The rules that
sit under the work.

1. Who we are

The site and the programme are operated by the Global Quest Competition Foundation, a Hong Kong-registered non-profit (Reg. No. 4715454), with regional chapters in the United Kingdom and the United States. In these terms, “GQC”, “we” and “us” mean the Foundation and those chapters acting together to deliver the 2026 cycle.

2. Accepting these terms

By using the site, creating an account, submitting an application, joining a team, mentoring, judging, or attending a GQC event, you agree to these terms. If you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian must consent to your participation; the application form collects that consent. If you do not agree, do not apply and do not use the applicant portal.

3. Eligibility and honest representation

You must meet the published eligibility rules on the date applications open. You must not misstate age, enrolment, authorship, prior submissions to other competitions, or the contribution of teammates. We may request evidence (student ID, enrolment letters) and may disqualify a team for material misrepresentation at any point in the cycle, including after a prize is announced. Disqualification may include withdrawal of a certificate; verification records are updated accordingly.

4. Accounts and the portal

You are responsible for the credentials issued to your corresponding member. Do not share passwords. Notify us if you believe an account has been misused. We may suspend access where we reasonably believe the terms, the law, or other participants are at risk.

5. Intellectual property

You retain ownership of the work you create for GQC. By submitting, you grant the Foundation a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to reproduce, display and excerpt the work for the purpose of running the competition: jury packs, public exhibits, the annual report, educational case studies, and accurate news reporting about the cycle. We will credit the team. We will not assign your IP to a sponsor. Mentors and judges assign to the Foundation any comments they write in official critique forms; those comments may be returned to you and archived for audit.

You must have the right to use any third-party material you include (datasets, photographs, trademarks, code). Open-source components must be declared. Work that infringes third-party rights may be removed from judging.

6. Conduct

Harassment, discrimination, plagiarism, fabrication of data, sabotage of another team, or misuse of mentor channels are grounds for removal. City events follow host-venue rules. We may record public sessions for access and archive; jury rooms are not public and are not recorded without notice.

7. Feedback is not a contract

Early-Stage Feedback, clinic notes and written critiques are educational. They are not legal, medical or investment advice, and they do not create a duty to shortlist, fund or partner with a team. Scores are a matter of academic and professional judgement under the published rubric.

8. Certificates

Certificates of Participation and Achievement are issued at the Foundation’s discretion according to the published rules. Each certificate carries a unique identifier and a checksum. Verification is available at gqc.org/cert/verify.html. A certificate attests that the named person took part in the stated capacity and, where relevant, received the stated prize. It is not an academic degree, a professional licence, or evidence of affiliation with Regeneron ISEF or any other programme. Forgery, alteration, or presenting an unverifiable file as a GQC certificate is prohibited.

9. Fees, bursaries and prizes

The application fee, where charged, is non-refundable after the deadline except where the Foundation cancels the cycle. Travel bursaries are paid or booked by us according to the city pack sent to shortlisted teams; they are not cash prizes and unused portions do not convert to a payment. Seed grants attached to prizes are paid to a team account or a designated fiscal host under grant terms issued with the award letter. Tax treatment is the recipient’s responsibility.

10. Liability

The site and the programme are provided as a non-profit educational activity. To the extent permitted by law, the Foundation is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for decisions you make (university applications, venture formation) on the basis of participation. Nothing in these terms excludes liability for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence. Host universities and venues have their own conditions of entry.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. UK and US chapters comply with local event and data-protection law in their jurisdictions. If a provision is unenforceable, the rest remains in effect.

12. Changes

We may update these terms for a future cycle. Material changes during an open cycle will be emailed to registered corresponding members. Continued participation after that notice constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.