TERMS AND CONDITIONS

NOTE: BEFORE SUBMITTING ANY INFORMATION TO US PLEASE READ, UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

The following terms and conditions apply to all applicants applying for a ORCA Student Grant . You must review these terms and conditions and by applying for a Grant, you confirm your acceptance of these terms and conditions, and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
1. To be eligible for a Grant all applicants must meet the following criteria:

• applicants must be attending a Canadian high school or publicly funded Canadian college or university in Ontario
• applicants must have achieved a minimum grade average of 70% or “B” average  in their most recent completed year of study;
• applicants must submit the following:

– ORCA Student Grand Application Form
– Essay: “What does my Romanian heritage means to me” – 500 words
– A copy of your University/College/Grade 12 transcript of marks
– Declaration and Release Form

• applicants must be a descendent of Romania Nationality.

ORCA will award one(1) $3,000 CDN Grants in 2012, consisting of Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000) CDN cheque made payable to the applicable Grant recipient. ORCA reserves the right to limit the maximum number of awards each year.

An applicant may be required to provide proof that any information  provided in his/her application is true and accurate, including, but not limited to official transcripts to verify his/her grade average, Official Government Documentation of Romania Heritage and T4.

If any requested proof is not received by the Grant administrator, ORCA.  within timeframe specified by the Grant Administrator at the time such request is made, the applicable applicant may be disqualified at the Grant Administrator’s sole discretion.

2. ORCA reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify or amend these terms and conditions (including extending the Grant application deadline), or cancel the awarding of the Grants at  any time without notice or compensation.

3. All applications must be submitted in accordance with the procedure outlined above between Monday, 28th May to Friday, 22nd June, 2012.

4. All applications must be written in English.

5. Judging Criteria: A panel of judges selected by ORCA (the Judges) , along with the Grant Administrator’s representatives, will evaluate and assign a score to all eligible applications received during the time-frame specified above based on the following criteria:

1. Essay: “What does my Romanian heritage means to me” – 500 words  (5 points)
2. Students from low or middle-income families pursuing full-time post-secondary studies (4 points)
3. Having achieved an academic standing of a minimum 70% or “B” average, during the last year (4 points)
4. Employment background (1 point)
5. Volunteer/leadership roles in school/community organizations and/or sports (1 point)
6. Volunteer activities for the Romanian Community (bonus 2 points)
7. Clarity of thought and writing style
8. Creativity/originality
9. Grammar and spelling.

 

The scores assigned to the eligible applications will be used to  determine the eligible finalists. The scores of the eligible finalists will be reviewed and approved by ORCA. After the eligible finalists’ scores have been reviewed and approved by ORCA, the three eligible finalists with the highest scores will each be eligible to win a Grant. The odds of winning a Grant will depend on the total number of eligible applications received during the above-noted timeframe, and compliance with the foregoing judging  criteria.

6. Each potential Grant recipient (and in the case of a minors, his/her parent or legal guardian) will be required to sign a   Declaration and Release provided by ORCA before being awarded a Grant. The Declaration and Release will require, amongst other things, the applicable potential Grant recipient to permit  ORCA to use his/her name, city and province or territory of residence and photograph, without further compensation, in any  publicity carried out by ORCA in respect of the Grant program.

7. All decisions made by ORCA, the Grant Administrator, the Judges and/or their respective representatives regarding any aspect of the administration of the application process and/or the awarding of  Grants are final and binding upon all applicants and/or recipients.
8. Each applicant must ensure that all the information provided in his/her application and in all the accompanying documents is true, accurate, and complete to the best his/her knowledge. Any submission of false information may disqualify the applicable applicant, as determined by ORCA  at its sole discretion.
9. Each applicant consents to the collection, use and distribution of his or her personal information by ORCA, the Grant  Administrator, the Judges and/or their respective representatives for the purposes of administering and fulfilling the Grant application and awarding process.

Any inquiry concerning the personal information held by the above-noted parties should be addressed to Anca Zara: zara.anca@yahoo.com