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2025 Terms and Conditions

Penguin Books Cover Design Awards 2025 in Partnership with Creative Review Annual Awards Terms and Conditions

  1. THE COMPETITON
    1. These terms and conditions (the “Terms”) relate to the Penguin Books Cover Design Awards 2025 in Partnership with Creative Review Annual Awards (the “Competition”).
    1. The promoters of the Competition are Penguin Books Limited, company registration number 00861590, whose registered office address is at One Embassy Gardens, 8 Viaduct Gardens, London SW11 7BW (“Penguin”) and Xeim Limited, company registration number 05243851, whose registered office address is at Floor 14, 10 York Rd, London SE1 7ND (“Xeim” or “Creative Review”).

Each a “Promoter” and together the “Promoters”

  • HOW TO ENTER
    • To enter the Competition, you must create a new design system for paperback books, encapsulating the spirit of Penguin’s three founding design principles, as outlined in the Competition Entry Pack (“Entry Pack”) which can be accessed [here], and show the design system’s use across three of the books listed in the Entry Pack.
    • All entries must be submitted digitally via the Creative Review Entry Form. Entries submitted in any other way, including by email or hard copy, will not be accepted.
    • You must use the Penguin paperback template provided in the Entry Pack to submit your entry.
    • Entries must be supplied as a one high-resolution PDF, 300 dpi, CMYK in accordance with the specifications detailed in the Entry Pack.
    • There is a limit of one entry per person. Entrants may submit three cover design spreads in one entry but cannot submit more than one entry of three designs.
    • Entries will be accepted between 00.01 (GMT) on Tuesday 17 December 2024 (the “Opening Date”) and midnight (GMT) on Thursday, 30 January 2025 (the “Closing Date”) inclusive. 
    • There is no fee to enter the Competition. 
    • If unavoidable circumstances beyond the Promoters’ control make it necessary to extend the Competition Closing Date, any such extension shall be notified on the Promoters’ websites. Entries received after the Closing Date shall not be accepted under any circumstances. 
  • ELIGIBILITY
    • To enter the Competition, you must be a resident of the UK or Ireland or have permission to be living in the UK or Ireland* during the Competition timeline which runs from the Opening Date to 31 May 2025 inclusive.

*You are not eligible to enter the Competition if you are a resident of the EU or

another country and not currently living, working or studying in Ireland or the UK.

  • You must be aged 18 or over by 1 May 2025.  
    • You do not need to be a student to enter. 
    • You must not have had significant experience in a paid creative role.  

By significant experience, we mean that entrants must not: 

  • have cumulatively worked in a paid creative role for one year or more*; and/or
  • be currently employed in a one-year or permanent contract, in a paid creative role** 

*The one year’s experience counts as either continuous or accumulated over a longer period of time. For example, four paid placements of three months each, over the course of two years, would make you unable to enter, as that would be one year’s worth of paid experience in total.  

If you have worked as a freelancer, this means you must not have made the majority of your income from a creative role for the equivalent of one year or more. 

** A creative role is defined as a position where the entrant is employed in any type of creative role including but not limited to copywriter, art director, graphic designer, strategist etc. This includes paid placements. Entrants may still enter if they work or have worked for a creative company in a non-creative role. 

