TERM & CONDITIONS
1. Eligibility Criteria
1.1 The Speaker Awards are open to speakers of every nationality and country.
1.2 Applicants must be over 18 years of age.
1.3 All speaker content entered for the awards must have been delivered and/or recorded between March 2023 to April 2024. Proof of date may be requested.
1.4 Individuals serving as judges, suppliers or sponsors for the awards are not permitted to submit applications.
1.5 The organisers, founders and/or their family members are precluded from applying.
1.6 Individuals who have been remunerated by The Speaker Awards within the past 12 months are precluded from applying.
1.7 Individuals serving as Ambassadors for the Speaker Awards are precluded from applying.
2. Award Submissions Exclusions
2.1 Applicants are permitted to submit one entry across no more than two award categories.
2.2 Applicants are ineligible to enter a specific award category in the Speaker Awards if they were the winners of that category in the preceding calendar year. They are welcome to submit their applications for the same category after a one-year hiatus.
2.3 Applicants are ineligible to re-enter an award category if they were inducted into the Hall of Fame for that specific award category
2.4 Applicants who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame for a particular award category are permanently precluded from re-entering that same category in subsequent competitions.
2.5 Applicants will be granted induction into the Hall of Fame if they have secured a win in any award category three times or if they have been honoured with the Speaker of the Year Award.
3. Application Process
3.1 An entry fee of £40 applies to each category entry
3.2 Applications must be submitted using the same email address that was utilised for the payment of the application fee
3.3 All entries must be completed by 23.59 GMT April 21 2024.
3.4 Applicants are permitted to make changes to their entry until the submission deadline at no additional cost
3.5 No changes are permitted to entries after the submission deadline
3.6 All entries must be submitted via the application portal (Zealous)
3.7 All entries must include a headshot, biography and video
3.8 Videos submitted should be no longer than 5 minutes in duration, except for the TEDx category, where videos may be up to 10 minutes long. If a video exceeds these time limits, only the content within the allowed duration will be evaluated by the judges.
3.9 All submitted images will be utilised for promotional purposes. Please ensure that the image you provide is current and that you consent to its use across various platforms.
4. Selection Process
4.1 All applicants will be judged using the Speaker Awards Judging Criteria
4.2 A minimum of 3 judges will be assigned to each judged award category
4.3 Except for the Speaker of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award, all award categories will be subject to evaluation by judges.
4.4 All awards judges are required to adhere to the Judges Code of Conduct. Any judge found in violation of this code will be relieved of their judging responsibilities.
4.5 Judging will be conducted in two stages:
4.5.1 Stage One: Each judge assigned to a category will evaluate every applicant based on the Speaker Awards Judging Criteria and the Judges Code of Conduct.
4.5.2 Stage two: Judges will then create a shortlist of applicants who will progress to the next stage.
4.5.3 Stage three: Judges assigned to each category will convene, referencing the scores from Stage One.
4.5.4 Stage four: Utilising the Speaker Awards Judging Criteria, they will determine the winner and the highly commended applicants from those shortlisted.
4.6 The decisions made by the judges at the conclusion of Stage Two will be considered final and binding.
4.7 The Speaker of the Year award will be awarded based on scores from the shortlisting process and the number of awards an applicant has won or been highly commended for.
4.8 The Lifetime Achievement Award is an award which is bestowed upon an individual for their lifetime commitment to the speaking industry and is decided by the Awards Organisers
5. Awards and Recognition
5.1 The winner of an award category will receive an trophy and certificate
5.2 Highly Commended winners of an award category will certificate
5.3 No monetary prizes will be award for any category
6. Obligations of Participants
6.1 Applicants must be willing to travel to the UK for the Awards Event arrange for a representative to attend in their place if they are unable to do so
6.2 Shortlisted applicants are expected to buy a ticket to attend the awards ceremony in London, UK.
6.3 Applicants must ensure that all information provided in their application and any subsequent communications is true, accurate, and complete. Applicants should promptly inform the Organisers of any changes to their submission or any relevant personal or professional information.
6.4 Applicants must agree to adhere to a code of conduct that promotes respect, professionalism, and fairness. This includes avoiding any form of harassment, discrimination, or behaviour that could bring the event or its participants into disrepute.
6.5 Participants should agree not to engage in activities or communications that disparage or harm the reputation of the awards ceremony, other participants, or the Organisers.
7. Data Protection and Privacy
7.1 Applicants agree to provide accurate and current personal information as requested by the Organisers. This information may include, but is not limited to, name, contact details, professional background, and any other information pertinent to the awards process.
7.2 The personal information collected will be used solely for the purposes of administering the awards ceremony, including assessing eligibility, communicating with applicants, and promoting the event. Unless otherwise authorised by the participants, personal information will not be shared with third parties or used for unrelated purposes.
7.3 The Organisers are committed to ensuring the security of personal information. Adequate measures will be implemented to protect personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.
