Terms & Conditions for participating in the Quarry Life Award
1. Submission
By opening a user account on the Quarry Life Award website (https://www.quarrylifeaward.com) you accept the Terms and Conditions (“T&C”) and consent to be involved in the Contest subject to these T&C, as outlined below. With accepting the T&C you hereby confirm that you are authorized to act for and represent the other members of the group within the scope of the project and the Contest.
2. Definitions
“Categories” are the groups of topics to which projects should apply. The categories of projects from the research Stream are Biodiversity management, Habitat and species research, Beyond quarry borders. For the community Stream, the categories of projects are Biodiversity & education, Connecting quarries and local communities and Nature Based Solutions.
“Contest” means both the National Competition and International Competition for the Quarry Life Awards.
“Contestant(s)” means a person or group of persons, involved with a single proposal, taking part in the Contest.
“Financial Contribution” means financial contribution provided by Heidelberg Materials to partially offset costs associated with the Research Phase of the Contest. The national award coordinator in each National Competition will be responsible for providing the amount to the Contestant. The amount will be at the discretion of Heidelberg Materials.
“International Competition” means the competition as described in section 8.
“International Winners” means the selected winning Contestants (6 category winners and 1 grand prize winner, as described in section 13.2) of the International Competition.
“Heidelberg Materials” means Heidelberg Materials AG (Berliner Straße 6, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany).
“How to Participate” refers to the instructions for the Quarry Life Awards, which are available here.
“Jury” means either the international jury or one of the national juries, as described in section 7 of these Terms and Conditions.
“National Competition” means the competition for each country or group of countries (if applicable), as specified in section 6.
“National Winners” mean the selected winning Contestants that are ranked in 1st place in the Research Stream and in the community Stream of the National Competition.
“Participating Projects” are the Top Six Submission projects that have been selected by the national Juries to enter the Research Phase.
“Prize(s)” mean(s) the monetary award given to National Winners and the International Winners.
“Project Proposals” means the initial project proposals submitted by the Contestants for the Contest (as described in How to Participate).
“Project Reports” means the final project reports submitted by the Contestants whose Project Proposals were selected as a Top Six Submission for their country (as described in How to Participate).
“Research Phase” is the period when the Contestant that has been selected as a Top Six Submission for their country can start the implementation of his/her Project Proposal idea. The Research Phase is set between January 2025 and 30 September 2025.
“Stream” is the group of categories of project topics. In the edition 2021, two streams of categories have been defined: the research Stream and the community Stream (as described in How to Participate).
“Terms and Conditions” or “T&C” means these terms and conditions as specified herein.
“Top Six Submissions” has the meaning as defined in section 7.7.
“Quarry” or “Quarries” means any land or sites owned by Heidelberg Materials or any of its subsidiaries participating in the Contest.
3. Organizer of the Contest
Organizer of the Contest is Heidelberg Materials. However, in the National Competitions Heidelberg Materials may entrust its national subsidiaries with the organization of the competition and selection of the jury members. These subsidiaries are bound by these Terms & Conditions and the conditions for participation and competition set out in the document "How to Participate". Contestants can always address complaints regarding the Contest to Heidelberg Materials:
Heidelberg Materials AG
Berliner Strasse 6
69120 Heidelberg
Germany
Phone: +49 6221 481-0
Fax: +49 6221 481-13217
quarrylifeaward@heidelbergcement.com
4. Eligibility
4.1 Contestants may be either individuals or teams.
(a) Teams must choose only one National Competition, designate a primary contact person which shall be allowed to represent all other Team members within the Contest and with regard to Heidelberg Materials as Organizer and all team members must be eligible under these Terms and Conditions.
(b) An individual must choose only one National Competition and may only enter once, either as themselves, or as a member of a team. Only one project submission is allowed per individual.
(c) Individuals and team members must be at least 16years of age.
(d) Individuals and teams may not enter into two contests.
4.2 Cooperation with third party foundations and non-governmental organizations is permitted, however this cooperation must be disclosed at the time of project submission.
