Contest Rules
Pulse of the Planet's "Kids' Science Challenge" Official Rules
1. ELIGIBILITY
Pulse of the Planet's "Kids' Science Challenge" ("Challenge") is open to all legal U.S. residents who are students enrolled in 3rd through 6th grade at a public, private, parochial, or home school located in one of the fifty states or the District of Columbia. In order to be considered eligible, students must comply with the safety guidelines set forth below ("Safety Guidelines"). Employees, officers and directors of Jim Metzner Productions, Inc. (the "Sponsor"); (the "Judges"), its subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising agencies, promotional suppliers, and participating scientists, their immediate family members (spouse, siblings, and children, regardless of where they live) or members of the same households (whether related or not) of such employees, officers and directors are not eligible. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited.
2. CHALLENGE PERIOD
Please note: the Registration Period is now closed. The Challenge period began on October 1, 2009 at 12:01 AM EST and expired at 11:59 PM EST on February 28, 2010. DEADLINE EXTENDED!! All entries must be postmarked by MARCH 1st. Due to snow day school cancellations in the northeast, all contestants have one extra day to submit entries.
3. BRIEF CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION
Eligible students shall have the opportunity to submit an experiment or problem for a participating scientist to solve. For a student to officially enter the Challenge, the student must be registered as described below and his/her submission must be uploaded, faxed or postmarked between October 1, 2009 at 12:01 AM EST and 11:59 PM EST on February 28, 2009. DEADLINE EXTENDED!! All entries must be postmarked by MARCH 1st, 2010. Due to snow day school cancellations in the northeast, all contestants have one extra day to submit entries. Limit one entry per student or group per category. The student or group judged to have the most original entry in each science category will be selected as a winner and will have the opportunity to work directly with a scientist. Winners will be announced on March 31, 2010 on kidsciencechallenge.com. Scientists will conduct winning experiments between March 31, 2010 and June 1, 2010. The three (3) winners will be entitled to a Grand Prize (described below).
4. TO REGISTER AND ENTER
Please note: the Registration Period is now closed. Starting on October 1, 2009, visit www.kidsciencechallenge.com, click on the "Submit Your Entry!" tab to download a PDF file to be completed and to be faxed or posted via US mail. Alternatively, a parent or guardian may register his or her child online. Entries posted via US mail must include parent or legal guardian's completed and signed "Parent or Guardian Consent" form, which includes the student's full name, home address, home phone, email address, birth date, gender, school grade, parent/legal guardian's name and email address, and school information.
For entries submitted online, parent or guardian must agree to the terms set forth in the online registration process.
Sponsor will send an email or written confirmation to parent or guardian his or her child’s entry into the Challenge.
Personal contact information may be shared with third parties for the sole purpose of prize and science activity kit deliveries.
Student may enter as an individual or as a member of a team. Teams may be formed in classrooms, after-school groups, or other community. In the case of a team entry only, team members will work with a mentor to guide them through the team entry process. The mentor will supply the entrant with a unique team name that must be provided in the Entry Application. Failure to provide an approved team name for a team entry will result in disqualification. You may not enter as an individual if you have already joined a team in coordination with a team mentor.
5. SCIENTIFIC FIELDS
Each student must select one (1) of the following fields of science (each a "Scientific Field" and collectively ("Scientific Fields"):
(i) Bio-Inspired Designs: Propose a new tool, design, or means of accomplishing something, using nature as inspiration.
(ii) Imagining Sports on Mars: Propose a new or modified sport or game suitable for playing on Mars, keeping in mind the unique conditions that exist there.
(iii) Detective Science: Propose a means by which to solve a mystery using the science of forensics.
6. EXPERIMENT SUBMISSION
To enter, a student must submit one Entry Experiment, Question or Problem explaining and/or demonstrating one of the Scientific Fields listed above in Section 5 (the "Entry Experiment"), along with answers to questions explaining how the entrant developed the idea for the Entry Experiment.
