Terms & conditions

Participants in the Big Tech Project (the “Competition”) will be deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions (“Terms & Conditions”) and agreed to be bound by them when participating in any element of the Competition. Please read these Terms & Conditions carefully. 

1. Promotion Overview

The Big Tech Project is a challenge that brings ideators and innovators from the best educational institutions across India and UAE to solve challenges in the world of trade using the technology of the future. The theme of the Competition revolves around the following question: 

How do you envision solving existing challenges at DP World by leveraging the power of the Metaverse?

In teams up to two, entrants are required to submit a two to three-minute explainer video of their best idea. The top ten entries will move to the next round and will be given ten days to prepare a detailed and innovative pitch explaining how they will bring their idea to life. Participants will travel to the Dubai and Bangalore offices of DP World to present these ideas to the DP World jury. 

Five selected finalists will be given seven weeks to build their prototype under the mentorship and guidance of DP World’s finest leaders and technical experts. The finalists will take the stage in DP World Headquarters in Dubai and present their final presentation at a one-day grand finale. 

The Competition opens at 00:01 (UTC + 4) on 22 August 2022 and closes at 23:59 (UTC + 4) on 28 November 2022. Access to the Competition is via www.dpworld.com/big-tech-project (the “Competition Website”).

2. Eligibility 

2.1 Subject to section 2.2 below, participation in the Competition is exclusively open to students who, at the time of entry, are enrolled in:

a) a third or fourth-year bachelor's degree course; or 

b) a first or second-year master’s degree course,

at the pre-selected educational institutions, are legally residing in the United Arab Emirates or India, and who are, or will be, the higher of 18 years of age (for residents of India) and 21 years of age (for residents of the UAE)  by the date of entry (“Eligible Participants”).

Current participating Institutions are:

(each referred to as a “Institution” and collectively the “Institutions” in these Terms & Conditions).

2.2 Employees, officers, directors, agents and managers of the Promoter, or any third party involved in the Competition (including any sponsor, advertiser, promotion agency or fulfilment agency of the Promoter), together with any other persons specified by law (including immediate family members) as being too closely related to such individuals are not eligible to participate in the Competition. 

2.4 Eligible Participants automatically lose their eligibility to participate in the Competition upon violation (or attempted violation) of these Terms & Conditions or the spirit of these Terms & Conditions.  Any decisions on eligibility to participate in the Competition are in the Promoter’s absolute discretion.

3. How to participate

3.1 Competition Schedule

Set out below are the key timings and deadlines for each stage of the Competition (“Competition Schedule”). All dates are subject to change, at the Promoter’s sole discretion.

3.2  Registration 

(a) Eligible Participants wishing to participate in the Competition must register as an individual or as a team of two (“Eligible Team” on the Competition Website, and are collectively referred to as “Entrants” in these terms & Conditions. All team members must be Eligible Participants and changes to the composition of an Eligible Team can only be made with the approval of the Promoter (to be granted or withheld in its absolute discretion) once registration is complete.  

(b) An Eligible Participant may only be registered for entry into the Competition once (i.e. may only be a member of one Eligible Team). Entrants whether an individual Eligible Participant or an Eligible Team, may only submit one entry. 

(c)  All Eligible Participants must provide valid contact details as part of the registration process and are responsible for updating these if there are any changes during the Competition Period. 

(d) Every Eligible Team must, during registration, designate a single member of the team to receive all correspondence from the Promoter related to the Competition (the “Team Contact”). Correspondence sent to the Team Contact will be deemed to have been sent to every member of the Eligible Team and correspondence received from the Team Contact will be deemed to be sent on behalf of all members of the Eligible Team.  

(e) The Promoter reserves the right to check the validity of the information submitted by an Eligible Participant at any stage during the Competition. 

(f) Any Eligible Participant not correctly registered by the end of Round 1 as set out in the competition Schedule will not be able to participate further in the Competition. 

(g) For the avoidance of doubt, all times mentioned in these Terms & Conditions are based on Gulf Standard Time (UTC + 4).  

3.3 The proposed solution

(a) Each Eligible Team will be required to submit, via the Competition Website, a proposal that answers the question:

How would you solve existing supply chain challenges at DP World through the power of the Metaverse?

That proposal must meet the requirements set out on the Competition Website and in these Terms & Conditions (the “Proposed Solution”).

(b) The criteria upon which the Proposed Solution will be assessed will be set out in detail on the Competition Website.

