1 Definitions

2 Eligibility

2.1 Eligible Participants

The Awards are open to individuals and organisations active in or connected with English Language Teaching, education, educational technology, publishing, assessment, teacher development and related educational services, subject to the eligibility requirements of the relevant Category.

Eligible Entrants may include, without limitation:

• educators and teacher trainers;
• foreign language schools and educational institutions;
• private and public schools;
• universities and other tertiary institutions;
• publishers;
• examination and assessment organisations;
• educational technology providers;
• educational service providers;
• professional associations;
• educational projects and initiatives; and
• individuals or organisations otherwise meeting the criteria of a particular Category.

2.2 Category-Specific Requirements

Each Entry must satisfy the eligibility criteria applicable to the Category in which it is submitted.

The Organiser may reject, transfer or request the amendment of an Entry submitted in an inappropriate Category where reasonably necessary for the proper administration of the Awards.

Where practicable, the Organiser will inform the Entrant before transferring an Entry to another Category.

2.3 Domestic and International Entries

Unless otherwise stated for a particular Category, Entries may be submitted by participants based in Greece or abroad.

2.4 Accuracy and Authority

The Entrant represents and warrants that:

1. all information contained in the Entry is accurate and not materially misleading;
2. the Entrant has authority to submit the Entry;
3. where an Entry concerns the work of an organisation, client, employee, teacher, student or third party, all necessary permissions have been obtained;
4. the Entry does not infringe any intellectual property, privacy, confidentiality or other rights of any third party; and
5. any claims concerning results, impact, performance or achievements can be substantiated if requested by the Organiser.

3 Submission of Entries

3.1 Submission Procedure

Entries must be submitted through the official Awards platform or by another method expressly authorised by the Organiser.

Entries must be received by the applicable submission deadline published on the Website.

The Organiser may extend submission deadlines at its discretion.

3.2 Entry Format

Entrants must provide the information requested in the official entry form and comply with any word limits, technical requirements, supporting-document requirements and Category-specific instructions.

3.3 Multiple Entries

An Entrant may submit more than one Entry and may enter more than one Category, provided that each Entry satisfies the applicable eligibility requirements and the corresponding entry fees are paid.

The same project may be entered in multiple Categories where it genuinely satisfies the criteria of those Categories.

3.4 Amendments

Entrants may amend their Entries until the applicable submission deadline where the Awards platform permits such amendments.

After the deadline, amendments may be permitted only at the Organiser’s discretion and only where they do not materially alter the Entry or compromise the fairness of the judging process.

3.5 Supporting Evidence

The Organiser may request reasonable supporting documentation or evidence to verify statements contained in an Entry.

Failure to provide requested evidence within a reasonable period may result in the relevant claim being disregarded or, where material to eligibility or judging, the Entry being disqualified.

3.6 Prohibited Submissions

An Entry must not contain:

1. false or materially misleading information;
2. plagiarised material;
3. material used without appropriate authorisation;
4. unlawful, defamatory, discriminatory or offensive material;
5. confidential information that the Entrant is not authorised to disclose;
6. personal data that the Entrant is not lawfully entitled to disclose; or
7. content that infringes intellectual property or other third-party rights.

4 Entry Fees and Payment

4.1 Fees

Entry fees applicable to each Awards cycle are those published on the Website at the time the relevant Entry is submitted.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, applicable VAT or other taxes will be added where required by law.

4.2 Payment

Payment must be made using one of the payment methods accepted by the Organiser.

An Entry may be treated as incomplete and excluded from judging until the applicable entry fee has been paid in full.

4.3 Discounts and Special Rates

The Organiser may offer:

• early-bird rates;
• multiple-entry rates;
• promotional discounts;
• special rates;
• complimentary Entries; or
• exemptions for specified categories of Entrants.

Eligibility for such rates is determined according to the conditions published with the relevant offer.

4.4 Public Schools

Where the Organiser offers free or discounted participation to public educational institutions, the Entrant may be required to provide reasonable evidence confirming eligibility.

4.5 Refunds

Entry fees are generally non-refundable once an Entry has been validly submitted and accepted for participation, except:

1. where the Organiser cancels the relevant Awards cycle without providing the corresponding Awards service;
2. where payment was made in error or duplicated;
3. where a refund is required by applicable law; or
4. where the Organiser determines, in its discretion, that exceptional circumstances justify a refund.

