TERMS AND CONDITIONS

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The 2021 WWF-Canada Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge (the “Challenge”) is organized by WWF-Canada (the “Organizer”) and supported by RBC Foundation and Microsoft Canada (collectively the “Sponsors”). By entering the Challenge, participants agree to these Terms and Conditions and all decisions of the Organizer, as further defined below. Participants also agree to comply with all applicable federal and provincial laws where the Challenge takes place.

PURPOSE

The WWF-Canada Nature X Carbon Tech Challenge supports research and development of new conservation technologies pursuant to the objectives outlined in the Challenge section of the Living Planet Technology Hub. The funds and ongoing support awarded through the Challenge are provided to assist the successful participants in bringing the technologies and ideas to scale.

ELIGIBILITY

The Challenge is open to residents of Canada.  Any persons or organizations who are eligible to participate in the Challenge (whether as an individual or as part of a team – see below) will hereinafter be referred to as a “Registered Group”.   Organizations or individuals including, registered non-profits, registered charities, cooperative - non-profits, for-profit entities, public sector, collaboratives (project of more than one organization with the same legal form), or multi-sectoral (project of more than one organization with different legal forms), registered are eligible to participate.  Individuals in Registered Groups must be the local age of majority where they live.

Registered Groups must create a profile on the Living Planet Technology Hub, which includes their  name, birthday, address and an email address, in order to gain access to the Challenge submission form. Once a Registered Group completes and submits the Challenge submission form, they become a “Challenge Participant”. Challenge Participants are subject to verification, in the sole and absolute discretion of the Organizer.  The Organizer reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to require proof of identity and/or eligibility (in a form acceptable to the Organizer – including but not limited to government issued photo identification) to participate in this Challenge. Failure to provide such proof to the satisfaction of the Organizer in a timely manner may result in disqualification.

The Organizers’, Sponsors, their employees and their immediate families (i.e. their spouses, siblings, children, parents, spouses’ parents and the spouses of any of those individuals) and their household members (related or not) are not eligible to participate in the Challenge.

AWARDS

Up to five submitted projects by Challenge Participants will be selected as finalists.  WWF-Canada in its sole and absolute discretion will have the right to determine eligibility.  Each of the five projects (the “Challenge Finalists”) will be invited to participate in the Validation Phase (April 1, 2022-March 31, 2023). To enable participation in the Validation Phase, each Challenge Finalist will receive a $25,000 CAD grant.  This grant is conditional upon the successful execution of a Grant Agreement between WWF-Canada and Challenge Finalist, in keeping with CRA rules for registered charities.  A portion of the funds will be distributed up front, with the remainder being distributed pending adequate progress and completion of the Validation Phase, as agreed upon in the Grant Agreement. Additionally, Challenge Finalists will receive access to a place in the Microsoft Global Entrepreneurship Program (“Entrepreneurship Program”) subject to confirmation of Challenge Finalists’ eligibility by Microsoft Canada Challenge Finalists are not required to participate in the Entrepreneurship Program to maintain eligibility to be named a Final Award Recipient by WWF-Canada.

Following the completion of the Validation Phase, up to three projects submitted by Challenge Finalists will be selected as “Final Award Recipient(s)”.  Each Final Award Recipient will be offered a year-long contract (the “Final Award Recipient Grant Agreement”) with WWF-Canada effective from June 2023 – May 2024 (final dates TBD), valued at $100,000 CAD, wherein each Challenge Award Recipient will apply their technology in the field, with WWF-Canada and its conservation partners. Terms of the contract will be agreed upon between WWF-Canada finalized with each Final Award Recipient once they have been selected and notified, prior to the contract start date.

Challenge Finalists and Final Award Recipient(s) will be recognized on the Living Planet Technology Hub and through other events and communications materials as appropriate.

VALIDATION PHASE

Challenge Finalists must participate and successfully complete the Validation Phase before becoming eligible to be selected as a Challenge Award Recipient.  During the Validation Phase, each Challenge Finalists will test their technology in the field to ensure accuracy and precision. Data must be provided to WWF-Canada as outlined in the validation methodology, which will be determined based on the individual project and outlined in the Grant Agreement.  Validation data will be used and will only be disclosed to WWF-Canada and its conservation partners for the purposes of the Validation Phase.

