Terms & Conditions of Participation

01Definitions

"Organiser" means Gmedia, having its registered office at MPR Arcade, Cyber Hills Colony, VIP Hills, Silicon Valley, Madhapur, Hyderabad, Telangana 500081, India.

"Pageant" means Mrs South Icon, comprising registration, audition, selection, orientation, state grooming camp, state showcase, finalist grooming, final grooming, Grand Finale and Success Party.

"Participant", "Applicant", "you" means any person who submits a registration form for the Pageant.

"Fee" means any and all amounts payable under section 5.

"Season" means one complete edition of the Pageant from the opening of registration to the Success Party.

"Marks" means the name Mrs South Icon, the Gmedia name, and all associated logos, crown and sash designs, taglines and trade dress.

02Eligibility

2.1To be eligible you must:

• be a woman aged 18 years or above as on the date of registration;
• be married, divorced, legally separated or widowed;
• be a citizen of India, or a person of Indian origin holding valid legal status to reside in India;
• be ordinarily resident in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu or Kerala;
• be physically and medically fit to undertake sustained physical activity including ramp rehearsal, choreography and extended periods of standing;
• not be subject to any contract, agreement or title obligation with any other pageant, agency or organisation that conflicts with these terms;
• not have been convicted of any offence involving moral turpitude.

2.2Documentary proof. The Organiser may require, at any stage, and you agree to provide within 7 days of request:

• proof of age: birth certificate, passport, or PAN card;
• proof of marital status: marriage certificate, decree of divorce, judicial separation order, or death certificate of spouse;
• proof of residence in the qualifying state: Aadhaar, passport, utility bill, rental agreement, employment certificate or electoral roll entry;
• a valid government photo identity document.

2.3Failure to furnish requested proof within 7 days is a material breach and results in disqualification under section 8, without refund.

2.4The Organiser is the sole judge of eligibility. Its determination is final and binding.

03Nature of the Pageant

3.1The Pageant is a competitive selection process combined with a structured training and development programme. It is not a guarantee of selection, placement, title, employment, representation, modelling assignment, media exposure, or any commercial outcome.

3.2No representation made by any person, whether orally, in person, by telephone, over any messaging platform, on social media, or by any agent, scout, coordinator or affiliate, forms part of this contract unless expressly set out in these terms in writing.

3.3You acknowledge that you have not relied on any such representation in deciding to register.

04Registration and selection

4.1Registration is complete only upon receipt by the Organiser of the applicable fee in full and in cleared funds.

4.2Submission of a form, or payment of a fee, does not entitle you to selection at any stage.

4.3All decisions relating to selection, scoring, shortlisting, elimination, judging, placement, title and sub-title are made at the sole and absolute discretion of the Organiser and its appointed judges, and are final and binding.

4.4The Organiser is under no obligation to disclose reasons, scores, rankings, judging criteria weightings or deliberations to any Participant or third party.

4.5No appeal, review, re-evaluation, correspondence or dispute concerning any selection or judging decision will be entertained.

4.6The Organiser reserves the absolute right to decline, suspend or cancel any application at any stage without assigning reasons.

4.7You must inform the Organiser in writing within 7 days of any change to the information provided at registration, including change of contact details, marital status or residence.

05Fees, payment and fee structure

5.1The total participation fee is Rs. 5,00,000 (Rupees Five Lakh only), inclusive of applicable taxes.

5.2What the Fee covers. The Fee is allocated across the stages of the Pageant as follows:

5.3What the Fee does not cover:

• travel to and from auditions, camps, the host city and the Grand Finale;
• accommodation outside scheduled residential camp nights;
• personal wardrobe, footwear, jewellery and accessories beyond items expressly provided under 5.2;
• personal grooming, cosmetics and salon services beyond scheduled sessions;
• personal medical, dental or therapeutic expenses;
• personal insurance;
• guest tickets, guest meals and guest accommodation;
• any expense not expressly listed in 5.2.

5.4Stage payments. Where the Organiser permits payment in stages, each stage payment falls due on the date communicated in writing. Progression to the next stage is conditional on payment being received in full.

