Rules

Rules and Regulations:

1. All short-listed candidates for the 2012 Weston Youth Innovation Award (the "Award") will be contacted, provided with an application package and invited to submit supporting documentation, references and a completed consent form in order to qualify for selection for the Award. The completed application package including supporting materials and completed consent form must be submitted by mail to the Ontario Science Centre (the "OSC") postmarked no later than February 29, 2012. All candidates, including all members of a group, must include a signed consent form with their application. All candidates under the age of 18, including all members of a group, must have a parent or guardian sign the consent form provided and include this with application. Incomplete or late applications may not be considered. In the absence of a group member's consent form, that individual group member will be ineligible for competition.
2. Application packages can be submitted in either English or French.
3. The OSC will acknowledge receipt of each application received prior to the submission deadline via an email sent to the address indicated on the entry form.
4. Submission of the application package to the OSC shall be deemed to be complete acceptance of the rules and regulations by the candidates.
5. Only Canadian residents are eligible for the Award. Candidates must be between the ages of 14 and 18 (having reached their 14th birthday by December 31st, 2011 and having not yet reached their 19th birthday by December 31st, 2011). In the event of a group, all members must meet the age and residency requirements above and one individual must be identified as the group's primary contact. In the event that a group is chosen as the Award recipient, the group's primary contact will be the individual contacted by the OSC. A group may consist of no more than eight (8) members.
6. 6. The deadline for submitting a completed application package is February 29, 2012.
7. The winner of the Award will be notified by telephone by the OSC by April 30, 2012 ("Notification"). Only the recipient of the Award will be notified. The OSC assumes no responsibility for any inaccurate or incorrect information provided to it, or that result in any way from the mailing, transmission, receipt, or processing of entries. If a selected candidate does not respond to the OSC within five (5) days of first contact, the OSC shall have the right to disqualify that candidate and to select the next submission with the highest score as determined by the JUDGING CRITERIA below. The winner of the Award will be made public on this website by May 31, 2012. By applying, you agree that if you are a selected candidate that is disqualified and the prize is forfeited for any reason, the OSC shall be fully and completely released and discharged from any liability or responsibility in this regard. The OSC is not responsible for the failure for any reason whatsoever of the selected candidate to receive Notification.
8. All submissions will be evaluated using the following evaluation criteria (weighting of criteria is subject to change):
   

   JUDGING CRITERIA

   1. Extent to which the individual or group has shown initiative and leadership to be agents of change in addressing a current issue they are passionate about.
      25%
   2. Innovative and creative use of science and/or technology as the basis for developing ideas aimed at solving real-world problems.
      25%
   3. Evidence of the successful implementation of the above-mentioned ideas, resulting in a positive impact either in the nominee's own community or on a broader scale.
      25%
   4. The degree to which the candidate and the work has demonstrated the following skills, attitudes and behaviours of innovation: inspiration, creativity, collaboration, risk-taking and problem solving.
      25%


9. The first evaluation of the applications will be done by the OSC's internal Weston Youth Innovation Award selection committee. This committee will consist of OSC staff. The selection committee will use the above-mentioned JUDGING CRITERIA to create a short-list of submissions to be forwarded to an external jury ("final review panel"). References provided by the short-listed candidates on their entry forms will be contacted in March of 2012.
10. The final evaluation will be done by the judges of the final review panel. Judges are appointed annually. The final review panel will select one of the short-listed submissions to receive the Award and will base their choice of the Award recipient on the above-mentioned JUDGING CRITERIA.


