Rules and guidelines

1. How to enter

The Creative Lives Awards are for projects that involve creative people who participate for the love of it and on an amateur basis.

Organisers can be a voluntary group, a professional organisation or an individual creative citizen as long as the participants involved also play a large part in the decision making and running of the project

To be eligible for a Creative Lives Award, your project or group must be able to answer "Yes" to the following:

• Our project/group involves people who participate for the love of it and on an amateur basis.
• Any paid staff involved in the delivery of our project activities are neither the main nor the only decision-makers.
• Our project took place between September 2021 and September 2022 (or the group is ongoing) and is based in the UK or Republic of Ireland.

2. What will happen to the supplementary material we submit?

We ask for one image to be submitted along with your initial application form. We also welcome further supplementary material, such as photographs, video clips, press cuttings etc, from groups who are then shortlisted. 

By submitting this material, you agree to it being published on the Creative Lives website and any publicity material connected to Creative Lives. We will only ever use this material to promote either Creative Lives as an organisation, the Creative Lives Awards or your own group’s activities.

3. What about copyright and permissions?

Please only submit photographs, videos etc if you have the permission of all those who appear in it. 

Your entry form, and any supplementary material, must relate specifically to the group you are entering. Your entry, and all information you submit and/or distribute to publicise your entry, must not infringe the intellectual property, privacy or other rights of any third party.

4. Judging process

A judging panel is assembled in each nation (England, Ireland/N.Ireland, Scotland, Wales) which features Creative Lives staff and trustees, representatives from local stakeholders and previous winners. The panels choose a winner and runner-up from each nation.

All shortlisted groups can also receive votes from the public in order to win the People’s Choice Award. This is voted for online via the Creative Lives website.

All shortlisted groups are also invited to vote for one of the groups (not your own!) to win the Peer Award for Excellence.

The judges’ decision is final, and Creative Lives is unable to enter into any discussion concerning the results. We are, however, very happy to offer feedback upon request to any interested groups on their own applications.

5. Publicity

We strongly recommend that all shortlisted groups publicise themselves far and wide, in order to attract votes for the People’s Choice Award and to maximise the benefits of being on the shortlist. We will provide all shortlisted groups with a press release and support in promoting their status on the shortlist. 

Winning groups and runners-up will receive an electronic Creative Lives Award winners pack, which includes a logo and branding to use as you wish.

Winners may be requested to take part in promotional activity in relation to the Creative Lives Awards. Creative Lives reserves the right to use the names of winners, their photographs and audio and/or visual recordings submitted by them in any publicity to promote the Creative Lives Awards, the Creative Lives in general and your group in particular.

6. How we handle your information

Creative Lives follows UK data protection legislation, and therefore any personal data you submit (email addresses, phone numbers etc.) will not be disclosed to a third party without your prior consent.

Any data submitted to the Creative Lives Awards will be retained by Creative Lives for a reasonable period after the awards close, for administration purposes.

7. Terms and Conditions

By entering the awards, you agree that all information submitted by you is true, current and that all the necessary copyright/permission is in place.

Creative Lives reserves the right to make any changes to the deadline date or prizes that subsequently become necessary.

Creative Lives may edit, remove or disable access to information and entries that appear to be legally or otherwise problematic (e.g. infringe the copyright or other intellectual property or privacy rights of others, are defamatory, or for any other legitimate reason).

Creative Lives also reserves the right to disqualify any entrant if it has reasonable grounds to believe the entrant has breached any of the Rules.

Good luck with your entry!