4.3 Heidelberg Materials employees and Heidelberg Materials subsidiaries’ employees are not allowed to participate.
4.4 To participate in the Contest an individual or the contact person of a team must open an account on the Quarry Life Award website. For the processing of personal data, please refer to the Privacy Policy.
4.5. This section 4 shall be not applicable for Jury Members.
5. Project Proposals and Project Reports
5.1 Project Proposals must be (i) able to be accomplished within the time frame of January 2025 to September 2025, (ii) submitted for national Jury selection by 18th November 2024 and (iii) conform to instructions How to Participate.
5.2 If individual(s) or teams are already working on a biodiversity project that was commissioned or commenced before the start of the Contest, it may not enter the Contest with the pre-existing project. However, if that same project is subsequently expanded or developed in 2024/2025 to include a new biodiversity aspect, then that new aspect may be admissible to the Contest, at Heidelberg Materials' sole discretion.
5.3 The national Juries will review all submitted Project Proposals and Project Reports, but any submission which fails to comply with these Terms and Conditions and the instructions in How to Participate can be disqualified at Heidelberg Materials' complete discretion.
5.4 This section 5 shall be not applicable for Jury Members.
6. National Competitions
6.1 Every Contestant may only enter one (1) National Competition.
6.2 Each participating Quarry will be declared as belonging to a specific National Competition and every Project Proposal must be in reference to a Quarry in only one (1) National Competition.
6.3 The National Competition to which the Contestant(s) submit(s) a Project Proposal is determined by which Quarry the Project Proposal is based on. However, Contestants may only submit Project Proposals for Quarries in their country of residence (exception possible for cross-national contests and/or after approval of National Coordinator). A Contestant’s nationality is irrelevant for the purposes of determining which National Competition is entered.
6.4 The National Winners will be determined by that country’s National Jury.
6.5 National Competitions may incorporate several countries into one (1) competition. For the purposes of the Prizes, Heidelberg Materials reserves the right to amalgamate several Quarries in different countries into one (1) National Competition. Prizes will only be given across the National Competition, and not to each country inside that National Competition.
7. Juries
7.1 It will be the task of each national Jury to decide the winners in each National Competition.
7.2 When deliberating, the Jury will refer to the Stream, Categories and the “Evaluation” as described in How to Participate.
7.3 The national and international Juries will be appointed, overseen and where required, changed by Heidelberg Materials or the respective national subsidiary at its complete discretion.
7.4 For each National Competition, there will be a national Jury. The national Jury members may include biodiversity experts with specific knowledge of regional habitats and species-specific issues, Heidelberg Materials managers or managers of the respective national subsidiary for a business perspective and other individuals Heidelberg Materials or the respective national subsidiary decides to appoint. The members of national Jury will have both local and English language skills.
7.5 For the International Competition, there will be an international Jury that will select the International Winners.
7.6 Each Jury is at liberty to select the methods and practices it wishes to follow in its deliberations. Within the criteria for project selection as set out in How to participate, a Jury has discretion to make decisions in the way it sees fit.
7.7 In December 2024, each national Jury will select the Top Six Project Proposals that are approved to enter the Research Phase (“Top Six Submissions”). The Top Six Submissions can be eligible to receive a Financial Contribution toward project costs. All of the Top Six Submissions will be notified in this same month.
7.8 At the end of 2025, each of the national Juries will rank the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed projects in each Stream. Scaled prizes will be awarded according to the ranking. Only submissions accepted for Research Phase under 7.7 will be considered at this stage.
8. International Competition
8.1 In order to compete in the International Competition, the Top Six Submissions of the/each National Contest must also submit their Project Proposal in the English language (if not already in English). It is not possible to enter only the International Competition but every submission will be assigned to a National Competition as set out in sections 6.2 and 6.3.
8.2 The international Jury will examine all of the Top Six Submissions accepted for Research Phase under section 7.7 from every National Competition. The international Jury will, before the end of December 2025, select the International Winners of the 6th edition.
