Terms & Conditions

Last Updated: November 11, 2020 (“Effective”)

ORGANISER

EarthTech (“EarthTech”, “ET”, “We”, “Us”, “Our”), is a social enterprise based on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. Together In Action (“Together In Action”, TiA”) is organised and operated by EarthTech ACN 96 632 785 669 (‘Administrator’).

We are delighted to have you participate in TiA and we are excited to see your exciting and innovative solutions to some of the world’s greatest issues. 

So that we can run TiA in the most effective, safe and fun way, all participants must agree to these Terms of Use and Conditions, our Privacy Policy, and any other details or requirements set out at the time of your registration. 

By sharing information with ET and TiA, registering or by visiting earthtech.io and togetherinaction.org (the “Sites”), you are acknowledging that you have read, understand and accept the practices described in the Terms of Use and Conditions and Privacy Policy documents. If you have any questions about these documents, please feel free to contact [email protected]

EarthTech and Together In Action may change its Terms of Use and Conditions from time to time, and in its sole discretion.  We encourage visitors/participants to frequently check this page for any changes.

TERMS OF USE AND CONDITIONS

Please read these Terms of Use and Conditions carefully to fully understand how it relates to you. This Terms of Use and Conditions is incorporated into and is part of the Privacy Policy of this Website.  To access the Privacy Policy, click here. If there is a conflict between these Terms of Use and Conditions and the Privacy Policy with respect to how information is used, the Privacy Policy will control. 

This Terms of Use and Conditions document (“Terms of Use and Conditions”, “Agreement”, “Contract”, “ET Terms”, “TiA Terms”, “Terms”) is a legally binding agreement between you as the User (“User”, “You”, “Your”, “Your Workers”, “Your Company”, “Yourself”, “Customer”, “Team”, “Parent”, “Legal Guardian”, “Youth”, “Designer”, “Member”, “Members”, “Participant”, “Participants”). 

It includes; ET and TiA (“Staff”, “Volunteers”, Mentors, Experts, Judges, Ambassadors, Interns, Partners, Sponsors, Investors and anyone who contributes to its (“Website”, “Applications”, “Software”, “Forum”, “Blog”, “Social Media”, “Profiles”, “Facebook”, “Instagram”, “Twitter”, “YouTube”, “Slack) (‘Services”) and by (“Viewing”, “Scanning”, “Scrolling”, “Registering”, “Submitting”, “Retrieving Data”, or otherwise “Using Services”) you are accepting and agreeing with all the Terms of Use and Conditions noted in this document without reservation.

OUR PURPOSE

Together In Action has grown out of the success of the inaugural EarthTech Challenge and Summit, run in late 2019 and early 2020 by EarthTech Ventures, an Australian social enterprise with a global outlook. The EarthTech Challenge involved 855+ teams from 73 nations.

TiA aims to provide an online platform that identifies, supports and scales high-impact innovations and ventures which are addressing the many global crises that are only exacerbated by the current pandemic – from biodiversity loss to rising inequality and the ongoing climate crisis.

TOGETHER IN ACTION

The Together In Action innovation challenge is completely free to enter!

TiA invites purpose-driven youth 16 and over with a passion for solving our most pressing environmental and social issues, through the use of science, technology, communication and design to submit their ideas online. 

Submissions are video based, and we highly encourage an integrated team approach because EVERYONE is needed to reach the Global Goals. 

Entries should demonstrate how the concept relates to and is aligned to one or more of the SDGs, and how technology, creativity, and innovation can help to achieve the Global Goals. Judging criteria includes the impact a submission makes on the SDGs.

For more information on the Global Goals, visit: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

TIMELINE

Submissions open on the 25th September 2020 and close on the 6th November 2020 at (Midnight SGT (GMT +8:00). All shortlisted teams must make themselves available to virtually attend the TiA Summit held the 26th November, 2020.

July – 24 September, 2020  – Registrations open.

25 September, 2020 – Submissions open. The onboarding process provides teams with seamless access to expert content and materials.

6 November, 2020 (Midnight SGT) – Submissions close.

7 – 10 November, 2020 – Preliminary judging.

10 November, 2020 – Shortlist determined.

10 – 15   November, 2020 – Our global panel of expert judges will review the shortlisted teams pitch videos and record their scores. Results account for 100% of the overall score.

16 – 19   November, 2020 – The highest scoring shortlisted teams will be reviewed by our Investment and Impact Committees to determine the finalists.

26 November, 2020 – All submissions receive a free ticket to the Together in Action Summit (Virtual) where the Finalist teams will be publicly announced, showcased and globally celebrated. Hear from our partners, inspiring speakers and attend panel discussions focused on the Global Goals.

