Competition terms and conditions

The following rules are applicable to the Technology Horizons Award specifically, and will be binding on all persons who submit an entry.

The closing date for entries is the 31st of March 2008.

1. The competition is open to UK residents aged 14 –24 on the 31st of March 2008. There will be two entry categories determined by age; 14-18 and 19-24 on the 31st of March 2008. Employees of Bosch, The Independent, The Royal Academy of Engineering and the promoters, their agents or members of their families will not be eligible to participate.

2. All entries must be submitted either as a word document sent as an attachment or, written in black ink or ball-point pen and submitted by post with the official entry form. They must be clearly marked with the entrant's name, full address and telephone number. Any illegible, mutilated or altered entries will be disqualified. The entrant must certify on the front page that it is their own, original unaided work.

2.1 Posted entries must be delivered to Mr Dave Rowley, Head of Campaigns, The Royal Academy of Engineering, 29 Great Peter Street, London, SW1P 3LW and bear the correct postage. They are invalid if they arrive any later than the first post on the specified closing date (31st of March 2008)

2.2 Proof of posting will not constitute proof of delivery and no responsibility will be accepted for lost, damaged, illegible, delayed or mislaid entries.

2.3 Only one entry per entrant will be permitted.

2.4 Entries of joint ownership will not be accepted.

2.5 Entries must be original (that is, representing the entrant’s own work) and with an approximate word count of 500 words for the 14-18 category and 750 words for the 19-24 category. Entries that do not conform to this rule will be disqualified.

3. In the event of the closing date being extended, which the Judges may do in their absolute discretion, an announcement of any such extension will be printed in the next available issue of the relevant publication of and posted on the Academy www.shapethefuture.org.uk website and www.independent.co.uk.

4. Subject to Rule 8:

4.1 All prize winners will be selected by a panel of Judges including at least one member independent of the organisers.

4.2 The following prizes will be awarded in each age group: winner and runner-up plus five highly commended.

4.3 The monetary value of the prizes will be:

14-18 category, first £700, second £300, plus five highly commended £150 each. Plus schools with 15 entries or more will receive a Bosch IXO Cordless Drill.

19-24 category, first £1,000, second £500, plus five highly commended £250 each.

5. Independent News and Media (INM), Bosch and The Royal Academy of Engineering (jointly known as the organisers) reserve the right to publish the names of the winners and runners-up and any official photographs of them taken at or in connection with the celebration event.

6. The individual prizes offered will be given as cheques at a celebration event to be arranged and are not transferable or exchangeable. Every prize winner is expected to attend.

7. The organisers will not be liable for any circumstances beyond their control that prevent a prize being taken up by a recipient.

8. No correspondence will be entered into. The decision of the Judges shall be final and unchallengeable and in their absolute discretion they may declare the competition or a category void should they consider that there are no entries reaching the required standard, whereupon they can award prizes or not, as they think fit.

9. A condition of entry is that entrants are deemed to have assigned the copyright of their entries to the organisers. All entries, however submitted, shall become the property of the organisers and will not be returned. Independent INM will have the right, with no further permission or payment, to publish all or part of any entry or use it in any way INM think fit including syndication or other commercial reasons.

10. Where applicable, prize winners will be responsible for organising their own transport to the award ceremony.

11. Unless the entrant specifically requests the contrary (by ticking a box provided in the competition entry form or otherwise), the Academy will hold their personal data (including sensitive personal data where appropriate) on its own or a duly authorised agent's registered database and share it with INM. This information will be used by the Academy to provide entrants with information about engineering careers and its Best Programme details.

12. By entering the Technology Horizons Award entrants are agreeing to abide by these rules, the INM’s competition rules on www.independent.co.uk/legal and any conditions set out in the competition instructions.

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