01 · Legal
Scope and Acceptance
• Scope of application: These terms and conditions apply to all establishments, institutions, brands, services and experiences participating in the award, and to the use of the platform and its related services. • Acceptance of the terms: Submitting an application to participate, or using the services related to the award, constitutes acceptance of the terms and conditions, policies and standards approved for the cycle.
02 · Legal
Eligibility and Information
• Eligibility: The participant must meet the eligibility requirements of the sector and category to which it applies, and must maintain its eligibility throughout the participation and evaluation period. • Accuracy of information: The participant bears full responsibility for the accuracy, correctness and completeness of all data, documents and information it submits. • Verification of information: The management has the right to verify the information submitted, to request additional documents or evidence, and to draw on official or public sources or competent bodies whenever necessary. • Acceptance of participation: Submitting an application or paying the fees does not constitute final acceptance of participation. An application is accepted once the eligibility and requirements verification procedures have been completed. • Changes to the establishment: The participant must notify the management of any material change to its activity, ownership, trade name, licences, branches or the service submitted for evaluation, where such a change could affect its eligibility or the evaluation result. • Compliance with the law: All participants must comply with the laws, regulations and decisions in force in the State of Qatar relating to their activities.
03 · Legal
Evaluation and Results
• No guarantee of winning: Participation, payment of fees, or the purchase of any service, sponsorship or advertising does not guarantee a position, award or ranking. • Independence of evaluation: Evaluation is carried out in accordance with the approved criteria and methodology, and commercial or advertising activities or sponsorship relationships may not influence the evaluation results. • Evaluation decisions: Results are based on the data, evidence and assessments available during the evaluation period, in accordance with the methodology approved for each category.
04 · Legal
Intellectual Property
• Participant's intellectual property: The participant remains the owner of the content, marks and materials it submits, and confirms that it holds the rights or permissions necessary to use and submit them. • Licence to use materials: The participant grants the management, to the extent necessary for administering the award, the platform, the evaluation and media coverage, the right to use its trade name, logo, and the information and materials it has agreed to publish. • The award's intellectual property: All rights relating to the name of the award and the platform, and to its logos, badges, designs, methodologies, content, templates and materials, remain reserved to their rights holders. • Unauthorised use: Protected marks, badges or materials may not be copied, reproduced, modified or exploited without authorisation, except for the use permitted to winners under the identity guidelines.
05 · Legal
Winner Title and Withdrawal of Awards
• Period of use of the winner title: The winner has the right to use the winner title and the official badge for one year only from the date the award is received. After this period, the win may be referred to as a historical achievement, stating the year of winning clearly, without implying that the ranking is still current. • Withdrawal of the award: The award may be withdrawn, the position cancelled, or the right to use the badge suspended if a material breach, manipulation or incorrect information that affected the result is established.
06 · Legal
Conduct, Exclusion and Withdrawal
• Conduct of participants: Participants shall deal professionally with the management, evaluators, members of the judging committees and other participants. Exerting pressure, making threats, offering benefits or attempting to influence the evaluation process is not permitted. • Manipulation: Manipulation of reviews, votes, accounts, data, evidence or any part of the participation and evaluation process is prohibited. • Exclusion: Any participant that breaches the eligibility requirements, submits misleading information, attempts to influence the evaluation process or commits a material breach of the terms may be excluded. • Withdrawal: A participant may request to withdraw in accordance with the specified procedures and deadlines, and the approved fees and refund policy shall apply.
07 · Legal
Changes and Force Majeure
• Changes to categories: Certain categories may be amended, merged, suspended or cancelled where organisational circumstances, the number of entries or evaluation requirements so require. • Changes to the timetable: The dates of registration, evaluation, announcement of results or the awards ceremony may be changed where necessary, and participants will be notified of material changes through the official channels. • Circumstances beyond control: The management is not liable for any delay, cancellation or change resulting from events beyond its reasonable control, including government decisions, disasters, major technical failures or emergencies.
08 · Legal
Platform, Accounts and Content
• The online platform: The management seeks to provide the platform in a stable and secure manner, but does not guarantee that temporary interruptions or technical failures will not occur. • User account: The user is responsible for keeping the login details of their account confidential and for activities carried out through it, unless such use results from a breach or fault beyond the user's control. • Submitted content: Content submitted by participants must not include any unlawful or misleading material or material that infringes the rights of others. • Public reviews: Where the platform allows user ratings or reviews, the management may delete content that is non-compliant, fake, offensive or unrelated to the experience being reviewed.
09 · Legal
Limitation of Liability
• Limitation of liability: Evaluation is based on the information, evidence and observations available during the evaluation period, and the award does not constitute a permanent guarantee of the quality of an establishment's products or services after the evaluation has ended. • Responsibility of the establishment: The establishment remains fully responsible for its products, services and dealings with customers, and the award bears no responsibility for the commercial or contractual obligations between the establishment and its customers. • Award is not government accreditation: Receiving the award or a ranking does not constitute a licence or government accreditation of the establishment or its products or services, unless an explicit statement to the contrary is issued by a competent official body.
10 · Legal
Complaints and Notices
• Complaints and appeals: Complaints and appeals are subject to the approved policy, procedures and deadlines, and must be submitted through the official channels. • Notices: Notices and correspondence relating to participation may be sent by email, through the account registered on the platform, or through any other official channel approved by the management.
11 · Legal
Governing Law and Jurisdiction
• Governing law: These terms and the activities related to the award are governed by the laws and regulations in force in the State of Qatar. • Jurisdiction: Any dispute that is not settled amicably is subject to the jurisdiction of the competent authorities and courts of the State of Qatar, unless there is a written agreement providing otherwise.
12 · Legal
General Provisions
• Updates to the terms: These terms may be amended from time to time, and the version approved and published for each cycle applies to the entries of that cycle. • Language: The terms and policies may be issued in both Arabic and English. In the event of any difference in interpretation between the two versions, the approved reference version is determined within the published terms. • Severability: If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable or legally invalid, this shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions, to the extent permitted by law. • No waiver: The management's failure to exercise any right provided for in these terms at a given time shall not be deemed a permanent waiver of that right. • Reference documents: The participation terms, the evaluation methodology, the appeals, privacy and fees policies, the identity usage guidelines and any policies announced for the cycle form an integral part of these terms and conditions.
