1.1 The Competition is a culinary talent initiative intended to identify, showcase, and celebrate talented home cooks, culinary enthusiasts, aspiring chefs, and other culinary practitioners connected with the State of Uttar Pradesh.

1.2 The Competition may include one or more stages, including without limitation: (a) registration and application; (b) screening and shortlisting; (c) telephonic, virtual, or in-person verification and/or audition; (d) on-ground cooking rounds and filmed competition rounds; and (e) finale and winner announcement.

1.3 The Competition is being conceived and conducted as a filmed property. It may be recorded, photographed, edited, produced, exhibited, distributed, promoted, monetised, commercialised, or otherwise exploited, in whole or in part, in any format and across any platform, including without limitation television, OTT, digital, social media, branded content, promotional campaigns, archive usage, and any present or future media.

1.4 The Organiser reserves the right to modify the format, structure, number of rounds, schedule, location, duration, judging process, production treatment, distribution plan, platform strategy, and any other aspect of the Competition at its sole discretion.

2.1 The Competition is open to individuals who: (a) are 18 years of age or older on the date of registration; (b) are either currently residing in Uttar Pradesh or are originally from Uttar Pradesh; (c) are legally competent to contract under applicable law; and (d) are available and able to participate in in-person rounds, shoots, and finale events if shortlisted.

2.2 The Competition is open to home cooks, culinary enthusiasts, aspiring chefs, and may also include chefs or culinary professionals associated with restaurants, catering services, food businesses, or related culinary backgrounds, unless otherwise restricted by the Organiser.

2.3 The Organiser may require proof of age, identity, residence, place of origin, or any other eligibility-related information at any stage. Failure to furnish such proof within the required timeline may result in rejection or disqualification.

2.4 The Organiser reserves the right to reject or disqualify any person whose participation may, in its reasonable view, create legal, safety, reputational, editorial, operational, or production-related concerns.

3.1 Entries may be invited through the official Competition website and/or through such other official channels, including official social media channels, as may be notified or accepted by the Organiser from time to time.

3.2 The Organiser shall have sole discretion to determine which entry routes are valid, active, and acceptable at any given time.

3.3 Registration may require submission of details and materials including, without limitation: (a) full name; (b) city/location; (c) mobile number and/or WhatsApp number; (d) email address; (e) details of a signature or special dish; (f) photographs; (g) video submissions; and (h) any additional declarations, proofs, or information as may be required by the Organiser.

3.4 All information submitted by a Participant must be true, accurate, complete, current, and not misleading. Any false, incomplete, fabricated, impersonated, misleading, or unverifiable information may result in rejection or disqualification at any stage.

3.5 Submission of an application does not guarantee shortlisting, callback, audition, participation in any round, on-ground appearance, filming, telecast, digital distribution, or receipt of any prize or benefit.

3.6 The Organiser reserves the right to reject entries that are incomplete, corrupted, technically defective, inaccessible, delayed, duplicated, suspicious, or otherwise non-compliant.

3.7 The Organiser may extend, suspend, close, reopen, or otherwise modify the entry window or submission process at its sole discretion.

3.8 Unless expressly permitted by the Organiser, only one entry per Participant may be considered. The Organiser reserves the right to reject duplicate or multiple entries submitted by or on behalf of the same individual.

4.1 By registering for the Competition, each Participant confirms and declares that: (a) all information and materials submitted are true, accurate, and lawfully provided; (b) the Participant has read and agreed to these Terms; (c) the Participant consents to the Organiser collecting, storing, processing, using, reviewing, and communicating with the Participant in relation to the Competition; and (d) the Participant consents to the Organiser reviewing and using the Participant's submitted name, personal details, photographs, videos, voice, and other application materials for purposes connected with administering, evaluating, promoting, publicising, filming, and conducting the Competition.

4.2 A mandatory checkbox or any equivalent affirmative acceptance mechanism at the time of registration shall constitute valid acceptance of these Terms.

