Nominate for TOI Social Impact Honours
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Terms & Conditions
The Times of India Social Impact Honours 2026
These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern the submission of nominations, evaluation process, and conferral of honours under The Times of India Social Impact Honours 2026 (“Honours”), an initiative of The Times of India Social Impact Summit 2026 (“Summit”). The Honours are organised by Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited (“BCCL” / “TOI” / “the Organisers”), with Ernst & Young (“EY”) serving as Knowledge Partner. EY shall drive the evaluation process for the Honours in conjunction with the TOI editorial team.
By submitting a nomination, the applicant (“Applicant” / “you”) confirms that it has read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms in their entirety. If you do not agree with these Terms, you should not submit a nomination.
1. Eligibility & Participation
Participation in the Honours is open to corporates, non-governmental organisations, social enterprises, start-ups, and other entities engaged in Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”), Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”), sustainability, and social impact initiatives, subject to the eligibility criteria notified by the Organisers from time to time.
The Organisers reserve the right to verify the eligibility of any Applicant and to accept or reject any nomination at their sole discretion, without assigning any reason whatsoever.
2. Accuracy & Completeness of Submissions
By submitting a nomination, the Applicant confirms that all information, declarations, and supporting documents provided are true, accurate, complete, and not misleading in any manner.
The Organisers reserve the right to seek clarifications, additional information, or documentary evidence at any stage of the evaluation process. The Applicant shall cooperate fully and respond within the timeline stipulated by the Organisers.
Incomplete, inaccurate, misleading, or late submissions may be rejected or disqualified at the sole discretion of the Organisers.
3. Verification & Due Diligence
The Organisers, EY, or their authorised representatives may conduct independent verification and due diligence on any nomination received, including but not limited to financial, reputational, legal, and operational due diligence.
Applicant agrees to extend full cooperation during any such verification, including providing access to relevant personnel, records, and documentation within the timelines stipulated by the Organisers. Failure to cooperate or respond within the stipulated timeline may result in disqualification of the nomination.
Any costs incurred in connection with third-party verification or due diligence shall be borne by the Organisers, unless the Applicant is found to have made a material misrepresentation, in which case the Applicant shall reimburse the Organisers for such costs on demand.
4. Evaluation Process & Jury Decision
All eligible nominations will be evaluated by EY and the TOI editorial team based on pre-defined assessment criteria communicated by the Organisers. Based on the evaluation, a shortlist of finalists will be prepared.
Shortlisted organisations may undergo further validation and document review, wherever required, conducted by EY and/or the Organisers.
Final winners shall be selected through a jury and evaluation process administered by EY and the TOI editorial team. The composition and proceedings of the jury shall be determined at the sole discretion of the Organisers and EY.
Submission of a nomination does not guarantee shortlisting, recognition, or receipt of an honour. The jury’s decision shall be final and binding on all Applicants. No correspondence, discussion, or legal challenge regarding the jury’s decision shall be entertained by the Organisers or EY.
5. Intellectual Property & Content Rights
The Applicant confirms that it has obtained all necessary permissions, consents, licences, and rights (including but not limited to consents from individuals depicted) for any information, images, logos, videos, data, or content (“Submitted Content”) submitted as part of the nomination, and that the submission of such Submitted Content does not infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other rights of any third party.
By participating in the Honours, the Applicant grants to BCCL, EY, and their respective affiliates a royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, sub-licensable licence to use, reproduce, modify, publish, distribute, broadcast, communicate to the public, display, perform, and otherwise exploit the Submitted Content, in whole or in part, across all media platforms and formats, whether now known or hereafter devised, including but not limited to print, digital, social media, broadcast, streaming, and live events, for purposes including evaluation, event communications, editorial coverage, publicity, promotion, archival, and related activities connected with the Summit and the Honours.
To the extent permissible under the Copyright Act, 1957, the Applicant waives any moral rights it may have in respect of the Submitted Content in favour of the Organisers, and warrants that it has obtained similar waivers from all relevant authors, creators, and contributors.
The Applicant acknowledges that the Organisers shall not be obligated to use, return, or destroy the Submitted Content and shall not be liable for any loss, damage, or misuse of the Submitted Content submitted as part of the Honours.
6. Use of TOI/BCCL Branding by Awardees
Recipients of the Honours (“Awardees”) shall not use the name, logo, trade dress, or any other branding of The Times of India, BCCL, the Social Impact Summit, the Social Impact Honours, or EY (collectively, “Organiser Marks”) in any of their communications, marketing materials, websites, social media, or public statements without the prior written consent of the Organisers.
Where consent is granted, the Awardee shall use the Organiser Marks strictly in accordance with the branding guidelines provided by the Organisers and shall not alter, modify, or combine the Organiser Marks with any other mark or logo in a manner that may dilute or misrepresent the Organiser Marks.
Any unauthorised use of the Organiser Marks shall constitute a breach of these Terms and may result in revocation of the honour, in addition to such other legal remedies as may be available to the Organisers.
7. Disqualification & Revocation of Recognition
The Organisers reserve the right to disqualify any nomination or revoke any honour conferred, at any stage, if any material misrepresentation, ethical concern, regulatory non-compliance, or violation of applicable laws is identified, whether before, during, or after the Summit.
