Rules for 2011-2012 Competition
Ask your parent or legal guardian to read and discuss these official rules
with you before entering the contest.
1.
General Conditions.
The University of South Florida Young Innovator Competition ("Competition")
is administered by Innovation Express Corporation ("Sponsor"), an IRS
501(c)(3) non-profit and certain co-sponsors (each a "Co-Sponsor").
Each person who enters the Competition (each an "Entrant" and sometimes
referred to herein as "You") agrees to follow these Official Rules (the "Rules")
and the decisions of Sponsor and the Judges (as defined below), which decisions
may be made in all cases in the sole and absolute discretion of Sponsor and the
Judges, and which are final and binding on all matters relating to the
Competition.
2.
Limits on Inventions.
If you enter the Competition, your invention:
2.1
Can be a new and original invention;
2.2
Can be an improvement or change to something that already exists;
2.3
Must be your own original work, and not the work of someone else (including
your parents or legal guardians);
2.4
Cannot be previously published or submitted more than one year ago (such as
at a school science fair or other school project);
3.
Who Can Enter.
You can enter the Competition if you are enrolled in Kindergarten through 12th
grade at the time of the entry deadline. You must be a legal resident of
Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Citrus, Sarasota or Polk
County, Florida. You cannot enter the Competition if you or a member of
your household (parent, sibling, or other person living with you) is an
employee, officer or director of a Competition judge. Sponsor will only
accept entries that have been completed and submitted as described below.
4.
How to Enter.
The Competition will start on October 1 (the "Start Date"), and will end
on January 27 at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (the "End Date").
After the Start Date but before the End Date, complete the following steps:
4.1
Go to Sponsor's website at
www.innovationexpress.org ("Website")
and click the "Entry Form" link to access the Competition web page ("Competition
Page").
4.2
Follow the instructions at the Competition Page to download the Entry Form or
submit your invention entry online. ASK YOUR PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN TO
HELP YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING THE COMPLETION OF THE COMPETITION
ENTRY FORM AND REVIEW THESE RULES.
4.3
The Competition Entry Form will ask you to provide information such as your
name, grade, home address, email address, and your parent or legal guardian's
email address and telephone number. The Competition Entry Form will also
ask you to name and describe your invention, and answer questions about the kind
of invention it is and how it is used. You may also include photographs,
drawings, or illustrations ("Pictures") of your invention, as long as the
Pictures do not include a person and do not show a trademark or product of
another company. All Pictures must be created by you (or a photograph
taken by you); do not use clip art or templates. Your parent or legal
guardian can help you answer the questions, but your entry must be your work
alone.
4.4
Review these rules with your parent or legal guardian. By submission of
your Competition Entry Form you agree to follow these rules and be bound by
them.
4.5
Ask your parent or legal guardian to sign your Entry Form in the spaces
provided to indicate their consent, and mail your completed Competition Entry
Form to "Innovation Express Invention Competition, 180 Pine Avenue North,
Oldsmar, Florida 34677." Alternatively, you may submit your invention
online at
www.innovationexpress.org. ALL
ENTRIES MUST INCLUDE THE SIGNATURE OF A PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN ON THE
COMPETITION ENTRY FORM OR THE E-SIGNATURE OF A PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN IF
SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY
4.6
Your entry must be received by Sponsor by January 27 to be considered for the
finalist competition the following month (February).
4.7
Once you have sent in your entry, it cannot be changed. When Sponsor
receives your entry, all entry submission materials will become the sole
property of Sponsor, and will not be returned to you. No entry will be returned
upon completion of the Competition. Sponsor will not be responsible for, and
will have the right to refuse, any entries that have been tampered with, or
entries that are misdirected, incomplete, non-conforming, corrupt, lost, late,
or ineligible, whether due to Internet or e-mail server failure, postal mistake
or delay, or otherwise. Once you submit your entry, it is your responsibility
to keep all contact information for you and your parent/legal guardian current
with Sponsor. Sponsor will not be responsible for any failure to contact
you or your parent/legal guardian if the contact information you provide is not
kept current. To update contact information, please contact Sponsor at
info@innovationexpress.org.
4.8
You may only enter the Competition one time per year.
5.
Judging.
As long as your entry meets all of the requirements listed in Paragraphs 2, 3,
and 4 above ("Active Entry"), it will go into the judging process.
A panel of judges will evaluate the Active Entries. Judging will occur as
follows:
5.1
The judging of the inventions will be based on the following criteria: (1)
the creativity and originality of the entry; (2) the quality and persuasiveness
of entrant's reasoning on why the invention has value; (3) the benefit to
people; (4) the marketability of the invention. The top five (5) scoring
Active Entries in each division (Elementary, Middle School and High School) will
become finalists ("Finalists").
5.2
The Judges will then evaluate each of the Active Entries of the Finalists
again based upon the criteria set forth in Section 5.1 above. Five (5)
finalists in each division will give 5 minute presentations on their invention.
Finalists must appear for the presentation to be eligible for the grant award.
A winner from the five Finalists ("Winner") in each division will be
selected and the grant funding awarded that evening.
5.3
Entrants may be required to provide additional information to Sponsor or the
Judges in order to facilitate evaluation of the entries.
6.
Grant Award.
