T&Cs - Christmas Centrepiece Design Competition

1. Eligibility

The competition is open to entrants in the following age categories:

• Schools Category: Open to children aged 11 or under attending a participating school. Entries must be created using the official competition template and submitted physically by the school to the designated submission address.
• Public Category – Children (up to and including 11 years): Open to children aged 11 or under. Entries must be submitted digitally via the official competition form by a parent or carer on the child’s behalf.
• Public Category – Young Adults (12–17 years): Open to young people aged 12 to 17 inclusive. Entries must be submitted digitally via the official competition form by a parent or carer on the entrant’s behalf.
• Public Category – Adults (18+ years): Open to adults aged 18 or over. Entries must be submitted digitally via the official competition form.

The Schools Category is a separate submission route for the Children’s category and does not constitute an additional prize category.

Entrants must meet the age requirements for the category in which they enter. Entries submitted to the wrong category may be disqualified.

Proof of age may be requested where necessary to verify eligibility. Failure to provide suitable proof may result in disqualification.

For digital entries in the Children’s and Young Adults categories, a parent or carer must complete the submission form on the entrant’s behalf and provide their name and email address. By submitting an entry, the parent or carer confirms that they have the appropriate authority to do so and consents to the entrant’s participation in the competition.

For entries submitted through schools, the school is responsible for ensuring that the necessary permissions have been obtained for the pupil to participate and for their design to be submitted.

If a school entry is selected as a winning design, the parent or carer of the winner must complete the required winner Consent and Rights Agreement before the design can be accepted for production and display. 

2. Entry Deadlines

• Schools Category (physical submissions): Entries must be received at the designated submission address by Friday 18 December 2026.
• Public Categories (digital submissions): Entries must be submitted via the official competition form by Thursday 31 December 2026 at 11:59 pm UK time.

Entries received after the relevant deadline will not be considered.

The organisers (Reading’s Economy & Destination Agency – REDA) cannot accept responsibility for entries that are lost, delayed, incomplete, damaged, not successfully submitted due to technical failures or entries that fail to reach the designated submission address by the deadline.

3. Submission Guidelines

• Designs must be circular and suitable for reproduction within the round shape of the Christmas light centrepiece.
• Designs must be original, unpublished and created entirely by the entrant.
• Designs must not infringe the copyright, intellectual property rights or other rights of any third party.
• Entries must be submitted using the official competition template and/or form, as applicable to the entrant’s category.
• Designs must be suitable for public display in Reading town centre and appropriate for audiences of all ages.
• Entries that are incomplete, illegible, inappropriate or do not meet the competition requirements may be disqualified.
• Each entrant may submit one design only. Where multiple entries are received from the same entrant, REDA reserves the right to consider only one eligible entry.

4. Judging, Prizes and Winner Notification

Three winning designs will be selected in total, with one winner from each of the following categories:

• Children (up to and including 11 years)
• Young Adults (aged 12–17 years)
• Adults (aged 18+ years)

Entries will be assessed by a judging panel appointed by REDA. The judges will consider the suitability of each design for the competition and its intended display as a Christmas light centrepiece.

The winning designs will be professionally produced and featured on three official Christmas light centrepieces in Reading town centre from 2027 onwards.

The organisers may continue to display, retain, reproduce or reuse the winning designs after 2027, subject to the usage guidelines granted under Section 5.

Selection as a winner does not guarantee that a design will be displayed for any period beyond the 2027 festive season. REDA reserves the right to change, remove, replace or discontinue any Christmas light design, including for operational, maintenance, safety or other reasonable reasons.

The winners’ names may be published on the Visit Reading website and in related competition publicity, subject to the appropriate permission being obtained from the winner or, for entrants under 18, their parent or carer. Permission to publish a winner’s name is separate from permission to use their artwork. Declining permission to publish a name will not affect the entrant’s eligibility to win or receive the prize of having their artwork featured.

Winners will be notified as follows:

• Schools Category: The relevant school will be contacted and asked to notify the winning pupil and their parent or carer.
• Public Categories: Winners will be contacted using the details provided on the official competition form. For winners under 18, communication will be directed through their parent or carer.

