RULES & REGULATIONS

Rules & Regulations

Rules of Entry Applicable to the Junk Kouture 

2023 – 2024 Competition Cycle  

The following rules are designed to ensure that Junk Kouture is conducted as fairly and as efficiently as possible and are subject to change at any time at the sole discretion of Junk Kouture. Infringement of any of the rules listed below may lead to exclusion, at any time, of individuals or schools from present and/or future participation in Junk Kouture competitions. Please refer to this page for all rules and regulations associated with your Junk Kouture journey and prior to submitting your completed design. 

Definitions throughout this page  

Creators = Students 

Educators = Teachers/ Supervising adults 

Territories = The country in which Junk Kouture operates in and the location of a City Final (i.e., Dublin, London, New York, Milan, Paris, Abu Dhabi) 

TM = Territory Managers 

1. GENERAL RULES

  1. 1.1 The Junk Kouture Competition is organised by Junk Kouture Operations Ireland Ltd. by whose decision on all matters relating to the Competition will be final. 

 

  1. 1.2 There is no fee for entering into the Junk Kouture competition for the student or for the school. If a design team is successful and is selected to participate in a live event (i.e., City Final or World Final) there will be some costs associated with this which the student or the school must cover. 

 

 

  1. 1.3 Junk Kouture currently operates in six countries – Italy, France, Ireland, UK, UAE, and USA. For the 2023 - 2024 competition cycle, to participate and enter a design, a person must be a resident of any of the countries mentioned above. For example, only schools located in Italy are eligible to enter the Milan competition. Schools' outside of the country will not be eligible to enter this year. 

 

  1. 1.4 To enter, creators must be 12 years of age or under 19 years of age before May 31, 2024, in second level education or approved club / organisation, and a resident in the country applicable to them. Your age for entry to the competition is as of the end of the competition cycle.  

 

  1. 1.5 A design team can have a max of three students. This includes the person who models the design. Teams of four and above are not permitted. 

  

  1. 1.6 Submission dates will be provided to schools in advance. Completed designs must be entered by the deadline date relevant to their competition territory as published by the competition organiser. Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstance.  

 

 

  1. 1.7 Design submissions and all associated documentation must be submitted via the Junk Kouture submission form. No submissions will be accepted into the competition outside of this form of entry i.e., emails to Territory Managers or messages through social media platforms 

 

  1. 1.8 All sections of the design submission form must be complete. If there is a section incomplete this may result in failure in successful submission into the competition.  

 

  1. 1.9 Junk Kouture Operations Ireland Limited reserves the right to extend the competition window if it deems it a requirement.  

 

 

  1. 1.10 Please visit the competition page relevant to your territory via the links provided below. Latest information relating to your competition will be accessible on these pages.  

 

 

  1. 1.11 Designs that have been entered into Junk Kouture in previous years and were unsuccessful will not be accepted unless the design has undergone significant further development and enhancement. Reference of this should be included at point of entry on the design description section. 

 

  1. 1.12 Designs that have been entered in other competitions can be accepted as entries to the Junk Kouture Competition, provided that this information is stated in the application entry at time of submission. If there is third-party restriction from a previous competition’s terms and conditions the design will not be permitted as an entry. If you wish to declare additional information about this or have any queries in advance of submitting a design, please contact support@junkkouture.com in the first instance.  

 

  1. 1.13 Submission of a design does not automatically qualify a design as a finalist for the city final in their individual territory. In the initial stage of selection, a panel of screening judges will select the designs to go forward to each city event and the judges’ decisions are final. These finalists will be announced on Junk Kouture platforms (website and/or social media) and contact will be made with the relevant educators directly via email. 

 

  1. 1.14 For Ireland, in the initial stage of selection, a panel of screening judges will select the designs to go forward to the regional finals (format of regional finals will be communicated with registered educators in January 2024). From this stage, the Dublin City Finalists are selected  

 

  1. 1.15 For all remaining territories (UK, UAE, USA, France, Italy) there will be one event in each location. The Regional Final stage does not apply.  

