IMPORTANT: By entering the Promotion you confirm that you have read and accepted these Rules.
This Promotion is administered by Evening Standard Limited (the ‘Promoter’). The Promoter is partnering with AXA Insurance UK plc (‘AXA’).
References in these Rules to “we” “us” and “our” are references to the Promoter.
How to enter:
1. To enter the Promotion, you must:
a) Visit axastartupangel.standard.co.uk and register your details;
b) Submit answers to the two questions (maximum 200 words per answer). Question 1: Tell us about your business idea. What problem or customer need does it address? Question 2: What would winning this prize mean for you and your business? How would you spend the £25,000 and what would you get out of the mentoring?
c) Upload a one-minute elevator pitch video telling us about you, why you’re passionate about your business idea and why we should choose you?
Your answers to the two questions and the video are referred to as your ‘Submission’.
2. Your video must be submitted in .avi, .m4v, .mov, .mp4, .mpeg, .mpeg4, or mpg digital format with a maximum file size of 250MB and be no longer than one minute in duration. If you submit a video with a larger file size or which is longer in duration you will be disqualified from the Promotion.
3. Complete and submit your submission before 23.59 on Sunday 2 June 2024.
What happens after your entry is submitted:
4. Your entry will be marked against a scoring matrix based on the following criteria:
a) You tell a clear and compelling story which inspires the judges;
b) You display drive, passion and excitement for the business idea, tell a great story about your start up business and show that you would be a good ambassador for the AXA Startup Angel campaign and for AXA;
c) You demonstrate a clear understanding of:
- your target market;
- where your product or service will be positioned;
- the problem that your product or service solves or the solution it provides.
d) Your Submission must also clearly account for how you intend to spend the £25,000 prize money and how you anticipate benefitting from the mentoring.
5. A panel of judges including the AXA Startup Angels, an independent judge, a judge from AXA and a judge from the Evening Standard, will select two winners and three runners up.
6. A fourth runner up will be decided via the People’s Choice Poll. All shortlisted entrants will be asked to take part in the People’s Choice poll on or before 17 June 2024 and will be offered tickets to the awards event. Entrants of the People’s Choice poll will see the 200 word description of their business/business idea published on standard.co.uk for the purpose of the readership voting via digital poll for their favourite. The business with the most votes will be named as the fourth runner up and the People’s Choice winner:
a. To take part in the poll we will need you to confirm your participation within 3 days of the invitation. If an entrant does not respond within 3 working days from being contacted, they will forfeit their right to participate and we shall be entitled to select another entrant.
b. In the event that the winner of the People’s Choice Poll has already been awarded a prize by the judging panel, the prize will revert to the entrant with the next highest number of votes.
7. All shortlisted entrants will be contacted on or before 17 June 2024 via telephone on the number provided during the entry process. If an entrant does not respond within 3 working days from being contacted, they will forfeit their right to a prize and we shall be entitled to select another entrant.
8. The two winners and the four runners up will be announced at the awards event, taking place on 11 July 2024 in a central London location. This event will be filmed, with parts of the ceremony streamed to our audience. Transport to and from the event is not included and any costs incurred are the responsibility of attendees.
9. Winners will be expected to act as an ambassador for the AXA Startup Angel campaign for a 12-month period. This will mean that interviews, filming or other recording would take place at mutually agreed times and places. Winners will also be invited to share AXA Startup Angel campaign content on social platforms nominated by AXA and participate in interviews by the Evening Standard for print and online content during this 12-month period.
10. Winners acknowledge that the Evening Standard and AXA may interview you and your guest(s) and that we may use such films, recordings and/or photographs for publicity and PR purposes in any and all media, worldwide, as often and for as long as we consider appropriate or desirable.
Eligibility:
11. The Promotion is only open to the following individuals who:
- are residents of the UK, aged 18 and over and who are based in the UK at the time of entry; and
- who have not been declared bankrupt in the UK within the last 10 years and who do not hold a criminal record for an offence committed in the last 5 years or an older offence which is not considered spent. By entering this Promotion you warrant that you fulfil this eligibility criteria in full.
12. The business idea described in the Submission must:
- either not already be registered or be actively trading in the UK, or have been actively trading in the UK for fewer than 24 months as of 23.59 on 2 June 2024;
- have fewer than 10 employees if actively trading;
- be an original idea and not a copy of a business that already exists;
- not rely on ideas or concepts trademarked by an existing UK business, use protected marks or infringe copyright in any way.
13. Entry is restricted to one entry per business; duplicate entries will be disqualified.
14. If it is subsequently discovered that you or your business idea are ineligible, you will forfeit your right to claim any prize and we reserve the right to select another entrant to participate in the Promotion or withdraw the Prize and select another winner, as applicable.