No refund will ordinarily be payable because an Entrant:

• withdraws an Entry after the submission deadline;
• is not shortlisted;
• does not receive an award;
• disagrees with the Judges’ assessment; or
• is disqualified for breach of these Terms.

5 Judging

5.1 Independent Assessment

Eligible Entries will be assessed by Judges appointed or invited by the Organiser.

The Organiser will use reasonable efforts to appoint Judges with relevant professional, educational or sector expertise.

5.2 Judging Criteria

Entries will be evaluated according to the criteria published for the relevant Awards cycle and/or Category.

Unless otherwise stated, assessment may include criteria relating to:

• purpose and vision;
• implementation;
• methodology and approach;
• innovation where relevant;
• educational or professional value;
• demonstrated impact; and
• evidence supporting the claims made in the Entry.

5.3 Scoring

The Organiser may use numerical scoring, qualitative assessment or a combination of both.

The Organiser may establish procedures for reviewing significant scoring discrepancies between Judges, including referral to an additional Judge where appropriate.

5.4 Conflicts of Interest

Judges are expected to disclose actual or material conflicts of interest.

Where the Organiser determines that a conflict may reasonably affect impartiality, the relevant Judge may be excluded from assessing that Entry and the Entry may be reassigned.

5.5 Independence of Judges

Judges act independently when evaluating Entries. The Organiser does not guarantee that any Entry will receive a particular score, ranking or award.

5.6 Decisions

Subject to any internal verification procedure adopted by the Organiser, judging decisions are final.

The Organiser is not required to enter into correspondence concerning the merits of individual scores, comparisons between Entries or a Judge’s professional assessment.

This does not prevent an Entrant from raising a genuine procedural complaint under Clause 14.

5.7 No Guaranteed Award

Submission of an Entry does not guarantee nomination, shortlisting, finalist status, recognition or receipt of an award.

The Organiser may decide that no award will be made in a Category where Entries do not meet the standard considered appropriate for that distinction.

6 Verification, Disqualification and Withdrawal of Awards

6.1 Verification

The Organiser may verify an Entry before or after judging and may request clarification or supporting evidence from an Entrant.

6.2 Grounds for Disqualification

An Entry may be disqualified where the Organiser reasonably determines that:

1. eligibility requirements were not satisfied;
2. materially false or misleading information was submitted;
3. evidence supporting material claims cannot be provided;
4. intellectual property or other third-party rights have been infringed;
5. the Entry involves plagiarism or material misrepresentation;
6. the Entrant improperly attempted to influence a Judge or the judging process;
7. the Entrant materially breached these Terms; or
8. continued participation would materially compromise the integrity or reputation of the Awards.

6.3 Allegations and Complaints Concerning Entrants

Where credible information is received concerning possible serious misconduct relevant to an Entrant’s eligibility or the integrity of an award, the Organiser may investigate the matter and request information from the Entrant.

The Organiser may suspend a decision or recognition while a material issue is being investigated where reasonably necessary to protect the integrity of the Awards.

6.4 Withdrawal of an Award

An award may be withdrawn after announcement if the Organiser subsequently establishes that:

1. the Entry was materially false or misleading;
2. the Entrant was not eligible;
3. the award was obtained through fraud, plagiarism or serious misconduct affecting the Entry or judging process;
4. material information relevant to eligibility was deliberately concealed; or
5. maintaining the award would materially undermine the integrity of the Awards because of circumstances directly connected with the awarded Entry.

Where reasonably practicable, the Entrant will be given an opportunity to respond before a final decision to withdraw an award is made.

Withdrawal of an award may require the Entrant to cease using the relevant Winner designation, certificate, badge, logo or other Awards distinction.

7 Intellectual Property

7.1 Ownership

Entrants retain ownership of intellectual property rights in their original Entries and supporting materials.

Submission of an Entry does not transfer ownership of those rights to the Organiser.

7.2 Licence to Administer and Promote the Awards

By submitting an Entry, the Entrant grants the Organiser a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to reproduce, store, display and communicate submitted material to the extent reasonably necessary to:

1. administer the Awards;
2. provide Entries to Judges;
3. verify Entries;
4. announce nominees, finalists and Winners;
5. report on the Awards; and
6. promote the Awards and their results.