11. PRIZES
    
    1. There will be one (1) cash prize of $2000 awarded to the winner of the Award.
    2. In addition, the recipient of the Award (whether individual or group) will have the opportunity to work with an OSC multimedia development team to create a short animation production describing the winner's project and work. The animation will be displayed at the OSC for up to one year and be viewed by the OSC's over one-million annual visitors. This is a voluntary opportunity, which may be refused, and the winner will not be remunerated for his/her contributions, nor will any employer-employee or other contractual relationship be created. The winner has the choice of working with the project team on-site at the OSC, or virtually, via electronic communications. The OSC will not provide funding for travel or accommodation. Timing, duration and nature of the work to be determined by the OSC. The OSC shall remain the sole owner of all right, title, and interest in the completed animation, including, but not limited to, any and all rights in copyright, patent, trade secret, trade mark, industrial design and all other intellectual property rights. Before participating in the animation project, the recipient of the Award will be asked to sign a waiver irrevocably waiving any and all rights, including moral rights to the completed animation and any derivative works made therefrom. being chosen as the recipient of the Award, each group member will receive an individual one-year student membership to the OSC.
    3. The recipient of the Award will receive a one-year student membership to the OSC, allowing them access to over 300 science museums world-wide. In the event of a group submission being chosen as the recipient of the Award, each group member will receive an individual one-year student membership to the OSC.
    4. The recipient of the Award (including all members of a group) will be recognized on the OSC's website and through a display in the Weston Family Innovation Centre at the OSC in Toronto, Canada. The OSC reserves the right to determine the form and nature of the display.
    5. In the event that a group is chosen as the Award recipient, the cash prize will be shared amongst the group members.
    6. The recipient of the Award (including each group member in the event of a group submission) agrees to make him/herself available for media interviews and by accepting the Award, consents to the use of his/her image and related visual/sound recordings, without the expectation of further remuneration.
       
       The Award will be presented to the recipient at an event hosted by the OSC. Where necessary, transportation (in economy class) and overnight accommodations (1 night at a hotel arranged by the OSC) for the Award recipient and a legal guardian, if required, will be provided by the OSC up to a maximum cost of $3,000. In the event of a group submission being chosen as the recipient of the Award, all members of the group will be invited using the email address provided on his/her consent form to attend the event. However, the OSC will only cover the travel and accommodation costs of the group's primary contact as identified on the entry form, and his or her legal guardian, if required.
       
       Prizes must be accepted as described in these rules and cannot be transferred to another person or substituted for another prize. Any substitution of a prize, in whole or in part, is at the sole discretion of the OSC.

