1. The Entrant hereby represents and warrants that the design (including but not limited to drawings, artworks, photographs, images, sketches, transparencies, sculptures, models, prototypes, and printed or digital materials – collectively the “Design”) submitted for the Global Design Awards 2025 (“Awards”) is original and independently created and does not infringe, breach, prejudice or violate the property, interests or rights (including but not limited to contractual rights, user rights, copyrights, design rights, patents and all other proprietary and intellectual property rights whether registered or otherwise) of any third party.

2. The Applicant declares and warrants that the Entry does not:
– Infringe or violate, or involve elements that infringe or violate any applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to crimes, violence, obscenity, indecency, libel defamation, races misunderstanding or discrimination, privacy invasion, under any kind of preferential treatment, solicitation, or threatening;
– Infringe or violate any intellectual property rights, including but not limited to copyrights, patent, trademarks, trade names, trade secrets or other proprietary rights, held by any third parties, regardless of whether or not such rights are known to the Applicant;
– Contain any confidential information of any third parties;
– Contain an individual or organisation who did not give their consent.

3. The Entrant hereby acknowledges and warrants that the Entrant is the sole owner or has been authorised by the owner(s) of all rights including but not limited to copyrights, design rights, and all other proprietary and intellectual property rights in or pertaining to the Design.

4. The Entrant hereby grants, on a gratuitous basis free of any fee, royalty or remuneration, to Hong Kong Designers Association (“HKDA”), the organiser of the Awards, the right or licence to use, edit, amend, copy, reproduce or publish in any size the Design submitted for the Awards or any part thereof in the promotional/exhibition materials or any publications in any media or medium related to the Awards in consideration of HKDA accepting the Entrant’s submission of the Design as an entry for the Awards.

5. The Entrant agrees to fully indemnify HKDA against all actions, claims, loss, damages, costs and expenses which it may incur or has incurred as a result of any breach of this representation or warranty. Should it prove in retrospect that a submitted or even awarded Design breaches third-party rights, HKDA reserves the right to revoke the relevant Awards. The above liability provisions apply accordingly to all items supplied by HKDA in connection with the Entrant’s participation in the Awards.

6. The Entrant agrees and makes full payment of the entry fee(s) to HKDA before the submission deadline.

7. If the required fees are not received in full by the organiser, the organiser reserves the right to cancel the entry and/or any prizes awarded to the applicant.

8. All fees submitted for the Awards, including the registration fee(s) and Winners fee(s), are not refundable under all circumstances.

9. Upon submitting an entry, the applicant will not be able to amend any application details.

10. HKDA reserves the right to dispose of the Entrant’s Design, and the entries submitted will not be returned. All physical work(s) submitted shall be disposed of without further notice, should entrants not contact the GDA Organising Committee for return before 28 February 2025. For entrants who wish to have the physical work(s) returned, please contact the GDA Secretariat individually by email for further arrangements.

11. HKDA reserves the right to cancel, in part or in whole, postpone or bring forward the Awards for any reason and is not obliged to reimburse the Entrant for any expenses related to such action.

12. The Entrant agrees that the decisions of the Judging Panel shall be final. No appeal will be entertained.

13. The Entrant shall be responsible for all costs (including but not limited to all packaging costs, transport costs, documentation, postal charges, courier charges, insurance costs, governmental/jurisdictional approvals and licences and any other costs necessary or likely) in the passing and transport of the Entrant’s Design into the possession of HKDA.

14. While reasonable care will be taken when handling the design in the premises arranged by HKDA, HKDA shall not, in the absence of negligence on the part of HKDA, be liable for any loss or damage of the design. For the avoidance of doubt, it is agreed that superficial rust, oxidisation, discolouration, or any like condition due to moisture is not a condition of damage but is inherent to the nature of the Design and HKDA shall not be responsible for such condition.

15. The Awardees of the Awards agree that their winning designs will be displayed in such exhibitions at the decision of HKDA for a period of a minimum of 1 year subsequent to the competition, and agree to provide information as requested by HKDA about the winning design for future activities, including but not limited to reports, publicity, marketing and exhibitions.

16. The Awardees of the Awards agree to obtain HKDA’s approval on using the endorsement mark prior to its being used.

17. All application, company, and brand names displayed on the award certificate and trophy shall be based on the information logged into the registration system by the applicant, and may not be changed. If a change is requested after the submission deadline, the applicant shall pay for any costs incurred in reproducing the certificate or trophy.

18. The awarded parties might be interviewed. Photo and video shooting of the awarded entries would also be made for promotion via website and various materials, including but not limited to Award Publication, video at the Award Presentation Ceremony, Publication and social media.

19. These terms and conditions shall be governed by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Any claim or dispute must be determined exclusively by the courts in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region after the event has ended.

20. HKDA or the Organising Committee reserves the right to make further amendments to these terms and conditions which shall be binding on all Entrants. Such amendments shall be posted on the official Awards webpage, and further notice will not be given.

21. All personal information submitted will solely be used for the Global Design Awards purposes. In accordance with Sections 18 and 22 and Principle 6 of Schedule 1 of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance by Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong, the entrant has the rights regarding access to and correction of personal data provided.

22. These terms and conditions are prepared in English and Chinese languages. If there is any inconsistency between these versions, the English version shall prevail.

23. Please visit the Awards website www.globaldesignawards.org for the most up-to-date information.