PRESS START COLAB HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM RULES

(the “Program Rules”)

THE PROGRAM 
The Press Start CoLab High School Program (the "Program") is an innovation accelerator program supporting students and their education leaders to develop a social enterprise idea that offers a positive contribution to mental health for youth. All materials and idea development tools focus on social enterprise concept development and launch best practices.

The Program does not, and is not intended to, constitute mental health advice or counselling. The speakers and mentors who participate in this Program are not mental health professionals and in no event does participation in the Program or any of the sessions or presentations provided in connection with the Program create any patient or client relationship with any of the speakers or mentors. If you or anyone you know may be experiencing mental health issues, please contact the guidance counsellor at your school. 

SPONSOR 
The Press Start CoLab Program (the “Program”) is administered and sponsored Teachers Life Insurance Society (Fraternal) (“Teachers Life” or the “Sponsor”) which sells life, accident and sickness insurance.

The Sponsor’s address is: 
50 Burnhamthorpe Road West 
Suite 703 
Mississaugua, ON 
L5B 3C2 

PROGRAM PERIOD 
On September 3, 2025, Education Leaders are invited to apply to participate in the Program. The deadline for submissions is October 6, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

On or before October 30, 2025, the Sponsor will notify Education Leaders via email whether their team has been selected to participate in the Program.  

Teams will be required to submit proposals (“Program Entries”) by 11:59 pm ET on December 4, 2025 (“Proposal Due Date”) to be eligible for a Grant or Award. No Program Entries or proposals will be accepted after the Proposal Due Date. 

The Program will end on December 18th, 2025, with the Grants and Awards Ceremony (“Program End Date”). 

ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION 
The Program is open to Education Leaders and high school students in Ontario. Eligible students must be high school students in Ontario who: (i) are, at the time of application, enrolled to begin high school in Ontario in September 2025 and are under the age of 18 as of December 31, 2025, (ii) have the consent of their parent/legal guardian to participate in the Program subject to these Program Rules, and (iii) agree to participate in the Program through Education Leaders authorized by their high school's administration. 

Eligible Education Leaders must: (i) be someone who is the age of majority in Ontario or older, (ii) be employed by an Ontario high school, and (iii) have all authorizations, consents or approvals that may be required by their school to participate in the Program. 

To participate in this Program, Education Leaders must agree to, and ensure that the high school students on their team, comply with these  Program Rules. 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE 
Eligible high school students will participate in the Program in teams of one to four students and Education Leaders authorized by their school's administration. 

All information about and access to the Program will be provided by the Sponsor directly to the Education Leaders. Education Leaders will be responsible for communicating and coordinating with the students. In particular, Education Leaders will: (i) complete and submit the application, (ii) register the team on the Press Start Hub, and (iii) ensure that students comply with these Program Rules. 

A maximum of ten (10) teams from across Ontario, with a maximum of one team per school,  will be selected by the Sponsor to participate and the total number of individuals selected to participate in the Program will not be more than 50, which number includes Education Leaders. 

The Program is a digital program and participants must have access to the internet to attend the virtual sessions and submit a proposal. 

GRANTS & AWARDS 
A total of $25,000 CAD in cash grants is available. As part of the proposal submission, each team will be required to indicate which grant denomination is being requested for up to a maximum of $5,000 CAD, per proposal. 

Grants awarded to successful teams will be sent directly to the school, to the attention of the principal and Education Leaders. Once a grant has been paid to the school, the grant is deemed to have been paid and will not be replaced, and the Sponsor shall have no further obligation to participants. Sponsors will not be responsible for any lost, stolen, or misplaced grants after they have been delivered to the Education Leaders. Any applicable taxes will be the responsibility of the school. 

ODDS OF RECEIVING A GRANT 
The odds of receiving a grant depend on: (i) whether the proposal submitted satisfies the Submission Guidelines and the Evaluation Criteria, and (ii) the number of eligible Entries and proposals received by the Program End Date. 

GRANT SELECTION 
To be eligible to receive a grant, Education Leaders must, on or before 11:59 pm ET on December 4th, 2025: (i) submit a proposal that satisfies all the Submission Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria, and (ii) confirm that the students attended not less than one required keynote inspiration session. Only the most compelling and persuasive proposals that comply with the Submission Guidelines and the Evaluation Criteria will be selected. Teachers Life staff will notify Education Leaders if their proposal has been selected for a grant. 

Schools may be asked to provide an update to the Press Start CoLab Administrators at a 6-month and 12-month check-in point. 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND EVALUATION CRITERIA 

Proposals must adhere to the following guidelines (collectively, the “Submission Guidelines”): 

Proposals must be in writing in a PDF format and include all the Program Prerequisites below under Evaluation Criteria.

Proposals must be submitted via the Press Start CoLab Hub as specified by the Sponsor.