5.5Late payment. Late payment attracts a charge of Rs. 1,000 per day from the due date. Where payment remains outstanding for more than 10 days, the Organiser may disqualify the Participant under section 8 without refund, and all amounts already paid stand forfeited in accordance with section 6.

5.6Payment is processed through the Organiser's authorised payment gateway partner. The Organiser does not receive or store payment instrument details.

5.7All bank charges, gateway charges, currency conversion charges and transaction reversals are borne by the Participant.

06Refunds and forfeiture

6.2This applies to every category of payment made to the Organiser, including without limitation: registration fees, audition fees, application processing fees, stage fees, grooming fees, camp fees, finalist fees, production fees, wardrobe fees, photography fees, ticket fees, guest fees, advertising or programme fees, and any other amount paid by a Participant, her family, a sponsor or any third party on her behalf.

6.3Basis of non-refundability. The Fee is not a deposit, a security, or a penalty. It is consideration for services the Organiser commissions, contracts and pays for in advance of delivery, including venue bookings, faculty and trainer engagements, accommodation, catering contracts, production crew, wardrobe procurement and marketing commitments. These costs are incurred and become non-recoverable by the Organiser as each stage is commissioned, irrespective of whether an individual Participant attends. The Participant acknowledges that the Fee corresponds to costs genuinely incurred.

6.4No refund is payable where:

• you are not selected at audition or at any subsequent stage;
• you withdraw at any stage, for any reason, including personal, medical, family, professional or financial reasons;
• you are disqualified under section 8;
• you fail to attend any audition, camp, rehearsal, showcase or the Grand Finale;
• you are found ineligible at any stage, whether or not the ineligibility was known to you at registration;
• you fail to furnish documentary proof under 2.2;
• your personal circumstances change after registration;
• you request deletion of your personal data during an active Season.

6.5Cancellation by the Organiser. If the Organiser cancels the Pageant in its entirety, for reasons within the Organiser's reasonable control, the Organiser will refund the Fee on the following basis:

• cancellation before the Stage C grooming camps commence: refund of all amounts paid, less amounts already expended by the Organiser on that Participant's behalf at Stages A and B;
• cancellation after the Stage C grooming camps commence: refund of the proportion of the Fee attributable under 5.2 to stages not yet delivered.

Refunds under this clause are paid within 45 working days of written notice of cancellation, to the source account of payment.

6.6No refund is payable under 6.5 where cancellation, postponement, curtailment or alteration arises from an event falling within section 15.

6.7Postponement. Where the Pageant or any stage is postponed, your registration transfers automatically to the rescheduled dates at no additional registration fee. No refund arises on postponement. If you are unable to attend the rescheduled dates, 6.4(b) applies.

07Participation obligations

7.1Attendance is mandatory at every session of every stage you reach, including grooming sessions, rehearsals, fittings, photo and video shoots, press interactions and the finale.

7.2Any absence must be notified in advance in writing with a valid reason acceptable to the Organiser. Unexplained or repeated absence is a material breach.

7.3The state grooming camp is residential for 7 days. You must remain at the camp venue for its duration and comply with all camp rules, curfews, timings and instructions issued by the Organiser or its staff.

7.4You must at all times conduct yourself with courtesy, professionalism and respect toward other Participants, mentors, judges, trainers, staff, sponsors, media and the public.

7.5You must not:

• consume alcohol or any prohibited substance at any Pageant venue or during any Pageant activity;
• invite or admit any unauthorised person to a camp venue;
• solicit, approach or negotiate with sponsors, judges or media independently of the Organiser;
• record, livestream or publish any camp session, rehearsal or judging process without written permission;
• engage in any conduct that endangers the safety of any person.

7.6The Organiser's decision on any question of conduct is final.

08Disqualification and termination

8.1The Organiser may disqualify any Participant, at any time, at any stage, with immediate effect and without refund, where in the Organiser's reasonable judgement the Participant:

• has provided false, misleading or incomplete information, whether discovered before, during or after the Pageant;
• fails to meet any eligibility criterion under section 2;
• fails to furnish documentary proof under 2.2;
• breaches any obligation under section 7;
• fails to pay any amount when due, subject to 5.5;
• engages in conduct that is dishonest, abusive, harassing, discriminatory, violent, unsafe or unlawful;
• engages in conduct that brings, or is reasonably likely to bring, the Pageant, the Organiser, its sponsors or its partners into disrepute;
• breaches section 12 or section 13.

