Participant Terms & Conditions

“Awards” means the Pearl Global Business Awards, including its related nomination, evaluation, voting, recognition, event, media and promotional activities.

“Organiser”, “TIN Media”, “we”, “us” or “our” means TIN Tech Group Sdn Bhd, being the founder, owner and principal organiser of the Awards.

“Co-Organiser” or “PCEB” means the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau in its stated collaborative role.

“Patron” means the Chief Minister of Penang acting solely in an honorary and ceremonial capacity.

“Participant”, “you” or “your” includes an applicant, nominee, finalist, winner, voter, judge, attendee, authorised representative or other person using the Site or participating in the Awards.

“Submission” means all information, evidence, documents, statements, images, videos, logos, data and other materials submitted in connection with the Awards.

“Official Recognition Materials” includes official certificates, badges, marks, winner logos, titles, trophies, plaques, digital assets and authorised publicity materials.

“Site” means the official Awards website, platform, portal and related digital services operated or appointed by the Organiser.

Headings are for convenience only. “Including” means including without limitation. The singular includes the plural and vice versa.

The Awards are a privately founded and administered business recognition programme organised by TIN Media.

The Awards are not a government award, statutory award, regulatory accreditation, professional licence, public procurement process or government certification.

References to PCEB, the Patron, Penang or any public institution must not be interpreted as transferring ownership, contractual responsibility or operational control of the Awards away from TIN Media.

The Awards may involve collaboration with public bodies, private organisations, sponsors, media partners, professional bodies and other stakeholders without altering TIN Media’s status as the principal Organiser.

TIN Media is responsible for the concept, ownership, administration, programme design, branding, website, nominations, participant communications, commercial management, marketing, operations and delivery of the Awards.

The Organiser may appoint employees, contractors, consultants, judges, verification providers, event suppliers, media partners and other service providers.

The Organiser retains final administrative authority over eligibility, procedural compliance, category placement, timelines, publication, programme operations, brand licensing and enforcement of these Terms.

The Organiser may make reasonable decisions necessary to safeguard the integrity, reputation, fairness, security and effective delivery of the Awards.

Nothing in these Terms prevents the Organiser from operating the Awards commercially, provided that commercial arrangements remain separate from the merits-based evaluation and selection process.

PCEB supports the Awards as Co-Organiser through strategic collaboration, destination promotion, stakeholder engagement, industry facilitation and such agreed programme support as may be determined between PCEB and TIN Media.

Unless expressly agreed in a separate written instrument, PCEB is not the contracting party for participant nominations, commercial arrangements, recognition services, website use, participant payments, participant claims or obligations arising under these Terms.

PCEB does not control or guarantee the acts, omissions, products, services, representations or performance of any participant.

Participants must not present PCEB’s involvement as an endorsement of their company, management, products or services.

The Patron’s role is honorary and ceremonial. Patronage reflects support for the broad objectives of recognising business excellence and promoting Penang as a business and events destination.

The Patron does not participate in, direct or influence the Awards’ commercial administration, participant contracting, sponsorship, nomination processing, judging, scoring, verification, financial administration or winner selection.

Patronage does not constitute endorsement, approval, certification or guarantee of any participant, finalist, winner, product, service, claim or commercial arrangement.

No participant may state or imply that the Patron, the Chief Minister’s Office, the Penang State Government or any public authority has selected, certified, recommended or commercially endorsed that participant.

The Organiser may require immediate correction or removal of any communication that misrepresents the scope of patronage.

By using the Site or participating in the Awards, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted these Terms and the Privacy Notice.

An individual accepting these Terms on behalf of an organisation warrants that they are authorised to bind that organisation.

Participants must be legally capable of entering into binding arrangements under applicable law.

If you do not accept these Terms, you must not use the Site or participate in the Awards.

Participants may be required to create a secure account and provide current, complete and accurate information.

Participants are responsible for safeguarding login credentials and all activity conducted through their accounts.

The Organiser may suspend access where it reasonably suspects unauthorised access, misuse, security risks, fraud or breach of these Terms.

The Site may be modified, interrupted, restricted or unavailable for maintenance, security, technical or operational reasons. Continuous or error-free availability is not guaranteed.

Automated access, scraping, penetration testing, interference, malicious code, circumvention of security controls and unauthorised copying are prohibited.

Eligibility requirements may vary by year, programme, category, territory, sector and participant type and will be published or communicated by the Organiser.

The Organiser may accept, reclassify, defer or reject a nomination that does not satisfy the applicable requirements.

Acceptance of a nomination for processing does not guarantee finalist or winner status.

Participants are responsible for obtaining all internal approvals necessary to enter the Awards and disclose submitted information.

