SPEC BLK Terms & Conditions

Effective Date: June 9, 2026

Welcome to SPEC BLK. These Terms & Conditions govern your use of the SPEC BLK website, participation in SPEC BLK events, purchase of tickets or submissions, participation in programming, and submission to the SPEC BLK Page to Screen Showcase.

By accessing this website, purchasing a ticket, submitting materials, participating in programming, or attending a SPEC BLK event, you agree to these Terms & Conditions.

If you do not agree with these Terms, please do not use this website, purchase tickets, submit materials, or participate in SPEC BLK programming.

1. About SPEC BLK

SPEC BLK is a creator ecosystem and professional convening centered on Black speculative storytelling across publishing, film, television, libraries, and emerging media.

SPEC BLK may include live events, virtual programming, educational sessions, networking opportunities, creator exchange opportunities, sponsor activations, and the SPEC BLK Page to Screen Showcase.

SPEC BLK is organized by Legacy Media Online.

2. Website Use

You agree to use this website only for lawful purposes. You may not use this website to:

SPEC BLK reserves the right to restrict access to the website or event participation at its discretion.

3. Intellectual Property

All SPEC BLK names, logos, graphics, website copy, event materials, designs, programming descriptions, branding, and related content are owned by or licensed to SPEC BLK and/or Legacy Media Online unless otherwise stated.

You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, sell, or use SPEC BLK materials without written permission.

Creators retain ownership of their own submitted work, subject to the permissions granted in these Terms and any applicable submission agreements.

4. Tickets, Registration & Event Access

Ticket purchases provide access to the SPEC BLK event or programming level described at the time of purchase.

SPEC BLK reserves the right to update programming, schedules, speakers, venues, partners, session topics, and event details at any time.

A ticket purchase does not guarantee access to every session if space is limited, unless expressly stated.

Attendees are responsible for reviewing event details, arrival instructions, venue policies, and any updates issued by SPEC BLK before the event.

5. Ticket Refunds & Transfers

Unless otherwise stated, all ticket sales are final.

SPEC BLK may offer refunds, credits, or transfers at its discretion and according to the refund policy posted at the time of purchase.

If the event is postponed, tickets may be transferred to the rescheduled date.

If the event is canceled by SPEC BLK, ticket holders will be notified regarding available refund or credit options.

SPEC BLK is not responsible for attendee travel, lodging, transportation, childcare, lost wages, or other expenses related to event attendance.

6. Event Changes, Postponement, or Cancellation

SPEC BLK reserves the right to modify, postpone, relocate, reschedule, or cancel any event, session, speaker appearance, showcase, or programming component due to circumstances including but not limited to venue issues, speaker availability, safety concerns, weather, emergencies, public health matters, low enrollment, technical issues, or other circumstances beyond SPEC BLK’s control.

SPEC BLK will make reasonable efforts to notify attendees of major changes.

7. Venue Rules & Attendee Conduct

All attendees must follow SPEC BLK policies, venue policies, safety instructions, and applicable laws.

SPEC BLK expects attendees, speakers, partners, vendors, sponsors, and participants to conduct themselves respectfully and professionally.

SPEC BLK reserves the right to remove any person from an event or deny future participation for behavior including but not limited to:

Removal from an event does not guarantee a refund.

8. Photography, Video & Media Release

By attending or participating in a SPEC BLK event, you acknowledge that photography, audio recording, and video recording may take place.

You grant SPEC BLK, Legacy Media Online, its representatives, partners, contractors, and authorized media permission to photograph, record, livestream, reproduce, publish, and use your image, voice, likeness, name, and participation in event-related promotional, archival, editorial, social media, website, email, recap, press, and marketing materials.

If you do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please contact SPEC BLK before the event or notify event staff on site. SPEC BLK will make reasonable efforts to accommodate requests but cannot guarantee exclusion from crowd shots, live recordings, or public event documentation.

9. Speaker, Partner & Sponsor Participation

Speaker, partner, sponsor, and programming participation is subject to confirmation, availability, final agreement, and SPEC BLK approval.

SPEC BLK reserves the right to update or change speakers, sponsors, partners, session titles, session descriptions, and programming schedules.

Sponsor and partner benefits may vary based on final agreement, availability, venue limitations, production needs, and event logistics.

10. Free Market / Creator Exchange

SPEC BLK may offer designated Free Market or creator exchange periods during the convening.

The Free Market is intended as a community-centered exchange opportunity for speculative fiction creators to share, sell, or discuss books, art, resources, ideas, and creative work during designated times.

