Official Contest Rules and Regulations
By entering The Scotiabank Small Business Challenge (the "Contest"), entrants agree to abide by these Official Contest Rules and Regulations and the decisions of the sponsors, The Bank of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) (the "Sponsors"), which are final.
This Contest runs from February 1, 2011 at 12:01 a.m. to April 30, 2011, 11:59 p.m. (ET) (the "Contest Period")
The contest is open to all small business owners in Canada. To enter the contest go online to www.getgrowingforbusiness.com/challenge and complete the application form and follow all parts of the submission process as outlined on the website.
Only one entry per small business. To be eligible, entries must be received during the Contest Period.
By entering this Contest entrants accept that their business will be featured on the contest website www.getgrowingforbusiness.com/challenge and publicly voted on. Entrants also accept that the Sponsors may feature their business in media during the Contest Period.
The Contest is open to all small business owners in Canada, who have reached the age of majority in the province/territory they reside in at the time they enter the Contest. Employees, agents and representatives of Scotiabank as well as members of their immediate families (father, mother, brothers, sisters, children,) their legal or common-law spouse and any individual with whom such employees, agents and representatives reside, and any of Scotiabank's subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies, suppliers of prizes, material and services in connection with the Contest or any other person directly related to the holding of the Contest are excluded.
To qualify as a small business, annual business revenues must be $15 million dollars (15,000,000 CDN) or less. A Contest participant may not win more than one prize.
There will be three (3) Prizes (the "Prize") awarded, each consisting of a ten thousand dollar ($10,000 CAD) cheque payable to the winner.
All submitted entries will be evaluated as received throughout the Contest Period by the Sponsors for consideration of becoming a finalist for one of 3 Grand Prizes based on the following criteria:
Entries must demonstrate how the small business owner is making a difference in his or her community in one of the following three categories:
Grading Criteria
Following the end of the Contest Period, the top 15 entries (5 in each category plus ties if applicable) as based on the above criteria, will be selected by the Administrator from all entries submitted during the Contest Period. These entries will be presented to and evaluated by an "Expert Small Business Judging Panel" (collectively the "Judges") consisting of Islay McGlynn, Director and Head Small Business, Scotiabank, Kaz Flinn, Director Corporate Social Responsibility, Scotiabank, Catherine Swift, CEO Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Tom Sloan, VP Small Business and Commercial Markets, Export Development Canada, Greig Clark, PROFIT Magazine columnist, and founder of College Pro Painters. The Judges will determine the 3 finalists based on the criteria outlined above.
The 3 finalists with the highest cumulative score as determined by the Judges will be selected as the Potential Prize Winners. In the event of a tie vote, the entry receiving the highest score based on impact to the community will be declared a Potential Prize Winner.
The 3 potential Prize Winners will be announced on June 1, 2011 at the Sponsor's office located at 100 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario, M5C2W1.
The Judges' and Sponsor's decisions on all matters relating to this Contest are final.
In order to become one of the 3 Potential Prize Winners, verification of registered small business status will be required. All entrants will be asked to provide their business registration number as proof of business.
If a Potential Prize Winner cannot be reached by telephone by the Sponsors for entry verification by May 26, 2011 or if, for any other reason, the Prizes cannot be awarded, the entry which finished fourth will be selected and so on, until all the Prizes have been awarded.
Potential Prize Winners must sign and submit to the Sponsors a declaration and release that may include, without limitation, authorization for the Sponsors and their agents to announce and publish the selected entrant's name, address (city and province only) and/or photograph or image or other likeness, without further compensation, at any time and from time to time, in any future publicity. Such declaration and release must be received by the Sponsors at the office of the agency administering the Contest at The Scotiabank Small Business BIG Impact Challenge, c/o Carlson Marketing 2845 Matheson Blvd. E, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5K2 or by fax at (905) 214-8693 on or before the third (3rd) business day following the date that the selected entrant was first contacted by the Sponsors.
The Sponsors are committed to respecting entrants' privacy rights. Any personal information collected will be handled in strict accordance with the Scotiabank Group Privacy Agreement found at http://www.scotiabank.com/cda/content/0,1608,CID8308_LIDen,00.html and all applicable privacy legislation. The Sponsors will not sell an entrant's personal information collected for this Contest to any third parties.
Unless an entrant has consented by ticking the opt-in box on the entry form to receive information from members of the Scotiabank Group about their products and services, any personal information collected for this Contest shall be used by the Sponsors solely for the purpose of managing and administering this Contest.
The Sponsors are not responsible for any human or computer-generated error in the selection of an entrant or the awarding of a Prize.
The Sponsors reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to withdraw, terminate or modify all or any part of the Contest, if for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including corruption, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, a virus, a bug or any other cause beyond the control of the Sponsors and which, in the opinion of the Sponsors, affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest.
Contest forms are subject to verification by the Sponsors. Any entry form that is, in the Sponsor's opinion, fraudulent, incomplete, mutilated or that does not allow the Sponsors to correctly identify the entrant will be automatically rejected and will not entitle the entrant to an entry or a Prize.
The Sponsors will not be responsible for late, lost, illegible, incomplete or destroyed entries and all such entries, including entry material/data that have been tampered with or altered, are void. The Sponsors do not assume any responsibility for incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry information, technical malfunctions, human or technical error, printing errors, lost, delayed or garbled data or transmissions, electronic communications which are undeliverable as a result of any form of active or passive filtering of any kind, omission, interruption, deletion, defect or failures of any telephone or computer lines or networks, computer equipment, software or any combination thereof. In addition, the Sponsors shall not be responsible due to technical problems, traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or any combination thereof including any injury or damage to an entrant's or any other person's computer or property related to or resulting from playing or downloading any material on the Contest Website.
Any person who enters or tries to enter the Contest in a manner which is unfair to the other entrants will be automatically disqualified and could be referred to the appropriate authorities. The use of automated software or computer programs to register in or enter this Contest is prohibited and any individual who uses or attempts to use such methods to register or enter will be disqualified. Any attempt to deliberately damage any website or to undermine the legitimate operation of this Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, the Sponsors reserve the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent permitted by law, including criminal prosecution. In the event it is determined that an entrant has entered in a fashion not sanctioned by these Official Contest Rules and Regulations and/or has submitted more than the number of entries permitted by these Official Contest Rules and Regulations, the entrant will be disqualified. The use of an invalid email address will disqualify the entry. Users spamming the same email address will disqualify the entry.
By entering this Contest, winners release the Sponsors, its subsidiaries, affiliated companies, their advertising and promotional agencies, their employees, representatives and agents from any and all liability for damages of whatever nature that arise from the acceptance or use of all or part of the Prize.
The Sponsors reserve the right to correct clerical or typographical errors in promotional materials or these Official Contest Rules and Regulations.
This Contest is subject to all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and is void where prohibited.
For Residents of Quebec, any litigation concerning the conduct or administration of this publicity Contest may be submitted to the Regie des alcools, des courses et des jeux for a ruling. Any litigation concerning the awarding of a Prize may be submitted to the Regie only for the purpose of helping the parties reach a settlement.
This Contest is subject to all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and is void where prohibited.