9. Communication
Only the Top Six Submissions from each country will be expressly contacted. Only the International Winners and National Winners will be directly notified. Heidelberg Materials or the respective national subsidiary will make efforts to contact all participants to inform them whether their proposal has been successful or not.
10. Publication of Top Six Submissions and of National and International Winners; Protection of Personal Data of Third Parties
10.1 Contestants should be aware that data uploaded within the User Account during the Contest and in the Project Reports of the Top Six Submissions will be made publicly available on the Quarry Life Award website. These data and Project Reports shall not include personal data of third parties. However, if personal data is included, Heidelberg Materials and its subsidiaries have a legitimate interest to process these personal data because with the Quarry Life Award, Heidelberg Materials and its subsidiaries show their sustainability efforts to the public and therefore needs to present on the Quarry Life Award Website current and past Contests.
10.2 If data and documents uploaded and/or the Project Proposal and/or the Project Report contain personal data of third parties, Contestants represent and warrant explicitly that all of them have given their consent in the processing of their personal data by Heidelberg Materials and its subsidiaries. This includes the storage on Heidelberg Materials' servers, making available to the International and National coordinators as well as National and International Jury Members but also to the public and the storage and making available in the Quarry Life Award website’s archive. Contestants acknowledge that Heidelberg Materials and its subsidiaries may be obliged to delete data or information if any individual requests this from Heidelberg Materials and/or its subsidiaries. Personal data includes pictures where individuals may be recognized.
10.3 The scope and the nature of the Contest thrives on active input and coverage in the international press and requires worldwide communication about the Contest as such, but also about the activities of the Jury Members and the Contestants. This is an essential element of the scope of your works and the scope of the Contest. Furthermore, it is necessary for the success of the Contest that it is reported on frequently and in a variety of media worldwide (EU, USA; Asia etc.). The Jury Members and the Contestants are aware of this and know that their personal data (e.g., name, photos) can be shared worldwide in connection with the Contest due to the media reach.
10.4 Our Privacy Policy makes up part of these Terms and Conditions.
10.5 After acceptance of these T&C’s, you will receive an Email from either Heidelberg Materials AG or its national subsidiary, containing data protection information for your team members, who are not registered users, i.e. your team members do not have an online account. You are obliged to forward the data protection information to your team members without undue delay.
11. Intellectual Property, Publication Rights
11.1 By submitting a proposal for the participation to the Contest, Contestants represent and warrant explicitly that all components of their Project Proposal, project and Project Report;
(i) are original creations and(ii) that they do not infringe on any intellectual property rights including copyrights, trademarks, know how, trade secrets or patents nor any rights of privacy or publicity of any person, or any other right of any third party. Any intellectual property infringement, misuse or plagiarism of another’s work in any form or state will result in immediate disqualification and forfeiture of eligibility to receive all awards, recognition and Prizes.
(iii) All intellectual property and industrial property rights of any entries will remain with the Contestants, but the physical and electronic items submitted to Heidelberg Materials will become the property of Heidelberg Materials and will not be returned after the Contest. This includes any Project Proposal, Project Reports or other submissions that are disqualified for any reason under these Terms and Conditions.
(iv) By submitting, Contestants give Heidelberg Materials and its subsidiaries an unlimited right and permission to publish, use, utilize, copy, modify, distribute, and publicly display their Project Proposal, Project Reports and other submissions (and all information included in such proposals) for any purpose, including display on the Heidelberg Materials, and its subsidiaries’ website, without any attribution or compensation to the Contestant beyond the possibility that the Jury may award a National or International prize to the Contestant.
(v) All Contestants agree that Heidelberg Materials and its subsidiaries may use the results of the research contained in their proposals and final research projects for Heidelberg Materials and its subsidiaries own implementation, without any attribution or compensation.
