Future Tourism Challenge

Download the Terms and conditions (DOC 431KB)

1. About the Future Tourism Challenge

The South Australian Government, tourism industries and stakeholders are committed to establishing the State as a growing tourism destination choice for international and domestic travelers. To contribute to this growth, we present to you the Future Tourism Challenge (“the Challenge”). The Challenge encourages emerging startups, businesses and entrepreneurs to submit their nature-based tourism experience or product that they are willing to undertake to fill the nature-based tourism gaps using the designated Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park – Winaityinaityi Pangkara (“Bird Sanctuary National Park”).

South Australia’s nature-based experiences are unparalleled, and the national park offers an experience that exemplifies modern beauty in nature. Help us unlock the potential of the Bird Sanctuary as place worth visiting and protecting that really is ‘Nature Like Nowhere Else’.

It doesn’t matter where in Australia your business is, if you’re a start-up small business, or a company which is still in its first stages of operations, or an existing business that wants to diversify or someone with a great idea, it’s time to get involved.

The Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary and supporting partners are seeking your ideas to create the best nature experience in Adelaide!

2. Eligibility

2.1 Who can enter?

The Challenge is open to:

• Solvent businesses throughout Australia that can implement an innovative nature-based product, process or service within the Bird Sanctuary National Park within the specified timeframes and specified budget.
• Australian start-up businesses in their first stages of operations or existing businesses that are wanting to diversify within the Bird Sanctuary National Park.
• Businesses or entrepreneurs who are prepared to help create new business opportunities and jobs for the area.
• Any person, community group or sole trader willing and able to obtain an ABN.

2.2 Who cannot enter?

• Members of the Challenge judging panel, the project Convening Partners or any firm or company that has been contracted to deliver services in relation to the Challenge.
• Entrants based outside of Australia.
• Entrants unwilling or unable to establish an ABN.
• Public Sector employees directly involved in providing advice or organising the Challenge.
• Advisers engaged by the State for the purposes of the Challenge.
• Any person who may be reasonably expected to have an unfair advantage through access to information concerning the Challenge.
• Entrants aged under 18 years of age who do not have parent/guardian approval.
• Shortlisted entrants that do not enter into a grant agreement with the Government of South Australia.

3. Challenge Criteria

3.1 What we are looking for?

There are a number of criteria that will be used by the expert judging panel to assess the submissions. These criteria are set out below.

Shortlisted entries will be assessed by a panel of judges only if they include the following:

• Completed idea submission form.
• Demonstrate a product or service innovation applicable to the Bird Sanctuary National Park that meets the criteria outlined in 3.2 Assessment Criteria and 3.3 Original and innovative ideas.
• A registered ABN number or ability to obtain one.

Available to participate in a workshop where the product or service is tested with social innovation experts and prepared for pitching to the judging panel.

3.2 Assessment Criteria

The judging panel will assess the entries against the following criteria:

• The entry aligns with the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary vision and four focus areas
• The entry supports the four key experiences in nature that are ‘Like Nowhere Else’. See the Nature Like Nowhere Else Strategy.
• The entry creates employment opportunities within the Bird Sanctuary National Park.
• The entry can be delivered by entrant completely with grant funds up to $25,000 (together with any resources that the entrant will bring to the entry).
• The proportion of the total cost of the entry that will be supported by the grant funds.
• The ability of the entry to implement and launch by the entrant by June 2018.

All entrants must comply with all laws in South Australia. Challenge submissions apply only to the AIBS national park and not on other land tenures. Any entry proposing the development of infrastructure will need to obtain relevant approvals under the Development Act 1993, National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 and the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988.

3.3 Original and innovative ideas

We are looking for original and innovative ideas. All submissions must be an original work created by applicants who must have all necessary rights to submit the entry. The entry may be an improvement on another party’s existing design; however, it must consist of substantial new, original elements and only these original elements will be considered when being judged. Any existing ideas must be clearly denoted.

4. The process

4.1 Entry

Entries for the Challenge will be open from 7 November 2017 and close 15 January 2018.

4.2 Conditions of entry

Initial submissions must include:

• Completion of required entry form.
• Australian Business Number or ability to obtain one.

4.3 Challenge stages

Stage One

The grant providers of the Challenge will shortlist entries for consideration by the judging panel.

During this time, applicants may be asked for further supporting evidence (as relevant) of the capacity of the applicant.

Stage Two

Shortlisted ideas will be invited to attend a workshop where the product or service is tested with social innovation experts and prepared for pitching to the judging panel.

Interstate representatives may be required to travel to Adelaide at their own cost to present to the Judging panel if shortlisted, or be available by Skype or phone call.

