Rules of the BiG Challenge 2012 (BC5)
Definitions
“the Awards Event” means the event at which the winning teams are awarded their prizes;
“the Challenge” means the BiG Challenge 2012;
“existing business” means a business or a significant proportion thereof which, at or prior to the date on which a team enters the Challenge, was being run in the BiG Challenge 2011 or another context, by at least one of the members of that team;
“the Guidance Notes” means the BiG Guidance for Schools and Colleges 2012 (BC5) produced by the Steering Group;
“the rules” means these rules and any additions or amendments thereto made by the Steering Group;
“school/college” means education and training providers and 16 to 19 educational institutions;
“School Enterprise Champion” means the school enterprise champion allocated to the relevant school/college, and
“the Steering Group ” means the Chairman and Programme Director of BiG and the School Enterprise Champions all as listed in the BiG Challenge 2012 Guidance for Schools and Colleges, together with Sero Consulting Limited;
Eligibility
1. The schools/colleges eligible to enter the Challenge are.
All Saints RC School
Birkdale School
Birley Community College
Bradfield School
Chaucer Business and Enterprise College
Ecclesfield School
Firth Park Community College
Fir Vale School
Forge Valley Community School
Handsworth Grange School
High Storrs School
Hillsborough College
Hinde House 3-16 School
King Ecgbert’s School
King Edward VII School
Longley Park College
Meadowhead School
Newfield School
Norton College
Notre Dame School
Parkwood Academy
Red Tape Central
Sheffield City College
Sheffield Engineering Centre
Sheffield High School
Sheffield Park Academy
Sheffield Springs Academy
Silverdale School
Stocksbridge High School
Tapton School
The City School
Westbourne School
Westfield Sports College
Yewlands School
2. Each eligible school/college may enter as many teams into the Challenge as they wish.
Age Categories
3. The Challenge shall comprise 3 age categories: 11 to 13 (Key stage 3), 14 to 16 (Key stage 4) and post 16 (up to level 3 in Sheffield colleges and school 6th forms). For this year, the post 16 category is called the BiGGER Challenge. These rules shall apply to all age groups and any variations or additions thereto in respect of the post 16 category only can be found in Appendix 4 to the Guidance Notes entitled “The BiGGER Challenge”
Teams
4. Teams shall consist of between 1 and 8 students and each team shall be entered into the appropriate age category. Teams containing students of mixed ages must be entered into the age category of the eldest team member. Team mentors will not be counted as members of the team and will not be entitled to share in any prizes but will be eligible for the prize for best mentor.
Closing date for entries
5. Team entries must be submitted electronically by schools/colleges from Monday 19th September 2011 and by no later than midnight on Friday the 21st October 2011. Entries received after that time will only be accepted at the discretion of the Steering Group. Entries must contain the name and contact details of at least one member of staff supporting the team. Upon receipt of a valid team entry the Steering Group will procure the sending of a cheque for £25 from an initial investor to that team’s school/college. Teams can begin working on the Challenge at any time at their discretion and the period of the Challenge shall end at midnight on Friday the 24th February 2012.
Delivery
6. During the period of the Challenge all teams will seek to increase the initial amount of £25 by as much as possible using teamwork, innovation, entrepreneurship and only legal means. The first £30 of any profits made from the initial amount shall be repaid by the school/college to the Steering Group. Schools/colleges will not be required to return any of the initial £25 where a team fails to make any profit. All profits or a proportion of profits may be donated to charity at the discretion of each team.
7. All teams shall submit their final report by no later than midnight on Friday 24th February 2012. Late submission will only be allowed at the discretion of the Steering Group. All reports shall be presented electronically by entry onto the BiG website.
8. All teams short-listed shall make a presentation of their project to the judging panel at a venue in Sheffield on Monday the 12th March 2012. Presentations may include PowerPoint slides but no video content. All winners will be announced on Friday the 16th March 2012.