11.2 Contestants agree that
(i) all material they upload to the website will be free from any virus, malware, spying software or any similar electronic program that is capable of causing harm to another’s system or breaching privacy laws;
(ii) they will not publish, post, upload, distribute or disseminate on the Quarry Life Award website any inappropriate, profane, derogatory, defamatory, infringing, improper, obscene, indecent or unlawful topic, name, material or information
(iii) they will not upload files that contain software or other material protected by intellectual property laws or by rights of privacy of publicity unless they own or control such rights or have received all necessary consents;
(iv) they will not download for distribution in any manner any file posted by another Contestant that they know, or reasonably should know, cannot be legally distributed in such manner;
(v) they will not defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy and publicity) of others;
(vi) they will not falsify or delete any author attributions, legal or other proper notices, proprietary designations, labels of the origin, source of software or other material contained in a file that is uploaded.
11.3 Contestants agree to indemnify and hold Heidelberg Materials and its subsidiaries harmless for any damage caused culpably by their infringement of 11.1 or 11.2.
12. Reasons for Disqualification; Consequences and Period of Time
12.1 Without limiting the generality of any other clause in these Terms and Conditions, sections 4, 6.3, 11.1 and 11.2 are grounds on which a Contestant can be disqualified from the competition.
12.2 Contestants will receive a site specific health and safety briefing from site management before beginning any work at a Quarry. All Contestants agree to abide by the company’s sitespecific health and safety regulations and requirements delivered in that meeting. Any Contestant not following health and safety regulations will be immediately disqualified; in the case of a team, the whole team will be disqualified.
12.3 Any Contestants using the Financial Contribution towards project costs for matters directly not related to the Contest will be disqualified at Heidelberg Materials' discretion, and obliged to return all or part of the funds at Heidelberg Materials' discretion.
12.4 Any Contestant who is disqualified cannot receive a Prize.
12.5 Any Contestant who, within a period of one (1) year after the announcement of the Prizes is found to have had grounds for disqualification at the time of the competition can be disqualified retroactively at Heidelberg Materials' sole discretion. This may include being stripped of any Prizes or other awards and being obliged to return any and all Prizes or Financial Contributions. This right of Heidelberg Materials is again exercisable at its complete discretion.
12.6 This section 12 shall be not applicable for Jury Members.
13. Prizes
13.1 National Winners will receive the following cash Prizes:
All three placed participants for each (research and community) stream are awarded financially: 1st Prize 4,000€; 2nd prize 2,000€ and 3rd prize 1,000€.
13.2 At the international level, one winner will be selected in each of six categories as mentioned below, which are independent of the two-stream competition at national level. In addition, a Grand Prize is awarded at the international level for the best project. International Winners will receive the following cash Prizes in addition to any National Prize they may have already won. Prizes of €10,000 will be given in each of the following categories:
- Biodiversity Management
- Habitat and Species Research
- Beyond Quarry Borders
- Biodiversity & education
- Connecting quarries and local communities
- Nature Based Solutions
One Grand Prize: €30 000 will be given to the overall best project.
13.3 The National Award Coordinator will liaise with the winners to decide how the funds are to be distributed. In cases where the National Competition is in a country which does not use the Euro as the official currency, the amounts will be converted to local currency. This does not apply to cash Prizes in the International Competition.
13.4 The prize money will be distributed within 2 months of notification to the Contestants. The Contestant registering for the Team will receive the prize money for and on behalf of the whole Team and shall be obliged to distribute the prize money according to the Team internal agreement on the distribution of the prize money.
13.5 This section 13 shall be not applicable for Jury Members.
14. Miscellaneous
14.1 Heidelberg Materials reserves the right to transfer any rights or obligations under these Terms and Conditions to any wholly owned subsidiary. Heidelberg Materials may transfer any or all of its discretion under these Terms and Conditions to a natural person or persons as an agent.
14.2 Regardless of where a participant is situated globally, these Terms and Conditions are subject to the Laws of Germany (under exclusion of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)) and not that of the country of the National Competitions. Mandatory consumer protection regulations under the law of the state in which a customer who is a consumer has his habitual abode remain unaffected. A consumer means every natural person who enters into a legal transaction for purposes that predominantly are outside his trade, business or profession.
