Next stop London

Rules & Guide

Next Stop London – English Challenge

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

“Next Stop London” is an English competition for secondary and high school students that enables each participant a chance to win a class trip to London (hereinafter referred to as the “Competition”). The Competition is divided into two steps, as briefly described below.
 
Step one: Students take part in a multiple choice English test.
The test is made up of three integrated sections where the first section tests the students’ knowledge of British history, the second section tests the students’ knowledge of British culture and the third section tests the students’ language knowledge.

The test comes in three different levels, one for preliminary school students, one for junior high school students or equivalent and one for high school students or equivalent.

The Quiz starts in September and runs until the end of November. Every student will get to do the Quiz three times — once to practice and twice to take the test itself. The best time and result will be recorded and they will be scored on how accurately and quickly they answer the 30 questions.

 
Step two: The fifty top-scoring participants from each country will be nominated to write a short essay of between 250–750 words.

The Writing Challenge takes place throughout February.

The Essays will be scored using the following criteria:  content, impression on the reader, grammatical range and accuracy, appropriacy and organization.

All participants then get to vote for the best contribution nationally according to the first two criteria. WCLT will then mark the essays according to the last three criteria and the overall winning entry will be selected. That persons’ class wins a class trip to London for each of the participants in the competition. The 2nd prize is free Englishtown interactive studies for the whole class and 3rd prize is a visit from a native-Speaker guest teacher.
 
Winners are selected by World Council of Language Teaching,  (WCLT) in its sole discretion and by national voting. All participants and the public get to vote for the best contribution nationally according to the first two criteria (content and impression on the reader). WCLT will mark the Essays according to the last three criteria (grammatical range and accuracy,  appropriacy and organization) and the overall winning entry will be selected.
 
The promoter of the Competition is:
EF International Language Schools B.V.
IJsbaanpad 2, 1076 CV Amsterdam,
the Netherlands, hereinafter referred to as “EF”

2. DEFINITIONS

“Student/-s” means registered student/-s at a primary school, junior high school (secondary school) or high school (or equivalent).
 

3. GENERAL PROVISIONS

By participating in the Competition, each participant agrees to all terms and conditions contained herein.
 
a) The data you submit via the submission form will be assembled into a database from which the winners of the Competition will be selected. EF values our customers and respects your privacy. We collect customer information in an effort to improve their online experience and to communicate about our products, services, contests and promotions. EF recognizes that we must maintain and use customer information responsibly. For further information, or to have your data updated, please contact your EF office. We do not sell or rent the information you provide us online to third parties.  All data and information communicated to EF through the Competition will be the property of EF, without limitation in regard to time or nature of information.
 
b) Participants must be Students. Only one registration per Student is permitted.

c) Participants must be residents of the participating countries.

d) Only registered Students can participate and win.

e) The maximum number of Students [eligible to participate in the Competition] per class is 35.
 
f) Participants under the legal majority age must have their parents consent before they participate in the Competition.
 
g) To enter the Competition (The Quiz) each participant needs to correctly answer the questions on http://www.nextstoplondon.org as well as complete the form with personal data. The participant must provide full and truthful information in respect of personal data and other information requested by EF. If this required information is not given, the incomplete entry will be considered invalid.
 
h) Competition entries (The Quiz) must be received by 30th of November 2010 22nd of January 2011. The name of the Students that have been selected to participate in step two of the competition (The Writing Challenge), where top 50 students from every nation will be chosen by latest 11th of December 2009 from the entries received. The promotional part will not engage in any communication on the procedural issues or the results of the selection of the winner.
 
i) The Writing Challenge takes place in January February 2011. The participants will be invited personally and through their registered teacher.
 
j) Winners will be chosen based upon online voting procedure and the evaluation of WCLT – both having 50% of the votes. The decision by WCLT is final and can not be appealed.
 
k) The prizes

1st prize
The winner’s class wins a class trip to London [for each of the participants   in the Competition], incl.

• Flights and transfers from [nearest major city airport in the relevant country] to London
• Three nights accommodation
• All meals
• English lessons at the EF School in London
• Shopping tour to Camden Town or Portobello Road
• Guided sightseeing in London

2nd prize:
Free Englishtown interactive studies for the whole class.
 
3rd prize:
Visit from a local guest teacher or EF Grammar books for the whole class.All winners will be informed personally by telephone or email of the prize.  Upon receipt of this email it will be necessary for the winner to confirm the mailing address submitted with their registration form or the winners will lose eligibility to the prize. The winners will also be published on ef.com and nextstoplondon.org.
 

4. ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS

a) Entries are open only online via the Internet through the http://www.nextstoplondon.org web site.
 
b) Entries not conforming to the given terms and conditions will be disqualified.
 
c) The Competition is not open to EF employees.

d) EF accepts no liability for lost, damaged, misdirected or delayed entries, or for any technical difficulties affecting the end result of the Competition or the entry to the Competition.
 
e) None of the prizes will be substituted for cash or for any other prize.
 
f) The prizewinners will be responsible for paying all taxes associated with the winning of the prize.
 
g) It is the responsibility of the participant to ensure that participating in the Competition does not violate any domestic rules or regulations (including mandatory and non-mandatory law as well as local school policy and guidelines). Any participation that violates the above or any mandatory law shall be considered invalid and not part of the Competition.
 
h) By participating in the Competition and submitting an Essay to EF, the participant transfers and assigns all rights, title and interest, including all intellectual property rights and commercial rights,  in the Essay to EF or its group companies and no such rights will thereafter remain with the Student. Without limiting the foregoing, it is specifically understood that EF has the right to alter, expand, adapt and make any arrangements of the Essay, and shall have the sole right to decide whether and in what manner the Essay will be published, reproduced, distributed, advertised, performed or exploited by means of reproduction, performance, broadcasting, exhibition,  distribution, making cinematographic, television or video production, translation,  annotation, compilation and the like, by EF, its successors or assigns, and of receiving remuneration therefore. EF has the further right to secure a statutory copyright therein anywhere in the world in the name(s) of such person, firms or corporations as EF may elect, and EF or its designees have the right to secure extensions and renewals of such copyright registrations. All drafts,  notes, charts, or other elements of the production of the Essay, if any, shall be the exclusive property of EF and shall be provided to EF by the Student upon request.
 
i) Each participant represents and warrants to EF that:

(I) the Essay created is original and solely created by the participant;
 
(II) the Essay does not and will not infringe upon or violate the copyrights or any other rights whatsoever of any person or entity;
 
(III) the Essay has not already been published or exploited in any form anywhere in the world and no adverse claim exists with respect to it.
 
j) If any provision of these terms and conditions may be found by any court or administrative body of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable, the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall not affect the other terms and conditions and all provisions not affected by such invalidity or unenforceability shall remain in full force and effect.  The parties hereby agree to attempt to substitute for any invalid or unenforceable terms and condition a valid or enforceable provision which achieves to the greatest extent possible the economic, legal and commercial objectives of the invalid or unenforceable provision.
 
k) These terms and conditions shall in all respects be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive law of Switzerland.  Any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or in connection with these terms and conditions, or the breach, termination or invalidity thereof, shall be finally settled by arbitration in accordance with the Rules of Conciliation and Arbitration of the international Chamber of Commerce. The place of arbitration shall be Lucerne, Switzerland, and conducted in the English language.