(c) Submissions must not be libellous, offensive, obscene or in violation of intellectual property rights or rights of privacy or publicity. The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify an Entrant if a submission or any part thereof falls under one of these categories.

(d) Proposed Solutions will be assessed by the DP World Jury. Ten Entrants will be selected to take their Proposed Solution to the next stage and prepare a detailed pitch (“Top Ten”).

(e) The Top Ten will be provided with further details of the remaining two rounds, before having the opportunity to be selected as part of the final five Entrants (“Final Five”).  This further information will form a part of these Terms & Conditions and will be a condition of further participation in the Competition.

3.4 Further guidance on participation  

(a) The Final Five will each receive funding towards the cost of their Prototype. This funding must only be used for such purpose and is subject to substantiation by receipts.  The Promoter may, in its absolute discretion, provide additional funding. 

(b) If the Top Ten or Final Five (collectively, the “Finalists”) includes an Eligible Team, at least one representative of that Eligible Team must be able to attend in-person to deliver the Pitch and present the Prototype on behalf of their Eligible Team.  In the event that any of the Finalists: 

i. is unable, for any reason, to participate in the in-person presentations;

ii. cannot be contacted to confirm their selection as a Finalist, participation in the next stage of the Competition, attendance at the Pitch presentation or Grand Finale; or

iii. are disqualified from the Competition in accordance with these Terms & Conditions,  the Promoter may, at its sole discretion, arrange for a substitute Entrant to be selected in accordance with the same criteria as described above.  

(c) In case the Promoter is not able to hold face-to-face presentations by the Top Ten or the Final Five, due to restrictions due to the Covid 19 pandemic or any other situation, the live presentations will be delivered remotely by online video conference from the locations of the relevant Entrants.  The Promoter will provide details on the logistics of the remote presentations if necessary.  

(d) The composition of the DP World Jury and the Grand Jury will be announced on the Competition Website prior to the relevant stage of the Competition Schedule. 

(e) The decision of the Promoter, the DP World Jury or the Grand Jury (as applicable) will be final in all respects and no correspondence will be entered into.  

4. Prizes 

4.1 Details of the Prizes will be updated to the Competition Website (together, the “Prizes”, each a “Prize”). 

4.2  Where a Finalist receives travel, accommodation or subsistence benefits as part of their progression in the competition, such benefits will be provided in accordance with DP World’s travel policies which will be communicated to the Finalists at the relevant time.  DP World will provide assistance to obtain any visas or travel permits required by Finalists, but Eligible Participants acknowledge that decisions on such matters are subject to official government discretion and outside DP World’s control. 

4.3 Each Eligible Participant that is awarded any portion of a Prize will be wholly responsible for the payment of any tax, insurance or equivalent payment due (if any) in respect of the Prize or any portion of the Prize.  

4.4  The Prizes are non-transferable. Should any Finalist choose not to accept a Prize or take part in any element of a Prize, no substitute prize will be offered, and that portion of the Prize is not redeemable or exchangeable for cash.  

5. Intellectual Property 

5.1           By uploading a Proposed Solution to the Competition Website, submitting and/or presenting a Pitch, or presenting a Prototype (collectively, the “Competition Materials”), as an Entrant, each Eligible Participant warrants and represents (jointly and severally when part of an Eligible Team) that any Competition Material: 

(a) Is an original work, created solely by the Eligible Participants alone or as part of an Eligible Team (as applicable); 

(b) does not infringe the intellectual property rights (including, without limitation, inventions, patents, copyright, designs, trade secrets, database rights, rights in know-how, rights protecting goodwill and reputation, moral rights or other similar rights in any country, in each case whether or not registered, and any applications for registration of any of the foregoing, and all rights to apply to register any of the foregoing) (collectively, the “IPR”) of any third party; 

(c) does not infringe the image rights of any third party, or any rights of privacy/publicity of any person or entity; 

(d) no other party, other than the Eligible Participants alone or as part of an Eligible Team (as applicable), has any right, title, claim, or interest in the Competition Materials or any IPR therein, other than as disclosed in the relevant Competition Materials. 

5.2 If the Competition Materials contains any material or elements that are not owned by the Entrants and/or are subject to the rights of third parties, the Entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the Competition Materials, all releases and consents necessary to permit the use of the Competition Materials in the manner set out in these Terms & Conditions without additional compensation. 