5.1 By submitting any photograph, video, recipe, dish description, culinary concept, text, audio, visual material, or any other content in connection with the Competition ("Submission Material"), the Participant represents and warrants that: (a) the Submission Material is original to the Participant or the Participant has all necessary rights and permissions to submit it; (b) the Submission Material does not infringe any copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, moral, contractual, or other third-party right; (c) the Submission Material does not contain unlawful, defamatory, obscene, hateful, harassing, misleading, violent, or otherwise inappropriate content; (d) any person appearing in the Submission Material has consented to such appearance and usage, where applicable; and (e) no unauthorised music, logos, artwork, branded content, or third-party materials have been used.

5.2 The Organiser may prescribe technical requirements such as file format, duration, size, orientation, quality, and upload method. Submission Materials that do not comply may be rejected.

5.3 The Organiser reserves the right to crop, edit, compress, subtitle, dub, reformat, adapt, compile, publish, or otherwise modify Submission Material for screening, administrative, editorial, promotional, production, or commercial purposes.

6.1 All entries shall be screened in accordance with criteria determined solely by the Organiser.

6.2 Shortlisting may be based on any factors the Organiser considers relevant, including without limitation culinary skill, originality, authenticity, dish appeal, storytelling, personality, suitability for the format, camera presence, regional relevance, and compliance with these Terms.

6.3 The Organiser may contact shortlisted applicants by phone, WhatsApp, email, or any other contact details provided by the Participant.

6.4 It shall be the Participant's sole responsibility to remain reachable, responsive, and available. Failure to respond, verify details, or attend any required stage within the timeline communicated may result in replacement or disqualification.

6.5 The Organiser may conduct verification, background review, social media review, or such other diligence as it deems appropriate.

6.6 The Organiser is under no obligation to disclose reasons for shortlisting, non-shortlisting, elimination, replacement, or disqualification.

7.1 Shortlisted and/or finalist Participants may be required to attend and participate in an on-ground filmed competition and shoot schedule, which may span multiple days, including a proposed 3-day shoot format, subject to change at the Organiser's discretion.

7.2 Participants may be required to attend rehearsals, briefing sessions, interviews, cooking rounds, promotional shoots, media interactions, sponsor-led integrations, and finale events.

7.3 Participants must: (a) report at the designated venue and time; (b) remain available for the duration communicated by the Organiser; (c) comply with all production, scheduling, kitchen, venue, safety, and behavioural requirements; and (d) follow all instructions issued by the Organiser, crew, judges, venue personnel, and authorised representatives.

7.4 The Organiser may provide ingredients, appliances, utensils, workstations, attire, props, or challenge-related material, and may regulate or restrict the use of personal tools, ingredients, reference materials, electronic devices, or outside assistance.

7.5 The Organiser reserves the right to alter challenge rules, time limits, round structures, equipment allocation, ingredient baskets, eliminations, shoot schedules, and finale mechanics at any time.

7.6 Shortlisted and/or finalist Participants may be required, prior to the commencement of on-ground filming, to execute additional declarations, releases, undertakings, appearance consents, confidentiality undertakings, or filming-related documents as prescribed by the Organiser. Failure or refusal to sign such documents may result in disqualification or replacement.

8.1 The Participant acknowledges that the Competition is a filmed and recorded property.

8.2 By registering for and participating in the Competition, the Participant irrevocably consents to being filmed, photographed, audio-recorded, interviewed, and otherwise recorded in connection with the Competition.

8.3 The Participant irrevocably grants to the Organiser, its affiliates, successors, assigns, licensees, sponsors, production partners, broadcasters, digital platforms, media partners, and other authorised third parties a worldwide, perpetual, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free right and licence to film, record, reproduce, edit, adapt, dub, subtitle, translate, distribute, exhibit, communicate to the public, publicise, archive, monetise, exploit, and otherwise use: (a) the Participant's name, likeness, image, voice, persona, biography, statements, and social identity; (b) all Submission Material; (c) all footage, photographs, recordings, recipes, performances, interviews, interactions, and content arising from the Participant's participation in the Competition; and (d) any derivative works, edits, promos, trailers, teasers, episodes, reels, compilations, branded content, and commercial materials based thereon, in any manner and across any media or platform now known or later developed.

