COMPETITION OFFICIAL RULES

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED

These Competition Terms and Conditions were last updated 9 April 2024. 

 

ELIGIBILITY TO ENTER 

  1. Participation in the Competition must be as an individual person. 
  2. Entrants must be born in calendar year 2009.   
  3. All Entrants must have the prior consent of one parent or legal guardian to participate, register and submit an application, and one parent or legal guardian must agree to the Entry and these Official Rules as directed during the entry/submission process. 
  4. Entrants must be legal residents of a jurisdiction where conduct of or participation in the Competition and/or winning a prize is not prohibited or restricted. Without limiting the foregoing, Entrants may not reside in or enter from any jurisdiction where the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. § 1701) of the United States, or other laws administered by United States Office of Foreign Assets and Control (“OFAC”) impose economic sanctions and trade embargoes.   
  5. The Competition Host will have the right to apply additional eligibility criteria for each Competition. 

 

HOW TO ENTER 

Entry Period: The Competition begins on or about May 15, 2024 at 9:00AM Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on September 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. 

 

To participate in the Competition, Entrants must complete all steps of the entry process provided on the Competition website: https://halifaxtheforum.org.  

This includes the Entrant: 

  1. Obtaining consent to enter from one parent or legal guardian; 
  2. Registering and filling out an application;
  3. Creating a 15-second video filmed in horizontal format about one positive change that Entrant would like to see in the world in the next 15 years; 
  4. Uploading a 15-second video entry to YouTube and marking it as Unlisted; 
  5. Completing all steps of the application and confirming final submission of an Entry before 11:59 PM ET on September 15, 2024. 

 

Entry into the 15@15 Competition is deemed acceptance of Terms and Conditions. Information on how to enter the Competition forms part of the Terms of Entry. https://halifaxtheforum.org/ will be used by HFX to host the Competition.   

 

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY 

  1. Entry into any 15@15 Competition grants license of any and all rights to Entry Content and, except where prohibited for use of Entrant’s name, likeness and biographical information, to HFX on an unrestricted, royalty- free, exclusive, world-wide, sub-licensable and transferrable basis, and each Entrant and each Entrant’s parent or legal guardian hereby releases Competition Host from any liability with respect thereto. 
  2. Entries that exceed 15 seconds will not be judged for any content past the initial 15 seconds. 
  3. Individuals may not submit more than one video Entry.  
  4. Entries must not contain any content that is offensive or defamatory.  
  5. Entries that are deemed inappropriate by the Competition Host or Competition Judges will be deemed invalid. 
  6. Entries must not involve any risk-taking behavior or actions. All activities must be done with approval of parents or legal guardians of the Entrants. 
  7. Incomprehensible and incomplete entries will be deemed invalid. 
  8. It is recommended that entries do not use, reference, or rely on any copyrighted material. Copyrighted material must not be included in any Entry unless Entrants have obtained the express and explicit written consent of the relevant copyright holders in accordance with the relevant law. Entries that contain infringements to copyright will be deemed invalid. 
  9. The Competition Host does not accept responsibility for any late, lost, or misdirected entries due to technical disruptions, network congestion, or any other reason. 
  10. Entries that do not meet the criteria specified in these Terms and Conditions may be deemed invalid. 

 

COMPETITION PERIOD 

  1. The 15@15 Competition will only be open for the limited period as indicated above.  
  2. The dates that the 15@15 competition will be open for Entries will be published here. 
  3. Final video submissions must be uploaded prior to the closing date to be eligible. 
  4. The Competition Host reserves the right to amend any dates associated with the Competition. Any changes to the Competition dates will be announced on https://halifaxtheforum.org. 

 

JUDGING 

1. The 15@15 Competition requires creativity, caring, and skill, and chance plays no part in         determining the winners. Each entry will be individually judged based on literary and creative merit to influence a large audience on a global issue. 

2. The following criteria will be used to determine the winner: 

  • Original – unique and creative; 
  • Engaging – grabs the attention of audiences; 
  • Relevant – addresses an issue that is relevant to current events;   
  • Clear – message is well-communicated, easy to follow and understand; 
  • Visual – visually captivating and uses images to tell a wider story; 
  • Memorable – leaves a lasting impression on the viewer; 
  • Impactful – has the potential to inspire and motivate others to act towards positive change. 

3. The Competition Host will appoint independent Judges to review video entries on a fair and impartial basis. 

4. All categories will be weighed equally. In the case of any ties, the tied Entrant with the higher score in the “Original” category will be deemed the higher scoring entry (“First Tie-Breaker”).  In the case of any remaining ties after the First Tie-Breaker, the remaining tied Entrant with the higher score in the “Memorable” category will be deemed the higher scoring entry. 