Abu Dhabi City Final  

London City Final  

Milan City Final 

New York City Final  

Paris City Final  

 

  1. 1.16 From a City Final line-up, the top ten designs from ten individual schools will be selected to represent their country at the Junk Kouture World Final which will take place later in 2024. The World Final will consist of sixty world finalists who will compete for a range of awards. Please also note that the number of City Finalists may vary depending on location (this is subject to change as the competition progresses and at the discretion of Junk Kouture Operations Ireland Limited). 

 

  1. 1.17 Winning designs teams must consent to Junk Kouture having the ability to access their design for company purposes where required for up to 12 months post competition. 

 

 

IMPORTANT:  

We anticipate that live events will take place across all territories in 2024Information regarding venues is also subject to change as we finalise plans in each market. However, should live events not take place, we reserve the right to offer an alternative as / if deemed necessary. Latest information relating to your territory will be provided to you when plans are confirme
2. EDUCATOR REGISTRATION

2.1 Educators are invited to join the Junk Kouture community by registering via the signup form on junkkouture.com before 24th November 2023. The Junk Kouture app is no longer a requirement for entry into the competition. By signing up as an Educator you agree to Junk Kouture’s T&Cs and confirms that you as an Educator have relevant formal documentation required for working with young people.  

 

2.2 When submitting a design, an Educator is required to be associated with a design team and takes responsibility of all aspects of entry. Should a design team be selected as a city finalist/world finalist; the registered Educator will be required to attend the live event with the team. Educators will be required to show/supply the relevant formal documentation to confirm Educator status in advance or upon arrival to the live event. Further information around the requirements will be supplied to Educators in advance of these events. 

 

2.3 Any adult can be an Educator if they have undergone the appropriate training to allow them to work with minors and are employed / volunteer in a second level education facility or an approved club / organisation. If a design team is successful the Educator will be requested to submit relevant documentation i.e., teaching ID, police clearance etc. Please refer to requirements in own market.  

 

2.4 Junk Kouture will formally communicate with the Educators only via email. Educators are responsible for completing and submitting all consent forms, paperwork etc, correctly and by the required date of submission. 

  

2.5 When attending live events, Educators are solely responsible for the supervision of their design team, therefore students must be supervised at all times. Junk Kouture staff have no responsibility of supervision over students however are there to support throughout the live event.  

 

2.6 It is the responsibility of the Educator to communicate any information relating to the competition to their students. Junk Kouture communicates directly and formally with Educators only. 

 

2.7 It is the responsibility of the Educator to communicate any changes relating to the design or team directly to Junk Kouture. This can be done by contacting support@junkkouture.com or by contacting your TM.  

3. CREATOR REGISTRATION

  1. 31. Creators are invited to join the Junk Kouture community at time of design submission, via the Junk Kouture submission form. The Junk Kouture app is no longer a requirement for entry into the competition. By submitting a design and signing up to the competition you agree to Junk Kouture’s T&Cs. Design submission will open for each territory at different intervals from January - March 2024. There will always be a two-week window for submitting a design. 

 

  1. 3.2 To enter, creators must be 12 years of age or under 19 years of age before May 31, 2024, in second level education or approved club / organisation, and a resident in the country applicable to them. Your age for entry to the Competition is as of the end of the competition cycle.  

 

  1. 3.3 It is a requirement for all team members are from the same organisation (i.e., school, after school club). 

 

CREATOR REGISTRATION MUST INCLUDE THE BELOW INFORMATION: 

Refer to the Junk Kouture Handbook for guidance on this  

 

  • Location of Competition Design Submission. For example, if you live in Mayo, Ireland, you will enter the Dublin competition. Similarly, if you live in Florence, Italy, you will enter the Milan competition. 

