Effective: February 23, 2026
By submitting work to or commissioning work through Ordain, you agree to the following terms. If you do not agree, do not participate.
Ordain is a commission board for short films. Commissioners post bounties with creative briefs. Creators submit work in response. Participants vote on submissions. Funds are distributed to winners.
Ordain may expand to additional media formats in future rounds.
Ordain is currently operated by John McManus and Steve Moore.
Ordain is a platform that connects commissioners with creators. Ordain is not a bank, a money transmitter, or a financial institution. Ordain does not hold funds in escrow or maintain balances on behalf of participants. Payouts are coordinated by Ordain on behalf of commissioners and sent directly to creators via the Bitcoin Lightning Network.
You must be at least 18 years old to participate in Ordain as a commissioner or creator.
You fund your commission with your own money. You may allocate your portion of the bounty to any submitted work, in any proportion, at your discretion. You receive the finished video file from the winning creator and may use it however you choose: screen it, post it, submit it to festivals, keep it private.
The creator retains copyright to their work. You receive a perpetual, nonexclusive license to use, display, distribute, and publicly perform the work. You do not receive the right to claim authorship of the work.
By submitting work, you grant the commissioner a perpetual, nonexclusive license to use, display, distribute, and publicly perform your work. You also grant Ordain a perpetual, nonexclusive license to display and reference your work on the platform and in materials related to Ordain's operations, research, and public communications.
You retain full copyright and may exhibit, license, or sell your work independently.
If your work appears in a context you find objectionable, you may request that your name be disassociated from that use. This does not restrict the commissioner's right to use the work.
To be eligible for the peer voted portion of the bounty, you must vote. Voting is by ranked choice among all submissions in your commission. You may not vote for your own work.
By submitting work, you represent that:
(a) You have all necessary rights to the work and its components, including any generated, sampled, licensed, or otherwise incorporated material.
(b) The work does not infringe the copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights of any third party.
(c) You have the authority to grant the licenses described in these terms.
If a claim arises from a breach of these representations, you are responsible for any resulting costs, damages, or liability.
Payments are made via Bitcoin Lightning Network. Ordain coordinates payouts on behalf of commissioners but does not hold funds in escrow or maintain balances on behalf of participants. Payments are final. Ordain does not guarantee payment amounts in fiat equivalent terms due to Bitcoin price fluctuation between the time of commission and the time of payout.
Participants are solely responsible for any tax obligations arising from their participation in Ordain, including but not limited to income earned from commissions. Ordain does not provide tax advice, withhold taxes, or issue tax documents. Consult a tax professional regarding your obligations.
Ordain reserves the right to reject or remove any commission or submission at its discretion. Grounds for removal include but are not limited to: plagiarism, copyright infringement, hateful or discriminatory content, and content that violates applicable law.
Submissions may use any production tools and methods, including AI generation, live action, animation, or any combination.
Ordain may use anonymized, aggregated data from platform activity to develop open standards, protocols, and published research related to creative commissioning. This includes data such as brief structures, submission counts, selection outcomes, payment amounts, and participation patterns. No personally identifying information will be published or shared without participant consent. Individual briefs, submissions, and communications will not be disclosed without participant consent.
This data may be used in academic research contexts, including peer reviewed publications and grant funded studies, provided that participant anonymity is maintained.
If a dispute arises between a commissioner and a creator regarding the use, quality, or scope of submitted work, the parties are expected to resolve it between themselves. Ordain is a platform, not an arbiter. Ordain is not liable for disputes between participants.
Ordain is provided as is. Ordain makes no guarantees regarding the number of submissions a commission will receive, the quality of submissions, or the outcome of voting. Ordain is not liable for lost funds, technical errors, or any damages arising from participation.
By participating, you agree to hold harmless and indemnify the operators of Ordain (including its founders, collaborators, and any future organizational entity) from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses arising from your use of the platform, your submitted content, or your breach of these terms.
These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Any legal action arising from these terms or your participation in Ordain shall be brought in the courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
These terms may be updated between rounds. Continued participation constitutes acceptance of updated terms. Material changes will be posted on the site before the next round opens.
The organizational and legal structure under which Ordain operates may evolve over time. These terms apply regardless of any change in Ordain's operating structure.