5.3 Entrants grant the Promoter and its affiliates an irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, sub-licensable licence to use and reference the whole or any part of the Proposed Solutions for the purposes of this Competition. Eligible Participants warrant that they have the necessary rights to grant the licence contemplated in these Terms & Conditions. 

5.4 In addition, the Eligible Participants within each Finalist acknowledge that it is a pre-condition of progressing in the Competition that they will be required to grant (including in the form of assignment and/or licence) further rights to the Promoter in relation to the IPR in their Competition Materials. 

5.5 Nothing in these Terms & Conditions shall be construed as the Promoter granting any Eligible Participant any licence of the Promoter’s and/or any of its affiliate’s IPR (including, without limitation, the Promoter’s/any of its affiliate’s trade marks, trade names, copyright in any images, publications and/or other materials produced by, or on behalf of, the Promoter/any of its affiliates and distributed to Eligible Participants in connection with the Competition). 

5.6  The Eligible Participants acknowledge and agree that: 

(a) the Promoter, its affiliates and/or persons authorised by the Promoter/its affiliates may film, photograph and/or make other forms of recording of the Entrants whilst present at and/or participating in any aspect of the Competition (“Audio-Visual Materials”); 

(b) the copyright and any and all other IPR, title and interest in the Audio-Visual Materials will vest in the Promoter and/or its affiliates who will be entitled to deal with the Audio-Visual Materials in such ways as the Promoter and/or its affiliates, in their absolute discretion, see fit; and 

(c) The Promoter will have no obligation to acknowledge any Eligible Participant in any finished material in which all or any part of the Audio-Visual Materials is included. 

5.7  Eligible Participants acknowledge and agree that the Promoter and/or its affiliates may use, and reproduce their name, image, nationality, country of residence, details of any institutional affiliation and such other information provided by the Eligible Participant for the purpose of promoting the Competition and/or the Promoter and/or its affiliates by all means, in any kind of medium and format and in any territory.  

5.8 If an Eligible Participant has submitted the same, or a broadly similar, solution in any other competition, details of the competition(s) in which that solution has been used must be provided to the Promoter. The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any entry which is composed of substantially the same solution or concept as has been submitted by an Eligible Participant in any other competition. 

5.9 In the event that any Competition Materials are discovered to not be an original creation of the appropriate Entrant and/or breach a third party’s IPR, the Promoter will be entitled to disqualify that entry and the relevant Entrant from the Competition. 

6 Confidentiality  

Subject to section 5.3 above, Competition Materials, together with all ideas contained in these materials, will be treated as having been submitted on a confidential basis and should be kept confidential by the Entrants. Nevertheless, the Entrants acknowledge and agree that the Promoter may share the materials with such parties as it deems necessary for the effective conduct of the Competition.  Finalists acknowledge that they will be required to commit to further obligations of confidentiality as a pre-condition of progressing in the Competition and will be required to acknowledge and agree to DP World’s applicable policies and requirements for access to sites and systems. 

7 Collection and Use of Personal Information  

7.1 Eligible Participants are required to provide personal information to the Promoter in order to register for this Competition. By registering, an Eligible Participant explicitly consents to the Promoter and its appointees using his or her personal information to the extent deemed necessary by the Promoter for the effective conduct of the Competition.  

7.2 Eligible Participants acknowledge and agree that the processing of his or her personal information outlined in clause 7.1 above may include the passing of such personal information to third parties, as well as to parties outside the Jebel Ali Free Zone. The Promoter will ensure that the personal information is encrypted for international transfer purposes. Eligible Participants nonetheless acknowledge that such jurisdictions may not have data protection laws which are either equivalent or stricter than those of the Eligible Participant’s country of residence and explicitly consent to such transfer. 

7.3 Personal information relating to Eligible Participants will be retained by the Promoter for a reasonable period after the conclusion of the Competition to assist the Promoter in conducting the Competition in a consistent manner and dealing with any queries relating to the Competition.   

7.4 Personal information you submit via the Competition Website may be provided to any company, department, agency or individual involved in the operation, evaluation or judging of the Competition and, for the avoidance of doubt, may be used for marketing and communications purposes. 