Utilising the Sustainable Development Goals as an underlying impact framework, Together In Action is building a broad coalition of corporations, NGOs, national and international agencies, who are invested in seeing long-term support and commercialisation of impact-led social enterprise, particularly across APAC, Africa and developing markets. TiA is designed to complement, support and expand upon existing accelerator and incubator initiatives in the space.

GENERAL TERMS OF USE AND CONDITIONS

Please review these general terms and conditions carefully, and revisit them as they are subject to change without notice.

• By registering for TiA, you agree that you have read and understood, and are bound by, these Terms of Use and Conditions and all information provided on the Website
• You must meet the eligibility requirements of TiA, in accordance with the registration guidelines set out on the Website
• Your team’s eligibility for TiA will depend on the eligibility of each member of your team. If one member of your team does not comply with these Terms of Use and Conditions or is disqualified for any reason, we may disqualify your team’s entry in TiA
• Each team that wishes to enter TiA is required to submit a video submission and supporting executive summary as part of its application. Each team whose application is deemed eligible for TiA (to be determined at ET sole discretion) will qualify to participate in the TiA
• We may use portions of these videos for future external promotion.

WHO CAN ENTER

Individuals or as part of a team (“Entrant”) are eligible to enter (“Entry”) if they satisfy all the criteria listed below:

• TiA is open to youth aged 16 years and above. A Founder must be at least 16 years of age at the time of Entry

• The Entrant has and is in the process of developing or has developed an innovation

(i) a product or service based on a new or innovative technology, or 

(ii) an innovative application of an existing technology

• The Entrant’s idea, product or service has the potential to address at least one (1) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (here after “SDGs”)
• The Entrant has no restrictions on future funding based on the funding received from elsewhere as of the date of submission of Entry
• The Entrant is not affiliated with ET, TiA or any competition partner or agency assisting with competition promotional or organizational activities
• Teams may consist of team members from more than one school, university or interest group
• Entrant agrees to comply with all ET and TiA privacy policy and Terms of Use and Conditions

RESTRICTIONS

Any Entrant or Entry will not, under any circumstances:

• Infringe or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of any third party, including copyrights, moral rights, patents, trademarks, design rights, trade secrets and rights of publicity;
• Disclose or rely upon the confidential or proprietary information of a third party without appropriate written permission;
• Contain defamatory, disparaging or unlawful content;
• Invade the privacy or right of publicity rights of any person (living or deceased), or otherwise infringe upon a third party’s personal or proprietary rights;
• Violate any laws or regulations or promote activities that are illegal in Australia or globally
• Include sexually explicit subject matter;
• Depict or inspire violence, weapons or dangerous stunts;
• Depict discrimination, bigotry, harm or hatred;
• Conflict with the United Nations SDGs
• The above list is not exhaustive. ET may reject or disqualify at any time, in its sole discretion and without incurring any liability, if it deems the entrant unsuitable for TiA

HOW TO ENTER

• TiA will accept registrations and submissions up to the 6th November 2020
• Each Entrant / Team must complete a registration process thus agreeing to these Official Rules, the Terms of & Conditions and Privacy Policy
• Registration allows access to online content, mentors and experts
• During the submission process your data can be saved and revisited to complete during this time
• Each team must nominate at least one (1) founder per Entry. If no such persons are nominated, EarthTech reserves the right to do so on the team’s behalf and without liability

PARTICIPANT EXPECTATIONS

We want TiA to be as valuable and impactful as possible for you and all other participants. 

As part of your participation in TiA, you must:

• Be part of a team with at least one founder over 16 years
• Submitted ideas can include for-profit business or non-profit business models but we prefer social enterprise models
• Solutions that focus on emerging markets may be prioritized
• Have a pitch video, inclusive of key milestones and dates
• All submissions must be received via the TiA platform

 As part of your participation in TiA, you must not:

• engage in any activity which brings our name into disrepute or is otherwise prejudicial to us
• make or endorse any disparaging comments about us in relation to ET or TiA
• engage in any offensive or discriminatory behaviour towards ET or TiA, our representatives or other participants;
• represent that you are our agent or are affiliated with us (other than through your participation in TiA)

EXPERTS, MENTORS & JUDGES 

TiA has a global team of independent mentors and judges who kindly volunteer their time towards achieving environmental excellence. A diverse group of highly experienced technologists, investors, academics and industry experts with experience and expertise in evaluating startup companies, technology, products and services, and their potential impact in support of the SDGs, they are highly valued members of our team and we greatly appreciate their significant and inspirational contributions. 