 

  • Design name, team member names (maximum of three team members). One creator will take the responsibility of being the Team Lead. Once all information is submitted via the Junk Kouture submission form, this person will add further team members and the Educator to the team along with the school information required – name and location. 

 

  • Design description: the ‘story of the design’ should include the idea and inspiration behind the creation, listing materials, how it was made, how it promotes sustainability and key messages. We encourage students to be creative and descriptive here – telling a compelling story about their couture design. Please do not submit text longer than the word count allowed.  

 

  • Design materials: all materials used must be included. Please emphasise any detail which you think the judges need to know. For example – collecting 50,000 ring pulls, or shredding and crocheting seatbelts etc. Please do not submit text longer than the word count allowed.  

 

 

  • Photographs: clear images of the design must be included – please upload 6 – 15 images. 

 

  • Team video: Attach a link to a video you have created (and/or added to YouTube) – max of 60 seconds long. Clip should show the fine detail of the design, show the materials used, tell us about the inspiration, show your performance – please ensure video is in landscape orientation. 
     

  • Music link: Add a link to the song of choice. This will complement the finished design and finalists will be requested to supply JK with the correct section starting/ending point within the link provided. The link should be from Spotify or Apple music streaming platforms. 

 

 

  1. 3.4  All sections of the Junk Kouture submission form must be completed for your design to be successfully submitted and to be entered in the competition.  

 

  1. 3.5  A creator can only enter one design (per year) into the competition, whether they are entering as an individual or as part of a team. 

 

  1. 3.6 Teams can consist of a maximum of 3 students only. (This includes the person who is modelling the design). Educators are not included as a team member. Teams of four and above are not permitted. 

 

  1. 3.7 One member of each team will be responsible for submitting all the relevant information and details required for entering the competition when registration opens.  

 

  1. 3.8 A design made by a solo entrant may be submitted in the competition and once submitted cannot be re–classified as a team submission (i.e., no further team members can be added). The students who worked on the design must be included at time of submission.  

 

  1. 3.9 It is expected that the majority of the work for a design will be conducted in school, home, or the outside environment (i.e., after-school club). Creators are allowed to seek guidance and advice when creating their entry, however the final design submitted must be created and completed only by the designers involved.         

 

  1. 3.10 Your entry must be original and unaided work and any images or design references used as inspiration must be included (on your mood board /indicated at the time of entry) 

 

  1. 3.11 It is a requirement that the design is an original creation 

 

  1. 3.12 In the event that Junk Kouture determines that a design does not comply at any stage in the competition process, including after selection has been made or awards assigned, it may disqualify the design team from the Junk Kouture competition.  

 

  1. 3.13 Once a design is submitted, no visual changes or adaptations to the design are permitted. Only practical/structural changes regarding the movement or wearability of the design may be accepted for participation in the next stage of the competition. 

 

  1. 3.14 A design is judged on what is provided at time of submission, so please make sure the design is fully complete, and all accompanying materials are appropriate i.e., design description, images, video. 

 

  1. 3.15 Creators are responsible for the promotion of their design. This can be done online through social media (Instagram, TikTok, etc.) or in person in their local area (Posters, local press, etc.)  

 

  1. 3.16 Creators must refrain from making statements and claims in person or online that may bring Junk Kouture, the competition, its community, and relevant stakeholders, into disrepute. Failure to do so, will result in expulsion from the competition. 
      

  1. 3.17 Junk Kouture will use a creator’s personal information only as set out in its 'privacy notice which can be found here http://www.junkkouture.com/privacyIf a creator wishes to access their personal data, delete, or update information, they can do so by contacting Junk Kouture support@junkkouture.com . This is the information that you supply to us at time of submission

4. MATERIALS

4.1 All materials used by creators must be recycled or re-purposed or unfit for their intended original purpose. New materials are prohibited. 