Proposals must be no more than a maximum file size of 5 MB (Note: written proposals must include a link to the 1-3 minute video pitch as specified by the sponsor).

Must reference any additional work or research in the participants’ preferred citation style.

Papers must be written in English.

Proposals must be the student teams' original, unpublished work.

Proposals that copy or borrow from other sources (including from other participants) must appropriately cite and acknowledge such sources.

Plagiarizing or copying any material without appropriate acknowledgement or citation will automatically disqualify the participant from the Program.

Proposals will be evaluated and selected based on the following criteria (collectively, the “Evaluation Criteria”): 

Program Grant Requisites: 1-3-minute video pitch, a written proposal, completed external feedback challenge form as a PDF.

Originality: Does it show creative thinking? Are there similar solutions in the market? Is the idea an alternative to existing solutions or an evolution of an existing solution?

Quality of the proposal: Is the solution polished, thorough, and does it detail the resources needed?

Clarity of the proposal: Is the idea described clearly? Is the purpose clear? How does the proposal show that the team has clearly understood the problem space?

Viability: Is the proposal doable within the next 60-90 days?

Desirability: Does the solution have a clear customer/ user segment with a clearly defined need?

Feasibility: Does the proposal demonstrate the ability to execute the technical, logistical and operational parts of the solution?

Impact: demonstrate having a meaningful impact in minimizing the physical, mental and spiritual impacts of our identified issues.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 
All intellectual property used in connection with the Program (except for proposals or materials provided by students and their Education Leaders), including but not limited to trademarks, logos, designs, promotional materials, web pages, source codes, images, drawings, illustrations, slogans and representations are owned by the Sponsor or used by the Sponsor under license. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying or use of any of the Sponsor’s intellectual property without the express written consent of the Sponsor is strictly prohibited. 

Disclaimer of Liability 
The Sponsor is responsible for any theft, destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, Entries; failures or malfunctions of electronic data transmission, interrupted or unavailable network, server or other connections, any error, omission, interruption, defect or delay in any transmission or communication; traffic congestion on the Internet or for any technical problem, including but not limited to any injury or damage to any person’s computer related to or resulting from contacting the Sponsor; the cancellation, suspension or the pre-emption of games, injuries or timing errors, electronic or equipment failure or other communication problems occurring in connection with participation in this Program nor is it responsible for any transmission of viruses from the Sponsor’s websites to a computer system or if any whole entry system crashes resulting in the grant being cancelled or other problems or errors of any kind whether mechanical, human, electronic or otherwise. 

LIABILITY 
The Sponsor and any of their parents, affiliates, agents, and contractors, including advertising and promotional agencies, and their directors, trustees, officers and employees expressly disclaim and shall be held free of all responsibility or liability for any act, error, omission, injury, loss, accident, delay or the neglect or default of any company or person providing any service for the grant, whether through providers negligence or otherwise, or due to epidemic, social or political disturbances or due to any cause whatsoever occurring during the Program and the use of grant. 

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS 
The Program is subject to all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and is void where prohibited by law. The decisions of the Sponsor with respect to all aspects of the Program are final and binding on all participants, without right of appeal. 

Any attempt or suspected attempt to use robotic, automatic, programmed or otherwise illicit means to enter or participate in the Program, or any other methods not authorized by these Program Rules, including, but not limited to, creating multiple accounts, identities, or registrations, all as determined in the Sponsor’s sole discretion, shall be deemed as tampering and will automatically disqualify you from entering, participating, receiving any award or grant. Applications or proposal submissions that: (a) contain false or incomplete information, or (b) copy or plagiarize another person's work or ideas are void. Entries or proposals that are late, lost, stolen, illegible, damaged, misdirected, mutilated, garbled, altered or otherwise irregular or that do not conform with or satisfy all of the conditions of the Program Rules are also void. Participants grant the Sponsor a non-exclusive license to use all Entries and submissions for any purpose. Proof of transmission (for example, screenshots or captures) does not constitute proof of entry or receipt of an entry. 

Participants must treat all other participants, Program judges and administrators with respect and consideration. Impersonating a participant or using another participant's login credentials is prohibited. Any conduct that may be considered offensive, hate speech, harassment, or bullying will not be tolerated and will result in immediate disqualification from the Program and any awards granted shall be revoked and returned. 

Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend, withdraw or amend the Program in any way, without prior notice or obligation, or, if, for any reason, the Program is not capable of running as originally planned. 

All applications and proposals (collectively “Entries”) are subject to verification at any time and for any reason. The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to require proof of eligibility. Satisfactory proof of eligibility is a condition precedent to receipt of any award or grant and failure to provide such proof to the satisfaction of the Sponsor in a timely manner will result in immediate disqualification. 

No waiver by Teachers Life of any of the terms or conditions in these Program Rules or any breach thereof is a waiver of any other term, condition or breach of the Program Rules and no waiver is effective unless it is expressly provided in writing by Teachers Life. 