EarthTech ensures that we maintain a viable, efficient and integrated judging process and all our experts are chosen according to their field of expertise. All judges sign and are bound by a confidentiality agreement and absent themselves from judging any entry which may be a conflict of interest. Final decisions are made and reviewed by a senior panel of judges. If you would like to join our team of experts/mentors and judges click here to apply.

JUDGING CRITERIA AND OPPORTUNITIES 

Any judging criteria for ET and TiA  disclosed by us is:

• provided by way of guidance only, so you are aware of the items of interest that we may take into consideration when judging entries; and 
• neither exhaustive, nor listed in any order of priority, and may not all be taken into account or be given equal consideration by us.
  • In evaluating your entry, we may take into account the information provided in the entry and any other information which we consider relevant to the evaluation of the entry
  • Judging for finalists will take place on the 10 – 15 November, 2020
  • Top submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the impact and investment committees to decide on the Finalists
  • Broader investment and support opportunities will be agreed separately between the finalists and potential investors including ET. ET will have the first right of refusal for future investment rounds. Additional hardware prizes may also be awarded to winning teams at our sole discretion and subject to availability
  • We are not responsible for any dispute among teams or team participants related to opportunities, and we reserve the right not to award any such support in the event of an insufficient number of eligible entries meeting the minimum judging criteria, as determined in our sole discretion. We also reserve the right to substitute opportunities at our discretion. All opportunities will be done in a manner of our choosing
  • We exclude all warranties in relation to the quality, suitability or merchantability of a prize, except those that cannot be excluded by law. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any of our liability (including liability arising from the actions of our employees or agents) for breach of any rights a consumer may have, which is unable to be excluded under Australian law but can be limited, is limited to the costs of supplying the prizes again

ET and TiA’s panel of judges will be looking for solutions that demonstrate:

• Understanding of the SDG problem you’re trying to solve, illustrated through 
• A minimum viable product for your solution that has tested customer willingness to pay
• Defined theory of change with clear social impact measurement to quantify progress towards theory of change
• Strong value proposition in the context of the competitive landscape and system 
• Clearly defined financial model that demonstrates understanding of an obtainable target market and a pathway to commercialisation and financial sustainability 
• Submitted ideas for consideration will need to engage or improve the SDGs
• Submitted ideas for consideration can include for-profit business models or non-profit business models but prefer social enterprise models 
• Solutions that focus on serving marginalized, vulnerable, and low-income populations in the following sectors will be prioritized.

PRELIMINARY JUDGING

TiA Entrants must submit a pitch video (uploaded in the format specified in the application portal) of no more than five minutes.

All entries into TiA will undergo a preliminary round of judging. We will then select entries for the Shortlisted phase. All of our decisions in relation to judging are made in our sole discretion, are final and cannot be contested.

SHORTLISTED TEAMS

On the 10 – 15 November, 2020 all Shortlisted Teams go through an expert judging phase. Weighted as a two part judging process and selected based on the final score and the decisions made by the investment and impact committees. For example:

Shortlisted teams receive;

• TiA Shortlisted badge to brand collateral
• The opportunity to be mentored by some of world’s leading investors, scientists, marketers, and non-profit organizations leading up to and in preparation of the TiA summit
• Placement on the innovation deal flow platform
• If a shortlisted does not respond nor provide the required confirmation to attend the impact summit within two (2) days of notification, is found ineligible, or does not comply with these Terms, such Entry may be disqualified by ET, in its sole discretion, and the Judges may select a replacement team
• Complimentary tickets to attend theTiA Summit to be held on the 26th November, 2020

FINALIST TEAMS

Finalists teams will be selected with a view to supporting mature ideas scale into operational businesses. 

• Finalists may be presented with opportunities by ET in its sole discretion

Finalist teams receive:

• TiA Finalist’s badge to brand collateral
• Invited to participate in various follow up events seminars and networking opportunities
• Direct investment opportunities to fund and/or commercialise idea/s
• Placement on the innovation deal flow platform
• Profile features on the EarthTech and TiA website
• Celebrated across ET, TiA and associated partners social media networks
• Opportunity to list on TiA crowdfunding platform
• Active support from EarthTech to get funded and in revenue 
• Direct support from global experts 
• Join Cohort 1 and the inner circles of EarthTech

Notes:

