National Charity Today Awards™ Terms and Conditions

The National Charity Today Awards™ are organised by CTN Events Ltd, referred to in these Terms and Conditions as "the Organisers".

Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully before submitting a nomination, purchasing tickets, or attending the event. By taking part in any way, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

1. Our Commitment to Fairness and Transparency

1.1 The Organisers are committed to running the National Charity Today Awards™ in a fair, transparent, and efficient manner.

1.2 Nominations are reviewed and scored as they are received, rather than after the nomination deadline. This means that strong nominations meeting the required scoring threshold may progress promptly.

1.3 This approach provides:

1. Faster feedback for high quality nominations
2. A longer nomination window
3. The opportunity for nominations to remain open until all available finalist places have been filled or until 60 days before the event, whichever occurs first

1.4 Organisations and individuals are strongly encouraged to submit nominations as early as possible.

2. Nomination Review and Shortlisting Process

2.1 All nominations follow the same structured process:

1. A nomination is submitted
2. The entry is initially scored using software
3. The entry is checked against the required quality threshold
4. Entries meeting the threshold progress to the judging panel
5. Entries that do not meet the threshold are declined
6. Judges conduct their initial review
7. Shortlisted entrants receive an official shortlisting email
8. Shortlisted entrants have 28 days from the date of that email to confirm whether they wish to accept their place
9. Confirmation of finalist status normally requires the purchase of a half table or full table, except where an alternative arrangement has been approved under the Small Charity Ticket Scheme
10. Once the required payment has been received in full, finalist status is confirmed
11. Judges later review all confirmed finalists to determine the winners

2.2 Being shortlisted does not, by itself, guarantee confirmed finalist status.

2.3 The Organisers reserve the right to close nominations for an individual category once all available finalist places have been filled.

3. Finalist Confirmation and Booking Requirements

3.1 To confirm and secure finalist status at the National Charity Today Awards™, a shortlisted organisation or individual must normally purchase either a half table or full table.

3.2 Payment must be received within 28 days of the date of the official shortlisting email. Where fewer than 60 days remain before the Gala Lunch, payment must be received within 14 days of the date of the official shortlisting email.

3.3 Finalist status is confirmed only once the required payment has been received in full, unless the Organisers have confirmed an alternative arrangement in writing.

3.4 If the required booking is not completed within the required period:

1. The entry may be treated as withdrawn
2. The provisional finalist place may be released
3. The place may be offered to another nominee

3.5 No withdrawal fee or administration fee will be charged if a shortlisted entrant does not proceed. However, the initial nomination fee will be forfeited and will not be refunded.

3.6 An alternative booking arrangement may be available to an eligible organisation through the Small Charity Ticket Scheme, subject to Section 4.

4. Small Charity Ticket Scheme

4.1 The Small Charity Ticket Scheme is intended to help eligible small charities attend the National Charity Today Awards™.

4.2 A charity may apply for the scheme if its annual turnover was less than £250,000 in its most recently filed annual accounts or annual return.

4.3 Applicants must indicate on the nomination form that they wish to be considered for the Small Charity Ticket Scheme.

4.4 Applying for the scheme does not automatically confirm eligibility, guarantee access to tickets, or secure finalist status.

4.5 The Organisers may ask the applicant to provide information or evidence to verify eligibility. This may include:

1. The charity's registered name and charity number
2. A copy of, or link to, its most recently filed annual accounts or annual return
3. Confirmation of its annual turnover
4. Any other information reasonably required to assess the application

4.6 The charity is responsible for ensuring that all information supplied in support of its application is complete, accurate, and current.

4.7 Eligibility will be assessed using the charity's most recently filed accounts or annual return available at the time of assessment.

4.8 The number, type, and price of tickets available through the scheme will be communicated to an eligible charity before it is asked to complete a booking.

4.9 Tickets available through the scheme:

1. Are subject to availability
2. May be limited in number
3. Are available only to charities whose eligibility has been confirmed by the Organisers
4. May not be transferred to another organisation without the Organisers' prior written approval
5. Must be booked and paid for within the deadline stated by the Organisers

4.10 If a charity applies for the scheme but is found not to qualify, it may still confirm its finalist status by purchasing a half table or full table within the deadline communicated by the Organisers.