Nominations may be self-submitted, submitted by an authorised representative, or initiated following an invitation from the Organiser.

All Submission content must be accurate, genuine, current, lawful and not misleading by statement or omission.

Participants warrant that they own or are authorised to submit and permit use of all Submission content.

The Organiser may set word limits, formats, deadlines and evidence requirements and may decline incomplete, late, duplicative or non-compliant material.

The Organiser may correct obvious typographical or formatting errors but is not responsible for independently rewriting or completing a Submission.

Participants must promptly notify the Organiser of material changes affecting eligibility or the accuracy of a Submission.

The Organiser may verify information using documents, interviews, public records, references, digital checks, site visits, third-party sources or other proportionate methods.

Verification is intended to support programme integrity and is not an audit, certification, regulatory inspection or guarantee of a participant’s operations.

The Organiser may request additional evidence before or after any announcement and may place recognition on hold pending verification.

A participant’s failure to cooperate with reasonable verification may result in rejection, suspension, disqualification or revocation.

Eligible Submissions will be evaluated using the applicable criteria, methodology and process determined by the Organiser.

The Organiser may appoint an independent judging panel, technical assessors, industry experts or verification partners.

Judges must act impartially, preserve confidentiality and disclose actual or reasonably perceived conflicts of interest.

The Organiser may moderate, calibrate or validate scoring to address conflicts, incomplete assessments, anomalous scores, procedural errors or category imbalance, provided such intervention is directed at procedural integrity rather than favouring a participant.

Judging deliberations, individual scores, comparative rankings, internal records and judges’ comments are confidential unless the Organiser elects to disclose selected feedback.

Subject to the administrative review procedure in Clause 28, judging outcomes are final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding subjective scoring or differences of opinion.

Public voting may be used as one component of the Awards and does not necessarily determine the final result.

Participants must not use bots, scripts, fabricated identities, invalid contact details, vote purchasing, coercive practices or other manipulation.

The Organiser may validate, remove, adjust or disregard votes that appear duplicated, automated, fraudulent, unverifiable or inconsistent with published rules.

Displayed vote counts may be provisional and subject to verification. Voter identities, security measures and detailed validation data will remain confidential, except where disclosure is required by law.

The Organiser may offer or arrange commercial services connected with participation, events, publicity, media, licensing, hospitality, production, promotion and official recognition.

Specific commercial terms, deliverables, payment obligations, taxes, cancellation provisions and service arrangements may be stated in separate proposals, invoices, order forms or written confirmations.

No price or monetary amount forms part of these Terms.

Commercial arrangements, sponsorship, advertising, partnership, event attendance or purchase of recognition-related services do not determine or influence eligibility, judging scores, finalist status or winner selection.

A participant must not describe any commercial arrangement as purchasing an award or securing a judging outcome.

Where a separate commercial document conflicts with these Terms on a commercial service matter, the separate document prevails only for that service. These Terms continue to govern Awards integrity, conduct, judging, brand use and participation.

Finalist or winner status arises only through an official written communication or public announcement authorised by the Organiser.

A preliminary, confidential, internal or conditional communication does not authorise public use of a title, badge or winner claim.

Official Recognition Materials may be provided or licensed subject to separate confirmation, brand rules and applicable service arrangements.

Recognition relates only to the named entity, category, achievement and award cycle stated by the Organiser and must not be extended to other entities, products, locations or years.

The Organiser may correct clerical mistakes, naming errors, category descriptions or publication details without invalidating the underlying result.

The Organiser may impose an embargo on finalist or winner information until an official announcement date.

Participants receiving confidential advance notification must restrict access to personnel who need to know and must ensure compliance with the embargo.

Unauthorised disclosure may result in suspension of publicity rights, removal of content, withholding of materials or other proportionate action.

The Organiser may publish results through its website, events, press releases, media partners, publications, social media and other channels.

All Awards names, logos, badges, designs, certificates and marks are owned or controlled by the Organiser.

Use is permitted only through official materials supplied or expressly approved by the Organiser and in accordance with current brand guidelines.

Participants must not alter, recreate, animate, combine, translate, distort, recolour or register any Awards mark without written approval.

Use must be accurate, non-misleading, non-political and limited to the relevant award cycle and recognition status.

No Awards mark may be used to imply endorsement by the Patron, PCEB, the Penang State Government or any regulator.

The Organiser may require correction, suspension or cessation of use where branding is misleading, unauthorised, outdated or reputationally harmful.

Participants retain ownership of their pre-existing intellectual property.

Each participant grants the Organiser a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to reproduce, edit for length or format, translate, display, publish and distribute Submission content for Awards administration, judging, records, reporting, events, editorial coverage and promotion.