• Finalist’s may not substitute, barter or transfer any prize or opportunities
• Any out of pocket expenses incurred to participate in the Virtual Summit are at the Entrants discretion and solely the Entrants responsibility. ET, TiA, its Judges and Partners will have no responsibility for any Entrant’s out of pocket costs and expenses related to the TiA Summit
• Entrants are solely responsible for any taxes or other applicable governmental charges from any federal, state or local authority that may be due as a result obtaining any opportunities as a result of the TiA. All Entrants should seek independent advice regarding tax and other liabilities associated with receiving benefits as a result of the TiA
• The terms of any investments will be separately negotiated between the Finalists and potential investors including EarthTech. ET will have the first right of refusal for future investment rounds for entrants. Entrants to the TiA are also free to enter into business relationships with potential investors at Entrant’s sole discretion. No such business relationship is required in order to participate in the Competition or be selected as a Finalist

YOUR MATERIAL

• During your involvement in TiA, you may provide or communicate your entry to us, as well as source code, photos, documents, presentations, written or oral statements or other materials on which your entry is based (collectively, Your Material)
• As between you and us, you own all intellectual property rights in Your Material, including any modifications and enhancements you make to Your Material during TiA. We will not own any intellectual property rights in Your Material
• You grant us a perpetual, non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, reproduce, publish, modify and otherwise communicate to the public, Your Material for our research and development, planning, marketing and promotional purposes
• You acknowledge that it is up to you and your team members to decide how the intellectual property rights in the entry are owned. We do not accept any liability for any disagreement among team members regarding ownership of any intellectual property rights contained in Your Material
• You warrant that:
  • you own or are otherwise expressly licensed to use Your Material, including for the purposes of TiA, and are authorised to grant us the licence to view, review and use in for TiA purposes;
  • our use of Your Material in accordance with these Terms of Use and Conditions will not infringe any third party intellectual property rights, moral rights or other third party rights (including any obligations of confidentiality that you may owe to any third parties);
  • Your Material will not contain malicious code, such as viruses, timebombs, cancelbots, worms, Trojan horses or other potentially harmful programs or other material or information; and
  • Your Material will at all times be true, accurate, not misleading and up to date
• Your entry must contain the following details: (a) if the entry contains code from open source licence, you must clearly identify that code in the form of comments, provide a URL link of its origin in the code and the licence which applies to it; and (b) if the entry contains proprietary code (including those of third parties or your own), you must clearly identify that code in the form of comments and include any relevant information as to ownership and licensing
• If you use any third party websites or hardware during TiA (including any provided by us to you), you agree that you do so at your own risk and in accordance with the relevant third party’s terms of use. We don’t take any responsibility for your use of third party websites or hardware
• We (and our licensors) reserve all intellectual property rights in any materials we disclose to you. However, we grant you a licence to reproduce and modify the materials we disclose to you for the sole purpose of your participation in TiA. You must remove any of our materials provided by us to you from Your Materials at the conclusion of TiA

CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY 

So that you can be judged in the course of TiA, you may need to disclose Your Materials to us or our other representatives (like our expert judging panel). We may publicly disclose any of Your Materials that you submit to us to be judged as part of TiA. We will not otherwise disclose Your Materials if you mark or tell us that any of Your Material is “Material is NOT for public disclosure except: 

• with your team’s prior written consent; 
• as required by law or the rules of a stock exchange; or 
• to the extent that the information is in the public domain (other than because of a breach by us of these Terms of Use and Conditions

We may otherwise publicly disclose your material in our discretion.

• During TiA, we or our contractors may make film recordings or take photographs that show you and your participation in TiA. You agree that we may use these recordings, photographs and any similar materials, as well as your name and likeness, at our discretion (including to contact you about future employment opportunities), without further payment to you
• You agree that we may disclose and use any other personal information about you in accordance with our Privacy Policy. If you would like to access or correct any information we hold about you, you can contact us via email [email protected] 
• Any information, materials or content we provide to you during the course of TiA is strictly confidential and may only be disclosed by you: (a) with our prior written consent; (b) as required by law; or (c) to the extent that the information is in the public domain (other than because of a breach by you of these Terms of Use and Conditions)
• You must destroy or return all copies of our confidential information that we have provided to you during TiA at the end of the TiA or within 14 days of a request by us
• You acknowledge that we are involved in a broad range of innovation start-ups, so it is possible that we may work with or have worked with innovations similar to your entry. You acknowledge and agree that we will not be prevented in any way from pursuing similar work

TiA collaborates with third parties. By signing up for TiA, you consent to ET sharing the content you create as part of your registration or the information that you share with ET, with our partners. We will adhere to ET and TiA privacy policy.