4.11 The Organisers may decline or withdraw access to the scheme if:

1. The eligibility criteria are not met
2. Sufficient supporting information is not provided
3. Information supplied is inaccurate or misleading
4. The available allocation has been fully booked
5. The booking deadline is missed

4.12 If eligibility is withdrawn because inaccurate or misleading information was supplied, the organisation may be required to pay the standard applicable ticket or table price to retain its booking or finalist status.

4.13 Decisions concerning eligibility for the Small Charity Ticket Scheme are made by the Organisers and are final.

4.14 The Organisers reserve the right to amend, limit, suspend, or withdraw the scheme. Any change will not affect a booking that has already been confirmed and paid for, unless the booking was obtained using inaccurate or misleading information.

5. Professional Conduct

5.1 The National Charity Today Awards™ are a national awards programme and professional conduct is expected throughout the nomination, judging, booking, and event process.

5.2 All entrants, nominees, finalists, and attendees must:

1. Act respectfully towards the Organisers, judges, venue staff, suppliers, and other guests
2. Recognise the time and effort contributed by judges
3. Communicate promptly if they no longer wish to proceed
4. Avoid behaviour that may bring the Awards, the Organisers, or other participants into disrepute

5.3 The Organisers reserve the right to withdraw a nomination, shortlisting, finalist place, or booking where serious or repeated misconduct occurs.

6. Bookings, Payments, Cancellations, and Transfers

6.1 All ticket and table bookings must be made through the official Awards website or another booking method authorised by the Organisers.

6.2 Full payment is required at the time of booking unless the Organisers have agreed otherwise in writing.

6.3 All bookings are non refundable, except where a refund is required by law or expressly offered by the Organisers under these Terms and Conditions.

6.4 Tickets may be transferred to replacement guests from the same organisation if the Organisers are notified in advance and approve the change.

6.5 A booking may not be transferred to another organisation without the prior written approval of the Organisers.

6.6 Failure to attend the event does not qualify the ticket holder or booking organisation for a refund or credit.

6.7 No administration fee will be charged solely because a nominee, shortlisted entrant, finalist, or attendee decides not to proceed or attend.

7. Menus, Dietary Requirements, and Allergies

7.1 Menu choices and dietary information must be submitted by the deadline communicated by the Organisers.

7.2 If menu choices are not received by the deadline, the venue's default menu may be applied.

7.3 Guests are responsible for providing accurate information about allergies and dietary requirements.

7.4 Dietary requirements will be shared with the venue where reasonably possible, but the Organisers cannot guarantee that the venue can accommodate every request.

7.5 Guests with serious allergies should contact the venue directly before attending to discuss their requirements and the venue's food preparation arrangements.

7.6 Nothing in this section excludes or limits any liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited.

8. Event Changes, Postponement, or Cancellation

8.1 The Organisers reserve the right to amend the event date, venue, format, programme, speakers, schedule, or other event arrangements where reasonably necessary.

8.2 The Organisers may postpone or cancel the event in exceptional circumstances, including circumstances outside their reasonable control.

8.3 Participants will be informed of any significant change as soon as reasonably possible.

8.4 If the event is postponed, bookings will normally be transferred to the rearranged date.

8.5 Any refund or alternative offered following a postponement or cancellation will be determined in accordance with the circumstances, the booking terms, and applicable law.

8.6 The Organisers are not responsible for travel, accommodation, or other costs incurred by attendees unless liability cannot legally be excluded.

9. Attendance and Behaviour

9.1 All attendees must comply with the rules, policies, and reasonable instructions of the venue and the Organisers.

9.2 The Organisers reserve the right to refuse entry to, or remove, any individual whose behaviour is disruptive, abusive, unsafe, unlawful, or otherwise inappropriate.

