1. Definitions
   The following terms shall have the specific meanings assigned to them in these “Terms and Conditions”:
   1. "Competition" means the nation-wide spelling bee competition on the mPulse website dubbed "MTN mPulse Spelling Bee" organized by MTN Nigeria Communications PLC ("MTN").
   2. "Competition Website" means the mPulse website(https://mpulse.mtn.ng/) where participants are required to follow the instructions on the Competition announcement page in order to participate in the MTN mPulse Spelling Bee Competition.
   3. "Entrant/Contestant" means a person who is permitted by these Terms and Conditions to participate in the spelling bee and submits an entry in accordance with the rules and instructions as displayed on the Competition Website.
   4. "First Entry Period/First Round" refers to the duration of the first stage of the Competition,which will run from the period of15thAugust, 2022 to 30^thSept,2022 and during which time interested individuals would be allowed to sign up for the Competition.
   5. "Second Entry Period/Second Round" refers to the duration of the second stage of the competition which will run from 10th October 2022 to 17th October, 2022 and will only be open to Entrants who have successfully passed through the First Round and havebeen invited to proceed to this stage of the Competition via their unique user ID on the Competition website.
   6. "Terms and Conditions" mean these Terms and Conditions, including all the annexes and amendments thereof.
   7. Winners means the winners of the MTN mPulse Spelling Bee Competitionselected after the completion of the three (3) rounds of the Competition and after verification and validation by MTN.
2. Eligibility
   1. The Competition is open to only students (both boys and girls) in primary and secondary schools (public and private) within the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who are between the ages of Nine (9) and Fifteen (15) years old.
   2. All Entrants must not be more than Fifteen (15) years of age at the start of the Competitionwhich shall begin on15thAugust, 2022.
   3. In entering the Competition, an Entrant confirms that he/sheis eligible to do so and also eligible to claim any prize that may be won.
   4. MTN may require an Entrant, at various stages of the Competition, to provide proof that he/she is eligible to enter the Competition.
   5. Only one entry per personis permitted. Entries via third parties and automated entries are not permitted.
   6. All applications are free and not on sale.

   7. The Entrant must not previously have been declared a champion or runner-up of the last MTN mPulse Spelling Bee 2021, the 2020 edition of the mPulse Spelling Bee and in the 2019 MTN sponsored Lagos State Private Schools Spelling Beein 2019.
   8. Entries not submitted in accordance with these Terms and Conditions and all other rules and directions as given by MTN, or entries that are incomplete or illegible (as determined in our sole discretion) will not be eligible.
   9. MTN reserves the right to disqualify prior to or during the Competition anyEntrant who is not in compliance with any of the eligibility requirementsof this Clause 2. MTN may, at its discretion or at any time between the conclusion of the Competition and31stDecember, 2022, require any Entrant who is found to have not been in compliance with any of the Eligibility requirements to forfeit any prizes, rank and other benefits accorded to thatEntrant as a result of participation in the Competition.
3. The Competition
   1. The Competition shall comprise of three (3) rounds. TheFirst Round and the Second Round and the Grand finale whichwill be held onlineon the Competition website respectively.
   2. All eligible Contestants can enter for the First round of the Competition via theCompetition website during the First RoundPeriod.
   3. All Contestants will be required to register as students on the Competitionwebsite in order to participate in the Competition.
   4. The phone number with which each Contestant registers on the Competition website must be on the mPulse tariff plan in order for a Contestant to participate in the Competition.
   5. All Contestants will be required to update and complete their student profile (including profile picture) and link their phone numbers with that of their parents in order to participate in the Competition. Outdated or incomplete student profile can lead to instant disqualification from the Competition.
   6. All Contestants must indicate parental consent to and/or sign these Terms and Conditions by providing to MTN at the time of submitting an entry the MTN Parental Release Agreement for all Contestants duly signed by their parent and any additional document(s) as required by MTN at the different levels of participation in the Competition.
   7. Each Contestant will be required to spell ten (10) words for the First Round of the Competition.
   8. Entries received after the close of the First RoundPeriod shall not be eligible for consideration for participation in any part of the Competition since they were not submitted within the time prescribed under this Terms and Conditions and published on the Competition website.
   9. The first 1,000 (One Thousand) Contestants with the highest scores from the First Round shall be invited to theSecond Round of the Competition.
   10. Only Contestantsinvited for the Second Round of the Competition (identified via their unique user ID on the Competition website) will be able to access the portal during the Second RoundPeriod.
   11. Pictures of Contestants will be taken at intervals via the Contestant's device camera when participating in the Competition. By entering the Competition, a Contestant agrees to have his/her picture taken and be used for later verification.
   12. The top 20 (twenty) verified Contestants from the Second Round of the Competition shall be eligible for the grand finale of the contest; verification is solely at the discretion of MTN.