15. If your Submission is deemed by us to be rude, offensive, defamatory, illegal or condoning dangerous behaviour you will be disqualified from the Promotion.
16. Online entry will open at 10:00 on 4 March 2024 and close at 23:59 on 2 June 2024. Entries received before the opening date and time or after the closing date and time will be rejected.
17. You confirm that you have obtained the consent of all individuals that feature in your Submission (in the case of children under the age of 18, you have obtained the consent of the child’s parent/guardian) and agree to notify us immediately if their consent is withdrawn at any time.
Prizes:
18. Two winning entries will each receive a prize consisting of:
a) £25,000 specifically to fund the business or business idea.
b) A package of business mentoring by one or more of the AXA Startup Angels. This will consist in a minimum of one 60-minute (in-person or digitally-delivered) advice session on a mutually agreeable date in 2024.
c) Twelve months of business insurance. AXA will undertake a review of the business’ insurance needs and will cover the cost of 12 months’ worth of premium to the winner. The cover will only be in respect of Property and/or Liability insurance (Motor insurance is excluded), and should be taken out through AXA directly or if advised by AXA, through an AXA nominated intermediary.
d) Inclusion in an Evening Standard winner’s announcement advertisement feature in print, online and social including video. Plus a feature in the Scale Up SME XPO newsletter
e) A pair of tickets to the awards event.
19. Four runners up will each receive a prize consisting of:
a) A 30-minute mentoring session with a representative of the Evening Standard in the field deemed most relevant to the winner’s business requirements, pre-scheduled in-person or digitally-delivered on a mutually agreeable date in 2024.
b) Inclusion in an Evening Standard winner’s announcement advertisement feature in print and online and social including video. Plus a feature as part of the Scale Up SME XPO newsletter
c) A bespoke Evening Standard advertisement feature on the runners up startup business to feature as a 17x7 in print, online and social.
d) A pair of tickets to the awards event
e) A pair of VIP passes to the SME XPO 2025 event
20. The entrants to the People’s Choice poll will each receive a pair of tickets to the awards event.
21. We will endeavour to transfer the prize money within 60 days of notification that you are a prize money winner but are not responsible for any delays. The prize money will be paid into either the existing business account or a business account set up by specifically for the purpose of starting the business. This prize money may be used only for the purpose of the business and must not be used for personal expenditure.
22. Any costs and expenses which are not specifically included in the prize descriptions above are excluded and will be the sole responsibility of each winner. By way of example, without limitation, provision of licences or permits required for your business to operate, business rates or staff costs are not included within the prize.
23. Each winner will be responsible for, and will account to the appropriate authorities for, all tax liabilities or similar contributions payable in respect of the prize. The Evening Standard and AXA accept no responsibility for any such tax liabilities.
24. The prize is non-transferable. However, we reserve the right to substitute the prize with another prize of equal or greater value at our absolute discretion.
25. The print feature referred to in paragraph 19c will run within 12 months of the competition end date (2 June 2025).
Data Protection:
26. The Evening Standard and AXA may publish and publicise your name, image, social media handle and/or profile picture, your nearest geographical location (for example, your nearest city, town or county) and your Submission, and we may refer to your and any applicable third party’s (for example anyone included in the Submission) association with the Promotion and/or the Prize, in any and all media, worldwide, in perpetuity, for publicity and PR purposes solely in connection with the Promotion.
27. Your personal data, and the personal data of any guest(s) that you or they provide to us, will be collected and processed by us, our licensees and AXA, and if applicable, our service providers and suppliers in order to administer and fulfil the Promotion. Your personal data may also be disclosed to the Advertising Standards Authority at their reasonable request in order to comply with applicable advertising codes.
28. We may hold your personal data for a period of 1 year in order to comply with our regulatory obligations.
29. By entering the Promotion, you acknowledge that any personal data provided by you in connection with the Promotion will be processed as set out above and in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which sets out full details of how we process personal data and how you can exercise your rights as a data subject. Please ensure you have read and understood our Privacy Policy before entering any Promotion.
30. If you ask us to erase your personal details prior to the conclusion of the Promotion, you will forfeit your right to enter the Promotion and/or claim any prize and we reserve the right to select another entrant to participate in the Promotion or withdraw the prize and select another winner, as applicable.
31. If you provide us with a guest’s personal data in connection with the Promotion, you must ensure that your guest has given you consent to provide us with their personal data.
Enquiries:
32. For all enquiries in connection with the Promotion please contact the Evening Standard’s customer support team at www.standard.co.uk/contactus
33. These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law and any disputes arising from these terms and conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.