The Entry Experiment, Question or Problem must be the original work of the student. Students may work independently or in a peer group on the development of their Entry Experiment and must devise their Experiment with minimal help or direction from others. Entries that include non-student work WILL NOT be accepted.
Please note: the Registration Period is now closed. Completed Entry Experiments must be received via online submission, or postmarked via US mail, or faxed, between October 1, 2009 at 12:01 AM EST and February 28, 2010 at 11:59 PM. DEADLINE EXTENDED!! All entries must be postmarked by MARCH1st. Due to snow day school cancellations in the northeast, all contestants have one extra day to submit entries. No entries will be accepted before or after such period. Entry materials submitted will not be returned to the entrant. Sponsor is not responsible for late, lost, damaged, misdirected, postage due, stolen, or misappropriated entries.
Entry Experiment may not defame or invade the privacy or publicity rights of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon a person's personal or proprietary rights. No copyrighted material may be used in an entry experiment without proper permission from, and acknowledgement of, the copyright owner. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entry at any time which, in the Sponsor's reasonable opinion, endangers the safety or well being of any person or in the event it is determined that the entrant has not complied with these Official Rules, including without limitation the Safety Guidelines. In addition to the Sponsors' right to do so at its discretion, the Judges will also be instructed to disqualify any entry that describes dangerous conduct, stunts or tricks, conduct that could lead to physical injury, property damage or otherwise violates or is inconsistent with these Official Rules.
Participation in the Challenge constitutes the student's and his/her parent's or guardian's full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules. By entering the Contest, the student and his/her parent or guardian warrants that the student's Entry Experiment is an original creation of the student's, and that student and the parent or guardian is aware of no conflicting rights in the submission or claims to the submission, including but not limited to copyright or other intellectual property right.
In the event that an entrant submits an Entry Experiment that is accepted as a winning entry by the judges, and in the following experimental process the Entry Experiment is found to have potential commercial value, intellectual property rights to any and all resulting products and processes will be shared jointly between the Entrant, the participating scientist, and Jim Metzner Productions, Inc.
7. JUDGING
There are two (2) rounds of judging:
Round 1: All entries will first be screened to ensure they meet the entry criteria. Students who meet the entry criteria will advance to Round 2.
Round 2: Judges will score each Entry. Students will be scored on their ability to understand the Scientific Field they have chosen for their Entry Experiment. Scores will be broken down in to 3 areas:
(i) Originality;
(ii) Content's relation to stated criteria; and
(iii) Overall presentation.
The Judges will select the three (3) entrants with the highest overall scores, and these entrants will be eligible for the Contest prizes. In the case of a Team submitting a winning entry, only one (1) Team member will be entitled to a Grand Prize and other Team members will receive runner-up prizes. Team prize awards will be determined by the judges in consultation with the Team Mentor.
In the case of similar or identical entries, judges will make a determination of the winner. All decisions by the judges are final. The 4 winners will be announced on March 31, 2010. Sponsor will use its best efforts to announce the winners at the designated time, but will not be held liable for any unforeseen delays.
8. PRIZES
One Grand Prize will be awarded for each Scientific Field: Each winner shall receive the grand prize associated with his/her submission.
Grand Prizes include roundtrip airfare for the winner and his/her parent or legal guardian from a major airport nearest the winner home (airport and airlines selected by Sponsor in its sole discretion), hotel accommodations, select events/sightseeing and meals. Meals shall consist of 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 3 dinners [Approximately retail value ("ARV") $3,000.00]. Gratuities and incidental expenses not included. Actual value will vary depending upon point of departure and other contingencies. Any differences between actual costs and ARV will not be awarded. Finalist and parent / guardian must travel together on the same itinerary. If finalist resides within a 100-mile radius of prize location, Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to provide ground transportation in lieu of air transportation and no compensation or substitution will be provided for difference in prize value.
A listing of Grand Prize and runner-up prizewinners may be found on the Kids' Science Challenge web site at kidsciencechallenge.com.