WWF Canada in its sole discretion will determine which Challenge Finalists will proceed to the final award recipient stage (Challenge Award Recipient).

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Challenge Participants will retain ownership of all rights, including intellectual property rights, in and to the Challenge submission. While Challenge Participants retain ownership of their Intellectual Property, it is important to note that the intention of this challenge is to create widely accessible, real-world solutions to carbon monitoring barriers.  As such, the open-source and accessible nature of the solution will be considered when evaluating proposals.

LICENSES

Each Challenge Participant agrees to provide WWF-Canada, its affiliates, subsidiaries, agents, and advertising partners, a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, adapt, modify, publish, distribute, publicly perform, create a derivative work from, and publicly display, for non-commercial purposes, in any and all media (now known or later developed), submissions (including, without limitation, videos) (1) for the purposes of reviewing, assessing, testing, and evaluating the submission in connection with the Challenge; and (2) for the purpose of promoting or communicating about the Challenge.  Each Challenge Participant agrees to sign any additional waivers, licenses or releases that WWF-Canada reasonably requests in order to make use of these Licenses rights.

NO COMPENSATION

Each Challenge Participant understands that, excluding the award described in the Grant Agreement, no compensation will be received from the Organizer in connection with participation in the Challenge and the Challenge Participant is solely responsible for any costs or expenses arising from such participation.

TERM

The submission period for the Challenge will open September 7, 2021 and submissions will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. PT on November 8, 2021. Following a thorough review process by a selected committee to perform an initial review , a selection of semi-finalists (“Challenge Semi-Finalists”) will be invited to present their solutions to the Challenge Judges via video conference the week of January 17-21, 2022.  Video conference presentations may be streamed during a live virtual event to be determined by WWF-Canada. Challenge Participants will be notified if they are invited to present by December 17, 2021. The five Challenge Finalists will be selected by January 28, 2022.  All Challenge Participants will be notified of the status of their submission via email by or before December 17th, 2021.

The Validation Phase will run from April 1, 2022-March 31, 2023.  All Validation data sent to WWF-Canada must be received by March 31, 2023. Final Award Recipients will be announced in May 2023.

Final Recipient Grant Agreements will run from June 2023 – May 2024.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Required for all submissions.

  • Create User Profile. Create a personal profile on The Living Planet Technology Hub, completing all required fields and following all instructions (required of at least one member of a team making a submission to the Challenge).
  • To become a Challenge Participant, complete the submission form on the Living Planet Technology Hub, completing all fields and prompts in the project application (including those marked as optional) and following all instructions.
  • Enter the Challenge. Agree to the Official Terms and Conditions (check the box) and submit the project to the Challenge. If an individual is submitting a proposal on behalf of a group, that individual is implicitly accepting all terms and conditions on behalf of all individuals within the group.


Judging

  • The Organizer will organize an Initial Review Committee, Challenge Judge panel and a Validation Data Review Committee consisting of experts in carbon measurement, verification and reporting, innovation, technological applications in conservation entrepreneurialism, community engagement and others as deemed appropriate by the Organizer.
  • All projects will be evaluated by the Review Committees in accordance with the following criteria:
    • Alignment with WWF-Canada’s goals
    • Ecological and social responsibility
    • Accuracy and precision in carbon measurement
    • Scalability of the solution
    • Feasibility of implementing the solution
    • Innovative and novel technology or approach
    • Openness and accessibility of the solution, including sharing knowledge and key learnings
  • Semi-finalists will be given additional instructions to inform their preparations for presenting their solution to the Challenge Judge panel.
  • Each of the five Challenge Finalists will be sent a Grant Agreement for their review and acceptance prior to the commencement of the Validation phase. Should there be fewer than five submissions deemed worthy of an Award by the Review Committees, the Organizer reserves the right to select fewer Award Recipients.
  • Validation Phase assessment criteria will be clearly outlined in the Validation Methodology, to be provided in each Challenge Finalist Grant Agreement. A Validation Data Review Committee will assess the data and make recommendations for up to three Final Award Recipients from the five Finalists.  Should there be fewer than three submissions deemed worthy of an Award by the Committees, the Organizer reserves the right to select fewer Final Award Recipients.
FRENCH LANGUAGE

The Challenge is available in both French and English. Where necessary, live interpretation may be provided to facilitate full participation of participants.