This licence does not authorise the Organiser to commercially exploit the Entrant’s underlying educational product, proprietary methodology, software, course materials or other intellectual property independently of the Awards.

7.3 Third-Party Material

Entrants are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights and permissions to submit photographs, videos, logos, testimonials, copyrighted material and other third-party content.

7.4 Awards Branding

The names, logos, visual identity, certificates, badges and other branding of the ELT Excellence Awards remain the intellectual property of the Organiser or its licensors.

Winners may use official Winner badges and designations supplied by the Organiser solely in accordance with any branding guidelines issued by the Organiser.

Awards branding must not be modified or used in a manner that falsely suggests an award, category, year or level of distinction that was not actually received.

8 Publicity

Entrants acknowledge that participation in an awards programme necessarily involves a degree of public communication.

The Organiser may publish the following information concerning nominees, finalists and Winners:

• name;
• organisation;
• project or Entry title;
• Category entered;
• award or distinction received;
• non-confidential description of the Entry;
• logo;
• photographs supplied for publicity purposes; and
• other material expressly identified as suitable for publication.

The Organiser will not intentionally publish material clearly identified as confidential solely because it formed part of an Entry.

Winners may be invited to participate in interviews, articles, presentations, videos or other promotional activities. Unless otherwise agreed, participation in such additional promotional activity is voluntary.

9 Confidentiality

Entries may contain information that has not been made public.

The Organiser will take reasonable steps to limit access to submitted Entries to persons requiring access for administration, technical support, verification and judging.

Entrants should not submit trade secrets, security credentials, highly sensitive commercial information or other material whose disclosure would create disproportionate risk unless specifically required for judging.

Information expressly intended for publication as part of an Entry, nomination or award announcement will not be treated as confidential.

10 Personal Data and Privacy

10.1 Data Controller

For personal data processed in connection with the Awards, the data controller is:

10.2 Data Processed

Depending on participation, the Organiser may process information including:

• name;
• professional title;
• organisation;
• email address;
• telephone number;
• billing and invoicing information;
• account and submission information;
• Entries and supporting documentation;
• correspondence with the Organiser;
• judging and administrative records;
• photographs or audiovisual material relating to Awards events; and
• technical information associated with use of the Website.

10.3 Purposes

Personal data may be processed for purposes including:

1. administering Entries;
2. managing participant accounts;
3. processing payments and issuing invoices;
4. communicating with Entrants;
5. administering judging;
6. preventing fraud or misuse;
7. organising Awards events;
8. announcing and promoting nominees, finalists and Winners;
9. complying with accounting, tax and legal obligations; and
10. establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.

10.4 Legal Bases

Depending on the processing activity, processing may be based on:

• performance of a contract or steps taken before entering into a contract;
• compliance with a legal obligation;
• the Organiser’s legitimate interests in administering and protecting the integrity of the Awards; or
• consent where consent is legally required.

10.5 Marketing

Participation in the Awards does not automatically constitute consent to receive unrelated electronic marketing communications.

Where consent is legally required for marketing communications, such consent will be requested separately and may be withdrawn in accordance with applicable law.

10.6 Recipients

Personal data may be disclosed where necessary to:

• Judges;
• authorised personnel;
• website and hosting providers;
• payment providers;
• IT and platform providers;
• accountants and professional advisers;
• event service providers; and
• public authorities where disclosure is legally required.

Such disclosure will be limited to what is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

10.7 Retention

Personal data will be retained for no longer than reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, taking into account legal, accounting, tax, evidentiary and legitimate business requirements.

10.8 Data Protection Rights

Subject to applicable law, individuals may have rights including:

• access to their personal data;
• correction of inaccurate data;
• erasure;
• restriction of processing;
• objection to processing;
• data portability where applicable; and
• withdrawal of consent where processing is based on consent.

Requests may be submitted to info@eltnews.gr.

Individuals also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection supervisory authority.

The Organiser processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, including Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and applicable Greek implementing legislation.

Further information may be provided in the Organiser’s separate Privacy Policy.

11 Awards Ceremony and Events

11.1 Attendance

Nomination, finalist status or receipt of an award does not automatically include free admission to an Awards ceremony or associated event unless expressly stated.

Where tickets are required, attendance is subject to availability and the applicable ticket terms.

11.2 Photography and Recording

Awards ceremonies and related public events may be photographed, filmed or recorded.