8.2Disqualification takes effect on written notice. The Organiser is not obliged to give prior warning.

8.3On disqualification you must immediately cease all use of the Marks, return any crown, sash, trophy or Organiser property in the condition received, and withdraw any public claim to a title or placement.

8.4Disqualification does not limit any other remedy available to the Organiser, including damages and injunctive relief.

09Health, safety and assumption of risk

9.1Participation involves physical activity including ramp rehearsal, choreography, extended periods standing, travel, use of stage equipment, elevated platforms and stage lighting. You confirm you are medically fit to take part.

9.2You must disclose any health condition, injury, allergy, dietary requirement, pregnancy or medication relevant to your safety. Non-disclosure that contributes to injury is at your own risk.

9.3You must inform the Organiser immediately of any change in your health that arises after registration.

9.4The Organiser will arrange reasonable first-aid provision at residential camps and the Grand Finale. The Organiser is not responsible for your ongoing medical treatment, hospitalisation or medical expenses.

9.5You are strongly advised to hold personal medical and accident insurance covering the full period of your participation.

9.6You participate at your own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Organiser is not liable for injury, illness, loss or damage sustained during or arising from participation, save where caused by the Organiser's gross negligence or wilful misconduct.

9.7The Organiser is not responsible for your personal belongings, jewellery, devices or valuables at any venue.

10Image, media and publicity rights

10.1All photographs, video, audio and other recordings made by or on behalf of the Organiser at any Pageant activity are and remain the exclusive property of the Organiser.

10.2Where you have given media consent at registration, you grant the Organiser a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sub-licensable licence to use, reproduce, edit, adapt, publish, broadcast and distribute your name, likeness, image, voice, biography and application content for promotion of the Pageant and the Organiser, in any medium now known or later developed.

10.3You are not entitled to any payment, royalty, credit or further consent in respect of such use.

10.4You waive any right to inspect or approve any finished product, copy or caption in which your likeness appears.

10.6You may not make any commercial use of Pageant footage, imagery or the Marks without the Organiser's prior written permission.

10.7Any content you publish referring to the Pageant must be accurate, must not imply a title, placement or endorsement you have not received, and must not misrepresent your standing.

11Title, prizes and titleholder obligations

11.1Prizes are fixed and as announced. Prizes are not transferable, not negotiable and cannot be exchanged for cash or any alternative.

11.2The Organiser is not responsible where a sponsor fails to deliver a prize the sponsor has undertaken to provide, and will use reasonable efforts to procure delivery.

11.3All tax, duty and statutory deduction on prizes is the responsibility of the recipient.

11.4The titleholder holds the title of Mrs South Icon for the title year and must be reasonably available for promotional appearances, media engagements, sponsor obligations and Organiser events during that period.

11.5All appearances, endorsements, interviews and public engagements made in the capacity of titleholder require the Organiser's prior written approval.

11.6The crown, sash and all Organiser property remain the property of the Organiser at all times and must be returned on demand in the condition received.

11.7The Organiser may withdraw the title, require return of the crown, sash and all prizes, and recover the value of any prize disposed of, where the titleholder breaches these terms or conducts herself in a manner that brings the Pageant into disrepute.

12Exclusivity

12.1From selection as a finalist until 12 months after the conclusion of the Season, you may not enter, compete in, accept a title from, or hold yourself out as a representative of any other pageant or competition of a similar nature, without the Organiser's prior written consent.

12.2The titleholder, runners-up and sub-title winners are additionally bound by 12.1 for a period of 24 months from the conclusion of the Season.

12.3Breach of this section entitles the Organiser to claim damages, to withdraw the title and prizes, and to seek injunctive relief from any court of competent jurisdiction.

13Confidentiality and conduct in public

13.1You must keep confidential all non-public information you learn through participation, including judging criteria, scores, deliberations, sponsor arrangements, commercial terms, production plans and the personal information of other Participants.

13.2You must not make, publish or encourage any statement, in any medium, that is false, defamatory or damaging to the reputation of the Pageant, the Organiser, its staff, judges, sponsors, partners or any other Participant.

