Change Awards Terms & Conditions
(Updated June 2026)
1. Introduction
These Terms & Conditions govern participation in the Change Awards and set out the legal relationship between the Change Awards and all applicants, nominees, organisations and other participants.
These Terms & Conditions should be read together with the following Change Awards documents:
- Competition Rules
- Category Standards
- Privacy Notice
- Applicant Guidance
Together, these documents establish the requirements for participation, submission, judging and administration of the Change Awards.
By registering for, submitting or participating in the Change Awards, applicants confirm that they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions and the accompanying Change Awards documentation.
2. Acceptance of the Terms
2.1 By registering for, submitting or participating in the Change Awards, applicants agree to comply with these Terms & Conditions, the Competition Rules, the Category Standards, the Privacy Notice and any other documents expressly incorporated by reference.
2.2 Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they have read and understood all documentation governing participation in the Change Awards before submitting an entry.
2.3 Where an applicant submits an Award Submission on behalf of an organisation, team or other individual, the applicant confirms that they are authorised to act on behalf of that organisation, team or individual for the purposes of the Change Awards.
2.4 The Change Awards reserves the right to refuse, reject or remove any entry that does not comply with these Terms & Conditions or any other governing document of the Change Awards.
3. Eligibility and Authority
3.1 Applicants confirm that all information submitted in connection with the Change Awards is accurate, complete and, to the best of their knowledge, truthful at the time of submission.
3.2 Applicants confirm that they have the authority to submit the Award Submission and any Supporting Evidence on behalf of themselves, their organisation and any other individual or organisation referenced within the submission.
3.3 Where an Award Submission contains information relating to clients, partners or third parties, applicants are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions prior to submission.
3.4 Applicants warrant that the submission of an Award Submission does not breach any contractual obligation, confidentiality agreement, intellectual property right or other legal obligation owed to any third party.
3.5 The Change Awards reserves the right to request evidence of authority or permission where reasonably required. Failure to provide satisfactory evidence may result in the entry being withdrawn from the competition.
3.6 Applicants remain solely responsible for the content of their Award Submission and any Supporting Evidence submitted as part of their entry.
4. Accuracy of Information
4.1 Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all information, statements, data, claims and supporting materials included within an Award Submission are accurate, complete and capable of being substantiated.
4.2 Applicants must not knowingly submit false, misleading or materially inaccurate information.
4.3 Where estimates, projections or qualitative assessments are included, applicants should clearly identify them as such and ensure they are presented in good faith.
4.4 The Change Awards reserves the right to request clarification, supporting evidence or additional information where any aspect of an Award Submission requires verification.
4.5 Failure to provide satisfactory clarification or supporting evidence may result in the entry being withdrawn from the competition or otherwise dealt with in accordance with the Competition Rules.
4.6 The Change Awards accepts no responsibility for verifying every factual statement contained within an Award Submission and may rely on information provided by applicants unless there is reason to believe that such information is inaccurate or misleading.
5. Intellectual Property
5.1 Applicants retain ownership of all intellectual property rights in their Award Submission, Supporting Evidence and any other materials submitted as part of their entry.
5.2 By submitting an entry, applicants grant the Change Awards a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, reproduce, publish, distribute and display submitted materials for the purposes of administering, judging, promoting and reporting on the Change Awards, subject to these Terms & Conditions and any permissions or restrictions selected by the applicant during the submission process.
5.3 The licence granted under Clause 5.2 includes the right to reproduce extracts from Award Submissions, quotes, images, logos and Supporting Evidence in connection with the promotion of the Change Awards, publication of shortlisted and winning entries, annual reports, research publications and other communications relating to the Awards.
5.4 Applicants may choose to restrict the publication of specific confidential information where such an option is provided during the submission process. The Change Awards will make reasonable efforts to respect such restrictions while preserving the integrity of the competition and the judging process.
5.5 The Change Awards will not sell, licence or commercially exploit an applicant’s Award Submission or Supporting Evidence for purposes unrelated to the administration, promotion or development of the Change Awards without obtaining the applicant’s prior written consent.
5.6 Applicants warrant that they either own or have obtained all necessary permissions to use any intellectual property contained within their Award Submission and agree to indemnify the Change Awards against any claim arising from infringement of third-party intellectual property rights.
6. Confidentiality
6.1 The Change Awards recognises that Award Submissions may contain commercially sensitive or confidential information. Reasonable steps will be taken to protect such information throughout the administration and judging of the Awards.
6.2 Award Submissions and Supporting Evidence will be made available only to the Change Awards Administration, the appointed Judging Committee and any individuals directly involved in administering the competition who require access for operational purposes.
6.3 Members of the Judging Committee and the Change Awards Administration are expected to treat all Award Submissions and Supporting Evidence as confidential and to use such information solely for the purposes of assessing and administering the Awards.
6.4 Applicants should not include information that they are not legally authorised to disclose. Where confidential information is essential to the submission, applicants should clearly identify it and ensure that all necessary permissions have been obtained.
6.5 The Change Awards reserves the right to publish information relating to shortlisted and winning entries where permission has been granted or where publication forms part of the normal administration and promotion of the Awards in accordance with these Terms & Conditions.