The Organiser may use photographs and recordings of the event for legitimate editorial, archival and promotional purposes, subject to applicable data protection and personality-rights requirements.

Where specific consent is legally required for a particular use, the Organiser will obtain it separately.

11.3 Event Changes

The Organiser may reasonably modify the date, venue, programme, format or method of delivery of an Awards event because of circumstances including venue issues, safety concerns, force majeure, government restrictions or other operational circumstances outside its reasonable control.

Participants will be informed of material changes as reasonably practicable.

12 Organiser’s Rights

The Organiser reserves the right, where reasonably necessary for the proper administration and integrity of the Awards, to:

1. verify Entries;
2. request clarification or evidence;
3. reject ineligible Entries;
4. reassign Entries to a more appropriate Category;
5. appoint or replace Judges;
6. resolve procedural irregularities;
7. extend deadlines;
8. combine or discontinue Categories where there are insufficient eligible Entries;
9. withhold an award where the required standard has not been achieved; and
10. correct administrative or technical errors.

These powers must be exercised in good faith and consistently with the principles of fairness and equal treatment of Entrants.

13 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Organiser will not be liable for indirect or consequential losses arising solely from participation in the Awards, including loss of anticipated publicity, opportunity or commercial advantage resulting from an Entry not receiving an award.

The Organiser does not accept responsibility for failures caused by circumstances outside its reasonable control, including internet outages, third-party platform failures or force majeure.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where such exclusion or limitation is prohibited by applicable law, including liability arising from fraud, wilful misconduct or other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Entrants are responsible for maintaining copies of all materials submitted to the Awards.

14 Complaints and Procedural Review

An Entrant who believes that a material procedural error, conflict of interest or breach of these Terms affected their participation may submit a written complaint to the Organiser at info@eltnews.gr.

A complaint should:

1. identify the relevant Entry;
2. explain the alleged procedural issue;
3. provide available supporting information; and
4. be submitted within 14 calendar days of the relevant decision or notification, unless exceptional circumstances justify a later submission.

The Organiser will review properly submitted complaints and communicate its decision within a reasonable period.

15 Participant Conduct

Participants must conduct themselves professionally in communications and at Awards-related events.

The Organiser may exclude a Participant from an event or Awards activity where their conduct involves threats, harassment, discrimination, violence, deliberate disruption, fraud or other serious misconduct affecting the safety, rights or legitimate interests of other Participants, Judges, staff or the Organiser.

Any action taken under this clause must be proportionate to the circumstances.

16 Changes to These Terms

The Organiser may amend these Terms where reasonably necessary because of changes in law, regulation, Awards procedures, technology or operational requirements.

Material changes affecting an Awards cycle already in progress will not be applied retrospectively in a manner that materially disadvantages an Entrant unless required by law or necessary to preserve the fairness or integrity of the Awards.

The version applicable to an Entry will ordinarily be the version in effect when that Entry is submitted.

17 Force Majeure

The Organiser will not be responsible for delay, cancellation or failure to perform obligations caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, epidemic or pandemic conditions, war, civil disturbance, governmental action, industrial disputes, serious infrastructure failure, cyber incidents affecting third-party infrastructure, venue closure or comparable events.

Where such circumstances materially affect the Awards, the Organiser will take reasonable steps to minimise disruption and, where appropriate, provide an alternative arrangement.

18 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, that provision will be interpreted or limited to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable where legally possible.

The remaining provisions will continue in effect.

19 No Waiver

Failure or delay by the Organiser in exercising a right under these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that right.

20 Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and any dispute arising from or relating to the Awards are governed by the laws of Greece, without prejudice to any mandatory rights or protections that may apply under European Union or other applicable law.

Subject to any mandatory jurisdictional rules applicable by law, the courts of Athens, Greece shall have jurisdiction over disputes arising from or relating to these Terms or participation in the Awards.

Before commencing judicial proceedings, the parties are encouraged to attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute through written communication.

21 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with:

• the applicable Category criteria;
• published entry instructions;
• the applicable fee schedule;
• the Privacy Policy; and
• any specific conditions expressly applicable to a particular Category or Awards activity,

constitute the rules governing participation in the Awards.

Where specific Category rules expressly conflict with these general Terms, the specific Category rules will prevail solely in relation to that Category.

22 Contact