   13. MTN via its designated personnel may ask a Contestant to provide documentary proof of his/her identity and/or address and/or school before confirmation of eligibility for the next round or the Grand Finale. The use of any false information (name, address, school, picture, principal's name and contact number, teacher's name and contact number, parent's name and contact number, etc.) will disqualify a Contestant from further participating in the Competition or receiving any prize.
4. Online Entry (First and Second Rounds)
   1. The First Round of the Competition begins on 15thAugust,2022and ends on 30thSeptember,2022. After this date, no further entries for the Competition will be permitted.
   2. All entries for theFirst Roundof the Competitionmust be received latest by 11:59pm on 30thSeptember, 2022. Only entries that are duly received by MTN before the closing time will be eligible for consideration for participation in the Competition.
   3. Only the first 1,000 (One Thousand)Contestantswith the highest scores from the First Round of the Contest will be granted access to enter for the Second Round of the Competition.
   4. The Second Round of the Competition shall begin on 10thOctober,2022and end on17thOctober, 2022. All entries for the Second Round of the Competition must be received latest by 11:59 pm on 17thOctober, 2022. Only entries that are duly received by MTN before the closing time will be eligible for consideration forcontinued participation in the Competition.
   5. MTN shall not be liable for entries that are lost, delayed or damaged and proof of sending an entry is not proof that MTN received it.
   6. Entries must be submitted only through the designated section on the Competition website.
   7. MTN will not be liable for any liability arising fromnon-compliance with theseTerms and Conditions and Entrants agree to indemnify MTN against any claim by any third party from any breach of these Terms and Conditions by the Entrants.
   8. Entries must not contain defamatory, obscene, offensive, or any other unsuitable material; MTN reserves the right to disqualify entries containing such content.
5. Grand Finale(On ground)
   1. Verified top 20 (twenty)Contestants i.e. verified first 20 spellers with the highest scores from the Second Round of the Competition shall be eligible to participate in the Grand Finale.
   2. By entering this Competition, you agree to be available if invited for the Grand Finale, no replacement shall be considered.This shall hold via on ground with all the Contestants present.
   3. The Competition will be conducted orally; Contestants must spell the words orally and the use of pens and/or pencils and paper will not be allowed.
   4. Contestants may pronounce their words before spelling them, after spelling them, or not at all.
   5. Once a Contestant has begun to spell a word, he or she may not ask for a word to be re-pronounced, defined or used in a sentence. Also, having started to spell a word, a Contestant will not be given any opportunity to change letters already pronounced. A Contestant may retraceprovided that letters and their sequence are not changed in retracing. Apostrophes and other punctuation are not required.
   6. If a word taken is unclear to a Contestant, he or she may ask for the word to be re-pronounced, or request to be given a definition or a sentence, provided that such requests are made within the stipulated time frame as communicated to the Contestant by the Competition officials. In the instance that the word to be spelt is a homophone, the Contestant must give the spelling of the word as defined, not a homophone of the word.
   7. If a word has more than one acceptable spelling, all spellings of that word in the English Oxford Dictionary will be accepted.
   8. Officials may disqualify any Contestant who ignores a request to start spelling his or her word within a reasonable length of time. Also, a Contestant whose spelling of a word is not audible to the officials may have his or her spelling ruled incorrect.
   9. When a Contestant mis-spells a word, the Contestantwill be eliminated from the Competition and no other Contestant will be allowed to spell the same word.
   10. During the Grand Finale, apart from the official break periods, every Contestant must be seated with face (and hands) visible throughout the period they are active in the Competition. Any breach of this will lead to instant disqualification from the Competition.
   11. A Contestant will be given a particular time frame tospell the required word and will get disqualified if unable to spell the word or complete the spelling within the stipulated time frame.
6. The Prizes
   1. The prize for the Winners will includescholarship grant, winner’s trophy, laptop, smartphone, mPulse goody bag which may include: mPulse school bag, mPulse t-shirt, mPulse head phone, mPulse math set, mPulse pen, mPulse hand fan, mPulse bubble sticker, mPulse drawstring bag, etc.
   2. Every Winner will be required to collect their prize at the Grand Finale orat such location as maybe communicated by MTN for the Winners to pick up their prize.
   3. Winners shall be solely responsible for picking up prizes won and all incidental costs thereto.
   4. Winners will be required to have their pictures or videos taken and these pictures/videos will be published online. By entering for this competition, you agree to have your pictures/videos taken and published by MTN or any of its third-party partners.
7. Intellectual Property Rights
   1. By accepting the terms and conditions, Winners confirm that their images and all content they feature in can be used on all MTN social media, any social media platform and traditional media channels (Publicity and post event leveraging) without further notice, compensation, consideration, review, or consent, and without regard to moral rights.
