§1 Overview
 

HS Timber Group GmbH, Favoritenstraße 7/2, A-1040 Vienna / Austria, is the organizer of the Evergreen Prize. The aim of the Evergreen Prize is to promote cutting-edge research in the field of "New Materials and Products out of Wood." After a pre-selection of the applications by a jury, a short-listed group of research teams  will be invited to Vienna to present their projects in person to an expert jury and an audience for evaluation and award. The Evergreen Prize 2025 takes place in Vienna, Austria. The organizer reserves the right to change the venue and date & time for significant reasons. 

The competition language is English. Applications to participate in the Evergreen Prize can be submitted by individuals. However, participants must represent a project expected to continue for several years. To receive the prize money, a separate support agreement must be signed by an institution (not an individual) that commits to carry out the research project over a duration of at least three years.

§2 Eligibility

The Evergreen Prize targets individuals who meet the minimum requirements detailed in (Link to FAQ). Participants must ensure their participation does not violate the rules of their respective institutions or employers. Participants must register via the application form provided on the Evergreen Prize website.

§3 Ideas / Contributions / Submissions

Participants will submit contributions which must be fully submitted by the announced deadline to be determined in the sole discretion of HS Timber Group GmbH. Contributions will be disqualified if inappropriate, at the discretion of the organizer. Participants agree to abide by these terms and conditions.

All applications that are eligible will be published at the website www.evergreen-prize.com. This includes the information that is earmarked in the application form as “for publication”, e.g. the executive summary, and contact information. By this, the organizers aim to create a research map about New Materials and Products out of Wood in Europe.

§4 Prizes and Evaluation

The total prize amount is €300,000, distributed in three installments of €100,000 each over three years, subject to the stipulations of this agreement and the Support Agreement (§5). The organizer will award this prize to the best contribution. In January 2025, a panel of experts will select five projects (finalists) to be invited to Vienna with travel and accommodation expenses covered. Chosen finalist must:

1. Collaborate on a 1-minute video explaining the research for a non-specialist audience.
2. Travel to Vienna on May 25 2025.
3. Participate in a symposium at TU Wien on May 26 2025.
4. Attend the prize gala on May 26, where they will be interviewed and the video shown.

The winner will be chosen by a jury of 4-5 members and an additional audience vote. The voting process is confidential and final, supervised by a legal professional. Only the winner will be announced.

Indicated dates and times may be subject to change in the sole discretion of HS Timber Group GmbH.

§5 Support Agreement

The Organizer commits to sign a support agreement with the institution at which the research project is carried out. By this, the research can be continued in the spirit of the Prize, even when individuals drop out of it.

The key terms of the support agreement will be

1. Winning team commits to spend the money only for costs directly related to research & development for the winning project. That includes expressly, personnel costs (e.g. hiring a PhD candidate), travel expenses (e.g. to participate at conferences), and equipment (e.g. laboratory equipment)
2. Winning team receives the first 100,000 € after signing support agreement. If there is a way to leverage the funds, e.g. by combining it with a regional, national, supernational research grant, this option shall be investigated. It is, however, not a must.
3. Annual Review: 12 months after signing the support agreement the research institution commits to present how the 100,000 € have been spent. If it is demonstrated that this fits to costs directly related to the project, the next 100,000 € will be submitted, subject to a respective evaluation by HS Timber Group.
4. Such review shall be repeated 24 and 36 months after signing the support agreement for the final €100,000 payment and its application for eligible R&D expenses as indicated above.
5. The Winning team agrees to participate in communication (PR activities) for the organizer in a reasonable scope.
6. The agreement is terminated if the PI moves away from the institution. On the request of the PI a new agreement could be signed by new institution to carry on with support of the research.

The prize money must be used to achieve the goals of the award-winning project more quickly or to enable additional research goals in the extension of this project. The prize can be used for any personnel and non-personnel costs, as long as it supports the award-winning project. Funds of the Prize not applied in full accordance with the above criteria shall be paid back to HS Timber Group GmbH by the institution.

§6 Intellectual Property / Use of Contributions

Participants and/or employers and/or institutions retain their respective ownership rights to their developed applications and prototypes. They must have all necessary property rights regarding their own work and do not have the right to use or display the logos or trademarks of the sponsors outside of the Evergreen Prize without capproval.

§7 General Rules
 

By applying for or participating in the Evergreen Prize, participants agree to comply with these rules and the decisions of the organizer. The organizer reserves the right to change the rules and conditions at any time. Participants who violate the terms, engage in fraudulent activities, disrupt the event, or behave inappropriately may be disqualified.
Participants represent and warrant that they do not interfere with the rights of third parties, including intellectual property rights.
In connection with the participation in the Evergreen Prize, participants have no legal entitlement to awards, remuneration, reimbursement of costs and/or expenses, unless expressly otherwise stipulated in this agreement.

§8 Privacy and Publicity
 

All personal data will be treated in accordance with applicable data protection laws. Public data (e.g., names, institutions, abstracts) will be published, while private data (e.g., budgets) will only be accessible to the jury. Participants agree to the use of their developed solutions and deliverables for promotion purposes by the organizer. They also agree to the use of their names, photos, and video footage for public relations and marketing without claims to compensation.

§9 Liability
 

The organizer shall be liable only in cases of willful misconduct or gross negligence. Liability for slight negligence is excluded, except in cases of personal injury. Participants are responsible for their physical well-being during the event.

§10 Conflict of interest resolution in the expert jury

1. A conflict of interest occurs when a jury member’s personal, professional, or financial interests could potentially influence, or appear to influence, their impartiality and objective judgment in evaluating the submissions.
2. All jury members are required to disclose any possible conflicts of interest with any submissions or participants as soon as they become aware. This disclosure should be made to the jury chairperson.
3. Upon disclosure, the conflict will be assessed by the whole jury, to determine if a significant conflict exists.
4. If a significant conflict of interest is identified, the affected jury member must withdraw themselves from any discussion, deliberation, and voting related to the conflicted submission. In that case, the missing juror’s vote will be neutralized by calculating the average of the other expert jury member’s vote and will be used instead.
5. All discussions regarding conflict of interest assessments and resolutions must be kept confidential to protect the integrity of the evaluation process and the privacy of the individuals involved.
6. Failure to disclose a conflict of interest or to abide by the recusal requirements may result in removal from the jury and potential disqualification from future participation.

§11 Miscellaneous

These terms and conditions and the resulting legal relationship shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of Austria. The place of jurisdiction is Vienna. If any provision of these terms and conditions is or becomes invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions shall not be affected.
The Evergreen Prize for Innovation FAQ paper is integral part of these Terms & Conditions.  
Effective as of August 2024.