Any eligible Snapchat user can submit their messages (which we call “Snaps”) to Spotlight (each user who submits a Snap to Spotlight, a “Service Provider” or “Creator”). Any Snaps submitted to Spotlight are “Public Content,” as that term is defined in Section 3 of the Snap Inc. Terms of Service or Section 3 of the Snap Group Limited Terms of Service (whichever is applicable to you based on where you live or, if you are using the Services on behalf of a business, where that business’s principal place of business is located).

Because Snaps are Public Content, for any Snaps you submit to Spotlight, without limiting any other obligations that you may have, (i) you must have any necessary third-party rights including, without limitation, music copyrights and rights of publicity, for all content in your Snaps, (ii) when you appear in, create, upload, post, or send Public Content, you grant Snap, our affiliates, and our business partners the unrestricted, worldwide, royalty-free right and license for the duration of such rights to use your name, likeness, and voice, including in connection with commercial or sponsored content, (iii) because you grant us a sublicensable right to make derivatives of your content, you grant us and other users of the Services the royalty-free right to copy, edit, and separately synchronize, publicly communicate and perform, and otherwise use and distribute any content (including without limitation, audio and/or video in your Snap) to create new content, including new Snaps and new Public Content, and (iv) other than the potential to receive money as a Creator as described in these Snap Spotlight Submission and Revenue Terms, you will not be entitled to any compensation from Snap, our affiliates, our business partners, or, if applicable, other users, if your Snap, your content, sound recordings, compositions, or your name, likeness, or voice is conveyed through the Service, either on the Snapchat application or on one of our business partner’s platforms.

All Snaps submitted to Spotlight must comply with these Spotlight Terms. Prior to distribution in Spotlight, Snaps may be subject to review for compliance with these Spotlight Terms, in accordance with Snap’s moderation algorithms and procedures, and Snaps that do not comply may not be distributed.

Snaps in Spotlight will be distributed through Snap’s proprietary content distribution algorithm. To maintain the quality of Spotlight, we may also limit the number of Snaps that Creators can submit over a certain period of time, based on Snap’s criteria for the performance of content on the Snapchat application, and if you exceed the limit, you will be notified when you submit to Spotlight.

To encourage and incentivize you to perform the services of creating and posting your Snaps to Spotlight, we would like to pay you for your services if you qualify as described in these Spotlight Terms. Only a small percentage of Creators submitting Snaps to Spotlight will receive payments. Snaps submitted to Spotlight prior to your agreement to these Spotlight Terms will not be eligible for payments. Payment may be funded either by Snap or from a portion of the proceeds we receive from advertisements distributed in Spotlight during that day, if any, (our payment to you, as potentially modified below, the “Service Payment” or just “Payment”). 

To be a “Qualifying Snap”, a Snap that you submit to Spotlight must have performed well enough in Spotlight during a single day calculated using Pacific Time, based on our proprietary payment formula, to have accumulated at least a $250 USD Payment in that day (“Value Threshold”). If a Snap you submit to Spotlight achieves the Value Threshold during the first 24 hours  after it is submitted to Spotlight (“Eligibility Period”), then subject to your satisfaction of all other criteria set forth in these Spotlight Terms, you will be eligible to receive payment for your services in connection with your Qualifying Snap. Payments will be allocated to eligible Creators that meet the Value Threshold, in accordance with our proprietary payment formula, which may be adjusted by us from time-to-time, and which is based on a number of factors, which may include the total number of unique video views attributable to your specific Snap, the relative performance of your Snaps compared to other Snaps in Spotlight, and the geographic location of your Snaps and/or users viewing your Snaps. Whether you reach the Value Threshold, and the amount of any Payment you may be eligible to receive, may be impacted by our moderation and/or content suggestion algorithms and procedures, which may prioritize content by taking into account a number of factors, including the total number of unique video views and favorites attributable to a Snap, the number of daily users who view your content, the time spent by users viewing your content, your geographic location and account status, the past performance of your content, whether your content utilizes Snap technology (e.g., Snapchat Camera, Lenses, Filters, Sounds, etc.), whether your content relates to relevant trends and topics, which we may publish from time to time via the Trending page in the Snapchat application or on the Spotlight Tips & Tricks page, and whether your content and account adhere to the Spotlight Terms and Guidelines portion of the Spotlight Guidelines.

