Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and The Centurion Awards (“Centurion,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) governing your access to and use of centurionawards.com, our related sites, forms, applications, the winner portal, and the awards program (together, the “Service”). By using the Service, submitting a nomination, checking eligibility, creating an account, applying for or accepting an award, or making a purchase, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

If you use the Service on behalf of a business or other entity, you represent that you are authorized to bind that entity, and “you” includes that entity.

Please note: Section 16 contains a binding arbitration agreement and class action waiver. It affects how disputes between you and us are resolved. Please read it carefully.

1. Who we are and what we do

The Centurion Awards is a private, independent awards program that recognizes local businesses against published criteria using publicly available evidence. We are not a government agency, a chamber of commerce, a Better Business Bureau, or a consumer-protection organization, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any review platform, directory, or other award program, including any organization that uses a similar name. Our process is summarized on our methodology page. Exact data points, weights, and thresholds may change and are not public.

2. Definitions

• Evaluation: our review of a business against the published criteria, using public evidence available to us at the time.
• Qualified: a business whose Evaluation cleared the published criteria at the time it was run.
• Award: recognition for a specific business, category, city, and calendar year after a Qualified Evaluation and our approval. An Award may be issued from our research into public evidence, or after a business applies. A business does not have to apply or pay to be recognized on the public record.
• Winner page: the dated public page we publish for an Award.
• Marks: our names, logos, the Centurion seal, badges, and award designations.
• Portal: the owner-facing account area at /portal.

3. Eligibility to use the Service

You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service. If you submit or manage a business, you must be its owner or an authorized representative. You agree that all information you provide is truthful, accurate, and current, and that you will keep it that way. We may refuse, suspend, or terminate access to the Service at our discretion, including where we believe information is false or an account is misused.

4. Evaluations: free, independent, and our opinion

Evaluations are free. A fee, sponsorship, or other commercial relationship does not purchase a Qualified result. Publication fees, when charged, apply only after a Qualified Evaluation.

You acknowledge and agree that:

• Evaluations and Awards are statements of our opinion, formed by applying our methodology to publicly available information (such as business listings, review counts and ratings, domain-registration records, archived web content, and local press) as it existed at the time of the Evaluation. Platform ratings and similar figures shown on our pages are snapshots drawn from public sources and may change after we record them.
• Public information may be incomplete, outdated, or wrong. We do not independently verify every underlying data point. We make no representation or warranty about the accuracy or completeness of any Evaluation, Award, or the data behind them.
• An Award is recognition under our methodology for a stated year. It is not a certification, endorsement, inspection, license, guarantee, or warranty of any business, or of the quality, safety, legality, or fitness of any business’s products or services. Readers should use their own judgment.
• We are not obligated to evaluate or re-evaluate any particular business on request. We may recognize businesses from our own research before any application. Where public evidence supports recognition, we may publish a listing; the business may later claim it, leave it as-is, or ask us to remove it.
• We may decline to issue, or may revoke, an Award (even where an automated evaluation would otherwise qualify a business) for a good-faith integrity reason: for example, evidence that public signals were manipulated, materially false information, or misuse of the Marks. Closure is not a revocation ground; a closed business is retired under Section 8. An Evaluation reflects public information at a point in time and may be superseded later. Our integrity decisions are final. Where practical, we may tell you the reason.
• Nothing in the Service is legal, financial, marketing, or other professional advice. No Award or Evaluation guarantees revenue, customers, rankings, search placement, indexing, AI citations, press coverage, or any other commercial result.

