The People's Choice Award ('PCA') is an online voting contest to choose the top youth-focused initiative from among 18 nominees chosen by Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) community volunteers. The People's Choice Award is given to the nominee chosen by the public in an online vote as having had substantial impact for youth aged 13 to 18. Online voting will take place February 13 – 29, 2012. The nominee with the most votes wins.

ELIGIBILITY
The People's Choice Award is open only to the 18 youth-focused OTF-funded community organizations nominated by OTF volunteers. View the list.

VOTING PERIOD
Voting starts Monday February 13, 2012 at 12:00:01 a.m. (midnight) and ends on Wednesday February 29, 2012 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST.

HOW TO WIN
The organization receiving the most online votes wins. In the event of a tie, OTF, at its sole discretion, will choose a final recipient.

RECIPIENT WITH THE MOST VOTES WILL RECEIVE
The nominee with the most votes at voting closure will gain pre-paid access to brand-name consulting expertise tailored to the organization’s needs.

Deloitte is one of Canada's leading professional services firms, providing audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through more than 8,000 people in 56 offices.

ACT (Advising the Communities Together) is a volunteer-led group within Deloitte’s GTA practice that advises executives and board members of leading non-profit organizations on strategic management issues in order to help overcome challenges and ultimately better fulfill their missions. Deloitte’s ACT group will work with the recipient of the People’s Choice Award in Toronto in a day-long planning session focused on an issue identified by the recipient as being a challenge or opportunity currently faced by the organization.

Consulting expertise courtesy of Deloitte must be initiated no later than by March 1, 2013. This opportunity has no cash value, is not transferable and must be exercised by the organization that received the most online votes.

HOW TO VOTE
Anyone can vote. Voters can ONLY vote on the People's Choice Award website. Voters can vote for more than one submission but may cast five votes per HOUR.

SUBMISSIONS BY THE 18 PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD NOMINEES:

To encourage the public to vote for their OTF-funded initiative, nominees are strongly encouraged to upload to the OTF People's Choice Website [link] the following content:

»Written descriptions – 250 words maximum - "in their own words" describing: who the grant served, why it was needed and how it improved the lives of the youth served.

»Photos - Minimum 1 Maximum 4 – images that help 'tells the story" of the impact of the grant on participating youth. Preferred image/photo formats: jpg, gif, png max 200mb

»Video – (Optional) 30 - 120 sec video or video testimonial that makes the case for 'HOW this OTF-funded project is making a difference in the lives of these youth". Formats : .avi; will accept: .wmv or m4v. - max. 500mb

»Photo or video submissions may be original to the organization or may have been previously created by a third party. If previously created by a third party, the participant must warrant at time of uploading to the OTF People's Choice Award website that he or she has obtained full permission to submit these same photos or videos for full use by the People's Choice Award and OTF.

Should any nominee fail to upload the above content, OTF reserves the right to post a written description and/or photograph on behalf of the nominee.

OTF reserves the sole and absolute discretion to refuse/edit or remove any content submissions (written copy, photo or video) that it deems inappropriate or in bad taste.

MATERIAL USE AND OWNERSHIP
All submitted materials, including without limitation all photos and videos, may be used by OTF without compensation to participating organizations and/or copyright holders, and will be posted to the OTF website (www.otf.ca), OTF social networking sites, and may be used in other OTF materials (including, but not limited to, OTF's Annual Reports) at OTF's sole and absolute discretion, in perpetuity.

Nominees may not submit or use any material that is proprietary to a third party or otherwise protected by intellectual property laws. Nominees must confirm that they have obtained signed waivers from any youths under age 18 whose likeness appears in any photos, images or videos submitted as part of the People's Choice Award.

By participating, nominees consent to the use of the organization's name, address, comments, photographs, video or written descriptions submitted, in connection with any publicity, general news or informational purposes carried out by OTF in its sole discretion.

LIKING AND SHARING SUBMISSIONS ON SOCIAL NETWORKS:
Voters may only vote for a submission on the OTF People's Choice Award website (link]. While you may share or like a submission using those features on the OTF Facebookâ„¢ page or any other Facebookâ„¢ page or social network, under no circumstances will this constitute or equal a vote for the People's Choice Award. This contest is in no way associated with Facebookâ„¢.

CONTEXT, TERMINATION, MODIFICATION, ETC.
OTF reserves the right to delay, modify, suspend or terminate this contest or amend or modify these rules at any time without prior notice and without liability.

RELEASE OF LIABILITY

OTF does not assume any responsibility arising from, in connection with or otherwise related to the People's Choice Award or People's Choice Award website.

RECIPIENT NOTIFICATION
The nominee organization receiving the most votes by Wednesday February 29, 2012 at 11:59:59 p.m. EST will be notified by email and phone no later thanend of day Friday March 2, 2012