not be subject to arbitration shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Laramie County, Wyoming, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

16. Modifications to the Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by posting the updated Terms on this page with a revised "Last updated" date, and, where reasonably practicable, by additional notice such as email. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any update constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree, you must stop using the Service.

17. Termination

You may stop using the Service and request account deletion at any time by emailing [email protected]. We may suspend or terminate your access immediately, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms or to protect SEF, other users, or the Service. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 18) will survive.

18. Miscellaneous

• Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any rules posted on a specific Competition page, constitute the entire agreement between you and SEF regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements.
• Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
• No Waiver. SEF's failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of that right or provision.
• Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms freely, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
• No Agency. No agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship is created between you and SEF by these Terms.
• Force Majeure. SEF is not liable for failure or delay in performance caused by events beyond its reasonable control.

19. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at:

• Email: [email protected]
• Entity: TJLim Co., LLC (d/b/a Student Excellence Foundation), a Wyoming limited liability company
• Mailing address: 30 N Gould St Ste N, Sheridan, WY 82801, United States