This licence includes use of company names, logos, authorised photographs, representative names and titles, approved quotations, recordings and event footage.

The Organiser will not be obliged to treat promotional Submission content as confidential unless expressly agreed in writing.

Participants must identify genuinely confidential information and avoid submitting trade secrets or personal data that are unnecessary for evaluation.

The Organiser will take reasonable steps to restrict judging materials to authorised personnel, judges and service providers.

Confidentiality obligations do not apply to information already public, lawfully received from another source, independently developed, authorised for disclosure or required to be disclosed by law.

Participants must preserve confidential information received about the Awards, other participants, unpublished results, security processes or judging deliberations.

The Organiser may retain records for legal, audit, integrity, historical and administrative purposes in accordance with its retention practices.

Personal data will be processed in accordance with the Organiser’s Privacy Notice and applicable Malaysian data protection law, including the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 and applicable amendments.

Participants must ensure that personal data submitted about directors, employees, clients, voters, referees or other individuals is provided lawfully and with any necessary notice or consent.

The Organiser may communicate through email, telephone, messaging services, the Site, post, event platforms and other reasonable channels.

Operational communications necessary to administer participation are not optional marketing messages. Marketing preferences may be managed separately where applicable.

Participants are responsible for maintaining current contact information and monitoring official communications.

Judges and persons materially involved in evaluation must disclose actual, potential or perceived conflicts.

The Organiser may reassign an entry, require recusal, appoint an alternate assessor, disregard an affected score or adopt another reasonable safeguard.

Participants must disclose any relationship with a judge or decision-maker that could reasonably call impartiality into question.

A disclosed relationship does not automatically disqualify a participant, but concealment may be treated as misconduct.

Participants must behave professionally and must not harass, threaten, deceive, impersonate or improperly pressure judges, staff, partners, voters, attendees or other participants.

Participants must not seek confidential competitor information, interfere with another Submission or disrupt the Site, events or assessment process.

Nothing in these Terms prevents lawful networking or communication with partners and participants. However, participants must not falsely claim authority from the Organiser, solicit confidential Awards information or interfere with contractual relationships through misrepresentation or unlawful means.

Concerns or criticism may be raised honestly and lawfully through the complaints process. Nothing in these Terms prevents a person from making a legally protected report, complaint or disclosure to an authority.

The Organiser may reject, suspend or disqualify a participant for ineligibility, false or misleading information, non-cooperation, fraud, vote manipulation, unethical conduct, sanctions concerns, reputational risk, non-compliance or material breach of these Terms.

Where reasonably practicable, the Organiser may seek clarification or provide an opportunity to respond before taking final action.

Immediate interim suspension may be imposed where necessary to protect people, evidence, confidentiality, security or the Awards’ integrity.

A participant may withdraw by written notice, but withdrawal does not automatically cancel separate commercial obligations or require removal of lawful historical records and published materials.

The Organiser may publish a correction or withdrawal notice where reasonably necessary to prevent public misunderstanding.

The Organiser may revoke or amend recognition if it later discovers material fraud, ineligibility, misrepresentation, serious misconduct, unlawful conduct or facts that would have materially affected the outcome.

Before revocation, the Organiser will ordinarily notify the affected participant of the concern and allow a reasonable written response, except where urgent action is required.

Following revocation, the participant must cease using the relevant title and Official Recognition Materials and comply with reasonable corrective instructions.

Revocation is an integrity measure and does not imply criminal liability unless expressly determined by a competent authority.

The Organiser may reasonably change categories, criteria, judges, formats, locations, dates, schedules, event delivery modes, publication channels, benefits or procedures.

Changes may be made for operational, safety, legal, integrity, participation, venue, technology, public health or force majeure reasons.

The Organiser will use reasonable efforts to communicate material changes but is not responsible for a participant’s failure to monitor official communications.

Any rights relating to separately purchased or confirmed services will be governed by the applicable separate commercial terms.

Attendance at ceremonies, conferences, networking sessions, media activities or other events may be subject to separate registration, venue, security and conduct requirements.

Participants are responsible for travel documents, insurance, transport, accommodation, health requirements, taxes, duties and personal expenses unless expressly agreed otherwise.

Event programmes, speakers, seating, staging, photography arrangements and presentation methods may change.

Physical items may differ slightly from illustrations due to production variations. Delivery, replacement, import duties and risk arrangements may be governed by separate order terms.

By attending an event, participants acknowledge that photography, audio and video recording may occur and may be used for legitimate Awards reporting and promotion, subject to applicable law and notified opt-out arrangements where appropriate.

