Library Spark: terms and conditions of competition entry

Many thanks to University of York for allowing us to re-use the rules they drafted for their competition Libinspo.

The idea

1. May be submitted by individuals or groups (this should be made clear in the submission).
2. May be accompanied by supporting images, videos or other media (alongside the submission entry form).
3. Must be the original work of the individual or group submitting the entry. The University of Bath Library reserves the right to remove from the competition any entries which are suspected or proven to infringe upon another individual’s intellectual property. Acknowledgement should be given for ideas inspired by similar work at other institutions.

The entrant

1. Must be a registered student at the University of Bath.
2. Must submit the competition using this entry form.
3. May submit multiple entries to the competition but should limit submissions to no more than three per person.
4. Accepts that a submission to the competition is entered at the individual’s own risk. The University of Bath is not responsible for any loss or damage (however caused) during the submission or competition process.
5. Agrees that they will assign full ownership and intellectual property rights of the idea to the University of Bath. The University will become the owner of the concept and any associated intellectual property rights. As such it will be free to use, reproduce, alter, maintain, modify, reproduce in other formats, commercially exploit and/or handle the idea without any payment to the entrant.
6. Agrees to their name and ideas being used in any publicity associated with the competition. All other personal data submitted as part of an entry will be held securely within a spreadsheet that can only be accessed by members of the competition project team. All entries will be anonymised when judged by Library staff members. Email addresses will not be available other than to the project team and used only for the purposes of participating in, administering and judging the competition.
7. Commits to attend the final judging panel and awards event in Spring term 2024, Wednesday 20th March, should their idea be shortlisted.

The judging

1. Entries will be limited to those submitted before the advertised closing date 11.59pm Monday 26^th February 2024.
2. A selection of entrants will be shortlisted to attend the final event and pitch their idea to a judging panel. Shortlisted entrants will be notified via email.
3. The judging panel will select the winning idea. The panel’s decision is final.
4. The winner will receive a prize of £1,000. For group submissions the £1,000 prize will be shared amongst group members. Additional, smaller prizes may be awarded for smaller scale ideas which are not shortlisted for the main prize, but which provide ‘quick win’ improvements.
5. Details of the winner will be announced at the awards event and publicised on the University of Bath Library website and social media channels. The name of the winner and details of the idea will be published.

The Library, Archives and Learning Services

1. Commits to explore the feasibility of the winning idea with the winning entrant as soon as practicable after the winner is announced.
2. Will assign a mentor to each shortlisted candidate to help them prepare their pitch to the judging panel.

FAQs

• Do I have to submit an idea which is focused on a digital or technological solution?

No, we’re looking for any ideas, technological or otherwise. As long as you think your idea will make a positive difference to the student experience, we want to hear about it!

• How do you choose the shortlisted ideas?

We have a range of criteria by which we shortlist the ideas to go forward to the judging panel. These include: the impact on the student experience, the feasibility of your idea, the originality of your idea and the detail you provide in your submission. You should address as many of these points as possible in your entry form.

• Can I submit images, videos or other media as part of my entry?

We welcome supplementary materials such as images or videos with your submission, although these are not mandatory. You must still complete the main body of the submission form.

• Does my idea have to be completely original? What if it’s based on an idea from elsewhere?

It’s fine if your idea has been inspired by something that you’ve seen somewhere else, but you should acknowledge the source in your submission. Remember to tell us what makes the idea right for Bath, and how you would adapt it to suit our University.

• What happens if similar ideas are submitted? How will you choose between them?

If the same (or very similar) ideas are submitted, we will select the submission which demonstrates more effectively the impact of the idea and which provides a greater level of detail.

• Who will shortlist the submissions?

The submissions will be shortlisted by staff from Bath University Library.

• Who will be on the judging panel?

The judging panel will comprise of Kate Robinson, University Librarian, Cassie Wilson, Pro Vice Chancellor (Student Experience) and Jimena Alamo, BUSU President. None of the members of the panel will have been involved in the shortlisting process.

• What happens if I can’t attend the event for the judging panel and awards ceremony?

Our expectation is that shortlisted candidates will be available to attend the final event, which will comprise pitches to the judging panel and the awards ceremony.

• If the winning entry is submitted by a group, do the members of the group receive £1,000 each?

No, the prize money is shared between the group members.

• I have a question about the competition, who do I ask?

Please e-mail library-spark@bath.ac.uk and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.