The Winner in each division (Elementary, Middle School and High School) will
each receive a check for one thousand dollars ($1,000) and the Winner's school
will also receive a check for one thousand dollars ($1,000). The
grant awards are to further research, education and/or commercialization of the
awarded technology by the Winner and his/her respective school. If
the child is home schooled as of February 11, 2011 then the $1,000 prize will be
awarded to the Florida Parent Educators Association, Inc. (http://www.fpea.com).
8.
Representations.
By entering the Competition, you represent and warrant that: (a) you meet all
eligibility requirements of the Competition; (b) in entering and participating
in the Competition, you have complied and will comply in all respects with these
Rules and all applicable statutes, regulations, and other laws; (c) you are not
violating any agreement by which you are bound, including any confidentiality or
license agreement; and (d) the entry consists entirely of your own original work
in which you hold all rights, and does not infringe or misappropriate any rights
of any other individual or entity.
9.
Limits of Liability; Release. By entering the Competition, you and your parent/legal guardian agree that
Sponsor and any Co-Sponsor will not have any responsibility whatsoever for
losses or damages of any kind that result from entry or participation in the
Competition or the acceptance, possession, or use of the prize. Under no
circumstances will you be permitted to (and you hereby waive all rights to)
claim punitive, incidental, and consequential damages or other damages. To
the maximum extent permitted by law, by entering the Competition, you and your
parent/legal guardian release and hold harmless Sponsor, the Judges, the
Co-Sponsors and any of their affiliates, and their respective officers,
directors, employees, agents and representatives, from any and all
responsibility or liability (including, without limitation, for any injuries,
losses, or damages of any kind, such as compensatory, direct, incidental,
consequential, punitive, or other damages) arising out of or relating to: (a)
the Competition; (b) claims based on copyright, trademark, or patent
infringement, or infringement of other intellectual property rights; (c) the
acceptance, possession, receipt, or use of any prize; (d) any entries that have
been tampered with or that are misdirected, incomplete, non-conforming, corrupt,
lost, late, or ineligible; (e) computer, telephone, cable, satellite, network,
hardware, or software malfunctions or failures; garbled or jumbled
transmissions; Internet or website accessibility or delays or U.S. postal
delays; (f) printing or typographical errors in any Competition-related
materials; (g) any other technical or human errors occurring in connection with
the Competition; and (h) any claim that Sponsor or any Co-Sponsor has infringed
your proprietary rights by developing or manufacturing a product similar to your
entry. You and your parent/legal guardian understand and agree that if
anyone makes any claim against Sponsor or Co-Sponsor arising out of or relating
to a claim that your entry infringes the proprietary rights of a third party,
you will pay for any damages, losses, liabilities, costs, penalties, and
expenses, including without limitation attorneys' and experts' fees and costs,
incurred in connection with such claim.
10.
Termination.
Sponsor reserves the right to suspend, modify, or end the Competition at any
time prior to the End Date for any reason, in its sole and absolute discretion,
including without limitation in the event of fraud, abuse, or technical or other
difficulties. In such cases, Sponsor will send an e-mail notification to
the e-mail address associated with each entry.
11.
Advertising AND
PUBLICITY. To the maximum extent permitted by law, by entering the Competition,
you and your parent/legal guardian consent to the use by Sponsor, or any third
party chosen by Sponsor, of any and all information related to the Competition
in any manner permitted by these Official Rules. All such information
becomes the property of Sponsor and will not be returned. By entering the
Competition, you and your parent/legal guardian grant to Sponsor the right to
use any of your contact information to contact you for any reason related to the
Competition, and Sponsor, or any third party chosen by Sponsor, may use any of
your information for any other purpose if Sponsor first receives written consent
from you and your parent/legal guardian regarding such other purpose, except to
the extent prohibited by law. By entering the Competition, if you are
selected as a Finalist or a Winner, you and your parent/legal guardian grant to
Sponsor and the Co-Sponsors the right to use and publish your name, state of
residence, likeness, photograph, video, voice, and biographical material and any
other information in the winning entry, both online and in print, for Sponsor's
or any Co-Sponsor's advertising, marketing, promotion and other purposes, except
to the extent prohibited by law.
12.
Applicable Law.
The Competition is void outside the United States of America (and also void in
Puerto Rico), and where prohibited by law. Any dispute arising out of or
relating to these Rules or the Competition must be brought exclusively in the
state courts located in Hillsborough County, Florida, and Sponsor and you and
your parent/legal guardian irrevocably waive any objection to the venue and
jurisdiction of such courts. If any part of these Rules is held by a court
of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or otherwise unenforceable,
such part will be modified by such court to the minimum extent necessary to make
it enforceable while preserving to the maximum extent possible the original
intent of Sponsor, and the remaining parts of these Rules will remain in full
force and effect.
13.
Finalist/Winner List;
Mailing List. A list of Finalists and Winner names will be posted at
www.innovationexpress.org.
14.
Miscellaneous.
Entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of
Sponsor and the Judges which are final and binding in all respects.
Entrants who violate these Official Rules, tamper with the operation of the
Competition or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Sponsor,
the Competition or any other entrant (in each case as determined in Sponsor's
sole discretion) are subject to disqualification from entry into the
Competition. Sponsor reserves the right to prohibit participation in the
Competition of persons whose eligibility is in question or who have been
disqualified or are otherwise ineligible to enter the Competition.