CPIEA Awards Terms and Conditions for Agent Application

 Eligibility:

1. Applicants must be a recognized international education agency.
2. Applicants must comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
3. Previous award winners are eligible to apply but will be considered in the context of past achievements and current competition.

4. Agencies that also operate in-house educational services (e.g., test preparation or training centers) may be eligible only if those services exist to support their core recruitment activities. Judging will focus exclusively on agency-related work.

Application Process:

1. Applications must be submitted through the official CPIEA portal by the specified deadline.
2. Applicants must provide accurate and truthful information within their submissions.
3. Incomplete or late applications may not be considered.
4. Applications must be submitted to the right category or will be moved if it was submitted incorrectly.
5. Applicants will be attending the CPIEA Award’s event to receive their award.

6. Each application is scored out of a total of 25 points, with five criteria evaluated equally:

• Ethics & Integrity
• Leadership & Vision
• Quality of Services
• Impact on Students Community Involvement

A minimum score of 16 out of 25 is generally required to be considered for an award. However, judges may exercise discretion in exceptional cases where demonstrated impact, ethical conduct, or innovation outweighs numerical scoring.

Judging and Awarding Process:

1. Applications will be evaluated by a panel of judges according to the CPIEA judging guidelines.
2. Judges will consider various factors, including the provided answers, website, and social media presence.
3. A tie occurs when two agents achieve the same score. Judges may recommend both agents be awarded or refer the decision.
4. The CPIEA reserves the right not to award an entire category if the applicants do not meet the expected standards of excellence.
5. The maximum number of winners per category will be limited to six, even in the event of several ties.

6. The CPIEA awards are granted based on absolute score performance, not just ranking within a category. The following score ranges define each award level:

• Gold Award: 22–25 points

• Silver Award: 19–21.5 points

• Bronze Award: 16–18.5 points

• Below 16: Not eligible for an award, regardless of category position

In some cases, a category may have no Gold or Silver winner if all applicants fall below the required threshold. This ensures CPIEA’s award levels maintain consistency and prestige across all categories.

Proportional Award Distribution:

1. Award distribution will consider the size and type of agencies within the industry, with a fair representation of new, small, mid-sized and large agencies.
2. Ties will be managed by adjusting the tie threshold in heavily applied categories.

Award Allocation Policy

The CPIEA awards are determined by quality, not quantity. There is no fixed limit on the number of awardees per category. Any agency scoring 16 out of 25 or higher may be recognized at the Gold, Silver, or Bronze level, as follows:

• Gold: 22–25

• Silver: 19–21.5

• Bronze: 16–18.5

• No Award: Below 16

In each category, CPIEA ensures a balanced recognition of first-time winners and returning awardees, with the goal of spotlighting both emerging talent and sustained excellence. Judges reserve the right to adjust rankings where ethical concerns, application inconsistencies, or category misplacement occur.

Consideration of Ties and Award Distribution:

1. In categories where the ratio of winners to applicants exceeds the overall average, a zero-point tie threshold may be used.

2. In higher volume categories, a tie may be recognized when applicants achieve identical or near-identical total scores, with a maximum tie spread of 2 points (out of 25).

3. Tied agencies that meet the minimum score standard may all be awarded at the same level (e.g., Bronze), provided the total number of winners remains within CPIEA’s limits.

Recognition and Honors:

1. The decision of the judges is final and binding in all matters related to the awards.
2- The CPIEA reserves the right to conduct investigations and assessments to determine if a winner is still eligible to be featured on its website and to retain the award, taking into consideration the integrity and reputation of the CPIEA and its commitment to recognizing excellence in the industry.

Miscellaneous:

1. The CPIEA reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time without prior notice.
2. Any dispute arising under these Terms shall be governed by the laws of Canada.
3. Applicants grant CPIEA the right to use their name, likeness, and information about their application for promotional purposes without additional consent or compensation.

Commitment to Ethics and Fair Judging:

In addition to the aforementioned terms, by participating in the CPIEA Awards, applicants acknowledge and support the commitment of the CPIEA to uphold the highest standards of ethics and fairness in the judging process. Our judges, bound by a strict Code of Conduct, ensure that all applications are evaluated with the utmost integrity.

1. Confidentiality and Privacy: Applicants entrust us with sensitive information,
and we pledge to protect it. Our judges are under strict confidentiality obligations to safeguard all applicant information throughout the evaluation process.

2. Impartiality and Fairness: Each application is judged on its own merits. Our judges are committed to impartiality and are instructed to evaluate submissions objectively, according to the criteria set forth by the CPIEA.

3. Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Our judges are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest, ensuring that every application is reviewed without bias.

4. Secure Handling of Information: The CPIEA and its judges take the security of application data seriously. All information is handled with care to prevent unauthorized disclosure.

5. Professionalism: The professional conduct of our judges reflects our dedication to a respectful and ethical awards process.

6. Adherence to Judging Standards: Judges are expected to comply with all CPIEA guidelines and procedures, reinforcing the fairness and transparency of the awards.

7. The CPIEA reserves the right to verify claims made in the application by contacting listed references, reviewing online content, or requesting further clarification before issuing an award.

8. The CPIEA reserves the right to move applications to a more appropriate category (New, Small, Mid, Large) if the submitted information does not align with the agency’s actual operational scale or history.

Acknowledgment and Agreement:

By applying for the CPIEA Awards, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions, inclusive of the integration of the Judges Code of Conduct, and any decisions made by the judges and organizing committee. We are dedicated to ensuring that the evaluation of your application is aligned with our values of integrity, impartiality, and professionalism.