4.2 All materials used must be safe to model and exhibit, and must not contain any pyro, toxic or dangerous materials. Should a designer be unsure about the nature of their materials having initially consulted their assigned educator, they should consult Junk Kouture by email support@junkkoutrue.com . 


4.3 Designers are prohibited from using any alcohol, tobacco, vape or drugs branding or packaging unless these are being used to promote the harmful effects of misuse. Creators should clearly highlight the messaging in the description section of the submission application.  


4.4 Models must wear appropriate footwear and undergarments when modelling their design for the competition submission and showcasing a design at any Junk Kouture event.  


4.5 All designs must be safe for a model to wear and perform in. Models must be able to see clearly and breathe easily while wearing the garment onstage and be able to perform comfortably in it. 


4.6 Props or accessories such as stilts, roller skates or roller blades, and any hard materials with raw, unprotected edges e.g., glass, ceramics, plastic, metal are not acceptable materials to use in your design. 


4.7 Designs must be physically strong and durable enough to withstand transportation, choreography, and movement on stage, and being worn more than once. 


4.8 Perishable and natural materials that may disintegrate or rot, including animal products, plant products, and food are not to be used, unless properly treated.  

5. CITY FINAL stage

This section is applicable only to designs qualifying for a city final. Additional ‘Event Rules’ must be accepted by qualifying designers before they can take part in the event.

 

These will be provided on notification of qualification and communication will be directly with the Educator and the Junk Kouture production team.  


The top 10 City Finalists from each territory will be announced after each City Final and will progress to the Junk Kouture World Final later in 2024. These designers will come from ten individual schools and will be presented with a special ‘World Final Golden Ticket’ after each announcement. At the World Final there are multiple awards which designers can be considered for to win plus the title of Junk Kouture World Designer of the Year. 


 

5.1 Upon being selected as a city finalist, the assigned Educator will be required to confirm acceptance of having their design team included in the event with Junk Kouture.   


5.2 Design teams will be responsible for providing additional content to Junk Kouture about their design in advance of the show. There will be specific guidelines to adhere to for show production.


5.3 Creators will be responsible for their own hair and make-up and any design requirements in advance of the show i.e., alterations and fixings.  


5.4 Junk Kouture will not accept responsibility for damage to, or loss of, design materials or personal belongings. Creators are advised to remove all valuable items from the backstage in advance of the live show. 


5.5 Creators may be required to travel to a filming/event location within their territory for a prep day in advance of a city final. Details of this requirement will be provided to each team in advance of the event if this is the case.  


5.6 It is the responsibility of the Educator and team to facilitate your own travel and arrangements to the filming/event location. Junk Kouture will not be responsible for costs associated with travel to and from the filming/event location. 

 


5.7 Junk Kouture will ensure that there is at least two weeks’ notice of any event and should a design team be unable to travel to the allocated filming/event day, they will have to forfeit their place in the city final.  



5.8 It is the responsibility of the assigned educator to attend the filming/event day with the design team. 


5.9 All teams will be required to sign a filming/photography permissions form in advance. 

6. WORLD FINAL stage

10 City Finalists from each territory will progress to the Junk Kouture World Final later in 2024. Additional information, terms, and conditions about this will follow and communication will be from the Junk Kouture production team. 



Junk Kouture will provide accommodation and travel to and from the confirmed location for the finalist teams.  



For travel to the world final destination, Junk Kouture will operate from a specific airport / station. Travel to this location (for onward travel) will be at own cost to the finalist. 

 It is the responsibility of a finalist to ensure the below are in place:


Passport is in date (check requirements based on origin / destination)  

  • Visa approved (application should be done directly by the finalist / school) 

  • Travel insurance secured  


There will be six City Designers of the Year awarded (one from each territory) and from these six, there will be one overall World Designer of the Year.  