Unless otherwise stated, the Free Market does not include formal vendor booths, assigned booth space, or guaranteed sales opportunities.

Participants are responsible for their own materials, transactions, taxes, payment processing, inventory, displays, and compliance with applicable laws.

SPEC BLK is not responsible for lost, stolen, damaged, or unsold items.

SPEC BLK reserves the right to limit, deny, or remove materials or activity that violates event policies, venue policies, intellectual property rights, safety requirements, or community standards.

11. Travel, Lodging & Personal Expenses

SPEC BLK is not responsible for travel, lodging, meals, ground transportation, parking, childcare, lost wages, production costs, or any other personal expenses incurred by attendees, submitters, finalists, guests, speakers, or showcase participants.

Selected finalists will receive complimentary access to the SPEC BLK Convening, but complimentary access does not include travel, hotel accommodations, meals, transportation, or other related expenses unless expressly stated in writing by SPEC BLK.

Attendance is encouraged but not required for Showcase finalists. Finalists will be notified of winner results whether or not they are present at the Convening.

SPEC BLK Page to Screen Showcase Terms

The following terms apply specifically to the SPEC BLK Page to Screen Showcase.

11. Showcase Overview

The SPEC BLK Page to Screen Showcase is an adaptation-focused initiative created to spotlight Black speculative fiction stories with strong potential for film, television, and emerging media.

The Showcase is a separate initiative featured as part of SPEC BLK programming. General attendees are not required to submit to or participate in the Showcase.

12. Showcase Eligibility

The SPEC BLK Page to Screen Showcase is open only to individuals who are:

Submissions are not open to residents of Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories, or individuals residing outside the United States.

SPEC BLK reserves the right to request proof of eligibility at any stage of the review, finalist, or prize process.

Void where prohibited by law.

13. Showcase Submission Requirements

Each Showcase submission must include:

Teasers longer than 3 minutes may be disqualified or reviewed only up to the 3-minute mark.

YouTube or Vimeo links may be public or unlisted. Public posting is encouraged for creators who want to participate in broader Showcase visibility, but it is not required and will not influence judging or winner selection.

SPEC BLK must have access to the submitted link for review and judging purposes. If selected as a finalist, your teaser or trailer may be included in the live Page to Screen Showcase.

14. Showcase Submission Fees

Submission fees are non-refundable.

Submission fees help support administrative review, Showcase operations, finalist awards, event programming, and related production costs.

Early Bird ticket purchases for the SPEC BLK Convening do not automatically include Showcase submission fees unless otherwise stated.

SPEC BLK may provide complimentary or discounted submission codes at its discretion.

15. Creator Ownership

Creators retain ownership of their submitted stories, concepts, characters, scripts, books, manuscripts, teasers, trailers, and intellectual property.

SPEC BLK does not claim ownership of submitted projects.

By submitting, you grant SPEC BLK permission to review your submission and, if selected, to use your name, project title, logline, stills, excerpts, teaser/trailer clips, and related promotional materials for Showcase announcements, event programming, marketing, social media, website, email, recap content, and ecosystem visibility related to the Page to Screen Showcase and SPEC BLK.

This permission is limited to Showcase-related review, promotion, event programming, and visibility.

16. Rights, Permissions & Originality

By submitting to the Showcase, you confirm that you own or control all rights to the submitted story, concept, teaser/trailer, visuals, music, voiceover, artwork, footage, characters, and all related materials, or that you have secured all necessary permissions, licenses, and releases.

You are solely responsible for the content of your submission and for any claims, disputes, or legal issues arising from materials you submit or authorize SPEC BLK to review, share, screen, or promote.

Submissions may not include unauthorized copyrighted material, plagiarized work, stolen concepts, unlicensed music, unlicensed footage, unauthorized images, or materials that violate third-party rights.

17. AI Use Statement

SPEC BLK is committed to centering human authorship, creative ownership, and ethical storytelling.

Submitted projects must originate from the creator’s own original story, concept, characters, and creative vision.

SPEC BLK does not prohibit the use of common creative tools used in editing, design, sound, accessibility, or production support. However, submissions that rely primarily on generative AI to replace original authorship, misrepresent creative ownership, imitate living artists without consent, or use copyrighted material without permission may be disqualified.

Creators should be prepared to disclose any substantial use of generative AI in the development of submitted visual or audio materials.