5. Fees, payment, and refunds

• What the fee is for. If your business is Qualified and you choose to put the Award on the public record through an application, you pay the processing fee for that award year, at the price shown at checkout before you pay. Auto-renewal is optional: at checkout you may opt in to renew automatically each year (see “Automatic renewal” below); it is never required to publish. The fee covers handling the application and producing, publishing, and hosting the winner page and award assets for that year. Some recognized businesses appear from our research without an application or fee; those listings are editorial. The fee does not purchase selection. Where an application path is used, the Evaluation is complete before payment is possible. Our fee-and-selection summary describes the same practice in plain language.
• Payment processing. Payments are processed by Stripe on Stripe-hosted pages; we never receive or store your full card details. Your use of Stripe is subject to Stripe’s own terms.
• Automatic renewal (optional and opt-in). Auto-renewal is off unless you turn it on. At checkout you may opt in through a checkbox that is never pre-checked; choosing it takes 10% off your first payment (that discount applies to the first payment only, and renewals bill at the full rate). If you opt in, your payment method is charged the then-current annual fee (currently $199/year) once per year, on the anniversary of your purchase, to publish that year’s dated page and keep your Award current, and we email you a reminder before every renewal. For this purpose your payment method is stored by our payment processor (Stripe). We disclose the recurring amount and billing frequency at checkout before you pay. If you do not opt in, you pay once and nothing recurs. You can cancel auto-renewal at any time in your winner portal (under Billing) or by emailing info@mr-centurion.com; cancellation stops future charges and takes effect at the end of the period you have already paid for. Renewal billing by itself does not grant an Award for a new year (see Section 6). Cancelling does not take down your published winner page — it stays online — and does not entitle you to a refund of amounts already paid except as stated under “Refunds.”
• Discount offers. Any discount we extend (for example, a qualification offer) has the price and expiration date shown to you when it is extended. Expiration dates are enforced server-side as shown; lapsed offers are not reinstated. Discounts have no cash value and apply only as stated; a first-year qualification discount applies to your first payment only, and renewals are billed at the full then-current annual fee.
• Refunds. If your application is not approved, the processing fee is refunded in full and any auto-renewal you enrolled in is cancelled. Back-year awards are built from your current Award record and publish immediately, with no separate evaluation for the claimed year, so they are non-refundable once published. Otherwise, once your winner page is published, fees are non-refundable, except that if we revoke an Award solely because of our own error (for example, we identified the wrong business), we may issue a credit toward a future Award.
• Physical goods and add-ons. Add-ons (such as the framed award) are priced as quoted at the time of order and may be invoiced separately. Once produced or shipped, they are non-refundable except where required by law.
• Taxes and price changes. Prices exclude any applicable taxes, which are your responsibility. We may change prices at any time; changes never apply retroactively to fees you have already paid.

6. Award term and renewal

An Award is issued for a specific calendar year and remains a dated, historical fact for that year. When you publish your Award you may opt in to annual renewal (see Section 5), which each year publishes that year’s dated page and keeps your listing current. Renewal by itself does not grant an Award for a new year — being recognized as a current-year winner in a later year requires clearing that year’s re-evaluation. Whether or not you renew, your existing dated winner page(s) for the year(s) already awarded remain on the record (unless revoked under Section 8), and cancelling auto-renewal stops future billing without removing your published Award; you may not, however, present your business as a current-year winner for years not awarded.

7. License to use the Marks

If your business receives an Award, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to display the award badge and assets we issue to you and to state factually that your business received the Award for the year(s) awarded, in each case consistent with the asset guidelines we provide. You may not: alter the badge or assets; change or misstate the award year, category, or city; imply a ranking, tier, or affiliation that does not exist; use the Marks on or for a business other than the awarded business; or use the Marks in any way that is misleading or that disparages the program. This license ends automatically upon revocation of the Award or termination of these Terms. Except for this limited license, no rights in the Marks or any of our content are granted to you.

8. Revocation, removal, and appeals

We may revoke an Award if: we later find evidence that the public signals we evaluated were manipulated; information in or supporting an application proves materially false; the Marks are misused; or amounts owed for the Award are unpaid or charged back. Closure is not a ground for revocation; a closed business is handled as an ordinary retirement, described below. Where practical, we may notify you at the contact information on file and allow about 14 days to appeal with evidence. Our decision on appeal is final.

Public revocation notices. Where we revoke an Award for cause (for example, manipulated public signals, materially false information, or misuse of the Marks), we may replace the winner page with a dated, factual revocation notice rather than removing it without explanation. Ordinary retirements are different: if a business has closed, been renamed or sold, or the owner asks to come off the site, we remove the listing from the public record and post no notice. Owner removal requests are honored. Except where the revocation was caused solely by our own error (see Section 5), no refund is owed upon revocation.

Content and intellectual-property notices. To request removal of a listing, correction of a factual error, or to report copyright or trademark concerns about material on the Service, email info@mr-centurion.com with enough detail for us to locate the page. We aim to respond promptly and remove or correct content when appropriate.

9. Accounts and the Portal

Portal accounts let award recipients manage contact details and assets. You are responsible for safeguarding your credentials and for all activity under your account, and you agree to notify us promptly of any unauthorized use. If you sign in with Google, your use of Google’s service is subject to Google’s terms. We may suspend or close accounts that violate these Terms. Certain verified facts (such as award titles, founding year, and evaluation records) are locked and cannot be edited through the Portal.

10. Nominations and content you submit

• Nominations are suggestions, not entries. Anyone may nominate a business for free. A nomination creates no obligation on us to evaluate, contact, or award anyone, and no rights for the nominator. We do not pay for nominations.
• Your representations. You represent that anything you submit (nominations, applications, notes, images, correspondence) is accurate to your knowledge, that you have the right to share it, and that it does not violate any law or third-party right, including privacy and confidentiality obligations.
• License to us. You grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, adapt, publish, and display content you submit, in connection with operating, evaluating, publicizing, and improving the program. This includes displaying an awarded business’s name, location, category, founding year, and award status on winner pages, directory pages, and in program communications and press.
• What stays private. We do not publish negative verdicts. We may share the substance of a nomination with the nominated business without identifying the nominator.