The Microsoft Global Entrepreneurship Program is available in both French and English.

RIGHTS

Each Challenge Participant must represent and warrant to the Organizer and the Sponsor(s) that they are the sole author and copyright owner of the developed solution and projects and that the projects are the original work of the Challenge Participant, that the Challenge Participant has acquired sufficient rights to use the work; and that the project does not infringe upon any copyright or upon any other third party rights of which the Challenge Participant is aware, and that the submission is free of malware. Each Challenge Participant will indemnify and hold the Organizer and the Sponsor(s) and their affiliates, harmless from and against any and all loss, damage, costs and other expense arising out of claims, whatever their nature, resulting directly or indirectly from breach of this warranty.

Challenge Finalists must render appropriate progress reports to the Organizer during the Validation Phase to be defined through the Grant Agreement.  Failure to provide adequate reports or to complete the Validation Phase will require that the Challenge Finalist return the grant funding to the Organizer and forfeit further participation in the Challenge.

GENERAL CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY

Consistent with the agile and collaborative nature of developing tech-enabled conservation solutions, the Organizer may decide that reasonable modifications to submission, judging, or other criteria (for example, additional clarification or detail for submission requirements) are appropriate for the Challenge to run smoothly and to help the Challenge Participants make their best contributions to the conservation technology community.  The Organizer reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, and without prior notice, to modify or supplement these Terms and Conditions, and to adjust any of the Challenge dates and/or timeframes, or Challenge evaluation criteria , to the extent necessary, for purposes of verifying compliance of any submission by any  Challenge Participant, Semi-Finalist, Finalist or Final Award Recipient with these Terms and Conditions, or as a result of technical problems, or in light of any other circumstances which, in the opinion of the Organizer, in its sole and absolute discretion, affects the proper administration of the Challenge as contemplated in these Terms and Conditions and to communicate such modifications or supplements to Challenge Participants, as the Organizer deems reasonable.

The Organizer reserves the right to disqualify any Participant if there exists reasonable doubt that the Participant has attempted to undermine the legitimate operation of the Challenge by cheating, deception, failure to follow the rules or other unfair practices. The same applies for all threats or harassment of other Registered Groups, Organizer employees, or Review Committee member.

Each Registered Group agrees that Personal Data provided to the Organizer, including name, address, phone number and email address may be processed, stored and used as part of the Challenge.  All information will be managed in accordance with WWF-Canada’s Privacy Policy. Each Registered Group agrees to be photographed and filmed, and that their images may be used for promotional purposes by the Organizer and/or the Sponsor(s).

 

The Organizer is not responsible for lost or stolen items, or damages or injuries (collectively, “Damages”) that may result, directly or indirectly, from participation in the Challenge. Challenge Participants are encouraged to check with their insurance company or employer for appropriate coverage in case of Damages.

 

The Organizer will not be liable for: (i) any failure of the website before, during or after the Challenge; (ii) for any technical malfunction or other problems relating to the telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, access providers, computer equipment or software; (iii) the failure of any project entry to be received for any reason, including, but not limited to, technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website or for any entry to be deemed inadmissible; (iv) any injury or damage to a participant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading any material in the Challenge; (v) any illness, injury, sleep deprivation, stress related illness/injury or any other illness/injury of any kind claimed to be caused by or related to a Registered Group’s entry or participation in this Challenge; and/or (vi) any combination of the above.

Projects previewed on website: The Organizer may, in its sole and absolute discretion, choose to display certain projects or parts thereof on the Challenge website once submitted. For greater certainty, the fact that a project has (or has not) been displayed on these or other websites will NOT impact the project evaluation process.

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and applicable laws of Canada.