Shortlisted entrants will then be invited to pitch their idea to the judging panel. This pitch session may be on the same day as the workshop, or may be on a subsequent day to be notified to the entrants following the workshop.

When making their final decision the judging panel will take into account both the entrants written entry and the entrant’s pitch presentation, and will assess both against the criteria set out in 3.2 and 3.3.

The expert judging panel will then select one or more winning entry and present the winning entry to the Minister for Environment and Conservation for final decision. The final decision to award the prize (including whether the prize should be awarded to one entry or split between multiple entries) is the decision of the Minister. The Minister is not obligated to accept the decision of the expert judging panel and the decision of the Minister is final.

5. Judging panel

Judges will have expertise in the nature-based tourism, digital business, entrepreneurship and innovation in order to assess submissions against the criteria. The expert panel will be finalised based upon the type of ideas submitted and may be determined by the technology or solution proposed.

6. Deadline

All entries to the Challenge must be received by no later than 5pm on Monday 15th January 2018, Australian Central Standard. Time.

7. Notification of Prize

Following the judging panel’s selection, all applicants will be notified of the judging panel’s decision.

8. Privacy

8.1 Challenge organisers

Challenge organisers will follow strict procedures to ensure all information provided in the entries remains confidential.

All staff involved in the Challenge will sign a statement of confidentiality.

Financial documents submitted as part of the entries will be destroyed within 7 days of the Judges final decision.

8.2 Judging Panel

Prior to receiving the shortlisted entries judges will be a signatory to a statement of confidentiality and will declare any actual or potential real or perceived conflict of interest.

9. Abandonment

The State reserves the right, where it is reasonable and necessary, to abandon the Challenge at any time.

10. Obligation

The State is under no obligation to provide further support in any manner to any submissions or shortlisted entries not selected as the prize winner(s).

11. The Prize

The prize will be awarded to one or more winning entrants. In the event that more than one winning entrant is selected, the Minister will allocate a proportion of the prize to each winning entrant.

The winning entrant(s) will be offered a grant of up to $25,000 (excluding GST) to support their nature-based tourism experience or product at the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary. The grant funds will be offered pursuant to a grant agreement between the Minister for Environment and Conservation and the winning entrant.

A copy of indicative grant agreement terms and conditions will be made available in early 2018. The final grant agreement terms and conditions will depend on the winning entrant’s entry and an assessment by the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources of the winning entrant’s entry. At a minimum, the grant terms and conditions will comply with Treasurer’s Instruction 15.

Access to the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary National Park will be offered to the winning entrant under a separate agreement between the Minister for Environment and Conservation and the winning entrant. A copy of an indicative agreement will be made available on the YourSAy website.

If the winning entrant does not agree to the final grant terms and conditions or to the terms of the access agreement the State reserves the right to award the prize to another entrant.

12. Further use of entries

Each unsuccessful entrant will be invited (but will not be required) to assign or licence to the State the intellectual property in the entry. This will allow the State to pursue the idea described in the entry including (but without limiting) granting creative commons licences to third parties to pursue the ideas.

Entrants are encouraged to consider this option if the entrant does not intend to pursue their idea in the future.

Whether or not the entrant does or does not agree to assign or licence its intellectual property will not be a factor take into account in the judging of the entries.

13. Additional Conditions

The State may at any time seek further information from any entrant regarding their entry, (but need not make the same request of all entrants). This may include but is not limited to:

• requests for additional information from an entrant
• presentations by, or interviews with an entrant
• other responses or additional information as required.

No legal relationship will exist between the entrants and the State except where a grant agreement is entered into with the winning entrant.

Entrants participate in this procurement process at their own risk.

Entrants are responsible for the cost of preparing and submitting their entry and all other costs arising from this Challenge.

Entrants must only communicate with the nominated Contact Person about this Challenge.

Entrants must identify any aspect of their entry that they consider should be kept confidential, and must include reasons. Entrants acknowledge that the State is not obliged to treat information as confidential and in the absence of any express agreement to do so, entrants acknowledge that the State has the right to publicly disclose the information.

Entrants must declare any actual or potential conflict of interest.

Entrants must comply with all laws in force in South Australia applicable to this Challenge.

The State may in its absolute discretion:

• take into account any relevant consideration when judging each entry
• invite any person or entity to enter the Challenge
• consider, decline to consider, or accept (at the State’s sole discretion) an entry lodged other than in accordance with these conditions
• suspend in part or whole, vary or abandon this Challenge process at any time
• make enquiries of any person or entity to obtain information about each entrant.