Terms and Conditions of Participation

The European DIGITAL SME Alliance Essay Competition (the “Competition”) is operated and promoted by the European DIGITAL SME Alliance (“DIGITAL SME”), a non-profit Association organized under the Belgian law and established in Rue Marie Thérèse 21 bte.5, 1000, Brussels, Belgium, with VAT number BE0899786252, duly represented by Sebastiano Toffaletti, Secretary-General.
By entering the Competition, you agree to these terms and conditions.

1. The Competition

a. DIGITAL SME may launch one or more calls for essays per year. Each call will be announced on the DIGITAL SME website and relevant communication channels.
b. The topic of each call will be related to the ICT sector and linked to the DIGITAL SME priorities and area of work.
c. Essays must be written in English and must not exceed 1,500 words, excluding the title and bibliography. As a supporting document for a successful submission, contestants are required to submit their CV.

2. The Prize

a. One or more winners may be selected, based on the sole decision of the judging panel.
b. Upon evaluation by a jury, the winner may be offered the possibility of a an up-to 6-months remunerated traineeship at the European DIGITAL SME Alliance offices in Brussels. The offer of a traineeship is subject to an interview with the winner and to the organisational needs of DIGITAL SME at the time of reward.
c. The scope and content of the traineeship will be defined by DIGITAL SME and tailored, as far as possible, to the skills, background, and profile of the winner, and are not necessarily linked to the essay topic.
d. The cost of travel as well as living expenses during the internship at DIGITAL SME are the sole responsibility of the trainee. In accordance with Belgian legislation on the Convention d’immersion professionnelle, the monthly allowance granted to the selected candidate is set at €1,077.06 and may be adjusted in line with applicable indexation rules.
e. Moreover, the rewarded essay will be promoted on the DIGITAL SME website, social media channels and during flagship events, such as the DIGITAL SME Summit. DIGITAL SME may reimburse travel expenses incurred within the European Union for the winner to attend such events and reserves the right to invite other finalists.
f. Any additional details relating to the prize will be specified in each individual call for essays.

3. How to enter

a. Entries must be submitted using the online form.
b. All entries must be submitted by the deadline specified in the call. Entries received after the closing date will not be considered eligible. A confirmation message will be sent upon successful submission.

4. Eligibility

a. The Competition is open to students enrolled in the last year of a graduate degree (Master or equivalent) or in a higher degree programme relevant to the DIGITAL SME’s work or have already completed such a programme in a Higher Education Institution established in the European Union.
b. The candidates must be able to work in Belgium for the entire duration of the internship.
c. By entering the Competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim any prize you may win. DIGITAL SME may require you to provide proof of your eligibility.
d. Only one entry per person is permitted.
e. Entries not submitted in accordance with these terms or entries that are incomplete or illegible will not be considered.
f. Candidates must have no more than two years of relevant professional experience after the completion of their most recent degree.

5. Prize and judging

a. A judging panel will be established. The panellists will be selected among entrepreneurs and experts from relevant academic fields and may also include members of DIGITAL SME’s internal advisory bodies where appropriate. The decision of the judging panel is final and made at its sole discretion. As part of the final evaluation process, shortlisted candidates, including the winner, may be invited to an interview, notably to assess their suitability for a potential traineeship within DIGITAL SME.
b. The winner will be notified by email within 30 days of the closing date.
c. If any winner cannot be contacted, is not available or has not claimed the prize within 10 days of the notification date, DIGITAL SME reserves the right to offer the prize to the next eligible entrant.
d. We may ask the winner to provide documentary proof or identity, address and eligibility criteria before award of the prize. The use of false or misleading information will result in disqualification.

6. Use of your information

a.  Personal data provided by participants will be processed in accordance with applicable data protection law and DIGITAL SME’s privacy policy, solely for purposes related to the Competition and associated communication activities.
b. All entries must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe the rights of any other party.
c. If AI or other digital tools are used to support the development of the content, the author must clearly acknowledge this and briefly explain how the technology was used (e.g., to correct grammar, to summarise theoretical sources, or to refine structure). The use of AI tools to generate substantial portions of the essay is prohibited, and DIGITAL SME reserves the right to disqualify entries where such use undermines originality or authorship.
d. DIGITAL SME accepts no responsibility for entries that fail to comply with these Terms and Conditions.
e. Participants retain copyright in their submissions but grant DIGITAL SME a perpetual, non -exclusive, royalty-free licence to publish and disseminate the essays, together with the author’s name and country of residence, on DIGITAL SME’s communication channels.

7. Contact

For questions related to the Competition, please contact:

Maria Ariosto, HR & Operations Manager, at m.ariosto@digitalsme.eu.