Common Terms Used in These Rules

Contest Description

What are the Start and End Dates?

Can I Enter?

How Do I Enter?

What Constitutes an Eligible Entry?

How Will My Entry Potentially Be Used?

Winner Determination and Prizes:

What Other Conditions Am I Agreeing to by Entering?

What Laws Govern the Way this Contest is Executed and Administered?

What if Something Unexpected Happens and the Contest Can’t Run as Planned?

How Can I Find Out Who Won?

Who is Sponsoring this Contest?

Common Terms Used in These Rules:

These are the official rules that govern how the Microsoft Bliink contest promotion will operate (“Contest”). In these rules, “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Microsoft Corporation and ORGANIZATION CO-SPONSOR, the sponsors of this Contest. “You” refers to an eligible Contest entrant.

Contest Description:

This is a skill-based Contest. The object of this Contest is to recognize the best website designs from among select educational organizations that communicates a vision of the future and utilizes the Microsoft Expression suite of software tools. For purposes of this contest, each “website” you create will be called an “entry”. All eligible entries received will be judged using the criteria described below to determine the winners of the prizes described below.

What are the Start and End Dates?

This Promotion starts at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on November 30, 2011, and ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on June 1, 2012 (“Promotion Period”) and will consist of the following phases:

Phase 1 Entry Creation: November 30, 2011 – June 1, 2012

Students will be able to start working on their project as soon as they receive supplemental materials from their school and each group may have unique submission deadlines. Dates and schedules may vary so please refer to the specific eligible group page at http://www.bliinkcontest.com for the latest information.

Phase 2 Registration: January 2, 2012 – February 28, 2012

Students will be able to register for participation in the bliink web design competition according to the rules outlined below, after January 2, 2012. Please refer to http://www.bliinkcontest.com for the latest information and specific registration deadline.

Phase 2 Submission: January 2, 2012 – June 1, 2012

Students will be able to submit their completed projects via the method outlined below, after January 2, 2012. Please refer to the specific eligible group page at http://www.bliinkcontest.com for the latest information and specific submission deadline.

Can I Enter?

You are eligible to enter this Contest if you meet the following requirements at time entry:

  1. You are a student currently registered/enrolled in a pre-collegiate school or home-school program in a participating state or program; and
  2. You are a legal resident of the 50 United States and District of Columbia and are between the ages of 13 and 19 as of the start date; and
  3. If you are 13 years of age or older, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, you should ask your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission prior to submitting an entry into this Contest; and
  4. You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and
  5. You are NOT involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Contest; and
  6. You are NOT an immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Contest.

This Contest is void outside the geographic area described above and wherever else prohibited by law.

How Do I Enter?

To enter the contest, you must do all of the following:

  1. Register for the contest during the registration period by visiting http://www.bliinkcontest.com and following the on-screen instructions.
  2. Ensure you meet the entry prerequisites by:
    1. Forming a team of a two (2) to four (4) people,
    2. Having a designated team captain, and
    3. Having an agreement with a teacher to be able to verify your ‘student status’ (each team collectively referred to as the “entrant”).

      A team does not need to consist of members from the same academic institution. Each participant may only be a member of one (1) team and cannot be a member of multiple teams. Each team member must register individually online at http://www.bliinkcontest.com by March 31, 2012. No additional team members can be added after the Registration Period has passed. The team captain will be responsible for any communication with the contest organizers, and for uploading (submitting) the team’s entry. Only participating and registered team members, as of the submission date, will be eligible to receive a prize.

  3. Create a website that best illustrates the theme “Imagine a future made better by technology” using the Microsoft Expression suite of software (“entry”). To upload your entry, the team captain must go to http://www.bliinkcontest.com and click on the “submit” link. The captain must enter all the required information, including a .ZIP file of the entire website no later than the designated entry deadline above.

Once you have met the qualifications above, you can participate in the Contest by visiting the Contest web site at http://www.bliinkcontest.com and completing and submitting the online entry form, including submission of your entry, as instructed. In order to qualify, your entry must meet all the content/technical requirements listed below.

We will only accept one (1) entry per team. If multiple entries from the same team are received, only the last entry uploaded will be judged. Entries received from any person, team, or email address, other than the team captain will be void.

We are not responsible for entries that we do not receive for any reason, or for entries that we receive but are not decipherable for any reason.

We will automatically disqualify:

  1. Any incomplete or illegible entry; and
  2. Any entries that we receive from you that are in excess of the entry limit described above.

What Constitutes an Eligible Entry?

To be eligible for judging an entry must meet the following content / technical requirements:

  1. Submission must be less than 10MB in size;
  2. Submission website must be created using Expression® suite of software; web assets (images, sounds, multimedia) can be created/modified with other applications and but must comply with the trademark/copyright guidelines below.
  3. Submission must be HTML only (ASP and PHP files will not be viewed by judges);
  4. Submission must be viewable using Internet Explorer 7, 8 or 9;
  5. Submission must be created from a website folder that has been converted into a single .ZIP file with the default.html or index.html page in the root of that folder;
  6. All portions of the Submission must be predominately in English; and
  7. Any portion of the Submission cannot have been submitted previously in a promotion of any kind or exhibited or displayed publicly through any means.

In addition:

  1. your entry must be your own original work; and
  2. your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest; and
  3. you must have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your entry; and
  4. your entry may not include any third party trademarks (logos, names) or copyrighted materials (music, images, video, recognizable people) unless you have obtained permission to use the materials. You may include Microsoft trademarks, logos, and designs, for which Microsoft grants you a limited license to use for the sole purposes of submitting an entry into this Contest.

Entries may NOT contain, as determined by us, in our sole and absolute discretion, any content that:

  1. is sexually explicit, unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional or age group; profane or pornographic;
  2. promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing) or a particular political agenda;
  3. is obscene or offensive;
  4. defames, misrepresents or contains disparaging remarks about other people or companies;
  5. communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or good will to which we wish to associate; and/or violates any law;

We reserve the right to reject any entry, in our sole and absolute discretion, that we determine does not meet the above criteria.

How Will My Entry Potentially Be Used?

Other than what is set forth below, we are not claiming any ownership rights to your entry. However, by submitting your entry, you:

  1. are granting us an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to: (i) use, review, assess, test and otherwise analyze your entry and all its content in connection with this Contest; and (ii) feature your entry and all content in connection with the marketing, sale, or promotion of this Contest (including but not limited to internal and external sales meetings, conference presentations, tradeshows, and screen shots of the Contest entry in press releases) in all media (now known or later developed);
  2. agree to sign any necessary documentation that may be required for us and our designees to make use of the rights you granted above;
  3. understand and acknowledge that the Sponsor(s) may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your submission and you waive any claims you may have resulting from any similarities to your entry;
  4. understand that we cannot control the incoming information you will disclose to our representatives in the course of entering, or what our representatives will remember about your entry. You also understand that we will not restrict work assignments of representatives who have had access to your entry. By entering this Contest, you agree that use of information in our representatives’ unaided memories in the development or deployment of our products or services does not create liability for us under this agreement or copyright or trade secret law;
  5. understand that you will not receive any compensation or credit for use of your entry, other than what is described in these Official Rules

Please note that following the end of this Contest your entry may be posted on a website selected by us for viewing by visitors to that website. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your entry by visitors to this website. While we reserve these rights, we are not obligated to use your entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning entry.

If you do not want to grant us these rights to your entry, please do not enter this Contest.

Winner Determination and Prizes:

On or around the close of the Entry Period, a panel of judges determined by the cosponsoring organization of each eligible group will review all eligible entries received and select winners of the Contest Prizes described below based upon judging criteria described below.

Judging Criteria

  1. 25.00% - Creativity/Original Ideas
  2. 20.00% - Communication
  3. 20.00% - Organization/Navigation
  4. 35.00% - Visual Presentation/Design

Points will be taken away for non-functioning aspects of the submission. The decisions of the judges are final and binding. If we do not receive a sufficient number of entries meeting the entry requirements, we may, at our discretion, select fewer winners than described above. In the event of a tie between two (2) or more entrants, the entrant who’s Submission receives the highest score in the “Visual Presentation/Design” category will be the applicable potential winner.

Contest Prizes

A full list of prizes and quantities per group will be available at http://www.bliinkcontest.com. At a minimum, each participating group will receive each of the following prizes to award:

  1. A 250 GB Xbox 360 with Kinect and 2 Xbox 360 games for each member of the winning team. Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $400.00 per student.
  2. A 250 GB Xbox 360 with Kinect for each member of the winning team. Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $300.00 per student.
  3. A 250 GB Xbox 360 with 2 Xbox 360 games for each member of the winning team. Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $240.00 per student.

The ARV of electronic prizes is subject to price fluctuations in the consumer marketplace based on, among other things, any gap in time between the date the ARV is estimated for purposes of these Official Rules and the date the prize is awarded or redeemed. We will determine the value of the prize to be the fair market value at the time of prize award.

The total Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of all prizes per contest: $1,880 - $6,520

We will only award one (1) prize package per person.

If you are a potential winner, we will notify you by sending a message to the e-mail address, the phone number, or mailing address (if any) provided at time of entry within seven (7) days following completion of judging. If the notification that we send is returned as undeliverable, or you are otherwise unreachable for any reason, we may award to a runner-up.

If there is a dispute as to who is the potential winner, we will consider the potential winner to be the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter the Contest. If you are a potential winner, we may require you to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability/Publicity Release and a W-9 tax form or W-8 BEN tax form within 10 days of notification. If you are a potential winner and you are 13 or older, but are considered a minor in your place of legal residence, we may require your parent or legal guardian to sign all required forms on your behalf. If you do not complete the required forms as instructed and/or return the required forms within the time period listed on the winner notification message, we may disqualify you and select a runner-up.

If you are confirmed as a winner of this Contest:

  1. You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services. However, if for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value; and
  2. You may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we may award it to a runner up; and
  3. If you accept a prize, you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize; and
  4. If you are otherwise eligible for this Contest, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, we may award the prize to your parent/legal guardian on your behalf; and
  5. Unless otherwise noted, all prizes are subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and / or terms and conditions.

What Other Conditions Am I Agreeing to by Entering?

By entering this Contest you agree:

  1. To abide by these Official Rules; and
  2. To release and hold harmless Microsoft, ORGANIZATION CO-SPONSOR, and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Contest, or any prize won; and
  3. That Microsoft’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this Contest; and
  4. That, by accepting a prize, Microsoft may use of your proper name and state of residence online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this Contest, without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law.

What Laws Govern the Way this Contest is Executed and Administered?

This Contest will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Contest.

What if Something Unexpected Happens and the Contest Can’t Run as Planned?

If someone cheats, or a virus, bug, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and / or integrity of this Contest, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this Contest. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the Contest, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Contest.

If you attempt to compromise the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Contest by hacking or by cheating or committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law. Further, we may ban you from participating in any of our future Contest, so please play fairly.

How Can I Find Out Who Won?

We will post the names of winners who received a prize online at www.bliinkcontest.com. This list will remain posted one month after June 1, 2012.

Who is Sponsoring this Contest?

Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052

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