TERMS OF PARTICIPATION

12. Employees and relatives of employees of the OSC and The W. Garfield Weston Foundation (and its affiliated or related entities) are not eligible for the Award. For this purpose, the term "relative" shall mean spouse, partner, parent, child or sibling.
13. Submitted documentation shall not be returned to entrants.
14. Multiple applications are not permitted. The winner of the Award is ineligible for future Weston Youth Innovation Awards. Other candidates are free to apply for future Weston Youth Innovation Awards.
15. An entrant's submission must not include any content whatsoever which would reasonably be understood to be defamatory, threatening, distasteful, racist, unlawful or otherwise objectionable.
16. The OSC reserves the right to change these terms at any time at its sole discretion.
17. By submitting an application package, each individual, or group member, consents to the collection, use, disclosure and retention of the candidate's personal information (name, image, photograph, likeness, voice, city of residence) in connection with the Award and for publicity purposes relating exclusively to this Award without compensation. Consents can be revoked at any time before the submission closing date by contacting the OSC in writing, in which case the candidate's submission will no longer be eligible for consideration.
18. Each candidate, including all members of a group submission, agrees to grant to the OSC all rights whatsoever in and to the content of the application form, (excluding any additional support materials included in the application package), including but not limited to the right throughout the universe, in perpetuity, and in all media, formats, now or hereafter devised:
    1. to use, reproduce, translate, distribute, adapt, modify, publish or display (whether in whole or in part and whether sequentially or non-sequentially) all such content, including but not limited to the production of derivative works therefrom;
    2. to edit, adapt, convert to digital-machine readable or any other accessible format for persons with disabilities, all such content; and
    3. tto publish and advertise the candidate's name, city of residence and content in any and all manner and medium for the purposes of the Award and for the advertising and promotional purposes set out above.
19. By submitting an application, each candidate irrevocably waives any and all rights, including moral rights to the material contained in the application, (excluding any additional support materials) and any derivative works made therefrom.
20. Each candidate agrees that the consents given and rights granted above are done so without further compensation in connection with the Award.
21. Each candidate acknowledges that the OSC has no control over and is not responsible for any use or misuse including, but not limited to, any alteration, modification, reuse or distortion of the photographs taken or content submitted (or the candidate's name and city of residence) that may occur or be caused by third parties. The OSC will not be monitoring and has no control over third parties' use or misuse of the photographs or content of the candidate's entry form (or the candidate's name and city of residence) displayed on the OSC website or other websites or publications.
22. The OSC shall not be liable to candidates for any loss or damage or injury to candidates or their property caused by or suffered during or in connection with participation in the Award, including without limitation, as a result of personal injury, invasion of privacy, libel, defamation or infringement of copyright.
23. Each candidate, including all members of a group submission, agrees to indemnify the OSC from any third party claims arising from or related to that candidate's participation in the Award. By participating, candidates agree that the OSC and its directors, officers, agents, employees, volunteers and service providers and any other person or entity associated with such entities shall not be liable for any and all claims, damages, losses or injuries, including any third party bodily injury (including death), personal injury, property damage, libel, defamation, invasion of privacy, and infringement of copyright, arising from or relating to, in whole or in part, this Award, including entry and participation and acceptance, possession, use or misuse of the prizes. All candidates further agree that in the event of any third party claims, damages, losses or injuries, arising from or relating to this Award, they will indemnify the OSC from any and all such claims, including lawyers' fees related thereto.
24. The OSC shall not be responsible for any technical malfunctions that are human, mechanical or technical in nature, or any combination thereof, including any injury as well as lost, incomplete, destroyed, misdirected, illegible or late submissions which for any reason are not received.
25. The OSC reserves the right to modify or cancel this Award in the event of technical corruption, virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or any other technical problems, which may arise from time-to-time beyond the control of the OSC, destroying the integrity of this Award. No liability or responsibility is assumed by the OSC, resulting from attempts to participate in this Award or if required, accessing online information necessary to participate in this Award.
26. The OSC assumes no responsibility for lost or late submissions of application packages.
27. The OSC reserves the right to disqualify candidates whom it finds to be in violation of these Rules and Regulations or tampering with the entry process. The OSC reserves the right to refuse an entry from a person whose eligibility is in question or who has been disqualified or is otherwise ineligible to enter.
28. All decisions regarding this competition and the selection of the final Award recipient remain with the OSC and are final.
29. The OSC, its agents and service providers are not responsible for printing, distribution or production errors.
30. No prize substitutions will be made, except for the right of the OSC to make a prize substitution of equivalent or greater value in the event the prizes, or any portion thereof, are unavailable for reasons beyond the OSC's control.
31. If for any reason the Award is not capable of being conducted as intended by the OSC, the OSC may, at its sole discretion, disqualify any candidate responsible for such misconduct and cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Award.
32. Privacy Statement: By being a candidate submitting an application for the Weston Youth Innovation Award, all candidates, including all members of a group submission, individually consent to the collection and use by the OSC of their personal information in order to process the application and administer the competition, including awarding prizes, which information is mandatory in order to participate in the Award, and which information is posted on the OSC's website. Personal information is collected under the authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31 and is used for the purpose of administering and promoting the Award and winners. All inquiries about the collection of this personal information should be directed to: Sabrina Greupner, Manager Weston Family Innovation Centre. Ontario Science Centre.
33. The Award is void where prohibited by law and is subject to all Federal, Provincial and Municipal laws and regulations. The Contest and these Contest Rules will be exclusively governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Ontario. Any dispute arising hereunder shall be governed by the laws of Ontario, and except as provided in Rule 36 below, shall be adjudicated in the applicable court in Toronto, Ontario.
34. For residents of Québec only: Any litigation in regards to the conduct and awarding of any prize in this publicity Contest may be submitted to the Régie des alcools, des courses et jeux ("RACJ") for a ruling. Any litigation in regards to the awarding of a prize may be submitted to the RACJ only for purposes of helping the parties reach a settlement. For all other participants, any litigation must be initiated in the City of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada.

The Weston Youth Innovation Award is generously supported by The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and is administered by the Ontario Science Centre