  • Glamour Award 

  • Purposeful Plastic Award  

  • Junior Designer Award 

  • Performer Award  

  • Innovation Award 

  • Cultural Couture Award  

  • Wearable Art Award 

  • Dare to Wear Award 

  • STEAM Award  

  • SDG Award 


All prizes associated with the above awards will be sent to the winning design teams after each event. These will be sent to the school address supplied at submission.  


Creators can win the title of Junk Kouture World Designer of the Year on more than one occasion. Previous winners of the title are eligible to re–enter the competition in subsequent years if they continue to meet the eligibility criteria.  


The overall Junk Kouture World Designer of the year is not permitted to represent any other organisation until the following year’s winners are announced.  

7. JUDGING PROCESS

7.1 The judges are solely responsible for the selection of finalists and winners. Their decisions are final. 


7.2 The judges reserve the right to withhold awards in the event of designs not reaching satisfactory design standard and live performance.  

7.3 The judges reserve the right to withhold awards and exclude designs if designers have not adhered to the rules and regulations of the Junk Kouture competition. 
8. VOTING



In advance of a city final/world final, public voting may take place in each territory. This will be done so via a Junk Kouture platform. Further details of this will follow where required 
9. Photographs / Videos

9.1 Junk Kouture requires that creators give consent at time of application for use of design images. Junk Kouture retains the right to use any design photographs uploaded by creators on the Submission Form in the Junk Kouture competition in accordance with our privacy notice. Should creators wish to opt out of this, they should notify Junk Kouture by email by contacting support@junkkouture.com . 

 

9.2 Junk Kouture and its partners reserves the right to use images/videos from any Junk Kouture event or content submitted for promotional and marketing purposes, both online and in print, in accordance with its’ privacy noticeJunk Kouture is under no obligation to make use of any/all photos taken at the events. 

 

9.3 Junk Kouture retains the right to publish information regarding all designs entered in the Junk Kouture competition in accordance with our privacy policy.  

10. Intellectual Property

10.1 Design content and materials provided to Junk Kouture at the time of submission remains the property of the designers but will be used where deemed appropriate for competition purposes. Designs must also be made available for Junk Kouture for publication or exhibition purposes for up to 12 months post competition. 


10.2 Design content and materials must be made available for use of Junk Kouture partners and sponsors, when required for up to 12 months post competition. In these cases, design teams will be issued no fewer than 14 days’ notice prior to the event. All partners must hold relevant insurances for use of designs.  

11. Sustainability approach

11.1 By entering the 2023 – 2024 Junk Kouture competition, design teams will agree to any of the following regarding the reuse, recycling or re-purposing of their design once they submit to the competition. While there is a request for winning designs to be accessible for 12 months post competition, year on year there are so many incredible Junk Kouture designs, and we want to know that responsible actions are taken when the competition ends.  


Design teams that agree to donate their design to Junk Kouture for use at future events please email production@junkkouture.com if you would like to donate your design to us.  

or 


Design teams agree to donate/ lend their design to their school or to a local organisation for purposeful use or learning activity.   or


Design teams commit to the responsible recycling of a design. 

12. Partners / Sponsors

 

12.1 Participants may be subject to promotional activity from partners / sponsors. This activity must be approved by Junk Kouture beforehand, with designers and educators being informed of this prior. 

 

 

12.2 Participants will not be subject to any unlawful promotions, or indeed, be required to partake in promotional activity deemed unsuitable by Junk Kouture. These cases will be examined on a case-by-case basis by Junk Kouture. 

15. Junk Kouture Values

15.1

Junk Kouture expects all relevant stakeholders to respect the values and standards of Junk Kouture, as listed in the Junk Kouture Values.

15.2

Junk Kouture respects the right to privacy. Full details are included in the Junk Kouture Privacy Policy.

16. Complaints Procedure

16.1

Junk Kouture Operations Ireland Ltd. is committed to dealing effectively with any complaints you may have about our company. If we got something wrong, we will apologise and where possible we will try to put things right. We also aim to learn from our mistakes and use the information we gain to improve our services.