  • The Competition is not open to:
  • Employees of the Promoters or their holding or subsidiary companies; or
  • Agents or suppliers of the Promoters or their holding or subsidiary companies, who are professionally connected with the Competition or its administration; or
  • Members of the immediate families or households of 3.5 (i) and (ii) above.
    • Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted, and joint submissions are not permitted. Entries via agents or third parties are invalid and shall not be considered. 
    • Obscene or inappropriate entries will not be accepted.
    • The Promoters reserve the right to reject or disqualify any entrant whose entry does not comply with these Terms, in the Promoters’ sole opinion, or who, in Promoters’ sole determination, has acted in a manner that is fraudulent, dishonest or unjust to other entrants including, without limitation, tampering with the operation of the Competition, manipulating or rigging votes, hacking, deceiving, cheating, harassing or threatening other entrants, the judging panel or a representative of the Promoters or the entrant’s conduct is contrary to the spirit or intention of the Competition. 
    • No responsibility can be accepted by the Promoters for incorrectly uploaded entries or those that are illegible or corrupted. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.
    • By entering this Competition, you are agreeing to be bound by these Terms and confirming that you are eligible to enter and eligible to claim any prize you may win. The Promoters may require you to provide proof that you are eligible to enter the Competition.
  • SELECTION AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WINNER
    • All correctly completed and submitted entries shall be shared with a judging panel, comprised as follows, who will select a shortlist of entries: 
  • Penguin Random House Art Directors;
  • Penguin Random House Brand team; and
  • guest judges which may include but not be limited to judges from Creative Review. 
    • Shortlisted entrants will be required to provide digital copies of the following support materials (“Support Materials”) no later than 17.00 (GMT) on Friday, 21 February 2025 via an online form that will be sent to the shortlist:
  • A short, typewritten text (max. 50–100 words only) explaining the concept for your design;
  •  A one-page landscape PDF demonstrating the development of the thought process from the original research to the final concept; and 
  • A high-resolution PDF and JPEG of the front covers only and full cover designs (both to size 1:1) with and without bleed and trim marks. 
    • The Promoters may mock-up the designs of the shortlisted entrants on books for the final judging round and potential exhibition.
    • During the final judging round, a first, second and third prize winner will be selected. The winning designs will be the ones which, in the sole opinion of the judges, best fulfil the brief. The decision of the judges is final and correspondence will be entered into at the absolute discretion of the Promoters only. 
    • Entrants acknowledge and agree that the Promoters’ design template, logo and any cover copy supplied in the Entry Pack are the property of the Promoters. Entrants’ use of any material comprised in the Entry Pack, including the items listed in the previous sentence, is limited to use in respect of this Competition only. No further use shall be permitted without the Promoters’ prior written consent. 
  • THE PRIZE
    • The first-prize winner will receive a six-month-long mentorship programme with a member of the Penguin Art Department (dates to be confirmed). They will also receive a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium tablet and Penguin Random House design books to the value of £100.
    • The second-prize winner will receive a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium tablet and Penguin Random House design books to the value of £100.
    • The third-prize winner will receive a Wacom Intuos Medium tablet and Penguin Random House design books to the value of £100. 
    • The Wacom Intuos Pro Medium tablet and the Wacom Intuos Medium tablet will be covered by the standard manufacturer’s guarantee only (winners must check any paperwork supplied with the tablet to set this up if required). The Promoters do not offer any additional guarantee for these products.
    • The three winning entries will be featured in a print edition of Creative Review and may also be featured in the Promoters’ various marketing and media channels and publications.
    • The prizes are non-negotiable, non-transferable, non-refundable and no cash alternative will be offered.
    • If, at the sole discretion of the judges, none of the entries are of a sufficiently high standard to merit the awards, no prizes, or only second and/or third prizes, may be awarded. 
    • Prizes are subject to availability. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, or circumstances beyond the Promoters’ control assessed by the Promoters as adversely affecting fulfilment of the prize in any way, the Promoters reserve the right to substitute alternative prizes as determined by the Promoters at their sole discretion.
    • The Promoters do not accept any responsibility if you are unable to take up the prize.
  • LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
    • The Promoters shall not be liable for any failure of receipt of entries including any entries which are lost, delayed, illegible, corrupted, damaged, incomplete, incorrectly uploaded or otherwise invalid.
    • To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Promoters’ liability under or in connection with this Competition and these Terms shall be limited to the value of the prize in question.
    • To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Promoters shall not be liable under or in connection with these Terms, the Competition or any prize for any indirect, special or consequential cost, expense, loss or damage suffered by an entrant even if such cost, expense, loss or damage was reasonably foreseeable or might reasonably have been contemplated by an entrant and the Promoters and whether arising from breach of contract, tort, negligence, breach of statutory duty or otherwise.
    • Nothing in these Terms shall exclude the liability of the Promoters under applicable law for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from its negligence.
  •  RIGHTS IN ENTRIES
    • By entering this Competition each entrant confirms that their entry is their wholly owned creation and to the extent that such entry makes use of any third-party materials, that these have been fully cleared unless they are no longer protected by copyright or other intellectual property rights. Entrants must ensure that their entry clearly identifies any third-party materials used. Entrants will keep the Promoters harmless from any claims in relation to their entry alleging that the entry infringes the personal or proprietary right of any other person. 
    • By entering this Competition, each entrant grants the Promoters a fully paid-up, unrestricted, sublicensable, assignable, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty free, licence, to copy, store, use and reproduce the Competition entries in whole or in part, or in combination with any other material for the purpose of featuring the Competition entries in the Promoters’ content.
    • By entering this Competition, each entrant agrees that the Promoters may, but are not required to, use any entry for display on any Promoter-owned or third-party website or other media whether now known or invented in the future, and in connection with any publicity of the Competition, including but not limited to any website or social media account controlled by the Promoters. Entrants further permit Promoters to display their entries in a physical exhibition. The choice of which entries are included in any such exhibition shall be solely made by the Promoters without consultation. Appropriate credits will be given to each item displayed, but Promoters shall not be under any obligation to hold such exhibitions, or to include every entry if they do. 
  • Your Personal Information
    • By entering this Competition, all entrants agree to the use of their personal data by the Promoters for the purposes of running the Competition as detailed in these Terms and the Entry Pack. Penguin will process the personal data of entrants  in accordance with its privacy policy which can be found at http://penguin.co.uk/company/about-us/notices/privacy-policy and Creative Review will process the personal data of entrants in accordance with its privacy policy, which can be found at http://www.centaurmedia.com/privacy.
    • Please note that the Promoters are required to make the winners’ details available to the Advertising Standards Authority if requested. 
  • General
    • If the Promoters have any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these Terms, the Promoters may, at their sole discretion, reserve the right to exclude an entrant from participating in the Competition.
    • The Promoters reserve the right to hold, void, suspend, cancel, or amend the Competition where it becomes necessary to do so.
  1. Governing Law
    1. These Terms are governed in accordance with the laws of England and the English courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any claims arising out of or in connection with these Terms and the Competition.