8. General 

8.1 If by reason of any event of Force Majeure the Promoter or any third party involved in the delivery of the Competition is delayed in, or prevented from, performing any of the requirements under these Terms & Conditions, then such delay or non-performance will not be deemed to be a breach of these Terms & Conditions and no loss or damage may be claimed by any Eligible Participant.  For the purpose of these Terms & Conditions “Force Majeure” means any event affecting the delivery of the Competition in accordance with these Terms & Conditions arising from or attributable to acts, events, omissions or accidents which are beyond the reasonable control of a party (other than lack of funds on the part of a party) being  fire, explosion, earthquake, subsidence, structural damage, epidemic or pandemic, failure or shortage of power supplies, war, military operations, riot, strike, lock-outs or other industrial action, terrorist action, civil commotion and any legislation, regulation, ruling or omissions (including failure to grant any necessary permissions for reasons outside the control of either party) of any relevant government, court or any competent national or international authority. 

8.2  All correspondence and information submitted throughout the Competition must be in English. 

8.3 Eligible Participants agree to indemnify DP World (and their officers, employees and agents) against, and hold the foregoing harmless from, any damages, liabilities, losses, or expenses incurred or arising directly or indirectly out of their participation in the Competition including, without limitation, an Eligible Participant’s breach of these Terms & Conditions (including, without limitation, any warranty in relation to third party rights); or negligent or fraudulent acts or omissions in relation to the Competition.  

8.4 Finalists acknowledge that there may be additional expenses and procedures associated with Prize acceptance and use. These are all the sole responsibility of the Finalists, including, without limitation, all federal, state, local, county, provincial, and other taxes (including income and withholding taxes), luggage fees, travel documents and insurance, as well as any events and/or activities outside of the scheduled program itinerary, including meals, incidentals, accommodation charges, gratuities, and any other costs, expenses and procedures.   

8.5  Wi-Fi charges/connection or roaming charges may be required for participation; such charges are the sole responsibility of Eligible Participants in all cases. 

8.6  The Promoter: 

(a) accepts no responsibility for network, computer, hardware and/or software failures of any kind, which may restrict or delay the sending or receipt of your entries or participation in any element of the Competition;  

(b) makes no promises or warranties (either express or implied) that use of the Competition Website will be uninterrupted, error-free or fit for any particular purpose. The Promoter reserves the right to suspend temporarily the operation of the Competition Website without notice in the case of system failure, maintenance or repair or for any other reason beyond its control; and 

(c) assumes no responsibility or liability for any loss arising out of or from user errors; negligent use of the Competition Website; or late, lost, delayed, damaged, misdirected, incomplete or unintelligible registrations/submissions. Proof of sending will not be accepted as proof of receipt.  

8.7  Eligible Participants are responsible for providing accurate and correct information on signing up for the Competition.  

8.8 This Competition is void in any jurisdiction in which it is prohibited or otherwise rendered invalid by any applicable law or regulation. The Promoter makes no representation or warranty that the Competition is permitted by law in any particular country.  

8.9  To the extent permitted by law, the Promoter may terminate or modify the Competition or modify these Terms & Conditions at any time, by posting the revised Terms & Conditions on the Competition Website. Where these Terms & Conditions are made available in more than one language, the English language version will prevail in the event of any inconsistency.  Eligible Participants agree that ongoing participation in the Competition will be deemed to be acceptance of any revised Terms and Conditions.

8.10  Any enquiries in relation to this Competition should be directed to the following email address: [email protected] and [email protected].   

8.11 The Promoter reserves the right to monitor any information/materials posted on or submitted through the Competition Website by any person and may, at its sole discretion and without prior notice, at any time remove or otherwise block any information/materials posted on or submitted through the Competition Website. 

8.12  This Competition is governed by the laws of the Emirate of Dubai and such Federal Laws of the United Arab Emirates as are applicable to the Emirate of Dubai.  

8.13 The Promoter is DP World FZE, 5th Floor, LOB 17, Jebel Ali Free Zone, P.O. Box 17000, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (also referred to as “DP World” in these Terms & Conditions). The Promoter can be contacted by sending an email to [email protected]. The Promoter is responsible for managing this Competition and all issues related it.  

8.14 If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is declared by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained in these Terms & Conditions will be not affected or impaired in any way. 

8.15  These Terms & Conditions govern the conduct of the Competition only. Save as expressly set out herein, nothing in this Agreement shall create any contract or relationship of employment between the Promoter and an Eligible Participant.  

8.16 For the avoidance of doubt, if there is any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of:

i. these Terms and Conditions;

ii. any specific guidelines or documents issued to finalists;

iii. the Competition Website; and

iv. any other materials provided to Eligible Participants as part of this Competition, including such things as promotional materials and responses to email enquiries, then the order of precedence set out above in this clause will prevail unless specifically provided otherwise in writing. The terms and conditions are subject to change.