OUR LIABILITY 

You acknowledge that you are participating in TiA voluntarily, at your own risk and that you and us do not intend to create an employment or agency relationship. 

You accept full responsibility for your participation in TiA, and by virtue of your participation, you waive any claims that you may now or hereafter have against ET and TiA, its employees or its representatives in connection with the course activities.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release the Administrator, and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, other companies associated with TiA, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders, representatives, and agents (the “Released Parties”) from and against any claims or cause of action arising out of participation in TiA or receipt or use of the opportunities or prizes (including any travel or activity related thereto), including, but not limited to: 

• loss, injury or damage that you may suffer or incur arising from your participation in TiA, 
• any technical errors associated with the TiA. Including lost, interrupted or unavailable Internet Service Provider (ISP), network, server, wireless services provider, or other satellite, telephone, cellular tower or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunction, failures or difficulties; 
• unauthorized human intervention in TiA; 
• mechanical, network, electronic, computer, human, printing or typographical errors; 
• any other errors or problems in connection with the TiA, including without limitation, errors that may occur in the administration of the TiA, the announcement of the finalists, the cancellation or postponement of the event and/or the flyover, if applicable, or in part, from you participation in TiA or acceptance, receipts or misuses of opportunities or prizes (including any travel or activity related thereto). 

You further agree that in any cause of action, the Released parties liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the TiA and in no event shall you be entitled to receive attorney’s fees. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in TiA. 

You waive the rights to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct or indirect damages including special, indirect, consequential, incidental or punitive damages; or damages for loss of opportunity, profits, revenue or goodwill, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), in equity, under statute or on any other basis, whether or not such loss or damage was foreseeable and even if we are advised of the possibility of the loss or damage.

YOUR LIABILITY

Without limiting any other right or remedy that we may have, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless us, our officers, directors, employees, agents, subcontractors, licensors, and suppliers, from and against all claims, actions, demands, liabilities and settlements, including reasonable legal and accounting fees, arising in connection with: 

• any breach by you of any provision of these Terms of Use and Conditions; 
• any negligent or unlawful act or omission by you during TiA; or 
• the infringement or alleged infringement of a third party’s intellectual property rights, moral rights or other rights arising directly or indirectly from our use of Your Material in accordance with these Terms of Use and Conditions.

COSTS AND EXPENSES

Together In Action is completely free to enter! Except as expressly set out in these Terms of Use and Conditions, you must bear your own costs associated with the preparation and submission of your material, and your participation in TiA.

GENERAL MATTERS

Any hardware or software (including cloud accounts etc) that we make available to you may be deactivated at the conclusion of TiA. 

• Any other provisions of these Terms of Use and Conditions which by their nature survive termination or expiry of these Terms of Use and Conditions will survive termination or expiry of these Terms of Use and Conditions
• These Terms of Use and Conditions together with the Website constitute the entire agreement between us and you in relation to the ET and TiA and supersedes all other (prior or contemporaneous) communications or displays whether electronic, oral, or written, between us and you in relation to ET and  TiA
• In the event that the operation, security, or administration of ET and TiA is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, bug, worm, unauthorized human intervention or other technical problem, or in the event the TiA is unable to run as planned for any other person, as determined by ET (the “Administrator”) in its sole discretion, the Administrator may either (a) suspend TiA to address the impairment and then resume TiA in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Terms of Use and Conditions or (b) terminate TiA
• The Administrator reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify or exclude any individual or team it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of TiA or to be acting in violation of these Terms of Use and Conditions or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner (for example, if you have breached these Terms of Use and Conditions, or have engaged in offensive or discriminatory behaviour). We will use reasonable endeavours to provide you with notice of any material changes to TiA, either by email or by publishing changes on the Website
• The Administrator reserves the right in our sole and absolute discretion to amend or discontinue all or any part of these Terms of Use and Conditions or the operation of TiA
• Any attempt by any person to damage the website or undermine the legitimate operation of the TiA may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and should such an attempt be made, the Administrator reserves the right to seek damages (including attorney’s fees) and any other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Failure by the Administrator to enforce any provision of these Terms of Use and Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of that provision

GOVERNING LAW

These Terms of Use and Conditions are governed by the law in force in the State of Queensland, Australia, and the parties irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Queensland, Australia and courts of appeal from them to determine any dispute concerning these Terms of Use and Conditions, ET or TiA.

HOW TO CONTACT US

Your privacy is important to ET and TiA. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or the Privacy Policy, please email them to [email protected]. You may also direct them to:

EarthTech Ventures

253-255 David Low Way, 

Peregian Beach, QLD 4573

Australia