Please read these terms and conditions carefully. By entering into this Utopia Institute of Research Essay Contest (“Utopia Contest”), you agree that you have read these terms and that you agree to them. Failure to comply with these terms and conditions may result in your disqualification from the Utopia Contest.

1.  This Contest is run by EU-LIFE, an alliance of 15 life science research institutes across Europe. (“Promoter”).
2. To enter this Contest you must be: (a) resident in a country where it is lawful for you to enter; and (b) aged 18 years old or over (or the applicable age of majority in your country if higher) at the time of entry.
3. This Contest is not open to EU-LIFE directors, organizers and jury members of the Contest, or Nature employees.
4. The Promotion is open for entries between 00:00 GMT on 2 February 2023 and 00:00 GMT on 9 March 2023.
5. Only one entry will be admitted per eligible person. Multiple entries will be deemed to be invalid and may lead to disqualification.
6. Promoter accepts no responsibility for any entries that are incomplete, illegible, corrupted or fail to reach Promoter by the closing date for any reason. Proof of posting or sending is not proof of receipt. Entries via agents or third parties are invalid. No other form of entry but the mentioned email address is permitted. Please keep a copy of your entry.
7. The prize for the Promotion consists of the following: 5,000 € for the winner, 2,500 for 2nd and 3rd selected, a personal print and online subscription to Nature magazine for one year for the 3 selected authors. Further, the entry – or an article covering the essay and interviewing the winner – will be considered by Nature editors for publication in Nature magazine, alongside participants’ name and affiliation (if applicable). The Jury reserves full discretion in choosing winner(s), and may decide to award no essay.
8. The prizes shall be awarded as follows: The prize will be decided in the month following the close of the competition. The winner(s) will be notified via email. Winner(s) will be selected by a Jury of five individuals. Full names of the judging panel will be available on request.
9. For consideration into this contest, you must be willing to sign a license to publish form granting a license of the intellectual property rights in your image to the Promoter. Such license will be supplied by the Promoter to selected entries and will include the right to publish the entry or an extract of the entry in Nature magazine. You confirm that your entry is your own original work, is not defamatory and does not infringe any laws, including privacy laws, anywhere, or any rights of any third party, that no other person was involved in the creation of your entry, that you have the right to give Promoter and its respective licensees permission to use it for the purposes specified herein, that you have the consent of anyone who is identifiable in your contribution or the consent of their parent, guardian or carer if they are under 18 (or the applicable age of majority), it is lawful for you to enter and that you agree not to transfer files which contain viruses or any other harmful programs.
10. The winner(s) of the contest shall be notified by email. The Promoter will use reasonable endeavours to contact the winner, but reserves the right to reject any such entry if the winner cannot be contacted.
11. The winner(s) will be required to confirm acceptance of the prize within five working days and may be required to complete and return an eligibility form stating their age and residency details, among other details. Promoter will endeavour to ensure that winner(s) receive their prizes within 90 days of the date they confirm acceptance of the prize. If a winner does not accept the prize within five working days of being notified, they will forfeit their prize and Promoter reserves the right to choose another winner(s). Promoter’s decision is final and Promoter reserves the right not to correspond on any matter.
12. The name, region of residence and likeness of the winners may be used by Promoter for reasonable post-event publicity in any form including on Promoters website and social media pages at no cost.
13. You can find out who has won a prize by sending an e-mail to contact@eu-life.eu. Winners will be announced in EU-LIFE 10th anniversary conference in 6-7 June 2023.
14. Promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend these Terms and Conditions or change the Prize (to one of equal or greater value) as required by the circumstances.
15. All personal data submitted by entrants is subject to and will be treated in a manner consistent with Promoter’s Privacy Policy accessible at https://eu-life.eu/privacy-policy-nature. By participating in this contest, entrants hereby agree that Promoter may collect and use their personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted the Promoter Privacy Policy.
16. Promoter may at its sole discretion disqualify any entrant found to be tampering or interfering with the entry process or operation of the website, or to be acting in any manner deemed to be disruptive of or prejudicial to the operation or administration of the Contest.
17. The contest may be sponsored by a third party engaged by the Promoter.
18. These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Belgium. Disputes arising in connection with this Agreement shall be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Belgian courts.