Qualifying Snaps will be accounted for in our internal systems through the use of “Crystals,” which are a unit of measurement that we use to track and record your Qualifying Snaps during a given period.  The number of Crystals that we record for Qualifying Snaps may vary depending on our internal criteria and formulas, which we may modify from time to time in our sole discretion. You may view the estimated number of Crystals that we have recorded for your Qualifying Snaps by going to My Profile (“Profile”). Please note that any such numbers viewable through your Profile are preliminary estimates calculated for our internal accounting purposes.  Crystals are solely an internal measurement tool utilized by us to track Qualifying Snaps and measure the popularity of your content.  For clarity, Crystals are not intended to confer or imply any rights or represent any obligations, do not constitute property, are not transferable or assignable, and may not be purchased or the subject of a sale, barter, or exchange.

Payment amounts for eligible users will be determined based on the final number of Crystals we have recorded for that Creator’s Qualifying Snaps during a given period in accordance with our proprietary payment formula, which may be adjusted by us from time to time. In determining whether a Snap you submit to Spotlight is a Qualifying Snap, we may exclude what we call “Invalid Activity,” i.e., activity that artificially increases the number of views or other viewership metrics of your Snaps. Invalid Activity will be determined by Snap in its sole discretion at all times and includes, but is not limited to, (i) spam, invalid queries, or invalid impressions generated by any person, bot, automated program or similar device, including through any clicks or impressions originating from your mobile device, mobile devices under your control, or mobile devices with new or suspicious accounts; (ii) impressions generated by payment of money or other inducements to third parties, false representation, or the offer to trade views of Snaps; (iii) impressions generated through activity that is otherwise in violation of the terms that govern the Service, and (iv) clicks or impressions co-mingled with any of the activity described in (i), (ii), (iii), and (iv) above.

Spotlight, and the ability to receive Payments, will only be available in a limited number of countries, which are listed in the The Spotlight Guidelines & FAQ (the “Eligible Countries”). At any time, Snap may add or remove countries to the list of Eligible Countries.

Any Payments made will be disbursed to your payment account with Snap’s authorized third-party payment provider (“Payment Account”), provided that you have complied with these Spotlight Terms and our third-party payment provider’s procedures.

Subject to these Spotlight Terms, only Creators meeting all of the following requirements will be eligible to receive Payments from Snap:

• You must be present in an Eligible Country at the time you submit your Snap to Spotlight.

• If you’re an individual, you must be a legal resident of an Eligible Country, and you must have reached the legal age of majority in your jurisdiction or be at least 16 years old and have obtained the required parental or legal guardian consent(s) in accordance with our procedures.

• We reserve the right, on behalf of ourselves, our affiliates, and our third-party payment provider, to require verification of the Contact Information (defined below) provided by you, as well as parental/legal guardian identity and consent for minors as a condition of payment under these Spotlight Terms.

• If you’re an entity, or have authorized us to transfer your Payments to your business entity in accordance with our and our authorized third-party payment provider’s procedures, you or such entity (as applicable) are incorporated, headquartered, or have an office within an Eligible Country.

• You have provided Snap and its authorized third-party payment provider with accurate contact and other information as required, so that Snap or its third-party payment provider may contact you and cause payment to be made to you (or your parent/legal guardian(s) or business entity, if applicable) if you qualify for a Payment.

• Your Snapchat account and Payment Account are active, in good standing (as determined by us and our third-party payment provider), and in compliance with these Spotlight Terms.

You will not be eligible to receive, and we will not pay you, any Payment if you (or your parent/legal guardian(s) or business entity, if applicable) do not pass our, or our third-party payment provider’s, compliance review. Such reviews are conducted periodically and may include, but are not limited to, a check to determine if you appear on any restricted party list maintained by any relevant government authority, including the U.S. Specially Designated Nationals List and Foreign Sanctions Evaders List. In addition to any other uses described in these Spotlight Terms, the information you provide to us may be shared with third parties in order to verify your identity, conduct compliance reviews, and complete the payment process.

If you are (i) an employee, officer, or director of Snap or its parent, subsidiaries, or affiliated companies, or (ii) a government entity, subsidiary or affiliate of a government entity, or member of a royal family, you will not be eligible for Payments. In addition, if you have been engaged by or on behalf of Snap outside of these Spotlight Terms to test or provide content specifically for Spotlight, you will not be eligible for Payments for content you created during the term of that engagement.

If a Snap you submitted to Spotlight achieves the Value Threshold and otherwise complies with these Spotlight Terms, then we will notify you of your eligibility by sending you a notification via the Snapchat application. In order to receive Payment for your services in connection with your Qualifying Snaps, if any, you must provide us with complete and accurate contact information, including your legal first and last name, email, phone number, state and country of residence, and date of birth ("Contact Information"), and you (or your parent/legal guardian(s) or business entity, as applicable) must create and complete all necessary requirements for a Payment Account. 