5. The Competition Host will select up to fifteen (15) top Entries based on judging as described above as potential winners. 

6. Decisions by Judges in relation to any aspect of the Competition will be final and binding. 

 

AWARDS 

  1. Up to fifteen (15) Winners will receive an invitation to participate in the 2024 Halifax International Security Forum that will take place November 22-24, 2024 in Nova Scotia, Canada, including round-trip coach class flights, hotel accommodations, and ground transportation to and from the 2024 Halifax International Security Forum for Winner and one parent or legal guardian. Winners must be accompanied by one parent or legal guardian for the duration of the Award. 
  2. The Award Winners will be the up to fifteen (15) individuals whose entries, in the sole opinion of the Judges, meet the judging ‘criteria’ most effectively. 
  3. Awards may be announced and presented at special events. The Competition Host is not responsible for any ancillary costs associated with collecting an Award. These are the responsibility of the award recipient if they choose to attend any such event in person. 
  4. By accepting an Award, the winners agree to participate in and co-operate as required with all reasonable media editorial requests relating to the Award, including but not limited to, being interviewed and photographed, filmed and/or chaperoned throughout the duration of the Award. 
  5. Finalist and winning entries for any Award may be showcased on the Competition website. Other entries may also be included in the showcase at the discretion of the Competition Host. 
  6. All reasonable attempts, including email and phone contact, will be made to communicate with potential Award Winners and one designated parent or legal guardian each day for one week (“notification period”) after winning individuals have been selected. If the Award remains unclaimed, unallocated or forfeited for any reason by the end of the “notification period”, the Award may be re-allocated to the next individual that has submitted the Entry which best meets the judging criteria. Winner and one parent or legal guardian must sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and release in the form provided by Competition Host before they can receive the Award and before any Award travel. 
  7. Competition awards do not have a cash value.  

 

GUARANTEES AND WARRANTIES 

1. The Competition Host, HFX, and its Affiliates accept no responsibility for any late, lost or misdirected entries due to technical disruptions, network congestion or any other reason. 

2. The Entrants agree to indemnify the Competition Host, HFX, and its Affiliates against all claims and costs by third parties arising from any breaches of the law caused by the Entrants in relation to the Competition including, but not limited to, breaches of intellectual property and/or infringement of copyright. 

3. The Competition Host, HFX, and its Affiliates reserve the right, at any time, to verify the validity of entries and Entrants (including an Entrant’s identity, age and place of residence) and to disqualify any entrant who tampers with the entry process or submits an entry that is not in accordance with these Terms and Conditions and/or Official Rules. 

4. If a Competition is interfered with in any way or is not capable of being conducted as reasonably anticipated due to any reason beyond the reasonable control of the Competition Host, the Competition Host reserves the right, in their sole discretion, to the fullest extent permitted by law to disqualify any Entrant or, subject to any written directions from a regulatory authority, to modify, suspend, terminate, or cancel the Competition, as appropriate. 

5. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions limits, excludes or modifies, or purports to limit, exclude, or modify the statutory consumer guarantees as provided under the relevant legal jurisdictions in which the Competition is being run. 

6. Except for any liability that cannot by law be excluded, the Competition Host, HFX, and its Affiliates (including their respective officers, employees, and agents) are not responsible for, and exclude all liability (including negligence) for: any personal injury or any loss or damage (including loss of opportunity); whether direct, indirect, special or consequential, arising in any way out of: 

 

1. any technical difficulties or equipment malfunction (whether or not under the Competition  Host’s control); 

 2. any theft, unauthorized access or third-party interference; 

 3. any Entry or Award claim that is late, lost, altered, damaged or misdirected (whether or not after its receipt by the Competition Host) due to any reason beyond the reasonable control of the Competition Host. 

 

7. HFX reserves the right to update, change, or replace any part of these Terms and Conditions and Official Rules by posting updates and/or changes to https://halifaxtheforum.org. 

8. Each Entrant and one parent or legal guardian hereby acknowledges and agrees that the relationship between the Entrant and the Competition Host is not a confidential, fiduciary, or other special relationship. 

 

WINNER’S LIST 

1. Competition Host will provide the winners list in individual email responses to those who request it within thirty (30) of the close of the Competition. 

 

PRIVACY 

Entrants and one parent or legal guardian consent to HFX collecting their personal information for the purpose of conducting and promoting the 15@15 Competition. Personal information may be disclosed to a third party as a result of entering the Competition. Full details of the 15@15 Privacy Policy can be found here.