9.3 No refund will be given where entry is refused or an attendee is removed because of their behaviour.

10. Judging Process and Feedback

10.1 Judging is carried out by a panel appointed by the Organisers.

10.2 Judges are required to assess entries fairly and in accordance with the applicable judging criteria.

10.3 The judging process, individual scores, judges' notes, and judges' deliberations are confidential.

10.4 All judging decisions are final.

10.5 The Awards administrators are responsible for administering the nomination and judging process. They are not members of the judging panel and are not responsible for interpreting, explaining, or justifying judges' decisions.

10.6 The Organisers and Awards administrators are not required to explain why a nomination succeeded or failed, provide individual scores, disclose judges' notes, or offer detailed feedback.

10.7 Entrants are responsible for retaining and reviewing a copy of the nomination submitted through their own internal administration. They should assess the quality, accuracy, completeness, and strength of their submitted content against the published criteria.

10.8 Responsibility for the content and quality of a nomination remains with the entrant. The Organisers and Awards administrators cannot advise entrants after judging on how their nomination could have been improved or why another entry achieved a different outcome.

10.9 No appeal or correspondence concerning the merits or outcome of a judging decision will be entered into.

10.10 The Organisers may investigate and correct a genuine administrative or factual processing error. This does not create a right to challenge a judge's assessment, scoring, opinion, or final decision.

11. Liability

11.1 Attendance is at the participant's own risk, subject to any legal rights that cannot be excluded.

11.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Organisers accept no responsibility for:

1. Loss of or damage to personal property
2. Loss of or damage to vehicles, mobility aids, or wheelchairs
3. Losses arising from incidents within the venue, car park, or surrounding areas where those incidents are outside the Organisers' reasonable control
4. Travel, accommodation, or other costs incurred in connection with attendance

11.3 Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel, accommodation, and appropriate insurance.

11.4 Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited.

12. Photography, Recording, and Publicity

12.1 Photography, filming, and audio recording may take place during the event.

12.2 Images, video, and audio captured at the event may be used by the Organisers to report on and promote the National Charity Today Awards™, CTN Events Ltd, Charity Today, and related events.

12.3 Attendees who do not wish to be photographed or recorded should notify the Organisers before the event and speak to a member of the event team on arrival.

12.4 The Organisers will take reasonable steps to respect such requests but cannot guarantee that an attendee will not appear incidentally in wide angle, crowd, or background footage.

13. Intellectual Property

13.1 By submitting a nomination, the entrant confirms that they have permission to provide all names, logos, photographs, written material, and other content included in the entry.

13.2 Entrants grant the Organisers permission to use submitted names, logos, photographs, and related materials for the administration, reporting, and promotion of the Awards.

13.3 Ownership of materials submitted by entrants remains with the relevant owner.

13.4 All intellectual property created by or on behalf of the Organisers in connection with the Awards remains the property of the Organisers or the relevant rights holder.

14. Privacy

14.1 Personal data will be processed in accordance with UK data protection law and the applicable Awards privacy notice.

14.2 Personal data may be used for the administration of nominations, judging, bookings, attendance, communications, publicity, and the Small Charity Ticket Scheme.

14.3 Information supplied to verify eligibility for the Small Charity Ticket Scheme will be used to assess and administer the application.

14.4 Personal data will not be retained for longer than reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, subject to any legal or regulatory retention requirements.

15. Accuracy of Information

15.1 Entrants and applicants are responsible for ensuring that information supplied to the Organisers is accurate, complete, and not misleading.

15.2 The Organisers reserve the right to reject or withdraw a nomination, shortlisting, finalist place, scheme application, or booking if materially inaccurate or misleading information has been supplied.

15.3 Where reasonably possible, the Organisers will give the affected organisation or individual an opportunity to clarify the information before taking action.

16. Amendments

16.1 The Organisers reserve the right to amend these Terms and Conditions where reasonably necessary.

16.2 Any significant updates will be published on the official Awards website.

16.3 Changes will not normally apply retrospectively to a booking that has already been confirmed and paid for, unless required by law or necessary to correct fraud, misuse, or a material error.

17. Governing Law

17.1 These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

17.2 Any dispute arising in connection with these Terms and Conditions will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.