   2. Additionally, winners accept that MTN possesses all rights over uploaded pictures and hereby indemnify and hold MTN harmless against any claim, loss or liability, howsoever arising in connection with the uploaded pictures;MTN and any other MTN product or contest name are trademarks of MTN and entrants shall not be entitled to reproduce such marks (other than to the extent required for personal use of the Contest) without MTN's prior written consent.
8. Confidentiality of Contestants information
   1. Additionally, winners accept that MTN possesses all rights over uploaded pictures and hereby indemnify and hold MTN harmless against any claim, loss or liability, howsoever arising in connection with the uploaded pictures;MTN and any other MTN product or contest name are trademarks of MTN and entrants shall not be entitled to reproduce such marks (other than to the extent required for personal use of the Contest) without MTN's prior written consent.
   2. MTN may use any personal information that was provided in the course of submitting an entryfor the purposes of the Contest, in the ways described in these Terms and Conditions, and for any marketing or other purposes in accordance with MTN's privacy policy at https://mpulse.mtn.ng/home/privacy, the Nigerian Data Protection Regulations and any other applicable extant regulation.
   3. MTN may also share your details with its service providers and agents for the purposes of auditing, verification of results and providing prizes on its behalf, and any sponsors or partners involved in this Contest.
   4. For further questions or concerns about the use of your personal information please contact us by email at mtn.mpulse@mtn.com
9. Limitation of Liability
   1. Entrants agree that MTN shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever which is suffered (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss) or for any personal injury, loss or damage suffered or sustained (even caused by negligence) in connection with accepting or using a prize or participating in this Competition.
   2. By participating in the Competition, Entrants agree that:
      1. any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or in connection with the Competition, shall be resolved individually without resort to any form of class action, and resolution shall be in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions contained in this Terms and Conditions;
      2. any claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to costs associated with participating in the Competition only, and shall in no event include attorneys' fees; and
      3. Entrants hereby waive all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased and any other damages, other than damages for actual costs associated with participating in the Contest.
      4. MTN assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, or theft, destruction of, alteration or unauthorized access to the Competition.
10. Dispute Resolution
    1. In the event of a dispute or difference between the Entrants and MTN (the Parties) in connection with or in relation to this Terms and Conditions or its performance, construction or interpretation, the party alleging the dispute shall provide a written notice, giving particulars of the dispute (the Notice of Dispute) to the other party. The Parties each agree to appoint a representative at senior management level and to cause their respective representatives to meet as soon as possible, in an effort to resolve the dispute amicably, in good faith and with absolute fair play. All such representatives of the Parties shall be referred to as 'Settlement Nominees' and the period agreed on for such discussion shall be referred to as "Period of Discussion".
    2. If the dispute is not resolved by formal negotiation as stated in Clause 10.1 within fourteen (14) business days of the Notice of Dispute, the dispute shall be referred to mediation. The mediation shall be conducted by a CEDR UK accredited mediator or any other equivalent accredited mediator to be appointed by the Parties. The Lagos Multi Door Court House Model Procedure Rules 2007 shall apply. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event that the Parties are unable to agree on the appointment of a mediator within one (1) month, the Parties shall proceed to litigation as stated in clause 10.3.
    3. If the dispute is still not resolved after fourteen (14) business days of its being referred to mediation as specified in Clause 10.2, each party irrevocably agrees that the dispute shall be finally resolved by a Nigerian court of competent jurisdiction which shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, its subject matter or formation.
11. General
    1. All Participants must indicate parental consent to and/or sign these Terms and Conditions by providing to MTN at the time of submitting an entry the MTN Parental Release Agreement for all Contestants duly signed by their parent and any additional document(s) as required by MTN at the different levels of participation in the Competition.
    2. MTN shall not be liable for any damage, loss or disappointment suffered by any person taking part or not being able to take part in this Competition, or from being unable to claim their prize.
    3. Insofar as is permitted by law, MTN, its agents or distributors will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate the Winner or accept any liability for any loss, damage, personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up a prize except where it is caused by the negligence of MTN, its agents or distributors or that of their employees. The statutory rights of the Contestants are not affected.
    4. In the event of unforeseen circumstances or at its own discretion, MTN may alter, amend or foreclose the Competition without prior notice and without any obligation to the Contestant or any person. MTN reserves the right to change the provisions of theseTerms and Conditions at any time without notice.
    5. By participating or continuing to participate in this Competition, Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these and any varied terms and conditions which will be posted on the Competition Website.
    6. These terms are governed by Nigerian law and all entrants is bound by/and submit to the jurisdiction of the Nigerian courts.

By participating in this Competition, I agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and confirm that I meet all eligibility requirements listed herein. By participating in the Competition, I agree that the decisions of MTN are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Competition.