Rules of the BiG Challenge 2010

Definitions

• "the Awards Event" means the event at which the winning teams are awarded their prizes;

• "the Board" means the board of directors for the time being of BiG Make it Your Business;

• "the Challenge" means the BiG Challenge 2010;

• "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 2008 or 2009 or another context, by at least one of the members of that team;

• "rules" means these rules and any additions or amendments thereto made by the Board, and

• "school/college" means education and training providers and 16 to 19 educational institutions.

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  “School Enterprise Champion” means the school enterprise champion appointed by the Board and allocated to the relevant school/college.

   

Eligibility

1. The schools/colleges eligible to enter the Challenge are.

• Abbeydale Grange School

• All Saints RC School

• Birley Community College

• Bradfield School

• Chaucer Business and Enterprise College

• Ecclesfield School

• Firth Park Community College

• Fir Vale School

• Handsworth Grange School

• High Storrs School

• Hinde House 3-16 School

• King Ecgbert's School

• King Edward VII School

• Learning Skills and Employment Unit (Red Tape Central)

• Longley Park College

• Meadowhead School

• Myers Grove School

• Newfield School

• Notre Dame School

• Parkwood School

• Sheffield Park Academy

• Sheffield Springs Academy

• Silverdale School

• Spring Lane School

• Stocksbridge School

• Tapton School

• The City School

• The Sheffield College

• Westfield Sports College

• Wisewood Secondary School

• 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.

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. Existing businesses must be identified at the time of application. 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 Friday 4th September 2009 and by no later than midnight on Friday the 23rd October 2009. Entries received after that time will only be accepted at the discretion of the Board. 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 Board 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 any time at their discretion and the period of the Challenge shall end at midnight on Friday the 5th March 2010.

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 Board. 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 the 5th March 2010. Late submission will only be allowed at the discretion of the Board. 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 29th March 2010. Presentations may include PowerPoint slides but no video content. All winners will be announced on Thursday the 1st April 2010.

Prizes

9. The prizes for 1st and 2nd places in each age category will comprise cash payments of £5,000 and £2,000 respectively, paid to schools/colleges in accordance with clause 11 below.  There will also be cash prizes for progress during the period of the Challenge, to be awarded to teams at the discretion of the judging panel.  These prizes will be £150, £100, £25 and £25 for 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th 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 a student or students from a school or college.

10.  In addition to the prizes outlined in clause 9, further 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 Board for all overall winning team members.  Details of the departure, duration and the itinerary of the trip shall be decided by the Board.  There will be no cash alternative or other compensation for any winning team members unable to attend the trip;

• Overall runner up - £4000 to be paid to the winner’s school/college to fund a trip within the UK/Europe, the scope and destination of such trip to be chosen by the team in conjunction with the school/college, approved by its School Enterprise Champion, and organised by the school/college;

• Best presentation to the judging panel – prize of £2000;

• Best website content –  prize of £2000;

• Biggest profit made (from the initial £25 during the period of the Challenge) – prize of £2000.

 


11.  All Challenge prize money will be paid to the winning team’s school/college and, with the exception of the prize money for Overall runner up, must be utilised to promote entrepreneurism within that school/college.  All payments will be made upon delivery of a satisfactory submission by the school/college to its School Enterprise Champion, outlining the intended use(s) for the prize money.

 

12.   Each member of a team shortlisted to attend the Awards Event (1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in each age category) will receive retail vouchers to the value of £100.

 

Media & website

13. 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 Board shall operate and retain control of the BiG Challenge website and the Board 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.

14. The Board will also procure a video and photographic record of all aspects of the Challenge, copies of which will be placed on the BiG website, and the Board 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 winning teams names and photographs to be used for promotional and publicity purposes.

General

15. By entering the Challenge all schools/colleges, teams and team members agree to comply with and be bound by these rules. The Board 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 Board reserves the right to add to or amend these rules to the extent required to ensure the success of the Challenge. The Board 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 Board shall be final and binding.

17. The members of the judging panel, and any required replacement member, shall be appointed by the Board. 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. 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 Board nor Sheffield City Council shall be liable for any injury, loss or damage to persons or property arising directly or indirectly from the Challenge.

August 2009