15.2

When you complain to us, we will usually respond in the way we explain below. 

17. INFORMAL RESOLUTION

17.1

If possible, we believe it is best to deal with things as soon as possible and in the easiest and most direct way. If you have a complaint relating to the Junk Kouture competition, please discuss with your school first. He or she will then contact us to try to resolve it for you there and then. However, we may need time to look into it (please allow up to 5 working days for this).

18. HOW TO COMPLAIN FORMALLY

YOU CAN MAKE A COMPLAINT IN ANY OF THE WAYS BELOW:

18.1

You can email support@junkkouture.com

18.2

You can write a letter to us at the following address 102 Roadside, Buncrana, Co. Donegal, Ireland, F93 W8C3 

WHAT SHOULD YOU INCLUDE IN YOUR COMPLAINT:

18.3

Remember to state your name, address and telephone number (and email, if applicable) and whether you are acting on behalf of someone else

18.4

Briefly describe what your complaint is about stating relevant dates and times, if applicable 

18.5

List your specific concerns starting with the most important concern 

18.6

Be clear about what you are hoping to achieve (for example an apology, explanation, etc.) 

18.7

State your preferred method of communication

DEALING WITH YOUR COMPLAINT:

18.8

We will formally acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and let you know how we intend to deal with it. We will ask you to tell us how you would like us to communicate with you and establish whether you have any particular requirements for example, if you have language difficulties. We will deal with your complaint in an open and honest way. We will make sure that your interactions with us in the future do not suffer just because you have made a complaint. If you are making a complaint on behalf of somebody else, we will need their agreement to you acting on their behalf.

19. INVESTIGATION

19.1

We will tell you who we have asked to investigate your complaint. If your complaint is straightforward, we will usually ask somebody from the service to look into it and get back to you. In some cases, if the complaint is serious, we may ask someone from outside the organisation to investigate. We will set out to you our understanding of your complaint and ask you to confirm that we have got it right. We will also ask you to tell us what outcome you are hoping for. The person looking at your complaint will usually need to see the files we hold relevant to your complaint. If you don’t want this to happen, it is important that you tell us. If there is a simple solution to your problem, we may ask you if you are happy to accept this. We will aim to resolve concerns as quickly as possible and expect to deal with the vast majority within 30 working days.

19.2

When investigating your complaint, we will look at relevant evidence. This could include files, notes of conversations, letters, emails or whatever may be relevant to your complaint. If necessary, we will talk to the staff or others involved and look at our policies and any guidance.

20. OUTCOME

20.1

If we formally investigate your complaint, we will let you know what we have found in keeping with your preferred form of communication. This could be by letter or email, for example. If necessary, we will produce a longer report. We will explain how and why we came to our conclusions. If we find that we got it wrong, we will tell you what and why it happened. If we find there is a fault in our systems or the way we do things, we will tell you what it is and how we plan to change things to stop it happening again. If we got it wrong, we will always apologise. 

PUTTING THINGS RIGHT:

20.2

If we did not do something well, we will aim to put it right. If you have lost out as a result of a mistake on our part, we will try to put you back in the position you would have been in if we had got it right.

LEARNING LESSONS:

20.3

We take your complaints seriously and try to learn from any mistakes we have made. Our senior management team considers a summary of all complaints on a regular basis as well as details of any serious complaints. Where there is a need for change, we will develop an action plan setting out what we will do, who will do it and when we plan to do it by. We will let you know when changes we have promised to have been made.

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU:

20.3

In times of trouble or distress, some people may act out of character. There may have been upsetting or distressing circumstances leading up to a complaint. We do not view behaviour as unacceptable just because someone is forceful or determined. We believe that all complainants have the right to be heard, understood, and respected. However, we also consider that our staff have the same rights. We, therefore, expect you to be polite and courteous in your dealings with us. We will not tolerate aggressive or abusive behaviour, unreasonable demands, or unreasonable persistence. 

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