Subject to your compliance with these Spotlight Terms, then, to the extent permitted by law, you (or your parent/legal guardian(s) or business entity, as applicable) will be able to request Payment by selecting the relevant option in your Profile.  In order for you to validly request a Payment, we must first have recorded and attributed to you at least enough Crystals to meet a minimum Payment threshold of $100 USD (“Payment Threshold”).

PLEASE NOTE: IF (A) WE HAVE NOT RECORDED AND ATTRIBUTED ANY CRYSTALS TO  ANY QUALIFYING SNAP FROM YOU FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR, OR (B) YOU HAVE NOT VALIDLY REQUESTED A PAYMENT PURSUANT TO THE IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING PARAGRAPH FOR A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS, THEN — AT THE END OF THE APPLICABLE PERIOD — WE WILL DISBURSE PAYMENT TO YOUR PAYMENT ACCOUNT IN AN AMOUNT BASED ON ANY CRYSTALS THAT WE HAVE RECORDED AND ATTRIBUTED TO YOUR QUALIFYING SNAP(S) THROUGH THE END OF SUCH PERIOD, PROVIDED THAT IN EACH CASE: (I) YOU HAVE REACHED THE PAYMENT THRESHOLD, (II) YOU HAVE CREATED A PAYMENT ACCOUNT, (III) YOU HAVE SUPPLIED ALL NECESSARY CONTACT INFORMATION AND ANY OTHER INFORMATION REQUIRED TO EFFECTUATE PAYMENT TO YOU, (IV) WE HAVE NOT YET MADE PAYMENT TO YOU IN CONNECTION WITH ANY CRYSTALS THAT WE HAVE RECORDED AND ATTRIBUTED TO SUCH QUALIFYING SNAP(S), (V) YOUR SNAPCHAT ACCOUNT AND PAYMENT ACCOUNT ARE IN GOOD STANDING, AND (VI) YOU ARE OTHERWISE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THESE CREATOR TERMS AND OUR THIRD-PARTY PAYMENT PROVIDER’S PROCEDURES AND TERMS.  IF, HOWEVER, AT THE END OF THE APPLICABLE PERIOD YOU HAVE NOT SATISFIED ALL OF THE FOREGOING REQUIREMENTS IN FULL, THEN YOU WILL NO LONGER BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE ANY PAYMENT RELATED TO SUCH QUALIFYING SNAP(S). 

Payments may be made to you on behalf of Snap by subsidiary or affiliate entities or other authorized third-party payment providers, which may act as the payor under these Spotlight Terms. Snap will not be responsible for any delay, failure, or inability to transfer Payments to your Payment Account due to any reason out of Snap’s control, including your failure to comply with these Spotlight Terms or the terms of the applicable Payment Account. Snap will not be responsible if, due to any reason out of Snap’s control, someone other than you (or your parent/legal guardian(s) or business entity, as applicable) requests Payment based on any Crystals that we have recorded and attributed to your Qualifying Snaps using your Snapchat account or transfers Payments using your Payment Account information. If you authorize Snap to transfer Payments to a business entity in accordance with our and our authorized third-party payment provider’s procedures, you acknowledge and agree that Snap may transfer any and all amounts payable to you under these Spotlight Terms to such business entity, subject to compliance with these Spotlight Terms. Payment will be made in United States dollars, but you may elect to withdraw the funds from your Payment Account in your local currency, subject to use, exchange, and transaction fees, as further explained in The Spotlight Guidelines & FAQ, and subject to our third party payment provider’s terms. Any Payment amounts shown in the Snapchat application are estimated values and may be subject to change. The final amounts of any Payments will be reflected in your Payment Account. 

In addition to our other rights and remedies, we may, to the extent permitted by law, without providing a warning or prior notice, withhold, offset, adjust, or exclude any Payments to you under these Spotlight Terms for suspected Invalid Activity, failure to comply with these Spotlight Terms, any excess Payments made to you in error, or to offset such amounts against any fees you owe us under any other agreement.

You represent that all information you provide to us or our subsidiaries, affiliates, or authorized payment provider, is truthful and accurate, and that you will maintain the accuracy of such information at all times.