18. Indemnification & Hold Harmless

By submitting to the Showcase, you agree to release, indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SPEC BLK, Legacy Media Online, its organizers, partners, sponsors, judges, reviewers, affiliates, representatives, contractors, volunteers, and event participants from and against any claims, demands, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, or expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, arising out of or related to your submission.

This includes but is not limited to claims involving copyright, trademark, right of publicity, ownership, licensing, plagiarism, privacy, defamation, likeness, music rights, footage rights, artwork rights, or other intellectual property disputes.

19. Copyright Claims & Disqualification

Any copyright claim, ownership dispute, plagiarism claim, unauthorized use claim, or similar legal concern connected to a submission may result in review suspension, removal from promotional materials, automatic disqualification, forfeiture of finalist status or prizes, and/or removal from the live Showcase at SPEC BLK’s sole discretion.

SPEC BLK reserves the right to remove or disqualify any submission at any time if concerns arise regarding eligibility, ownership, rights, originality, legality, safety, or compliance with these Terms.

20. Judges & Evaluation

The SPEC BLK Page to Screen Showcase will be reviewed by a minimum of three judges with experience or professional insight in areas such as speculative fiction, publishing, film, television, libraries, media, adaptation, storytelling, or creative industry development.

Judges will be announced at a later date. SPEC BLK reserves the right to add additional judges, reviewers, or advisors as needed.

Submissions may be evaluated using the following criteria:

Judging decisions are final. Selection as a finalist or winner is at the discretion of SPEC BLK and its judging team.

In the event of a tie or scoring concern, SPEC BLK may use additional review, discussion, or advisory input to determine finalist and winner placement.

21. Finalists & Prizes

Five finalists will be selected for the SPEC BLK Page to Screen Showcase.

Selected finalists will receive complimentary access to the SPEC BLK Convening. Attendance is encouraged but not required. Finalists will be notified of winner results whether or not they are present at the Convening.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a $1,500 cash award.

Four additional finalists will each receive a $500 cash award.

Prize recipients may be required to complete tax documentation, including a W-9, before payment is issued. SPEC BLK may withhold prize payment if a recipient fails to provide required documentation or is found to be ineligible.

Prizes are not transferable.

22. No Guarantee of Production or Representation

Selection as a finalist or winner does not guarantee production, representation, distribution, publishing, financing, option agreements, management, agency relationships, sales, or future business opportunities.

The Showcase is designed for visibility, recognition, and ecosystem-building, but SPEC BLK does not guarantee any specific professional outcome.

23. Electronic Signature

By selecting “I Agree” and typing your full legal name on a SPEC BLK submission, registration, or agreement form, you acknowledge that your typed name and electronic agreement serve as your legally binding signature.

You understand that this electronic signature has the same force and effect as a handwritten signature and confirms your agreement to all applicable SPEC BLK rules, terms, conditions, releases, permissions, and acknowledgments.

24. Third-Party Links & Platforms

The SPEC BLK website may link to third-party platforms, including ticketing platforms, payment processors, video platforms, submission forms, social media platforms, and partner websites.

SPEC BLK is not responsible for third-party websites, services, policies, outages, fees, errors, or privacy practices.

Use of third-party platforms is subject to their own terms and policies.

25. Payments & Processing

Payments may be processed by third-party payment providers. SPEC BLK does not control all aspects of third-party payment processing.

You are responsible for providing accurate payment and contact information.

SPEC BLK reserves the right to cancel or reject registrations, tickets, or submissions due to failed payment, suspected fraud, chargebacks, incomplete information, or violation of these Terms.

26. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, SPEC BLK, Legacy Media Online, its organizers, partners, sponsors, judges, reviewers, affiliates, representatives, contractors, and volunteers shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages arising out of or related to website use, event participation, ticket purchases, submissions, attendance, cancellation, postponement, programming changes, or third-party services.

SPEC BLK’s total liability, if any, shall not exceed the amount paid by the individual user for the applicable ticket, submission, or registration.

27. No Professional Advice

Any information provided through SPEC BLK programming, events, website content, speakers, panels, workshops, or materials is for educational and informational purposes only.

SPEC BLK does not provide legal, financial, tax, publishing, representation, production, or business advice. Participants should consult appropriate professionals for advice related to their individual circumstances.

28. Updates to These Terms

SPEC BLK may update these Terms & Conditions at any time.

Updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

Continued use of the website, purchase of tickets, submission of materials, or participation in SPEC BLK programming after updates are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

29. Contact

For questions about these Terms & Conditions, contact:

Legacy Media Online / SPEC BLK
Email: hello @ legacymediaonline .com
Website: specblk.com