COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The Award

This annual Award, promoted by the Financial Times Limited (“FT”) and McKinsey & Company (“McKinsey”), aims to identify the book that provides the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues, including management, finance and economics. The judges will give preference to those books whose insights and influence are most likely to stand the test of time. The winning author will receive an award of £30,000 and  shortlisted authors will receive £10,000 (the “Prize”). Where a title has more than one author the prize money will be divided equally between the authors. A shortlist of up to 6 titles will be announced in early autumn, and the winner will be announced at an Award dinner in London on 1st December 2020 (the “Award Ceremony”). Submissions are invited from publishers or bona fide imprints based in any country (“Publishers”).

Eligibility

Titles, whether in electronic or physical form, must be published for the first time in the English language, or in English translation, between 16th November 2019 and 15th November 2020. There is no limit to the number of submissions from each Publisher, provided they fit the aim of the award. Titles from all genres are eligible, but anthologies will not be considered. There are no restrictions of gender, age or nationality of authors. Authors who are serving judges of the award, current officers, employees or contractors of the Financial Times Group or McKinsey, or the close relatives of such officers, employees or contractors, are not eligible.

By submitting an entry for the Award, Publishers agree to these terms and conditions and acknowledge that failure to comply with them may result in disqualification. The Award shall be void where prohibited by local law. It is the responsibility of entrants to ensure that they are able to participate in the Competition in compliance with local laws and regulations. To the fullest extent permitted by law, FT or McKinsey is not liable where an entrant has breached local laws and/or regulations in connection with the Competition.

Conditions of Entry

1. Titles must be submitted by a Publisher or bona fide imprint which holds English language rights in the book. Please note that from 2020, all entries must be submitted online [live.ft.com/bookaward] but you may also be requested by the FT to send a copy of the book in the post for review.

2. One copy of each title submitted must be received electronically no earlier than Tuesday 26th May 2020 [12am British Summer Time] and no later than Tuesday 30th June 2020 [5pm British Summer Time]. 

If asked to send a hard copy, this must also be received no earlier than Tuesday 26th May 2020 and no later than 5pm British Summer Time on Friday 30th June 2020. The address will be confirmed in the email where we request the hard copy to be delivered. FT, McKinsey or any of their agents and subcontractors cannot accept responsibility for entries lost or delayed in submission. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt. 

3. If the title is in proof, these should be submitted electronically and accompanied by an author biography. If asked to submit the paper proof,these should be bound and accompanied by an author biography.

4. Each title submitted must be accompanied by a fully completed online Entry Form. If the title was originally published in another language, Entry Form 2 must also be completed.

5. The judges may also request other titles not originally submitted by a Publisher. In that event, the Publisher will be asked to supply one copy of the title and complete the relevant Entry Form(s).

6. No title entered by Publishers or called in by the judges can be returned.

7. The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

8. By submitting a title, you warrant that such title does not infringe copyright or any other intellectual property rights and does not defame or invade the privacy rights of any third party, or infringe any other legal rights, regulations or laws.

9. FT reserves the right to cancel, suspend or amend the Competition, or any part of it (including these Terms and Conditions) or change the Prize (to one of equivalent or greater value) as required by the circumstances in FT’s sole discretion. FT reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who has not complied with the spirit of these Terms and Conditions. Any failure by FT to enforce any provision in these Terms and Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

10. FT cannot accept responsibility for or liability arising from entrants taking part in the Competition or for taking up the Prize. FT gives no warranty or guarantee in relation to the Prize and accepts no responsibility or liability for the Prize being amended by FT. To the fullest extent permitted by law, FT excludes liability for all loss, damage or claim arising as a result of the Participant’s entry into the Competition or use of the Prize (save in the case of death or personal injury caused by the negligence of FT).

11. By entering the Competition, entrants agree to hold FT harmless for liability, damages or claims for injury or loss to any person or property, relating to, directly or indirectly, participation in this Competition, or claims based on publicity rights, third party intellectual property rights, defamation or invasion of privacy.

12. Any personal data which may be submitted in an entry will be processed by FT in accordance with any applicable data protection legislation and the FT Privacy Policy, available at: http://help.ft.com/legal/financial-times-privacy-policy. As set out in the FT Privacy Policy, we may share your personal data with our service providers including, for example, with any third-party supplier of the Prize.

13. The winner’s full name (including any shortlisted authors) and title of book may be published. If you would like to object to the publication of this information, please email Privacy.Officer@ft.com upon entry. For more information on your rights and how we use your data, please read our Privacy Policy (https://help.ft.com/help/legal-privacy/privacy/).

Conditions of Award

Any eligible book entered for the Award shall not qualify unless its Publisher agrees to:

• make its best efforts to guarantee the shortlisted author’s attendance at the Award Ceremony and to cover their associated expenses (with the exception of the author’s reasonable travel costs for which the Award organisers will take responsibility). In addition, to ensure a senior level representative of the publishing house is able to attend the Award Ceremony.

• at its own cost, provide a further twenty copies of any shortlisted title, for administrative and publicity purposes, and a copy for every guest at the Award Ceremony (150-200 guests) should the book be shortlisted.

• ensure that shortlisted or winning authors undertake a reasonable number of activities to promote the author’s own work and this Award. These might include writing an article for the FT’s Comment pages or website (www.ft.com), or providing a pre-agreed extract from the title for publication in the FT. Such activities would always be by mutual agreement.

• ensure that shortlisted or winning titles prominently display the promotional FT & McKinsey shortlist/finalist/winner stickers on the book jacket, which will be supplied by the FT, or artwork supplied by the FT printed on the book jacket.

• obtain from the copyright holder, written permission for FT to broadcast and/or record on audio tape or CD an extract from the submitted title, to be used solely for publicity purposes.

The Judges

The judging panel for 2020 will be chaired by Roula Khalaf, Editor, Financial Times and will include distinguished panellists from the world of business, economics and academia. The names of the judging panel will be made available on request. The judging panel will judge all valid entries submitted to select 1 winner and 5 shortlisted titles. The “Prize” will be awarded to the book that provides the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues, including management, finance and economics.

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Disputes arising in connection with this Competition shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.  The Publisher hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts. Copies of the Terms and Conditions and Entry Forms are available at: www.ft.com/bookaward

For further information please contact bookaward@ft.com