1. Introduction

1.1 These terms and conditions ("Terms") apply to the Havas Boost Business Competition ("Competition") and govern your participation in the Competition. By entering the Competition, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

2. Organiser

2.1 The Competition is organized by Havas Media Limited (company number 02103123) of Havas House Hermitage Court, Hermitage Lane, Maidstone, England, ME16 9NT ("Organiser", “ Havas” "we", "us", "our").

3. Eligibility

3.1 To enter the Competition, you must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

3.1.1 Your business is based in Yorkshire, the North West or the North East of England

3.1.2 Your business is between 2-5 years old

3.1.3 Your business has a purpose beyond profit

3.1.4 You come from an under represented background (including but not limited to ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, or those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds), or have encountered challenges accessing business opportunities

3.1.5 You must be aged 18 years or over

3.1.6 You must not be an employee of Havas or any associated companies

3.1.7 You must not be a member of the immediate family of any employee of Havas

4. How to Enter

4.1 Your written entry is the basis on which you will be judged and shortlisted. Please supply your entry as a written Word document.

4.2 Application Requirements. Your entry must respond to the following questions:

1. Meaningful Purpose: How is your business making a meaningful difference to people, our society or the planet?

2. Unique Vision: What makes your business stand out?

3. Market Awareness: How would this fund help you meet your customer needs?

4. Likely Growth: If you were successful, how would the winner’s prize fund take your business to the next level?

4.3 Additional Information Required. Please include the following information:

4.3.1 Name of Business

4.3.2 Business Address

4.3.3 Companies House registration number (where applicable)

4.3.4 Annual turnover and profit

4.3.5 Number of employees

4.3.6 Business category

Only one entry per business is permitted. Multiple entries from the same business will be disqualified.

5. Competition Period

5.1 Applications must be submitted by midnight on 31st October 2025 ("Application Deadline").

6. Prize

6.1 The prize consists of up to £150,000 worth of resources, comprising:

• £75,000 cash

• £75,000 in-kind support

6.2 This prize package will be a combination of cash award, consultancy and other resources determined solely by the Organiser on a case-by-case basis. The nature and composition of in-kind support is at the Organiser's absolute discretion. No cash substitution is available for the in-kind support component of the prize.

6.3 The Organiser reserves the right to withhold or delay disbursement of the prize pending completion of satisfactory due diligence.

7. Selection Process

7.1 Initial Assessment. Applications will be scored on the following criteria:

7.1.1 Meaningful Purpose: How is your business making a meaningful difference to people, our society or the planet? (Scored 1-5)

7.1.2 Unique Vision: What makes your business stand out? (Scored 1-5)

7.1.3 Market Awareness: How would this fund help you meet your customer needs? (Scored 1-5)

7.1.4 Likely Growth: If you were successful, how would the winner’s prize fund take your business to the next level? (Scored 1-5)

7.2 Shortlisting and Final Selection

7.2.1 Applications will be shortlisted and successful applicants will be notified in November

7.2.2 If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to deliver a 15 minute presentation to a panel of judges at an event in Leeds on 22nd January 2026

7.2.3 The successful business will then be announced in February

The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the selection process. The Organiser reserves the right to change judges without notice and to alter judging criteria/process if necessary for the proper administration of the Competition.

8. Verification and Disqualification

8.1 Verification Rights. The Organiser reserves the right to:

8.1.1 Request additional documentation to verify eligibility criteria at any stage

8.1.2 Conduct due diligence checks on shortlisted businesses

8.1.3 Verify Companies House registration (where applicable) and business information

8.1.4 Request financial statements or other business documentation

8.1.5 Contact referees or business partners for verification purposes

8.2 Disqualification. The Organiser may disqualify any entry or entrant:

8.2.1 Who provides false, misleading, or incomplete information

8.2.2 Who fails to meet eligibility criteria at any point during the Competition

8.2.3 Who breaches these Terms and Conditions

8.2.4 Who engages in conduct deemed inappropriate or unprofessional

8.2.5 Who fails to respond to verification requests within reasonable timeframes

8.2.6 Who fails to cooperate during due diligence processes or verification procedures

8.2.7 Who fails to attend the presentation event if shortlisted, without providing reasonable notice and justification

8.3 Prize Substitution. The Organiser reserves the right to substitute prizes of equivalent value if the original prize becomes unavailable due to circumstances beyond its control.

8.4 No Obligation to Award. The Organiser reserves the right not to award the prize if no suitable entries are received or if no entrant meets the required standards.

8.5 The Organiser is not required to provide reasons for disqualification decisions.

9. Submission Requirements

9.1 Please email your entry to havasboostbusiness@havasmn.com by midnight on the 31st October 2025.

9.2 Entries submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

10. Communication and Notification Process

10.1 Application Acknowledgment. Upon submission of your application, you will receive an automated confirmation email acknowledging receipt of your entry and providing information about next steps.

10.2 Shortlisting Notification. All applicants will be notified in November 2025 regarding whether they have been shortlisted for the presentation stage.

10.3 Event Information. Shortlisted businesses will receive detailed information about the judging event scheduled for 22nd January 2026 in Leeds, including venue details, presentation guidelines, and event schedule. The Organiser reserves the right to change the event date if necessary and will provide shortlisted businesses with reasonable notice of any such changes.