You agree and acknowledge that you have sole responsibility and liability for any and all taxes, duties, or fees relating to any Payments you may receive in connection with the Service. Payments are inclusive of any applicable sales, use, excise, value added, goods and services or similar tax payable to you. If, under applicable law, taxes are required to be deducted or withheld from any Payments to you, then Snap, its affiliate, or its authorized third-party payment provider may deduct such taxes from the amount payable to you and pay such taxes to the appropriate taxing authority as required by applicable law. You agree and acknowledge that payment to you as reduced by such deductions or withholdings will constitute full payment and settlement to you of amounts payable under these Spotlight Terms. You will provide Snap, its subsidiaries, affiliates, and any authorized payment provider with any forms, documents or other certifications as may be required to satisfy any information reporting or withholding tax obligations with respect to any Payments under these Spotlight Terms.

Spotlight may contain advertisements. You agree that you are engaging us, our affiliates, and our third-party partners, with no payment from you, to distribute advertising on the Spotlight Service in our sole discretion. You agree to facilitate the distribution of such advertisements by agreeing to these Spotlight Terms, abiding by the Guidelines portion of The Spotlight Guidelines & FAQ, and continuing to provide Snap with access to any Snaps you submit to Spotlight subject to these Spotlight Terms. We will determine all aspects of the advertisements distributed on the Spotlight Service, if any, including the type, format, and frequency of the advertisements distributed in connection with your Snaps submitted to Spotlight, in our discretion. We also reserve the right, in our discretion, to not show advertisements on, in, or alongside your Snaps on Spotlight for any reason.

You represent and warrant that: (i) you have reached the age of legal majority in the place of your legal residence (if an individual), and otherwise have the full right, power, and authority to enter into these Spotlight Terms on your own behalf and on behalf of any entity for which you are acting, or you have obtained parental/legal guardian consent, as required in your country of residence, to agree to these Spotlight Terms; (ii) you have obtained all necessary third party rights, including rights of publicity and privacy and any other rights with respect to name, likeness, and voice, for the appearance of any individual in your Snaps, and all necessary parental or legal guardian(s) consent for the appearance of any individual in your Snaps who is under the age of eighteen (18) or any other applicable age of majority, (iii) you have read, understand, and agree to comply with all of these Spotlight Terms, including but not limited to our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Community Guidelines, and Guidelines portion of The Spotlight Guidelines & FAQ; (iv) the Snaps you submit to Spotlight are created solely by you, do not infringe, violate, or misappropriate any third-party rights, including, but not limited to, copyright (including master, synch, and public performance music copyright rights), trademark, publicity, privacy, or any other applicable right, and comply with applicable law; (v) you will make any required payments to any third parties with respect to your Snaps and you will not cause Snap to incur any liability to any third party as the result of distributing your content; and (vi) if you are a legal resident of a country other than the United States, you were physically located outside of the United States when you performed the services of creating and posting the Snaps you submit to Spotlight and facilitating the distribution of advertisements in connection with the Snaps you submit to Spotlight.

You agree that any non-public information that may be provided by Snap is confidential and that you will not disclose it to any third party without Snap’s express, prior written approval.

This section supplements the information we provide in our Privacy Policy and Privacy Center.

• Spotlight Snaps are public. You understand that Snaps you submit to Spotlight are Public Content and may be visible to all Snapchat users, as well as non-Snapchat users on other services and websites.

• Information we collect. When you submit Snaps to Spotlight, we collect information on its use and interactions, such as the number of views, view time, favorites, screenshot captures, and number of sends it gets in or from Snapchat. For a detailed overview of information we collect, see our Privacy Policy.

• How we may use Spotlight Snaps. The main reason we collect information from Spotlight Snaps is to offer you the Spotlight Service. In addition to Section 1 of these Spotlight Terms and the purposes disclosed in our Privacy Policy, we and others may use your Spotlight Snaps in the following ways:

  • We may feature Spotlight Snaps in Snapchat, including in Discover as part of a Curated Story, Publisher Edition, or Show.

  • Other users may edit or use your Spotlight Snaps, share your Spotlight Snaps in Chat with their Friends, share a link to your Spotlight Snaps through other non-Snapchat services (such as messaging services), and share a link to your Spotlight Snap on third-party websites.

  • If you decide to add a location tag to your Spotlight Snap, your Spotlight Snap may also be associated with a Place and appear on the Snap Map.

  • We may feature your Spotlight Snaps in Search and associate them with Pages, for example, if your Snap uses a certain Lens, sound or other distinct element.

  • If you submit a Snap to Spotlight, other users may favorite the Snap, and that favorite Spotlight Snap will appear in that user's private Favorites list.

  • We may analyze Spotlight Snaps for trends, analytics, research and development, optimization, and machine learning.

