CONTEST RULES

1. OBJECTIVE

IQS, a founding member of Ramon Llull University, located at Vía Augusta 390, 08017 Barcelona, is pleased to announce the 1st edition of the IQS Circular Challenge 2025 contest, an initiative that falls within the school’s commitment to sustainability, innovation, and promoting transformational ideas.

The aim of the competition is to encourage circular thinking and a commitment to sustainability by inspiring creative and applicable solutions that promote a more responsible use of resources through actions that contribute to the 5 Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle.

The contest is open to any individual over 18 years of age, of any nationality and educational background, with an interest in contributing to a more sustainable future.

2. THEME OF THE CONTEST

Participants must present an idea related to the circular economy aligned with its five fundamental principles:

• Refuse: stop using products that are not sustainable or are harmful to the environment.
• Reduce: reduce the amount of waste produced.
• Reuse: use objects more than once before throwing them out.
• Repurpose: find new uses for objects that are no longer useful in their original form.
• Recycle: convert waste into new products.

The proposal must be submitted in the form of:

• A video with a maximum length of two minutes

3.   PARTICIPANTS

Any individual over 18 years of age, residing in any country, may participate. Participation must be individual. The idea can come from a team or belong to several people, but the award will be given to the person who is the lead participant.

IQS employees, collaborating companies, and their direct family members may not participate.

4 . GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• Videos or submissions must be original and unpublished, have not been submitted to other competitions, and cannot contain copyrighted material without permission.
• Submissions can be made in English, Spanish, or Catalan.
• The proposal must be submitted within the established deadlines and comply with the technical conditions detailed in these rules.
• Participation in the contest implies acceptance of all the rules.

5. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Entries must be submitted through the official entry form, available on the contest website:
https://circularchallenge.iqs.edu

Required format:

• Video: maximum length of two minutes (link to YouTube)

Each participant must fill in their personal information and include the video link.

6 . DEADLINES

• Registration opens: 1 June 2025
• Registration closes: 30 June 2025, 11:59 pm (CET)
• Winners announced: X July 2025

7. EVALUATION CRITERIA

A professional jury appointed by IQS will evaluate the proposals according to the following criteria:

• Actual impact and applicability of the proposal
• Creativity with the idea and the way it is presented
• Clarity and consistency in the explanation of the idea
• Alignment with the principles of the circular economy

8. PRIZES

Top Prizes

1st Place

• €1,000* that can help you launch your idea if you wish to pursue it.
• 75% tuition discount for the IQS Master’s Degree in Circular Economy,** a programme that provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles, strategies, and practical applications of the circular economy and corporate sustainability frameworks.

2nd Place

• €500* that can help you launch your idea if you wish to pursue it. 
• 50% tuition discount for the IQS Master’s Degree in Circular Economy,** a programme that provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles, strategies, and practical applications of the circular economy and corporate sustainability frameworks.

3rd Place

• €300* that can help you launch your idea if you wish to pursue it.
• 50% tuition discount for the IQS Master’s Degree in Circular Economy,** a programme that provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles, strategies, and practical applications of the circular economy and corporate sustainability frameworks. 

For all participants

• 10% guaranteed discount on tuition for the master’s degree** for all participants who did not win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place.

9. GROUNDS FOR DISQUALIFICATION

Projects containing the following will be automatically disqualified:

• Offensive, discriminatory, or violent content
• Copyrighted materials without authorization
• Violations of current legislation
• Submissions after the deadline or without complying with the technical conditions

10. EVALUATION COMMITTEE

The committee will be formed by a team of IQS professionals and experts in sustainability, innovation, and the circular economy who will be responsible for reviewing and evaluating the proposals.

11. ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS

The winners will be announced on the contest website and notified by email and/or telephone. If no confirmation that the prize has been accepted is received within 30 days, the prize will be void.

12. IMAGE AND PUBLISHING RIGHTS

By participating, the proposal winners grant IQS the rights of use, dissemination, and public communication of their works for educational, informational, and promotional purposes.

13. MODIFICATIONS AND LIABILITY

IQS reserves the right to modify, cancel, or suspend the contest for justified reasons, as well as to exclude any proposal that does not comply with the rules or involves fraud or inappropriate conduct.

14. ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES

Participation in the contest implies acceptance of these rules. Any unforeseen issues will be resolved by the organizing committee.

15. ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS

All discounts and prizes are applicable for academic year 2025-2026.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes cannot be combined with other IQS scholarships or financial aid.

The Evaluation Committee may declare any of the prizes to be void if it deems they do not meet requirements, in accordance with the evaluation criteria.