Prizes
9. There will be up to three awards in each age category, subject to teams achieving an acceptable standard. The judging panel may make additional awards at their discretion. There will also be cash prizes for progress during the period of the Challenge, to be awarded to teams at the discretion of the Steering Group. These team prizes will be £150, £100, £25 and £25 for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places respectively.
In addition a discretionary award of retail vouchers to the value of £250 each will be made by the judging panel for the best mentoring of a team or teams by students from a school or college or by an entrepreneur.
10. Prizes will be awarded to teams for each of the following categories:
- Overall winning team – fully funded trip to a destination to be decided upon and announced by the Steering Group, for all overall winning team members. Details of the departure, duration and the itinerary of the trip shall be decided by the Steering Group. There will be no cash alternative or other compensation for any winning team members unable to attend the trip;
- Best presentation to the judging panel;
- Best website content or use of the web;
- Biggest profit made (from the initial £25 during the period of the Challenge);
- Best existing business,
- Best final report,
- Made in Sheffield award for the best manufactured product, and
- The Sheffield 2012 award for the best product or service linked in some way to the 2012 Olympics.
11. Each member of a team shortlisted to attend the Awards Event will receive retail vouchers to the value of £100. Each member of a team winning the Best Existing Business award will receive an additional £100.
Media, Website and Sponsors
12. It is the responsibility of all participating schools/colleges to monitor content added to the BiG Challenge website by their teams and for the conduct of the team members generally with regard to the use of the BiG Challenge website and any associated facilities.
Notwithstanding the above and the overall obligation on schools/colleges to administer the Challenge in accordance with these rules the Steering Group shall operate and retain control of the BiG Challenge website and the Steering Group reserves the right to remove any content from it which it deems to be inappropriate and to exclude access to any persons responsible for placing such content onto the website.
13. The Steering Group will also procure a video and photographic record of all aspects of the Challenge, copies of which will be placed on the BiG Challenge website, and the Steering Group shall retain the copyright in all such material. Schools/colleges are required to obtain consents (where required)from team members and/or their parents for all teams who enter or attend any events relating to the Challenge and for teams names, photographs and copies of final reports to be used for promotional and publicity purposes and for advocating best practice.
14. The Steering Group has procured sponsorship for the BiG winners trip and so the overall winning team will be required to comply in a timely manner with all reasonable requests from the sponsor to attend press conferences, photographic opportunities, radio and television interviews and provide press statements etc., both before and after the winners trip. By entering the Challenge the winners’ school agrees to comply with all such reasonable requests from the trip sponsors and to ensure that all appropriate parental permissions are secured and that team members’ passports are valid and have at least six months validity remaining.
General
15. By entering the Challenge all schools/colleges, teams andteam members agree to comply with and be bound by these rules. The Steering Group may disqualify any school/college and its team(s) if it reasonably suspects that they are in breach of these rules, or that their conduct in relation to the Challenge is fraudulent or unlawful.
16. The Steering Group reserves the right to add to or amend these rules to the extent required to ensure the success of the Challenge. The Steering Group also reserves the right to change or cancel the Challenge at any stage if circumstances arise which are beyond its control. In all matters relating to these rules, and any additions or amendments thereto, the decisions of the Steering Group shall be final and binding.
17. The members of the judging panel, and any replacement member, shall be appointed by the Steering Group. All decisions made by the judging panel shall be final and binding.
18. Schools/colleges must appoint at least one member of staff to have overall responsibility for and to administer the Challenge in accordance with these rules. Schools/colleges shall be responsible for ensuring the suitability of activities undertaken by its team(s) whilst competing in the Challenge and shall also be responsible for all risk assessments and Health & Safety issues, including those associated with the prize trip for the overall winning team. All activities must be legal, must adhere to schools/colleges own health and safety policies, and must not jeopardise the safety or well being of team members or the general public.
19. Neither the Steering Group nor Sheffield City Council shall be liable for any injury, loss or damage to persons or property arising directly or indirectly from the Challenge.
September 2011