7.4 Applicants have the right to access, correct, or update their personal information at any time. Requests for access or correction should be directed to the contact information provided by the Organisers.
7.5 Applicants personal information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy
7.6 By submitting an application for the Speaker Awards, participants consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of their personal information as outlined in these terms and conditions.
7.7 The Speaker Awards reserves the right to use any photograph/video taken at any event sponsored by The Speaker Awards, without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video.
7.8 Any person or organisation not affiliated with The Speaker Awards & Conference may not use, copy, alter or modify The Speaker Awards & Conference photographs, graphics, videography or other, similar reproductions or recordings without the advance written permission of an authorised designee from The Speaker Awards & Conference.
8. Intellectual Property
8.1 Entry content, Intellectual Property and all and any rights in it and any part of it must not be the subject of any dispute.
8.2 The applicant must have full authority to enter their work into the competition.
8.3 An applicant must immediately advise the Awards Organisers in the event of becoming aware of any actual or potential dispute, for example intellectual property issues, affecting any entry, which could affect the reputation of the Speaker Awards.
9. Liability and Indemnification
9.1 The Organisers of the Speaker Awards shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages, including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data, or other intangible losses (even if the Organisers have been advised of the possibility of such damages), resulting from:
9.1.1 the use or the inability to use the service;
9.1.2 unauthorised access to or alteration of your transmissions or data;
9.1.3 statements or conduct of any third party on the service; or
9.1.4 any other matter relating to the service.
9.2 Applicants agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Organisers, affiliates, officers, directors, employees, consultants, agents, and representatives from any and all third-party claims, losses, liability, damages, and/or costs (including reasonable attorney fees and costs) arising from their participation in the Speaker Awards, their violation of these terms and conditions, or their infringement, or infringement by any other user of their account, of any intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity. The Organisers will notify participants promptly of any such claim, loss, liability, or demand, and will provide them with reasonable assistance, at the participant's expense, in defending any such claim, loss, liability, damage, or cost.
9.3 Force Majeure: The Organisers shall not be held liable for any failure to perform their obligations hereunder where such failure results from any cause beyond the Organisers' reasonable control.
10. Cancellation and Changes
10.1 The Organisers reserve the right to make any necessary amendments to these terms and conditions at any time. In the event of significant changes, applicants will be notified through the contact details provided upon entry. Continued participation in the Speaker Awards following such modifications constitutes acceptance of the new terms.
10.2 The Organisers reserve the right to alter the date, venue, programme, judges or speakers of the Speaker Awards Ceremony due to circumstances beyond their control. In such cases, applicants will be notified as soon as possible with the updated details where applicable.
10.3 In the unlikely event that the Speaker Awards Ceremony is cancelled in its entirety due to reasons beyond the Organisers' control, applicants will be notified promptly, and any entry fees paid may be refunded. The Organisers will not be liable for any additional expenses incurred by participants as a result of the cancellation.
10.4 If an applicant wishes to withdraw from the awards ceremony, they must notify the organisers in writing. Refunds for any paid fees will be subject to the organisers' refund policy as outlined at the time of registration.
10.5 The Organisers shall not be responsible for reimbursing travel, accommodation, or any other expenses incurred by participants should the awards ceremony be modified or cancelled.
10.6 No refunds will be issued for failure to submit entry by the submission deadline
11. Dispute Resolution
11.1 Participants must promptly notify the Organisers in writing if a dispute arises, providing a detailed description of the issue and any relevant documentation. This allows both parties to understand the nature of the dispute and seek an initial resolution.
11.2 Initially, the parties should attempt to resolve the dispute through direct negotiation. If negotiation fails, the parties agree to engage in mediation with a neutral third-party mediator to facilitate a resolution.
11.3 If mediation does not resolve the dispute, the parties may agree to arbitration instead of litigation. Arbitration will be conducted by a neutral arbitrator and will be binding.
11.4 In the event that disputes are escalated to court, they will be governed by the laws of England and Wales.
11.5 All claims or disputes arising from the Speaker Awards must be raised within 90 days of the Awards Ceremony.
11.6 The parties must keep the proceedings and terms of any dispute resolution confidential unless disclosure is required by law.
11.7 If arbitration is chosen, the arbitrator will be final and binding on both parties, subject to any rights of appeal provided by the governing law.
11.8 Applicants may only resolve disputes on an individual basis and not in a class, consolidated, or representative action, if appropriate and enforceable under the governing law.
11.9 Notwithstanding the dispute, the parties will continue to perform their remaining obligations under the terms and conditions to the extent possible.
12. Acceptance of Terms
12.1 By submitting your entry for the Speaker Awards, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions in their entirety. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not proceed with your application.
12.2 You confirm that all information provided in your application and associated documents is true, accurate, and complete. You undertake to promptly inform the organisers of any changes to this information
12.3 You agree that your payment of the application fee and electronic submission of the application constitutes your agreement and intent to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.