Do you embroider or illustrate? Carve wood or crochet? Are you a dressmaker or a DJ? A mixologist or ceramicist? Now’s your time to shine. Whether you’re one of the UK’s 32,000 professional makers, or you’ve got a crafty side hustle or hobby, The Balvenie wants to hear from you.
A handcrafted single malt scotch whisky, The Balvenie – whose master craftspeople are on a mission to encourage a new generation of makers – has launched The Makers Project: a deep dive into the journeys, practices and processes of the country’s creative greats. Culminating in a unique spoken word event at the Barbican, the likes of visual artist Tishk Barzanji will write letters to their younger selves at the start of their artistic adventure – sharing advice and insight on the cusp of their careers to inspire more makers.
And they want your words of wisdom too. For the chance to win a bottle of The Balvenie whisky and a Guardian Masterclass, simply tell us a bit about what you make and/or why below – whether that’s what inspired you to start, why you love creating today, or even a little letter of advice to yourself when you were starting out.
A panel of judges – including a Guardian editor – will pick the winning first, second and third prizes, who will have the chance to be published on theguardian.com, and win a Guardian Masterclass worth up to £600 (first prize). From watercolour to horticulture, how to write a novel to an introduction to illustration, the Guardian’s Masterclasses are led by industry big-hitters, offering practical advice to skill up in a vast array of disciplines. Take a look at what’s on offer here.
To find out more about The Makers Project and buy tickets to The Makers: Live, with all proceeds going to the Crafts Council, visit uk.thebalvenie.com/themakers
1 The Guardian Labs The Balvenie competition (the “Competition”) is open to UK residents aged 18 and over.
2 The Competition is not open to employees or agencies of Guardian News & Media Limited (“GNM” or the “Promoter”), their group companies or family members, freelance contributors to GNM, or anyone else connected to the Competition.
3 Entrants into the Competition shall be deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions.
4 To enter the Competition you must write a 250-word message to your younger self, at the start of your creative journey, explaining what you’ve achieved since – as well as any obstacles you’ve had to overcome, how it’s impacted you and others, and a piece of advice you wish you’d known back then. No purchase is necessary. If you have any questions about how to enter or otherwise in connection with the Competition, please email us at lauren.illingworth@theguardian.com with “Guardian Labs The Balvenie Competition” in the subject line.
5 Only one entry per person. Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted and joint submissions are not allowed. You are responsible for the cost (if any) of sending your Competition entry to us. The winners shall be the owners of the email address from which the selected winning entries are sent.
6 GNM accepts no responsibility for entries that are lost, delayed, misdirected or incomplete or cannot be delivered or entered for any technical or other reason. Proof of delivery of the entry is not proof of receipt by GNM.
7 The Competition opens on 21 September and closes at 23:59 on 12 October. Entries received outside this time period will not be considered. GNM reserves the right in its absolute discretion to extend the closing date where the entries received are of insufficient quality.
8 You own the copyright to your Competition entry as its author. If another person has photographed your entry, you warrant that you have received an assignment of all associated copyright to that entry from that person. The Promoter may ask to see evidence of that assignment at any time.
9 By submitting an entry to the Competition, you give GNM:
a. Permission for your entry to be published on GNM websites including but not limited to theguardian.com (“GNM Websites”) and on any social media account controlled by GNM, including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter accounts (“GNM Social Media Accounts”), and you grant GNM a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use and publish your Competition entry in electronic format (including on GNM Websites and GNM Social Media Accounts) and hard copy (including in GNM publications) for purposes connected with the Competition, and to adapt the entry to enable such publication (including to crop or otherwise edit it for such purposes), and you hereby irrevocably waive, for the benefit of GNM, all moral rights in the entry to which you are entitled; and
b. The right to use your name and region of residence for the sole purpose of identifying you as the author of your entry and/or as a winner of the Competition.
10 Your entry must not be copied, must not contain any third-party materials and/or content that you do not have permission to use, must not promote any goods or services other than those of your business (if applicable) or include any trade marks (other than those belonging to the Promoter or you or the business), and must not show inappropriate or dangerous behaviour, or otherwise be obscene, defamatory, distasteful, offensive, or in breach of any applicable law or regulation, or in breach of any confidentiality obligations owed by you to third parties. If we have reason to believe your entry is in breach of this paragraph then we may not consider it and may disqualify it.