8.4 The Participant acknowledges and agrees that: (a) the Organiser shall have sole editorial and commercial discretion over the use of all such footage and content; (b) the Competition and related footage may or may not be exhibited, broadcast, streamed, or commercially released; (c) the Organiser shall have the unrestricted right to use or not use such footage/content at its sole discretion; and (d) the Participant shall have no right to object to editing, sequencing, dubbing, promotional framing, packaging, or commercial exploitation, save as may be prohibited by law.

8.5 Except where expressly agreed in writing, the Participant shall not be entitled to any additional fee, royalty, residual, compensation, approval right, or other payment for the filming, recording, use, or exploitation of such content.

9.1 The Competition shall be judged by one or more judges, experts, celebrity chefs, culinary professionals, guest judges, or such persons as may be appointed by the Organiser from time to time.

9.2 The Organiser reserves the right to appoint, replace, add, withdraw, or change any judge or judging panel member at any stage without prior notice.

9.3 Judging may be based on criteria including taste, technique, creativity, authenticity, execution, hygiene, presentation, adaptability, time management, and performance in the challenge format, or any other criteria determined by the Organiser or judging panel.

9.4 All decisions of the Organiser and/or judges regarding shortlisting, scoring, eliminations, ranking, and winner determination shall be final and binding and shall not be open to challenge or appeal.

9.5 The Organiser may modify the number of finalists, winners, runner-up positions, or the finale format at its sole discretion.

10.1 Participants shall at all times conduct themselves in a respectful, lawful, professional, and sportsmanlike manner.

10.2 Without limitation, the following may result in immediate disqualification or removal: (a) cheating or attempted cheating; (b) plagiarism or misrepresentation of recipes or work; (c) tampering with another Participant's ingredients, workstation, equipment, or preparation; (d) abusive, threatening, violent, vulgar, discriminatory, defamatory, or disruptive conduct; (e) intoxication, possession of prohibited items, or behaviour compromising safety or production; (f) attempts to improperly influence judges, crew, or organisers; (g) unauthorised disclosure of confidential or non-public production information; or (h) any act that brings or is likely to bring the Competition, Organiser, judges, sponsors, or partners into disrepute.

10.3 Participants shall ensure that they shall not make any remarks or statements, orally or in writing, which are politically or religiously sensitive or defamatory. Further, they shall ensure that they shall not make or post any statements about the Organiser which are defamatory or which reflect negatively about the Organiser on any public platform, including but not limited to social media.

11.1 Participants are solely responsible for ensuring that they are medically fit to travel, cook, participate in challenges, and endure the shoot schedule and on-ground competition activity.

11.2 Participants may be required to disclose relevant allergies, dietary restrictions, medical issues, injuries, or physical limitations that may affect participation.

11.3 Participants must comply with all food safety, hygiene, sanitation, appliance, fire, and kitchen safety requirements applicable to the Competition.

11.4 The Organiser may prohibit any ingredient, process, appliance, or cooking method considered unsafe, impractical, unlawful, or unsuitable for the format.

11.5 Participation is at the Participant's own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Organiser shall not be liable for injuries, illness, allergic reactions, accidents, burns, cuts, loss, damage, or other harm arising from participation, except to the extent directly caused by the Organiser's wilful misconduct.

12.1 Participants shortlisted for on-ground rounds and/or the finale may be required to travel to such locations as notified by the Organiser.

12.2 Unless expressly stated otherwise in writing, Participants shall bear their own travel and incidental expenses.

12.3 For finalists, the Organiser may provide only: (a) accommodation/stay for the duration determined by the Organiser; and (b) up to three meals per day during the designated stay period.

12.4 No entitlement is created in favour of any Participant for reimbursement of travel, local transport, shopping, companion stay, incidental expenses, or any expense not expressly undertaken by the Organiser in writing.

12.5 The nature, class, duration, venue, and extent of accommodation and meal arrangements shall be at the sole discretion of the Organiser.

13.1 The Competition may include prizes, titles, trophies, certificates, sponsor-led rewards, gifts, opportunities, visibility, or other benefits, the nature and extent of which shall be determined by the Organiser at its sole discretion.

13.2 The Organiser reserves the right to announce, modify, substitute, vary, reduce, increase, defer, split, or withdraw any prize, reward, or benefit at any time without prior notice.

13.3 No Participant shall have any claim as to the exact value, nature, brand, quantity, method of disbursal, or timing of any prize or reward unless expressly confirmed by the Organiser in writing.

13.4 Prizes, if any, are non-transferable and may not be exchanged for cash unless the Organiser determines otherwise.

13.5 The Organiser may withhold, cancel, or recover any prize or benefit if a Participant is later found ineligible, in breach of these Terms, or otherwise disqualified.

13.6 All taxes, duties, levies, and statutory charges relating to any prize or benefit shall be borne by the relevant Participant, unless applicable law requires otherwise.

14.1 Subject to the licence granted under these Terms, Participants retain ownership of their pre-existing original recipe concepts and materials created independently prior to the Competition.

14.2 By submitting Submission Material and/or participating in the Competition, the Participant grants to the Organiser the broad rights set out in Clause 8 above, including the right to use the Participant's submissions, recipes, dish names, photographs, videos, footage, and related materials for Competition, production, promotional, editorial, archival, and commercial purposes.

14.3 The Participant shall not use the Organiser's name, logos, Competition branding, judge likenesses, sponsor marks, or footage from the Competition for commercial purposes without prior written consent of the Organiser.

15.1 The Organiser may collect, receive, store, process, use, review, transfer, and otherwise handle personal information and submission-related data provided by Participants for purposes connected with the Competition.

15.2 Such data may include, without limitation: (a) name; (b) age; (c) city, state, and place of residence/origin; (d) mobile number, WhatsApp number, and email address; (e) photographs and video submissions; (f) voice, appearance, likeness, and recordings; (g) identity, age, residence, or eligibility proofs, if sought; (h) application details, dish details, culinary background, and related information; and (i) content created, submitted, or recorded during participation.

15.3 The Organiser may collect and process such information for purposes including: (a) registration and application management; (b) eligibility verification and due diligence; (c) screening, evaluation, shortlisting, and selection; (d) communication with Participants; (e) conducting auditions, shoots, rounds, and finale events; (f) publicity, promotion, media coverage, and Competition-related announcements; (g) production, editing, packaging, archival, distribution, and exploitation of Competition-related content; (h) sponsor integration and Competition administration; (i) legal compliance, record keeping, and dispute resolution; and (j) such other purposes as are reasonably connected with the conduct and exploitation of the Competition.

15.4 The Organiser may share or disclose such data to its affiliates, production houses, crew, service providers, technical vendors, website vendors, event managers, logistics partners, accommodation partners, sponsors, judges, broadcasters, digital platforms, media partners, legal advisors, insurers, auditors, and statutory or governmental authorities, to the extent reasonably necessary in connection with the Competition or applicable law.

15.5 By registering and participating, the Participant consents to the Organiser using submitted photographs, videos, and personal details for evaluating, conducting, promoting, and publicising the Competition.

15.6 The Organiser may publicly announce or publish the names, images, city names, competition status, and winner/finalist details of Participants in connection with the Competition.

15.7 The Participant confirms that all personal data and materials submitted are voluntarily provided and that, where third-party information or appearances are included, the Participant has obtained all necessary permissions and consents.

15.8 The Organiser shall take reasonable steps to protect information in its possession; however, no website, upload system, storage mechanism, or transmission method is entirely immune from technical failures, unauthorised access, or digital security risks.

15.9 The Organiser may retain Participant information and related materials for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes of the Competition, archival use, legal compliance, evidentiary needs, or future promotional and commercial use connected with the Competition and its related properties.

15.10 For any privacy or data-related queries, Participants may contact the Organiser at [Insert official email address].

16.1 Participants may receive or become aware of non-public information relating to the Competition, including challenge design, judging process, production schedules, sponsor integrations, shoot plans, scripts, and editorial treatment.

16.2 Participants shall keep all such information confidential and shall not disclose, circulate, record, leak, publish, or post it publicly without prior written permission of the Organiser.

