2024 Paper Awards Conditions of Participation ("T&Cs") 

1. The promoter of this Scientific Paper Award (“Award”) is Oxford Instruments Nanotechnology Tools Limited, trading as Oxford Instruments NanoAnalysis, whose registered office is at Tubney Woods, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5QX, UK (“Oxford Instruments”).
2. To enter, please send a .pdf file of your published paper(s) (“Paper”) by email to nahwm@oxinst.com. No purchase necessary.
3. All entrants who submit a Paper in accordance with these T&Cs will receive a free Oxford Instruments thank-you gift (“Gift”). Entrants wishing to receive a Gift must provide their full name, organisation and preferred shipping address.
4. Any personal information supplied by entrants when completing the survey or entry to this Award will be used by Oxford Instruments in accordance with the privacy statement on its website here: https://www.oxinst.com/corporate-content/privacy. Entrants should read this statement as their entry to this Award is an agreement to be bound by such statement. All entrants may contact Oxford Instruments in writing to have their details removed from its database at any time.
5. Every year, entries for the Award will be accepted from Papers published in print or online during the relevant calendar year (January to December) (“Award Year”) and the entry deadline is 31^st May of the following Award Year. For example, Papers published between 1^st January 2023 – 31^st December 2023 may be entered for the 2024 Award Year if an eligible Paper is submitted by 31^st May 2024.
6. Number of entries per person is unlimited. However, each Paper can only be entered once and no person may win more than one Award.
7. Entry to this Award is not open to any employees of Oxford Instruments and its affiliate companies, their families, agents or anyone else professionally connected with this Award. Papers co-authored by an employee of Oxford Instruments (including affiliate companies of Oxford Instruments) will also not be eligible for entry to this Award.
8. Papers entered for the Award will be judged based on a combination of criteria including scientific impact, data quality, novelty, the degree of usage of Oxford Instruments equipment and the presence and quality of data images acquired with Oxford Instruments equipment.
9. The use of an Oxford Instruments microscope should be clearly documented either in the "Materials and Methods" section of the Paper or by other supporting documentation.
10. It is the responsibility of the entrant to obtain permission from the institution and/or co-author before submitting a Paper for the Award. The entrant represents and warrants that intellectual property rights of third parties will not be infringed or misused by their entry.
11. Amendments cannot be made to an entry once submitted. If an entrant has any concerns about the information provided or Paper submitted, they should contact Oxford Instruments by emailing nahwm@oxinst.com.
12. Oxford instruments reserve the right to verify all entries and further reserve the right to disqualify an entry if Oxford Instruments have reasonable grounds to believe the entrant has breached these T&Cs, any applicable law (including but not limited to any copyright law) or has otherwise infringed the intellectual property of any third party.
13. Winners will be selected from all eligible entries by a panel of judges made up of employees of Oxford Instruments and its affiliates and will be announced by 30^th June following the Award Year on https://nano.oxinst.com/campaigns/scientific-paper-award. The decisions of the judges are final in all matters relating to the Award. No correspondence will be entered into in respect of the decisions of the judges by Oxford Instruments.
14. Notification to arrange fulfilment of the Award will be communicated to the winners by email following the announce of the winners. In the unlikely event that a winner does not receive communication to arrange their Award, the winner must inform Oxford Instruments by emailing nahwm@oxinst.com. If a winner does not do so, Oxford Instruments reserves the right not to reissue the Award.
15. The Award for the winning Paper will be a gift voucher (“Voucher”) for the following amounts (or to the equivalent of):
    1. 1 x Award for First Place - Voucher for 500€;
    2. 1 x Award for Second Place – Voucher for 300€;
    3. 1 x Award for Third Place – Voucher for 200€.
    4. In addition, all of the winners will receive a 1-year licence for AZtecFlex.
16. Oxford Instruments reserves the right to offer alternative equivalent gifts and vouchers. Equivalency will be determined solely by Oxford Instruments. The Gifts for entrants and Vouchers for winners are not transferable and cannot be substituted for a cash alternative or any other gift or voucher.
17. It is the responsibility of the entrants and winners to provide their correct and up-to-date details upon submitting their entries in order for their Gift and/or Voucher to be processed. Oxford Instruments is not liable for the Gift and/or Voucher once dispatched to an entrant and/or winner and Oxford Instruments will not be responsible for Gift and/or Voucher not received, broken or lost in transit.
18. Gift and/or Vouchers must be taken as stated and no compensation will be payable if an entrant or winner is unable to use the Gift or Voucher. Oxford Instruments makes no representations or warranties of any nature with respect to the Gifts and Vouchers. Oxford Instruments is not liable for third party products and the Gifts and Vouchers are subject to the manufacturer or supplier’s terms and conditions.
19. This Award is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with any gift or voucher brands.
20. By entering this Award, entrants agree:
21. to be bound by the decisions of Oxford Instruments, which are final in all matters relating to the Award. No correspondence will be entered into in respect of the decisions of Oxford Instruments;
22. to their names, details and Papers being used for promotional purposes by Oxford Instruments and its affiliate companies;
23. to be bound by these terms and all applicable law, policies and regulations. Oxford Instruments reserves the right to amend these terms at any time.
24. Oxford Instruments reserves the right to cancel, modify or suspend the Award should it not be capable of running as planned for reasons including but not limited to tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, dishonesty, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of Oxford Instruments which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Award.
25. Oxford Instruments excludes all liability to the fullest extent permitted by law for any costs, claims or losses (including, without limitation, indirect, special or consequential loss or loss of profits), expense or damage which is suffered or sustained (whether or not arising from any person’s negligence) howsoever caused that arise by reason of the entrant’s entry or in connection with the Award. Oxford Instruments will not be liable for any delay or failure to comply with its obligations for reasons its reasonable control arising from but not limited to fire, flood or act of god; natural disaster; armed conflict; terrorist attack; civil war; civil commotion or riots; war; sanctions or embargoes; any labour or trade disputes, strikes or industrial actions (whether involving employees of either party or of a third party); epidemic or pandemic; equipment or supply difficulties; any rule or action of any public authority; transportation delays or any other circumstances. Nothing will exclude Oxford Instruments liability for death or personal injury as a result of its negligence.
26. In the event that any of these terms are held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, such term(s) shall be severed from the remaining terms and the remaining terms shall continue in full force and effect.
27. These terms shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising in connection with any of these terms.