In the event of revocation of an honour after the Summit, the Awardee shall, at the Organisers’ request: (a) immediately cease all use of the honour and the Organiser Marks in its communications; (b) return any trophy, certificate, or other physical artefact associated with the honour; and (c) cooperate with the Organisers to remove, correct, or retract any public communications, press releases, or digital references that state or imply that the Awardee has received the honour.
8. Indemnity
The Applicant shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless BCCL, EY, their respective directors, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, and representatives from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with: (a) any inaccurate, false, misleading, or incomplete information or Submitted Content provided by the Applicant; (b) any breach of these Terms by the Applicant; (c) any infringement of third-party intellectual property or other rights in the Submitted Content; or (d) any misrepresentation, fraud, or misconduct attributable to the Applicant.
9. Data Privacy & Protection
By submitting a nomination, the Applicant confirms that it has obtained all necessary consents from relevant individuals (including directors, officers, employees, partners, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders) whose personal data is included in the nomination, for the collection, processing, storage, and use of such personal data by the Organisers and EY for the purposes of the Honours.
The Organisers shall collect, process, and store personal data submitted as part of the nominations in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the privacy policy of The Times of India, available at [insert URL]. Personal data shall be processed for the purposes of evaluation, verification, event communications, publicity, and related activities connected with the Summit and the Honours.
The Organisers shall retain personal data for such period as may be necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for archival and record-keeping purposes, and shall thereafter dispose of it in accordance with applicable law and the Organisers’ data retention policies.
The Applicant may contact the Organisers’ Data Protection Officer at [insert email] for any queries, grievances, or requests relating to the processing of personal data in connection with the Honours.
10. Confidentiality
The Organisers and EY shall use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the confidentiality of any commercially sensitive information designated as confidential by the Applicant in its nomination, provided that such designation is clearly marked at the time of submission.
The Organisers shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from the disclosure of information that is: (a) already in the public domain at the time of disclosure; (b) independently developed without reference to the confidential information; (c) rightfully received from a third party without a duty of confidentiality; or (d) required to be disclosed pursuant to a legal, regulatory, or governmental order.
The Applicant acknowledges that the Organisers, EY, and the jury members shall have access to nominations as part of the evaluation process, and the Applicant consents to such access for the purposes of the Honours.
11. No Endorsement
Recognition under the Honours does not constitute an endorsement by BCCL, TOI, EY, or any of their respective affiliates of the Awardee’s products, services, business practices, financial performance, or social impact initiatives. The Organisers make no representation or warranty, express or implied, regarding any Awardee.
The Awardee shall not represent or imply, in any communication or promotional material, that the Organisers have endorsed, certified, or approved its products, services, or operations.
12. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither BCCL, EY, nor their respective directors, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, or representatives shall be liable to any Applicant or Awardee for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, or for any loss of revenue, business, reputation, goodwill, or opportunity, arising out of or in connection with participation in the Honours, the evaluation process, the jury’s decision, or the conduct of the Summit.
Without prejudice to the foregoing, the aggregate liability of the Organisers, if any, arising out of or in connection with the Honours shall not exceed INR 1,000 (Indian Rupees One Thousand) in respect of any single claim or series of related claims.
The Organisers shall not be liable for any direct or indirect loss, cost, or inconvenience suffered by any Applicant as a result of any modification, postponement, or cancellation of the Honours or any aspect thereof.
13. Organisers’ Right to Modify
The Organisers reserve the right to modify, amend, suspend, or cancel the eligibility criteria, award categories, timelines, evaluation methodology, jury composition, or any other aspect of the Honours programme at any time, without prior notice, at their sole discretion.
The Organisers may also modify or amend these Terms at any time. The version of the Terms applicable to an Applicant shall be the version published on the official Summit website at the time of submission of the nomination.
14. Force Majeure
Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under these Terms to the extent such failure or delay is caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, epidemics or pandemics, war, terrorism, civil unrest, governmental or regulatory orders, industrial action, or failure of utilities or telecommunications networks.
In the event of a force majeure situation, the Organisers may postpone, reschedule, modify, or cancel the Summit or the Honours, or any part thereof, without incurring any liability to any Applicant or Awardee.
15. Conflict of Interest
The Applicant shall disclose to the Organisers any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that may arise in connection with its participation in the Honours, including any relationship with EY, BCCL, jury members, or any other party involved in the evaluation process, at the earliest opportunity and in any event prior to the commencement of the evaluation.
The Organisers reserve the right to recuse any Applicant from the evaluation process where a conflict of interest is identified that may compromise the integrity of the Honours.
16. Governing Law & Jurisdiction
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Indian laws.
The Parties agree that any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
17. Acceptance of Terms
Participation in the Honours programme constitutes the Applicant’s deemed acceptance of these Terms & Conditions in their entirety. If the Applicant does not agree with any provision of these Terms, it should refrain from submitting a nomination.
18. General
These Terms constitute the entire understanding between the Organisers and the Applicant with respect to the Honours and supersede all prior communications, representations, or agreements, whether written or oral, relating to the subject matter hereof.
If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
The Organisers may waive any breach of these Terms without prejudice to their right to enforce these Terms in respect of any subsequent or continuing breach.
These Terms shall be binding on the Applicant and its successors, assigns, and permitted transferees. The Applicant shall not assign or transfer its rights or obligations under these Terms without the prior written consent of the Organisers.
For queries, please contact:
Email: info@toisocialimpactsummit.com
The Times of India Social Impact Summit 2026
Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited
For any queries, write to us - info@toisocialimpactsummit.com