16.3 This obligation shall survive elimination, withdrawal, or completion of the Competition.

17.1 The Organiser may reject, suspend, eliminate, replace, remove, or disqualify any Participant at any time and without liability if: (a) the Participant is ineligible; (b) any information or documents submitted are false or unverifiable; (c) the Participant breaches these Terms; (d) the Participant engages in misconduct; (e) the Participant becomes unavailable for required rounds or shoots; or (f) the Organiser determines that continued participation is impractical, unsafe, reputationally risky, legally problematic, or otherwise undesirable.

17.2 The Organiser may fill any vacancy caused by rejection, withdrawal, suspension, elimination, or disqualification in any manner it deems fit.

18.1 The Competition website, forms, upload systems, and related digital interfaces are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis.

18.2 The Organiser does not guarantee uninterrupted access, compatibility, error-free operation, successful upload, or complete security of digital systems.

18.3 The Organiser shall not be responsible for server failures, website downtime, internet issues, telecom failures, corrupted uploads, delayed communication, spam filtering, device incompatibility, or any technical malfunction affecting entry or participation.

19.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Organiser, its affiliates, sponsors, judges, partners, vendors, production agencies, media/distribution partners, and representatives shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, reputational, punitive, or special losses or damages arising out of or in connection with: (a) registration or attempted registration; (b) participation or non-participation in the Competition; (c) shortlisting, non-shortlisting, elimination, or judging decisions; (d) website or upload failures; (e) cancellation, delay, rescheduling, or modification of any round or of the Competition itself; (f) any filming, editing, use, non-use, distribution, or commercial exploitation of Competition-related content as permitted under these Terms; (g) travel, accommodation, logistics, venue, food, or third-party arrangements; or (h) any prize-related issue, including delay, modification, withdrawal, or substitution.

19.2 Without prejudice to the above, the aggregate liability of the Organiser, if any, shall not exceed the actual direct amount, if any, paid by the Participant specifically towards entry into the Competition.

20.1 The Participant agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Organiser, its affiliates, sponsors, judges, agencies, vendors, media/distribution partners, and representatives from and against any claims, losses, liabilities, costs, damages, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) breach of these Terms by the Participant; (b) breach of any representation, warranty, declaration, or undertaking by the Participant; (c) infringement or alleged infringement of any third-party rights by the Participant or the Participant's Submission Material; (d) misconduct, negligence, or unlawful acts of the Participant; or (e) any dispute or claim relating to the Participant's participation, submissions, recipes, recordings, statements, or conduct.

21.1 Participation in the Competition shall not be construed as creating any employment, agency, partnership, joint venture, representation, fiduciary, or similar relationship between the Participant and the Organiser or any sponsor, broadcaster, platform, or partner.

21.2 No Participant shall represent themselves as being officially connected with or authorised to speak on behalf of the Organiser, the Competition, or any associated party, except with prior written approval.

22.1 The Organiser shall not be liable for any failure, delay, disruption, rescheduling, suspension, curtailment, or cancellation of the Competition or any part thereof caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including without limitation acts of God, natural disasters, fire, flood, epidemic, pandemic, strike, lockout, civil disturbance, government restrictions, technical failures, security issues, venue unavailability, or production disruptions.

22.2 In any such event, the Organiser may, at its sole discretion, modify, postpone, suspend, relocate, cancel, or restructure any part of the Competition without liability.

23.1 The Organiser reserves the right to amend, modify, update, supplement, or replace these Terms at any time, at its sole discretion.

23.2 Any such changes may be posted on the official website or otherwise communicated through official channels, and continued participation in the Competition shall constitute acceptance of the revised Terms.

24.1 These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India.

24.2 Subject to applicable law, the courts at Delhi shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any disputes arising out of or relating to the Competition and/or these Terms.

25.1 If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

26.1 Failure by the Organiser to enforce any provision of these Terms at any time shall not operate as a waiver of that or any other provision.

For any Competition-related queries, Participants may contact:

Laqshya Media Ltd.

Jaganlaxmi, Laqshya House, Next to Rameshwar Temple,
Saraswati Baug Society Road, Jogeshwari (East), Mumbai – 400060

Email: [Insert official email]

Phone/WhatsApp: [Insert phone number]

Website: www.uttamchef.co.in