Winners will be notified by email or by telephone (as provided on the Entry Application) and will be sent a claim form, which parent or legal guardian of the finalist will be required to sign and return to Sponsor. In addition, each winner will be sent an affidavit/documentation of eligibility and liability release, a federal and state tax release (if applicable), and (where legal) a publicity release. Parent or legal guardian of the winner will be required to complete and return the aforementioned documents within 10 days of issuance of these documents to claim the finalist prize. Failure to timely complete and return the properly signed affidavit and releases or other prize documentation, or if a winner chooses to decline a prize for any reason, or fails to comply with any requirement of these Official Rules, may result in the prize being forfeited. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable, or inability of Sponsor to contact winner(s), may result in disqualification. If a winner forfeits an award for any reason, the Judges shall determine a winner from one of the runners-up. The decision of the Judges in this respect shall be final.
9. RESPONSIBILITIES
All expenses related to acceptance and use of the prizes not specified are the sole responsibility of finalist/winner. By participating, entrants agree: (a) to these rules and decisions of Sponsor and Judges, which shall be final in all respects relating to the Contest; (b) to the release of personal contact information to third parties for the sole purpose of prize deliveries; and (c) to release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor from any and all injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind resulting from their participating in the Challenge or their acceptance, use or misuse of a prize including, without limitation, personal injury, death and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, copyright, trademark, defamation or invasion of privacy.
By entering the contest, entrants agree to grant Sponsor: [a] all rights of ownership, reproduction and use of entry for any purpose whatsoever without compensation or further permission, including but not limited to an irrevocable and perpetual, royalty-fee, worldwide right, in all media (now known or later developed) to assign, use, publish, edit, adapt, modify, alter, reproduce, distribute, broadcast, display, copyright, create derivative works or otherwise exploit entries, for commercial or non-commercial use; and if a winner, [b] to permit Sponsor to use his or her name, photograph, likeness, Entry, biographical information, voice, voice likeness, and city and state address for advertising, publicity and promotional purposes in all media, including but not limited to within Sponsor's web sites in perpetuity, without compensation (unless prohibited by law) and agree to execute specific consent to such use upon request.
Sponsor is not responsible for and shall not be liable for: [a] electronic, hardware or software program, network, Internet or computer malfunctions, failures, or difficulties of any kind, including without limitation, server malfunction or by any human error which may occur in the processing of entries; [b] failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions; [c] late, lost, misdirected or incomplete entries; or [d] any condition caused by events beyond the control of the Sponsor that may cause the promotion to be disrupted or corrupted.
Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Challenge or any portion thereof should viruses, bugs or other causes beyond the control of Sponsor corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Challenge, and limit entries to those submitted prior to the action taken, or to proceed in such a manner as may be deemed fair and equitable by Sponsor in its sole discretion and to award the prize from all eligible entries received prior to such action taking place. No prize transfer or cash redemption. No prize substitution, in whole or in part, except by Sponsor due to prize unavailability, safety or security considerations, or any other reason as solely determined by Sponsor in which case a prize of comparable or greater value will be awarded.CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE PROMOTION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
Internet entry must be made at the authorized web site address of www.kidsciencechallenge.com. Entries may not be made by any other individual or any entity, and/or originating at any other Internet web site or e-mail address, including but not limited to commercial contest and sweepstakes subscription notification and/or entering service sites. Any person who enters by any of the methods described above will be disqualified. Use of any device to automate entry is prohibited. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entry at any time in the event it is determined that the entrant has not complied with these Official Rules. This Contest is governed by the laws of the State of New York, with jurisdiction and venue in Ulster County, New York, and all claims must be resolved in the courts of Ulster County, New York.
10. WINNERS LIST
Grand Prizewinners' names will be published on the Kids' Science Challenge web site, www.kidsciencechallenge.com, on or before April 1, 2010.
Sponsor: Jim Metzner Productions, Inc., PO Box 344, Accord, NY 12404.