13.3Nothing in this section prevents you from making a good-faith report to a law enforcement or regulatory authority, or from giving truthful evidence where legally required.

13.4This section survives the end of your participation.

14Intellectual property

14.1The Marks, this website, and all associated content, design, format, concept and material are the exclusive property of the Organiser.

14.2No licence to use the Marks is granted by these terms, save a limited, revocable, non-exclusive right for a current Participant to identify herself accurately as a participant in the Pageant.

14.3You may not register, apply to register, or use any name, mark or domain that is identical or confusingly similar to the Marks.

14.4Any content you submit at registration may be used by the Organiser in accordance with section 10 and the Privacy Policy.

15Force majeure

15.1The Organiser is not liable for any failure, delay, cancellation, postponement or curtailment arising from an event beyond its reasonable control, including: act of God, natural disaster, flood, fire, earthquake, epidemic, pandemic, public health order, government order or restriction, change in law, war, terrorism, civil unrest, strike, venue closure or failure, power failure, failure of transport or communications infrastructure, or any comparable event.

15.2In such an event the Organiser may postpone, reschedule, relocate, reformat, curtail or cancel the Pageant or any stage of it.

15.3No refund, compensation or damages are payable in respect of any event falling within this section.

16Changes to the Pageant

16.1The Organiser may change dates, venues, host city, format, rounds, number of rounds, judging criteria, judges, mentors, faculty, prize structure and sponsor line-up where reasonably necessary.

16.2Material changes will be communicated to affected Participants in writing.

16.3Such changes do not entitle any Participant to a refund or to withdraw with compensation.

16.4The Organiser may amend these terms. The version in force at the date of your registration governs your participation, unless amendment is required by law or by an event under section 15.

17Indemnity

17.1You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Organiser, its directors, officers, employees, agents, sponsors and partners against any claim, demand, loss, liability, cost or expense, including reasonable legal costs, arising from:

• any false, misleading or incomplete information you provide;
• your breach of these terms;
• any content you publish concerning the Pageant;
• any claim by a third party arising from your conduct during the Pageant;
• any infringement by you of a third party's intellectual property or personality rights.

18Limitation of liability

18.1Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud.

18.2Subject to 18.1, the Organiser's total aggregate liability to you arising out of or in connection with your participation is limited to the total amount of the Fee actually paid by you.

18.3Subject to 18.1, the Organiser is not liable for loss of opportunity, loss of profit, loss of income, loss of reputation, or any indirect or consequential loss.

19Data protection

19.1Your personal data is collected and processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these terms.

19.2You acknowledge that a request to delete your personal data during an active Season ends your participation, and that no refund arises.

20Complaints

Complaints must be made in writing to events@gmedia.org.in. We acknowledge within 7 working days and respond substantively within 30 days.

Complaints concerning selection or judging decisions are not entertained, in accordance with 4.5.

21Dispute resolution

21.1The parties will first attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute through discussion within 30 days of written notice of the dispute.

21.2Failing resolution, the dispute is referred to arbitration by a sole arbitrator appointed by the Organiser, under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.

21.3The seat and venue of arbitration is Hyderabad, Telangana. The language is English. The award is final and binding.

21.4Each party bears its own costs unless the arbitrator directs otherwise.

21.5Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking urgent injunctive relief from a court of competent jurisdiction.

22Governing law and jurisdiction

These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Subject to section 21, the courts at Hyderabad, Telangana have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from or in connection with these terms.

23General

23.1Entire agreement. These terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Organiser concerning the Pageant, and supersede all prior representations, whether written or oral.

23.2Severability. If any provision is found unenforceable, it is severed and the remaining provisions continue in full force.

23.3Survival. Sections 6, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 21 and 22 survive the end of your participation, by any means.

23.4Waiver. No failure or delay by the Organiser in enforcing any provision operates as a waiver of it.

23.5Assignment. You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations. The Organiser may assign to any successor entity.

23.6Notices. Notices to you are sent to the email or phone number given at registration and are deemed received 48 hours after sending. Notices to the Organiser must be sent to events@gmedia.org.in.

23.7Language. These terms are executed in English. Any translation is for convenience only, and the English version prevails.