6.6 Nothing in these Terms & Conditions requires the Change Awards to disclose confidential information submitted by an applicant, except where disclosure is required by law.
7. Data Protection, Privacy and Intelligence
7.1 The Change Awards will collect, process and store personal data in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and the Change Awards Privacy Notice.
7.2 Personal information will be used only for purposes connected with the administration of the Awards, communication with applicants, the judging process and other activities directly related to the operation of the Change Awards.
7.3 The Change Awards may retain Award Submissions, Supporting Evidence and associated information for administrative, historical and governance purposes, subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
7.4 The Change Awards may analyse anonymised and aggregated information derived from Award Submissions to identify trends, patterns and insights relating to organisational transformation.
7.5 Anonymised and aggregated information may be used to produce annual reports, research publications, benchmark insights and other publications that contribute to the advancement of organisational transformation practice. No individual, organisation or commercially sensitive information will be identified without the applicant’s prior permission.
7.6 By participating in the Change Awards, applicants acknowledge that anonymised and aggregated information may contribute to future research and intelligence publications produced by or on behalf of the Change Awards.
7.7 Applicants may exercise their rights in relation to their personal data in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and the Change Awards Privacy Notice.
8. Publicity
8.1 By participating in the Change Awards, applicants acknowledge that shortlisted and winning entries may be publicly announced by the Change Awards.
8.2 Where permission has been granted, the Change Awards may publish the names of applicants, organisations, Award Submissions, quotations, photographs, logos and other approved materials in connection with the promotion and reporting of the Awards.
8.3 Applicants may be invited to participate in interviews, case studies, presentations, media activity or promotional content relating to the Change Awards. Participation in such activities is voluntary unless otherwise agreed in writing.
8.4 The Change Awards may photograph, film or record Award ceremonies and associated events. Such material may be used for promotional, educational, historical and reporting purposes.
8.5 Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they have obtained all necessary permissions before submitting photographs, logos, videos or other third-party materials as part of their Award Submission.
8.6 Nothing in this section grants the Change Awards the right to use materials beyond the permissions granted under these Terms & Conditions or any restrictions agreed with the applicant.
9. Fees, Payments and Refunds
9.1 Entry fees, payment deadlines and any applicable discounts will be published on the Change Awards website for each Award Cycle.
9.2 An entry will not be considered valid until the applicable entry fee has been received in full, unless the applicant has been granted a fee waiver or alternative payment arrangement by the Change Awards Administration.
9.3 All fees are payable in the currency specified during the application process and are exclusive of any applicable taxes unless otherwise stated.
9.4 Entry fees are non-refundable once an Award Submission has been received, except where required by law or at the sole discretion of the Change Awards Administration.
9.5 If an applicant withdraws an entry before submitting an Award Submission, the Change Awards reserves the right to determine whether any refund will be offered, taking into account the stage of the competition and any administrative costs already incurred.
9.6 Where the Change Awards cancels or substantially changes the competition before judging has commenced, the Change Awards reserves the right to offer an alternative entry, transfer the entry to a future Award Cycle or provide a refund at its discretion.
9.7 The Change Awards accepts no responsibility for any bank charges, currency conversion costs or other fees incurred by applicants when making payment.
10. Withdrawal and Cancellation
10.1 Applicants may withdraw their entry at any time by providing written notice to the Change Awards Administration.
10.2 Withdrawal of an entry does not automatically entitle the applicant to a refund. Refunds will be considered in accordance with these Terms & Conditions and any published refund policy.
10.3 The Change Awards reserves the right to withdraw, suspend or remove an entry where it no longer satisfies the Competition Rules, these Terms & Conditions or any other governing document of the Change Awards.
10.4 The Change Awards reserves the right to amend, postpone, suspend or cancel any part of the competition where circumstances beyond its reasonable control make this necessary or where such action is required to protect the integrity, fairness or proper administration of the Awards.
10.5 Where reasonably practicable, applicants will be notified of any significant changes affecting their participation in the Change Awards.
11. Limitation of Liability
11.1 Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
11.2 Subject to Clause 11.1, the Change Awards shall not be liable for any indirect, consequential or incidental loss, damage, cost or expense arising from participation in the competition.
11.3 The Change Awards accepts no responsibility for technical failures, communication errors, delays, lost submissions or circumstances beyond its reasonable control that may affect participation in the Awards.
11.4 Applicants remain responsible for retaining copies of all Award Submissions, Supporting Evidence and other materials submitted as part of their entry.
12. Amendments to the Terms
12.1 The Change Awards reserves the right to amend these Terms & Conditions where reasonably necessary to reflect changes in law, regulation, operational requirements or the administration of the Awards.
12.2 Where material changes are made after applications have opened, the Change Awards will take reasonable steps to notify affected applicants.
12.3 The version of the Terms & Conditions published on the Change Awards website shall apply to the relevant Award Cycle unless otherwise stated.
13. Governing Law
13.1 These Terms & Conditions shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
13.2 Any dispute arising in connection with these Terms & Conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, unless otherwise required by applicable law.