The Site and Awards may use third-party payment providers, platforms, venues, couriers, printers, media outlets, voting tools, analytics and other services.

Third-party services may be governed by their own terms and privacy notices.

The Organiser is not responsible for independent third-party content, availability or acts beyond its reasonable control, but will remain responsible for obligations that cannot lawfully be excluded.

The Site, Awards concept, programme names, visual identity, databases, text, graphics, methods, templates, scoring frameworks and other Organiser materials are protected by intellectual property law.

Except for authorised participation and brand use, no licence is granted to copy, reproduce, commercially exploit, reverse engineer, republish or create derivative works from Organiser materials.

Participants must not register or use confusingly similar names, domains, social accounts, logos or event concepts in a manner likely to mislead the public.

A participant may submit a written complaint concerning a material procedural error, conflict of interest, eligibility issue, misconduct allegation or inaccurate publication.

A complaint must provide clear details and supporting evidence within the period stated by the Organiser or, if none is stated, promptly after the issue becomes known.

Administrative review does not involve rejudging a Submission merely because the participant disagrees with subjective scoring.

The Organiser may appoint a person not materially involved in the disputed decision to review the matter.

Possible outcomes include no action, correction, reassessment by a different judge, procedural remedy, suspension, disqualification or revocation.

The Organiser’s decision following administrative review is final, without limiting any non-excludable legal rights.

The Awards recognise achievements based on the information and evidence available within the programme process. Recognition is not professional advice, accreditation, investment advice, a legal opinion or a guarantee of future performance.

The Organiser does not guarantee publicity, media coverage, sales, leads, investment, contracts, website traffic, commercial return or other business outcomes.

Public statements made by participants, judges, speakers, sponsors or third parties are their own and do not necessarily represent the Organiser, PCEB or the Patron.

The Site and services are provided with reasonable care but may contain errors, interruptions or third-party content. Participants should independently verify material information.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Organiser will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of opportunity, loss of goodwill or loss arising from reliance on recognition or publicity.

The Organiser is not liable for losses caused by inaccurate participant information, unauthorised account use, third-party acts, internet failures, force majeure events or matters outside its reasonable control.

Where liability cannot be excluded, it will be limited to the extent permitted by applicable law and, where appropriate, to re-performing the affected service or another reasonable remedy.

Nothing excludes liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

To the extent permitted by law, a participant will indemnify the Organiser against third-party claims, losses and reasonable costs arising from the participant’s unlawful Submission, infringement of third-party rights, material misrepresentation, misuse of Awards branding or material breach of these Terms.

The indemnity does not apply to the extent that the loss was caused by the Organiser’s own negligence, wilful misconduct or breach of law.

The Organiser will take reasonable steps to mitigate recoverable loss and will not recover more than once for the same loss.

The Organiser is not responsible for delay, interruption, relocation, modification or cancellation caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disaster, epidemic, war, civil disturbance, government action, venue failure, labour disruption, utility failure, cyber incident or transport interruption.

The Organiser may adopt an alternative date, venue, format, delivery method or programme arrangement where reasonably practicable.

Notices to participants may be sent to the contact details provided, displayed through the Site or published on an official Awards channel.

Notices to the Organiser must be sent to the official contact details published on the Site.

Electronic communications are deemed received when transmitted without an automated failure notice, subject to proof to the contrary.

The Organiser may amend these Terms to reflect legal, operational, security, programme or business changes.

Material changes will be published on the Site and may be notified directly where reasonably practicable.

Changes ordinarily apply from the stated effective date. Changes necessary for law, security or integrity may take immediate effect.

Continued participation after the effective date constitutes acceptance, except where applicable law requires another form of consent.

These Terms are governed by the laws of Malaysia.

The parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Malaysia, unless a separate written agreement validly provides otherwise.

Before commencing proceedings, the parties should attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute through written discussion, without restricting urgent injunctive relief or limitation periods.

These Terms, the Privacy Notice, applicable programme rules, brand guidelines and any separate commercial documents form the agreement governing participation.

If a provision is invalid or unenforceable, it will be modified or severed to the minimum extent necessary and the remaining provisions remain effective.

Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver.

Participants may not assign their rights or status without the Organiser’s written approval. The Organiser may assign or subcontract operational functions while remaining responsible for its non-excludable obligations.

No participant is an employee, agent, partner or joint venturer of the Organiser, PCEB or the Patron by reason of participation.

Nothing in these Terms creates contractual rights for the Patron, the Chief Minister’s Office or the Penang State Government against a participant, nor does it make those parties responsible for TIN Media’s participant contracts.

The English-language version prevails over any translation unless expressly stated otherwise.

These Terms take effect on the effective date shown at the top of these Terms.