For winning entries submitted through schools, the school must obtain the parent or carer’s permission before sharing their contact details with REDA. REDA will provide the school with suggested wording to request this permission.

For a winning school entry, the organisers will request the parent or carer to complete and sign a form consenting to the use of the design. This will cover the intended use of the artwork and separately ask for permission to publish the child’s name in competition-related publicity. The design will not proceed to production until the required artwork agreement has been completed.

If a winner or their parent or carer cannot be contacted, does not respond within one week, or does not complete the required agreement, REDA reserves the right to select an alternative winner.

The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence regarding the judging process or results will be entered into.

The prize consists of the production and public display of the winning design on a Christmas light centrepiece in Reading town centre. No cash alternative is available.

REDA cannot guarantee the exact timing or duration of the public display, which may be affected by operational requirements or circumstances beyond its control.

5. Intellectual Property and Usage Rights

Entrants retain ownership of their original artwork.

By submitting an online entry, entrants aged 18 or over, or a parent or carer submitting on behalf of an entrant under 18, grant REDA permission to use the design as described in this section.

For winning entries submitted through a school, the winner and their parent or carer (where applicable) must complete a separate winner consent and permissions form before the design can be produced, displayed or otherwise used by REDA.

Subject to the relevant permissions being obtained, REDA may use the winning design to:

• Produce and display it on Christmas light centrepieces in Reading town centre while ever the Christmas light centrepieces are in use.
• Retain and reuse the design in future Christmas displays, including after 2027.
• Promote Reading, the competition and related Christmas activities through websites, social media, printed materials, press coverage and other marketing and communications.
• Create and publish photographs, videos and other records featuring the Christmas light centrepieces and displays.
• Archive and document the competition and its winning designs. These permissions are worldwide, royalty-free and non-exclusive, meaning entrants remain free to use their own artwork. The permissions are ongoing and are not limited to 2027, unless otherwise agreed in writing or required by law.

The grant of these permissions does not transfer ownership of the artwork to REDA.

REDA will not sell winning designs or use them for unrelated commercial purposes without obtaining any additional permissions that may be required.

REDA may make reasonable adjustments to winning designs where necessary for production and display purposes, including resizing, adapting colours, modifying layouts or making other technical changes. REDA will seek to preserve the overall appearance and spirit of the original design and, where substantial changes are required, will consult the winner or their parent or carer where reasonably practicable.

While REDA may continue to use a winning design in future years, this does not guarantee that any Christmas light centrepiece or design will remain on public display indefinitely.

Winners will be credited in connection with the use of their design wherever reasonably practicable

6. Personal Information and Publicity

Personal information collected through the competition will be used to administer entries, verify eligibility where necessary, contact entrants and winners, obtain relevant permissions, and arrange the production, display and promotion of winning designs.

Personal information will be handled in accordance with REDA’s privacy policy.

For entrants under 18, REDA will communicate with the parent or carer where appropriate. Schools must obtain the necessary permission before sharing a winning pupil’s parent or carer’s contact details with REDA.

The names of winning entrants may be published on the Visit Reading website and in related competition publicity only where the appropriate permission has been obtained. For winners under 18, REDA will seek agreement to the publication of any child’s name, separately from any permission to publicise the art work.

REDA will not publish contact details or any other private information as part of the competition publicity.

7. General Conditions

REDA reserves the right to disqualify any entry that does not comply with these Terms and Conditions, contains inappropriate material or is otherwise ineligible.

REDA also reserves the right to amend, suspend or cancel the competition where circumstances beyond their reasonable control make this necessary. Any significant changes will be communicated through the official competition channels where practicable.

If a winning design cannot be reproduced for technical, legal or other reasonable reasons, REDA reserves the right to work with the winner or their parent or carer to make appropriate adjustments or, where necessary, select an alternative winner.

By submitting an entry through the digital form, entrants, or their parent or carer where applicable, confirm that they have read and agree to these Terms and Conditions.

8. Competition Organiser and Contact Details

The competition is organised by Reading’s Economy and Destination Agency (REDA), the management company of Visit Reading.

For questions about the competition or these Terms and Conditions, please contact REDA@reading.gov.uk