  • To contact you about Payment Account eligibility and reach out to you for other questions about your Spotlight Snaps or our use of your Spotlight Snaps.

• Retention of Spotlight Snaps. Spotlight Snaps submissions may be stored indefinitely and may be visible on Snapchat for long periods of time — sometimes for months or more.

• Control over your Spotlight Snaps. You can manage Snaps submitted to Spotlight in your Profile. You can also use Download My Data to obtain a copy of information, so you can move it or store it wherever you want. See the Section Control Over Your Information for more information on controls you have, including your right to request a copy of your information.

• Sharing information with third parties. We may share information about you with service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as third-party payment providers, as described in Section 3 of these Spotlight Terms.

Of course, if you still have questions about how your data is handled, just contact us.

In addition to any other rights or remedies we may have, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate the distribution of your Snaps in Spotlight, the revenue program related to Spotlight, the Spotlight Service, or your access to either of the foregoing. In the event that you do not comply with these Spotlight Terms, then you may be disqualified from eligibility to receive any unpaid amounts that have accrued but have not yet been transferred to your Payment Account. If at any time you don’t agree to any portion of these Spotlight Terms, you must stop using Spotlight or the applicable parts of the Service.

Nothing in these Terms will be construed to imply a joint venture, principal-agent, or employment relationship between you and Snap.

As mentioned above, if Snap determines you may be eligible to receive a Payment, Snap or our third-party payment provider will notify you via the Snapchat application, the Contact Information you provided in your user profile, including the email address, or through our official Snapchat account Team Snapchat. Snap may also contact you regarding your Snaps that are not eligible to receive Payments and for other reasons. Please check your Snapchat notifications often, keep your email and phone number up to date, and verify your email. If you previously blocked or removed Team Snapchat from your friends, you agree that we may reinstate Team Snapchat so that you will receive official messages from us on Snapchat.

As a reminder, these Terms incorporate the Snap Inc. Terms of Service or the Snap Group Limited Terms of Service (whichever is applicable to you based on where you live or, if you are using the Services on behalf of a business, where that business’s principal place of business is located). Although all of the Snap Inc. Terms of Service or the Snap Group Limited Terms of Service (whichever is applicable) apply to you, we wanted to specifically point out that these Terms are governed by the Arbitration, Class-Action Waiver, and Jury Waiver provision, Choice of Law provision, and Exclusive Venue provision of the Snap Inc. Terms of Service (if you live, or the business you are acting on behalf of has its principal place of business located, in the United States) or the Dispute Resolution, Arbitration provision, Choice of Law provision, and Exclusive Venue provision of the Snap Group Limited Terms of Service (if you live, or the business you are acting on behalf of has its principal place of business located, outside of the United States).

ARBITRATION NOTIFICATION: EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF DISPUTES MENTIONED IN THE ARBITRATION PROVISION OF THE SNAP INC. TERMS OF SERVICE, YOU AND SNAP AGREE THAT CLAIMS AND DISPUTES, INCLUDING STATUTORY CLAIMS AND DISPUTES, ARISING BETWEEN US WILL BE RESOLVED BY THE MANDATORY BINDING ARBITRATION PROVISION OF THE SNAP INC. TERMS OF SERVICE IF YOU LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES OR IF YOU ARE USING THE SERVICES ON BEHALF OF A BUSINESS WITH ITS PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES, AND YOU AND SNAP INC. WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT OR CLASS-WIDE ARBITRATION. IF YOU ARE USING THE SERVICES ON BEHALF OF A BUSINESS WITH ITS PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES, THEN YOU AND SNAP GROUP LIMITED AGREE THAT DISPUTES BETWEEN US WILL BE RESOLVED BY THE BINDING ARBITRATION PROVISION IN THE SNAP GROUP LIMITED TERMS OF SERVICE.

From time to time, we may revise these Snap Spotlight Submission and Revenue Terms. You can determine when these Snap Spotlight Submission and Revenue Terms were last revised by referring to the “Effective” date at the top. Any changes to these Spotlight Terms will become effective on the "Effective" date above, and will apply to your use of the Services after that time. You agree to review these Spotlight Terms, including any updates, regularly to ensure that you are familiar with the most recent version of such terms. By using the Service following the public posting of updated Spotlight Terms, you will be deemed to have agreed to the updated Spotlight Terms. If you do not agree to the modifications you must stop using the Service. If any provision of these Snap Spotlight Submission and Revenue Terms is found unenforceable, then that provision will be severed and will not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.