11 Entrants confirm that each individual whose image is featured in the Competition entry has given consent for the use of his/her image in connection with this Competition and in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. Where an individual whose image is featured in a Competition entry is aged less than 18 years the entrant confirms that the parent or guardian of that individual has given the relevant consent.
12 If your entry features the image of any individuals representing or employed by your business or makes any reference to or uses any branding of your business, you confirm that your business has consented to such activities.
13 We may disqualify your Competition entry for the following reasons: your entry does not comply with these Terms and Conditions; you have not obtained the consents detailed above; your company (if applicable) has for any reason fallen into disrepute in the reasonable opinion of the Promoter; you are not eligible to enter the Competition; or you cannot be contacted. In the event of disqualification, we may select a new winner in accordance with the selection processes outlined below.
Picking the winners
14 A panel of judges, including at least one member who is independent of GNM, will select three winning entries from all valid entries received in accordance with these Terms and Conditions. Full details of the judging process and the names of the judges are available on request to lauren.illingworth@theguardian.com
15 When choosing the winners, the judges will consider whether you’ve answered every aspect of the brief, as well as the uniqueness of your creative journey, scale of achievement, and how inspiring/thought-provoking your advice to your younger self is.
16 The judges will select the winning entries on or after 15 October. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The Prizes
17 The winners will receive: First place will win a Guardian Masterclass worth £600 and a bottle of The Balvenie Double Wood 12-year-old whisky. Second place will win a Guardian Masterclass worth £100 and a bottle of The Balvenie Double Wood 12-year-old whisky. Third place will win a Guardian Masterclass worth £50 and a bottle of The Balvenie Double Wood 12-year-old whisky.
18 Only one winner per household. GNM accepts no responsibility for any costs associated with the prize that are not expressly included in the prize.
19 The winners will be notified by phone or email on or after 22 October 2021 and given details of how to claim their prize. If a winner does not respond to GNM within 14 days of being notified of their win, the winner’s prize will be forfeited and GNM shall be entitled to select another winner in accordance with the process described above (and that winner will have to respond to notification of their win within 14 days or else they will also forfeit their prize). If a winner rejects their prize or the entry is invalid or in breach of these terms, the winner’s prize will be forfeited and GNM shall be entitled to select another winner.
20 The prizes will be sent to the winners by 4 December 2021.
21 The prizes are non-exchangeable, non-transferable and not redeemable for cash or any other prize.
22 GNM reserves the right to substitute the prize with an alternative prize of similar value in the event that the original prize offered is not available.
Some other rules
23 The name and region of the winners can be obtained after 4 December by sending a stamped addressed envelope to the following address: Lauren Illingworth, Guardian News & Media Limited, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU.
24 The winners may be required to take part in promotional activity related to the Competition and the winners shall participate in such activity on the Promoter’s reasonable request. The winners consent to the use by the Promoter and its related companies, both before and after the closing date of the Competition for an unlimited time, of the winner’s voice, image, photograph and name for publicity purposes (in any medium, including still photographs and films, and on the internet, including any websites hosted by the Promoter and its related companies) and in advertising, marketing or promotional material without additional compensation or prior notice and, in entering the Competition, all entrants consent to the same.
25 The Promoter shall use and take care of any personal information you supply to it as described in its privacy policy, a copy of which can be seen at https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy, and in accordance with data protection legislation. By entering the Competition, you agree to the collection, retention, usage and distribution of your personal information in order to process and contact you about your Competition entry, and for the purposes outlined above.
26 GNM accepts no responsibility for any damage, loss, liabilities, injury or disappointment incurred or suffered by you as a result of entering the Competition or accepting the prize. GNM further disclaims liability for any injury or damage to your or any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from participation in or downloading any materials in connection with the Competition. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall exclude the liability of GNM under law for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for death or personal injury resulting from its negligence.
27 GNM reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, this Competition with or without prior notice due to reasons outside its reasonable control (including, without limitation, in the case of anticipated, suspected or actual fraud). The decision of GNM in all matters relating to the Competition is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
28 GNM shall not be liable for any failure to comply with its obligations relating to this Competition where the failure is caused by something outside its reasonable control. Such circumstances shall include, but not be limited to, weather conditions, fire, flood, hurricane, strike, industrial dispute, war, hostilities, political unrest, riots, civil commotion, inevitable accidents, supervening legislation or any other circumstances amounting to force majeure.
29 The Competition and these Terms and Conditions will be governed by English law and entrants to the Competition submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
30 Promoter: Guardian News & Media Limited, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU.