2020 baiduhai Graduation Speech Contest
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
* The 2020 baiduhai Graduation Speech Contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored by baiduhai Company, LLC (“Sponsor”). Contest is offered only in the metropolitan Chicago area (Cook, Lake, Kane, DuPage, McHenry, Kendall, Will, Kankakee and Grundy counties in Illinois; Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties in northern Indiana) (“Contest Area”). Void outside Contest Area and where prohibited.
* Sponsor will be entitled to interpret these Official Rules as needed — including but not limited to rules regarding entries, deadlines, winner selection, prize restrictions, and eligibility — and all of its decisions are final. By entering, entrants (and for any entrants who are under 18 years old at the time of entry, their parent or legal guardian listed in the entry form) agree to these Official Rules.
* Contest begins on May 1, 2020, and the entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. May 22, 2020 CT (the “Entry Period”). Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for this Contest.
ELIGIBILITY
* To be eligible, each entrant must be at least 16 years old and a high school senior, and a legal resident of the Contest Area (above) as of the date of entry.
* Officers, directors, members and employees of Sponsor, any prize supplier or any entity directly involved in the development or administration of this Contest, and of their respective parents, subsidiaries and affiliates, and the members of the immediate families (defined as spouse, parents, siblings or children) and households of all of the foregoing, are not eligible to enter or win. The term “household” includes all persons residing together in a single residence, whether or not related.
TO ENTER
* Entries will be accepted during the Entry Period. To enter, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3pECNqRxfq1JFMj7nAC4MbxgELLR5y_Lz_1MLOWmIPJhqUA/viewform (the “Contest Page”) and accurately complete an entry form with the following required information: (a) name, (b) telephone number, (c) email address, and (d) your “graduation speech” essay (an “Essay”) (together with the entry form referred as an “Entry”) that otherwise meets all Submission Requirements below. If you are younger than 18 years old at the time of entry, your Entry must also include the name, telephone number and email address of your parent or legal guardian. You may, but are not required to, also submit as part of your Entry a selfie video of yourself reading your speech. Together, your Essay and any video you submit will be referred to as the “Content”), Whether or not you submit a video, and your performance in the video, will not be considered in the judging and will not affect your chances of winning. Entries will not be accepted through any other method.
* All Entries must be received by Sponsor no later than the close of the Entry Period. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt by Sponsor. Sponsor will not accept screen shots as proof of entry.
* Limit one (1) Entry per person and per email address. Additional Entries received from any such person or email address thereafter will be subject to disqualification. Any use of robotic, repetitive, automatic, programmed, script, macro, or any other automated means or similar entry methods or agents (including, but not limited to, contest-entry services or multiple or different email addresses, identities, registrations or logins) are prohibited and, if discovered by Sponsor, will void all Entries submitted by that entrant. Each Essay must be entered separately.
* Entries must include a valid email address for the entrant. Sponsor is not responsible for electronic communications that are undeliverable as a result of any form of passive or active filtering of any kind. If there is a dispute as to the identity or eligibility of a winner based on an email address, the Entry will be deemed made by the “Authorized Account Holder” of the email address used for entry. The Authorized Account Holder is the natural person who is assigned to the email address by the relevant Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the corresponding domain.
* Entrants who fail to provide any required information may be disqualified without further notification by Sponsor. Sponsor is not responsible for Entries that are lost, misdirected, garbled, distorted, truncated, incomplete, illegible, incorrect or late for any reason, and all such Entries are void. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any Entry at any time that in its opinion does not comply with these Official Rules. Entry forms (but not the Essays) become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned or acknowledged.
* The information you provide in connection with the Contest will be used by Sponsor in accordance with its Privacy Policy, which is found at http://www.tribpub.com/privacy-policy/ and which may be updated from time to time.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
* All Content must satisfy the following “Submission Requirements”:
* The topic of your Essay must be your hopes, dreams, reflections and advice for the Class of 2020
* Your Essay must not have been previously published.
* The Essay must be written in English, double-spaced, and no longer than 500 words.
* Content must be original to entrant (not copied, adapted, or reproduced from any other source and not a collaboration with any other person).
* Content must not infringe any trademark or trade name.
* Content must be appropriate for publication in a commercially distributed general-audience publication.
* Content must not violate the rights of any other person or company (including but not limited to privacy rights, rights of publicity, copyrights and trade secrets).
* Content must not defame, libel, or slander anyone or any entity.
* Content must not contain or describe any obscene, vulgar, offensive, profane, provocative or otherwise inappropriate content.
* Any Entry or Essay that is determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion at any time to violate the Submission Requirements or these Official Rules, or to otherwise be unsuitable, offensive or in poor taste, may be rejected and the accompanying Entry disqualified even if the Entry has previously been submitted for Judging (defined below). Sponsor retains sole discretion as to whether any Essay satisfies the Submission Requirements and its decisions are final.
GRANT OF LICENSE:
* By submitting an entry, entrant grants Sponsor a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use, copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, publicly perform, publicly display, modify, adapt, translate, archive and store the Content (including non-winning Content), in whole or in part, in any form, format, or medium, of any kind now known or later developed; and use entrant’s name, likeness and any other information in connection with such use of the Content. All rights in this section are granted without the need for additional compensation of any sort to entrant.
* In addition to and without limiting the above, each entrant agrees that if selected as a winner in this Contest, Sponsor is also granted, without prior notice, approval or additional compensation, the right of first publication of the winning Essay (and any related Content) until June 30, 2020, and entrant (and if entrant is a minor, entrant’s parent or guardian on entrant’s behalf) agrees to execute the Sponsor’s standard License Agreement (“License Agreement”) as a condition of receiving his or her prize.
* Entrants otherwise will retain all rights to their Content.
WARRANTY/INDEMNIFICATION BY ENTRANT
* By submitting an Essay, each entrant warrants that (a) the Essay is original to and was created solely by the entrant and has not been copied, in whole or in part, from a copyrighted or proprietary work belonging to someone else; (b) the Essay has never been published; (c) the Essay does not violate any copyright laws; (d) the Essay does not plagiarize, libel, defame, disparage, or otherwise infringe on or violate the rights of any third parties; (e) entrant is legally entitled to submit the Essay in the Contest; (g) the distribution, reproduction, display and any other uses of the Essay by Sponsor as permitted herein will not infringe any third party rights; and (h) the Entry complies in its entirety with these Official Rules and the Terms of Use of the Contest Site at chicagotribune.com.
* Each entrant (and if entrant is a minor, entrant’s parent or guardian) agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Sponsor, Tribune Publishing Company, LLC, or any other company involved in the development or administration of this Contest, and their respective subsidiaries, agencies, affiliates, franchisees, promoters, and prize suppliers, and all of their agents, officers, directors, employees and related persons (collectively, “Released Parties”), from and against any and all claims, demands, damages, costs, liabilities and causes of action of whatsoever nature that are based upon or arise out of any breach by the entrant of these Official Rules or the warranties and/or representations made by entrant pursuant to these Official Rules.
JUDGING
* Following the conclusion of the Entry Period, all eligible Entries will be assessed by a panel of qualified judges consisting of baiduhai editors and reporters assembled by Sponsor (“Contest Judges”), based on the following equally weighted judging criteria (“Judging Criteria”): (a) imagination, (b) style and (c) overall excellence (the “Judging Process”).
* Subject to verification of eligibility, and compliance with all other requirements of these Official Rules, the three (3) highest ranked Entries will be named winners.
* Winners will be announced on or about June 7, 2020, or within a reasonable time thereafter.
* If there is a tie for the 3rd highest ranked Entry, the highest “overall excellence” ranking will be used to break the tie. Sponsor will make the final decision if a further tie-breaker process is needed. Contest Judges’ decisions will be considered final and binding in all results. Sponsor reserves the right to select fewer than the stated number of winners if it does not have a sufficient number of adequate Entries or if entrants withdraw.
* Sponsor will attempt to contact each potential winner in accordance with the information supplied to Sponsor on his or her official entry form. Each winner must respond to initial notification within 24 hours of initial notification attempt and each winner (and if the winner is a minor, the winner’s parent or guardian) may be required to present valid photo identification, signed affidavit or declaration of winner’s eligibility, liability release, publicity release (where legal), License Agreement, tax forms and/or other legal documents to Sponsor no later than 3 days after initial notification.
* If any potential winner: (a) cannot be contacted directly by, or does not respond to, Sponsor within 24 hours of initial attempted notification; (b) fails to satisfy any eligibility or verification requirement herein; (c) declines to accept the prize; (d) fails to sign and return required documents or provide required identification by the deadline established by Sponsor; or (e) is otherwise determined to be ineligible, Sponsor in its discretion may disqualify that individual, and an alternate winner will be chosen in accordance with the Judging Criteria as soon as reasonably practicable after such disqualification. Any alternate winners are subject to all eligibility requirements and restrictions of these Official Rules.
* Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, post the verified winners’ names on the Contest Page and/or any of Sponsor’s websites, including www.chicagotribune.com and/or publish such names in The Sponsor.
PRIZES
Each winner (3 total) will receive the following prize package:
* Publication by Sponsor of the winning Essay online and in print.
* A collection of books, including numerous autographed copies, provided and curated by the Chicago Public Library Foundation
* An opportunity to read their favorite story as a guest “celebrity” reader on the Chicago Public Library’s Live from the Library daily storytime on Facebook Live.
* Approximate retail value (“ARV”) of each prize package is $350. Publication of the winning Essay and guest reader opportunity have no retail value. If Sponsor decides not to publish a winning Essay and or the Library does not provide the guest reader opportunity, no substitute will be provided for those prize elements.
PRIZE RESTRICTIONS
* All prize details will be at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Each winner assumes sole responsibility for all expenses and incidental costs associated with the prize not explicitly outlined above. Prizes may not be substituted except that Sponsor in its discretion may substitute a prize, or portion thereof, with a prize or portion of equal or greater value if it deems necessary. Any portion of any prize not accepted by any winner is forfeited and no substitute will be offered or permitted. Prize checks will be sent to winners by mail. Sponsor is not responsible for loss, delay, or damage in delivery. All properly claimed prizes will be awarded provided a sufficient number of eligible entries are received and provided all Finalists remain eligible through the awarding of the prizes.
PUBLICITY RELEASE
* By accepting a prize, each winner grants Sponsor the right to publicize his or her name, photographs (including the use and appearance of winner’s photograph on Sponsor’s websites), likeness, biographical information, email address, voice and details of winning for purposes of this and future promotions without further compensation, except where prohibited.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY & DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES
* Entrants agree that the Released Parties: (a) are not responsible for technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to lost, disconnected, interrupted, or unavailable network, server, or other connections, late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail, or for any failed telephone or computer hardware or software, or for any failed, delayed, misdirected, corrupted, or garbled transmissions or errors of any kind, whether human, mechanical, or electronic, or for Entries that for any reason are not received by Sponsor by the deadline stated above; (b) are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing, typographical or other errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest or in the printing of this offer, administration of this Contest, or in the announcement of the prizes; (c) are not responsible for any injury or damage to any computer, modem or other electrical device as a result of participation in this Contest or downloading of any software or materials; (d) are not responsible for unauthorized human intervention in any part of the Contest; (e) are not responsible for any printing, typographical, technical, computer, network or human error that may occur in the administration of the Contest, the acceptance of Entries, the selection of winners, the prizes or otherwise in any Contest-related materials; (f) are not responsible for any unauthorized third party use of any Entry; (g) are not responsible for the inability to select winners because of postal failure, equipment failure, or data storage failure; and (h) are released from any and all alleged, existing, or future actions, claims, and/or liabilities of whatever nature including, but not limited to, personal injury, bodily injury (including, without limitation, wrongful death and disability), property damage, and expense (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees) and loss or damage of any other kind, arising in whole or in part directly or indirectly, from participating in the Contest (in whole or in part), the use (including modification, adaptation, and reproduction) of the Entry (including the Essay) during or after the Contest, and the delivery, acceptance, possession, redemption, use, misuse, loss, or misdirection of any prize or any part thereof.
* RELEASED PARTIES EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND (WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE), INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL RELEASED PARTIES BE HELD RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR YOUR USE OF THE INFORMATION AND/OR PRODUCTS PROVIDED AND/OR MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE CONTEST OR FOR ERRORS OR ANOMALIES RESULTING IN THE UNINTENDED OR ERRONEOUS PARTICIPATION, PRIZE AWARD OR OTHER BENEFITS UNDER THESE OFFICIAL RULES. RELEASED PARTIES OFFER NO ASSURANCES, GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES THAT THE CONTEST OR RELATED WEBSITES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE AND DO NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH THE CONTEST.
* BY ENTERING THE CONTEST AND/OR ACCEPTING A PRIZE, YOU AGREE THAT THE RELEASED PARTIES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR, AND WILL BE HELD HARMLESS BY YOU AGAINST, ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS TO PERSON (INCLUDING DEATH) OR PROPERTY RELATED IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, TO THE ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, REDEMPTION, USE OR MISUSE OF THE PRIZE OR ANY PART THEREOF, PARTICIPATION IN ANY PRIZE-RELATED ACTIVITY OR TRAVEL, USE BY A RELEASED PARTY OF ANY ENTRY, PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST, OR ANY OTHER CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION YOU MAY HAVE AGAINST A RELEASED PARTY.
TRADEMARKS
* Any third party trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective trademark owners. The use or mention of such third party trademarks in these Official Rules or in the Contest is solely for descriptive purposes and will in no way imply an endorsement or sponsorship of the Contest.
MISCELLANEOUS
* Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend or terminate this Contest or any part thereof, for any reason, including if Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion, that the security, administration, fairness and/or operation of the Contest has been corrupted or impaired by any non-authorized intervention, network failure, information storage failure, telecommunications failure, malfunction, or any other cause beyond Sponsor’s control. In such an event, Sponsor will post notice of same at the Contest Page and select the winners from among all eligible, non-suspect Entries received prior to the suspension, cancellation or termination of the Contest in accordance with the Judging Criteria or in such other manner as Sponsor, in its sole discretion, deems fair and appropriate under the circumstances. If Sponsor cancels, suspends, or terminates the Contest, it will post notice of its action on the Contest Page.
* Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any individual from further participation in the Contest if Sponsor concludes, in its sole discretion, that such person (a) has attempted to tamper with the entry process or other operation of the Contest; (b) has disregarded or has attempted to circumvent these Official Rules; or (c) has acted toward Sponsor or any other entrant in an unfair, inequitable, deliberately annoying, threatening, disrupting or harassing manner. Tampering includes attempting to enter more than the number of times permitted herein, including through the use of any prohibited device or method. Any failure by Sponsor to enforce any of these Official Rules will not constitute a waiver of such Official Rules.
* All activity arising out of and relating to the Contest, including any reference to an entrant’s status as a “winner,” is subject to verification and/or auditing for compliance with the Official Rules and you agree to cooperate with Sponsor concerning such verification and/or auditing. If Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion, that verification or auditing activity evidences non-compliance of an Entry and/or entrant with the Official Rules, Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify such Entry and/or entrant from the Contest and any prize at any time. If a dispute arises regarding compliance with these Official Rules, Sponsor may consider, in its sole discretion, data reasonably available to Sponsor through information technology systems in Sponsor’s control, but Sponsor will not be obligated to consider any data or other information collected from any other source.
* Sponsor reserves the right to correct typographical, printing or clerical errors in any Contest-related materials. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded.
DISPUTES
* By entering the Contest, entrants agree that (a) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Contest, or any prizes awarded, will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (b) any and all claims, judgments and awards will be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering the Contest, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (c) under no circumstances will any entrant be permitted to obtain any award for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses. Some jurisdictions do not allow for limitations on the ability to pursue class action remedies, or certain kinds of damages, and so these limitations may not apply to you.
* If there is any discrepancy or inconsistency between any terms or conditions of these Official Rules and any disclosures or other statements contained in any other Contest-related materials, including but not limited to the Contest entry forms, or the point of sale, television, print, mobile or online advertising, the terms and conditions of these Official Rules will prevail, govern and control.
* All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrants or Released Parties in connection with the Contest, will be governed by Illinois law, without giving effect to any choice of law rules that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than Illinois. All entrants expressly agree that any legal proceedings arising out of or relating in any way to this Contest or these Official Rules will be brought only in the federal or state courts located in Cook County, Illinois, and entrants consent to the mandatory and exclusive jurisdiction in such courts with respect to any such legal proceedings.
* If any provision of these Official Rules is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules will otherwise remain in effect and be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.
WINNERS’ LIST/OFFICIAL RULES
* For a copy of the Official Rules or the final Winners’ List, visit the Contest Page or www.chicagotribune.com or mail a SASE to: 2020 baiduhai Graduation Speech Contest c/o Amy Carr, 160 N. Stetson Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60601, specifying either “Winners’ List” or “Official Rules.” Vermont and Washington residents may omit return postage. Winners’ List will be available after May 20, 2020. Requests for Winners’ List must be received by no later than July 31, 2020.