11. Our intellectual property

The Service and everything in it — the Marks, the seal artwork, site design and copy, methodology descriptions, verification reports, badges, certificates, and software — are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws. Verification reports are provided for the recipient business’s own records and marketing; you may share yours, but you may not alter it or present it as covering any other business or period.

12. Acceptable use

You agree not to: misuse or interfere with the Service; probe or breach its security; scrape, harvest, or bulk-download content or data (including winner data) beyond ordinary personal or in-browser use; submit false nominations or applications; misrepresent an evaluation outcome or award status; impersonate any person or business; use another business’s award assets; use the Service to violate any law; or attempt to manipulate the public signals our methodology evaluates. We may investigate violations and suspend or terminate access without notice.

13. Third-party services and links

The Service relies on third-party providers (including payment processing, hosting, email delivery, and sign-in) and references third-party data sources (such as review platforms and public registries). We do not control and are not responsible for third-party services, their availability, their data, or their terms, and a reference to third-party data is not an endorsement of its accuracy.

14. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE, ALL EVALUATIONS, AWARDS, REPORTS, ASSETS, AND CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, AND UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE OPERATION. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT ANY EVALUATION OR AWARD IS ERROR-FREE, THAT ANY BUSINESS WILL QUALIFY OR REMAIN QUALIFIED, OR THAT ANY AWARD WILL PRODUCE ANY PARTICULAR RESULT. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM US CREATES ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS.

15. Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW: (A) WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST REVENUE, LOST GOODWILL, REPUTATIONAL HARM, OR LOST DATA, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY; AND (B) OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (i) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM AND (ii) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100). THESE LIMITS APPLY REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY AND EVEN IF A REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU; IN THAT CASE OUR LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

16. Dispute resolution: arbitration and class action waiver

• Talk to us first. Before filing any claim, you agree to email info@mr-centurion.com a written description of the dispute and give us 60 days to try to resolve it informally.
• Binding arbitration. Except as provided below, any dispute arising out of or relating to the Service, an Evaluation, an Award, or these Terms will be resolved by final, binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its applicable rules, before a single arbitrator, seated in Phoenix, Arizona — with hearings conducted by video or phone where practical. The Federal Arbitration Act governs this section. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
• Class action and jury waiver. ALL CLAIMS MUST BE BROUGHT IN THE PARTIES’ INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY — NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING — AND YOU AND WE EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL. The arbitrator may not consolidate claims or preside over any representative proceeding. If this class waiver is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim (and only that claim) must proceed in court.
• Carve-outs. Either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court, and either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in court for actual or threatened infringement or misuse of intellectual property (including the Marks).
• Opt-out. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing info@mr-centurion.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms, with your name, business name, and a clear statement that you opt out of arbitration. Opting out does not affect any other section of these Terms.
• Time limit on claims. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any claim must be filed within one (1) year after it arises, or it is permanently barred.

17. Governing law and venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Arizona, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. For any matter not subject to arbitration, you and we consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in Maricopa County, Arizona.

18. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Centurion and its owners, officers, employees, contractors, and agents from and against any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) content or information you submit; (c) your use or misuse of the Marks or award assets; (d) your breach of these Terms or violation of any law or third-party right; or (e) your business and its products or services, including any claim by your customers or by any third party relating to your business. We may assume the exclusive defense of any matter subject to indemnification, in which case you agree to cooperate.

19. Term, termination, and survival

These Terms apply whenever you use the Service. We may suspend or terminate your access (including Portal accounts) at any time for violation of these Terms or to protect the Service, the program’s integrity, or others. Termination does not entitle you to any refund except as expressly stated in Section 5. Sections that by their nature should survive — including Sections 4, 5 (refund limits), 7 (license ending), 8, 10–18, and this sentence — survive termination.

20. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The current version, with its effective date, will always be posted at this page; for material changes we will take reasonable steps to notify affected account holders. Changes apply prospectively, and your continued use of the Service after the effective date constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree to updated Terms, stop using the Service.

21. General

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any asset guidelines or order terms we provide, are the entire agreement between you and us about the Service and supersede prior agreements on that subject. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. If any provision is found unenforceable, the rest remain in effect, and the provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. We are not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control. You consent to receive notices, disclosures, and communications from us electronically, including by email to the address you provide, and agree they satisfy any writing requirement.

22. Contact

The Centurion Awards
info@mr-centurion.com