1. Definitions

"Organiser" means Crediton Milling Company Limited, trading as CMC, registered in England and Wales.
"Programme" means the CMC Apprentice 2026 competition as described in the Programme Brief.
"Fordton Farm" means the fictional 250-acre model farm as described in the Programme Brief, located in the Crediton area, Devon.
"Applicant" means any individual who submits an entry in accordance with these Terms.
"Entry" means the written proposal and video pitch submitted by an Applicant.
"Judges" means the panel appointed by the Organiser to assess Entries.
"Prize" means the package described in Clause 9.

2. The Organiser

The Programme is organised and administered by:
Crediton Milling Company Limited

3. Eligibility

To be eligible to enter the Programme, Applicants must:

3.1 Be aged between 18 and 30 years old at the date of entry submission.
3.2 Be resident in the United Kingdom.
3.3 Not be an employee, director, consultant, or close family member of an employee or director of Crediton Milling Company Limited or any of its associated companies.
3.4 Not be an employee or close associate of any of the named Judges or mentors.
3.5 Have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom.
3.6 Submit only one Entry per Applicant. Multiple Entries from the same individual will result in disqualification.

4. Entry Period

The Programme opens for entries on 1st June 2026 and closes on 31st July 2026

Entries submitted outside of the entry window will not be considered. The Organiser accepts no responsibility for late, lost, or incomplete Entries.

5. How to Enter

To enter the Programme, Applicants must submit the following to Crediton Milling via The Website by the closing date:

5.1 Written Proposal: A written business proposal of no more than 1,000 words outlining their background, business concept, and financial and operational thinking.
5.2 Video Pitch: A commercially focused video pitch of no more than 2 minutes in duration.

Entries must be submitted in the following formats:

• Proposal Document: Word (.docx), ODF Text Document (.odt), or PDF (.pdf)
• Video Pitch: MP4 (.mp4)

Entries that exceed the stated word or time limits, or that are submitted in an incompatible format, may be disqualified at the Organiser's discretion.

6. Entry Content and Conduct

By submitting an Entry, Applicants confirm that:

6.1 The Entry is entirely their own original work and does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party.
6.2 The Entry does not contain any content that is unlawful, defamatory, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate.
6.3 All financial projections, business assumptions, and supporting information contained within the Entry are presented in good faith.
6.4 They have not used AI-generated content as the primary basis of their Entry without disclosure.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Applicants retain ownership of the intellectual property in their Entry.
7.2 By submitting an Entry, each Applicant grants the Organiser a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, reproduce, and publish the Entry (in whole or in part) for promotional, marketing, and educational purposes relating to the Programme and the Organiser’s business activities.
7.3 The Organiser will credit the Applicant when reproducing their work wherever reasonably practicable.

8. Judging

8.1 All eligible Entries will be assessed by a panel of Judges appointed by the Organiser. The Judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

8.2 Entries will be assessed against the following criteria:

• Commercial viability and profitability
• Scalability and long-term potential
• Risk awareness and mitigation
• Innovation and creativity
• Clarity and quality of presentation

8.3 Shortlisted finalists will be invited to present their proposals in person to the full Judges’ panel. The date, location, and format of this final will be communicated to finalists directly.
8.4 The Organiser reserves the right to withhold the Prize if, in the Judges’ opinion, no Entry meets the required standard.

9. The Prize

9.1 The winner of the CMC Apprentice 2026 Programme will receive:

• A prize fund of £1,500 (one thousand five hundred pounds)
• Three days of one-to-one mentoring with industry professionals (the Judges) however we reserve the right to offer suitable alternatives if circumstances dictate.
• Industry networking opportunities at the formal announcement event in early September 2026

9.2 The Prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered in lieu of the mentoring element. The £1,500 prize fund will be allocated within 2 weeks of the winner being announced.
9.3 The winner will be announced at a formal event in early September 2026. The exact date and venue will be confirmed in advance.
9.4 Any tax liability arising from receipt of the Prize is the sole responsibility of the winner.

10. Data Protection and Privacy

10.1 The Organiser will process personal data submitted as part of the Programme in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
10.2 Personal data will be used solely for the purposes of administering the Programme, contacting Applicants regarding their Entry, and (where consent is given) for promotional purposes.
10.3 Personal data will not be shared with third parties except where necessary for the administration of the Programme, or where required by law.
10.4 Applicants have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of their personal data at any time by contacting Dave Holt at Crediton milling.
10.5 The Organiser’s full Privacy Policy is available at: https://creditonmilling.co.uk/privacy/

11. Publicity

11.1 By entering the Programme, Applicants consent to the Organiser using their name, likeness, and general Entry summary for promotional and press purposes (including Social media platforms) in connection with the Programme, without further payment.
11.2 The winner agrees to participate in reasonable publicity activity following the announcement, including but not limited to press releases, social media content, and trade press interviews.
11.3 The Organiser will not publish full business proposals publicly without the prior written consent of the relevant Applicant.

12. Liability

12.1 The Organiser accepts no responsibility for Entries that are lost, delayed, corrupted, or incomplete due to technical failure, postal delay, or any other cause beyond its reasonable control.
12.2 Nothing in these Terms shall limit or exclude the Organiser’s liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be lawfully excluded.
12.3 The Organiser shall not be liable for any loss of profit, loss of business, or indirect or consequential loss arising in connection with the Programme.

13. Disqualification and Programme Changes

13.1 The Organiser reserves the right to disqualify any Applicant who: breaches these Terms; provides false or misleading information; behaves in a manner that is harmful to the integrity of the Programme; or engages in any form of canvassing of the Judges.
13.2 The Organiser reserves the right to amend, suspend, or cancel the Programme at any time should circumstances make this necessary, providing as much notice as reasonably practicable to Applicants.

14. General

14.1 These Terms constitute the entire agreement between the Organiser and each Applicant in relation to the Programme.
14.2 These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
14.3 If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
14.4 Failure by the Organiser to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.