10.4 Final Results

10.4.1 Successful businesses will be contacted with next steps following the announcement in February 2026

10.4.2 Unsuccessful shortlisted businesses will also be notified of the outcome and may receive feedback where possible

10.5 Ongoing Communications. By entering the Competition, you consent to receive communications related to the administration of the awards process, including event coordination and post-event publicity.

11. Rights of Use

11.1 By entering the Competition, you grant the Organiser a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, edit, and distribute information about your business and entry materials for promotional purposes across all media channels, including but not limited to case studies, marketing materials, publicity, and post-event PR activities. The Organiser is under no obligation to provide attribution when using such materials.

11.2 Publicity Rights. By entering the Competition, you consent to the Organiser featuring your business in press releases, social media, event materials, and other promotional activities, regardless of whether you are selected as the winner. This includes the right to use your business name, logo, and submitted materials for publicity purposes.

11.3 No Partnership. Nothing in these Terms creates any agency, partnership, joint venture, association or similar relationship between the Parties. Participation in the Competition does not guarantee ongoing business relationship, or future engagement with the Organiser beyond the Competition itself.

11.4 Tax Responsibility. Any tax liability arising from receipt of the prize, including but not limited to income tax, corporation tax, or VAT, is the sole responsibility of the winner. The Organiser will not provide tax advice or assistance with tax obligations.

12. Data Protection and Communications

12.1 Data Processing. Your personal data and business information will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy, available at https://lon.havas.com/data-protection-policy/.

12.2 By entering the Competition, you specifically consent to:

12.2.1 Processing of your business and financial information for competition administration

12.2.2 Sharing your information with competition judges and evaluation panels

12.2.3 Use of your information for due diligence and verification purposes

For questions about data protection or to exercise your rights, please contact: Data.protectionuk@havas.com.

13. Liability and Limitation

13.1 Organiser shall not be liable for any costs, claims, damages, losses, expenses or liabilities in respect of:

13.1.1 Any indirect, consequential, special, or punitive damages

13.1.2 Loss of profits, revenue, business opportunities, or anticipated saving

13.1.3 Loss of data, goodwill, or reputation

13.1.4 Any claims arising from business relationships formed through or as a result of the Competition

13.1.5 Any technical failures, including but not limited to website, email, or communication system failures

13.2 The Organiser's total liability to any entrant shall not exceed £500 per entrant and £500 in aggregate across all entrants, except where liability cannot be excluded by law.

13.3 Upon selection of the winner, a separate agreement will govern the provision of the prize support, which may contain different liability provisions appropriate to that commercial relationship. The Organiser reserves the right not to proceed with the prize agreement if due diligence reveals concerns about the winning business, even after announcement of the winner.

13.4 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for:

13.4.1 Death or personal injury caused by negligence

13.4.2 Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation

13.4.3 Any other liability that cannot be excluded by law

13.5 The Organiser excludes all liability for any failure to perform its obligations or any consequences arising from force majeure events including but not limited to acts of God, war, terrorism, pandemic, government restrictions, or other events beyond its reasonable control.

14. Confidentiality and Intellectual Property

14.1 Business Information Sharing. Entrants acknowledge and agree that:

14.1.1 Business information submitted may be shared with judges, evaluation panels, and advisors

14.1.2 The Organiser will use reasonable efforts to maintain confidentiality of proprietary information

14.1.3 Judges and evaluators will be bound by confidentiality obligations

14.1.4 No obligation exists to maintain confidentiality for information that is publicly available

14.2 Intellectual Property Protection

14.2.1 Entrants retain ownership of their intellectual property submitted in applications

14.2.2 The Organiser makes no claim to ownership of business concepts, ideas, or proprietary information

14.2.3 The Organiser is not liable for independent development of similar ideas or concepts

14.2.4 Entrants warrant they have the right to submit all materials included in their application

14.3 Non-Disclosure Limitations. The Organiser's confidentiality obligations do not extend to information that:

14.3.1 Is or becomes publicly available through no breach of these Terms

14.3.2 Is independently developed without reference to the entrant's confidential information

14.3.3 Is required to be disclosed by law or court order

14.3.4 Is already known to the Organiser prior to disclosure by the entrant

14.4 Submission of materials does not create any obligation on the Organiser to use or feature the entrant's business.

15. General

15.1 Cancellation and Modification Rights. The Organiser reserves the right to cancel, suspend, or modify the Competition at any time due to:

15.1.1 Circumstances beyond its reasonable control (including force majeure events)

15.1.2 Insufficient suitable entries

15.1.3 Legal or regulatory requirements

15.1.4 Technical failures or security concerns

15.1.5 Any other circumstances that make it inadvisable or impractical to continue

In the event of cancellation or material modification, the Organiser will provide reasonable notice to entrants via email and/or the Competition website. No compensation will be payable to entrants in the event of cancellation, except where required by law.

15.2 Entire Agreement. These Terms constitute the entire agreement between the parties and supersede all prior agreements, representations, or understandings.

15.3 Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

15.4 Waiver. No waiver of any breach of these Terms shall constitute a waiver of any other breach.

15.5 Assignment. Entrants may not assign their rights under these Terms. The Organiser may assign its rights and obligations to any affiliated company.

15.6 Third Party Rights. These Terms do not confer any rights on third parties under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

15.7 Governing Law and Jurisdiction. These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law. Any disputes arising from or in connection with the Competition shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

16. Frequently Asked Questions

For answers to common questions about the Competition, please refer to our FAQ document provided with the entry pack. For questions not covered in the FAQ, please contact havasboostbusiness@havasmn.com.