These are the Official Rules that govern how Imagine Cup 2009 will operate (the "Contest").

In these Official Rules (i) "Organizer," "we," "our," and "us" means  Microsoft Corporation, the organizer of this Contest; (ii)  "Sponsor" means each company and organization referenced in the "Sponsor" section of the Contest web site that supports and contributes to the organization of this Contest; and (iii) "You," and "yourself" means an eligible Contest entrant. 

If you meet the eligibility criteria stated below, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, then you should ask your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission prior to submitting an entry.    

By entering this Contest, you are agreeing (i) that you will abide by the Official Rules written and referenced below; (ii) that this Contest is governed by the laws of the State of Washington, USA, and that you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington, USA, for any disputes arising out of this Contest, and (iii) that Microsoft’s Privacy Policy will apply to this Contest and to all information that we receive from you, including your entry and supporting materials, and that by accepting the Official Rules and submitting an entry, you are also accepting the terms of the Privacy Policy.  Please read the Privacy Policy on the Contest entry page before accepting the Official Rules and submitting an entry. 

If you do not agree to abide by these Official Rules, please do not enter this Contest.

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Imagine Cup 2009 is a skill contest designed to recognize students who demonstrate excellence in a diverse range of technical and artistic pursuits, and seeks innovative contest entries that address the Contest Theme Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today.  

The Contest consists of separate categories, each referred to as an "Competition".  Each Competition may have unique entry deadlines, entry criteria, and prizing, as specified in its corresponding Competition Details (/Competition/overview.aspx).  In addition, each Sweepstakes may have additional eligibility requirements.  Accordingly, we encourage you to carefully review the Competition Details for each Competition before registering or submitting an entry. 

All Competitions offered as part of Imagine Cup 2009 are governed by these Official Rules.  If there are any inconsistencies between these Official Rules, and the Competition Details for a Competition, these Official Rules will govern.

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The dates in these Official Rules and in the Competition Details (/Competition/overview.aspx) are subject to change at any time, at our sole discretion.  Therefore, you must have a flexible schedule.

Registration

Registration opened on July 8, 2008 at 5:00 pm Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).  Registration end dates and other deadlines vary by Competition.  Please carefully review the Competition Details (/Competition/overview.aspx) for each Competition before signing up.  All entries must be received within the period designated in the Competition Details.

Worldwide Finals

It is anticipated that the Worldwide Finals will take place in Cairo, Egypt, in July, 2009.

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Unless otherwise indicated in the Competition Details, you are eligible to enter any Competition that is a part of this Contest if you meet the following requirements at the time of registration:

• You are 16 years of age or older; and
• You are actively enrolled as a student at an accredited educational institution that grants high-school or college/university (or equivalent) degrees at any time between January 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009; and
• You are not an employee or intern of Microsoft Corporation, or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and
• You are not involved in any part of the execution or administration of this Contest; and
• You are not an immediate family member of (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; and
• You are not a resident of any of the following countries: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.
• PLEASE NOTE: U.S. export regulations prohibit the export of goods and services to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. Therefore residents of these countries / regions are not eligible to participate.

If you are a Microsoft campus representative (such as Microsoft Student Partners http://student-partners.com) and you meet the eligibility criteria set forth above, you may enter, but you are prohibited from using Microsoft property or resources, including without limitation, Microsoft networks, hardware tools and technology resources and/or the counsel of Microsoft employees, in connection with the creation or execution of an entry.

If you have previously placed first in the Worldwide Finals of a Competition, you are not eligible to enter that same Competition again, but you may enter any of the other Competitions.

This Contest is void in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria and where prohibited by law.

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If you are invited to advance to compete in the local/regional round of the Software Design Competition, or you advance to the second round of any other Competition, you will be required to verify your eligibility status (including enrollment status) in a form satisfactory to us before we will allow you to advance to the next round. 

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If, at any time after we verify your eligibility status, you experience a change in eligibility status due to special circumstances such as acceptance of an internship or offer of employment from Microsoft, a Microsoft subsidiary, or anyone else that is involved in the execution and administration of this Contest, you must contact the us immediately and explain the circumstances.  If you fail to notify us of a change in eligibility status, you may be disqualified from this Contest and will not be allowed to win any prizes. 

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Each Competition will be designated as Team Competition or as an Individual Competition in the Competition Details.  If you wish to participate in a Competition, you must register for the Competition as instructed in the Competition Details during the designated registration period.

If you compete in more than one Competition either as an individual, or as a member of a Team, and you and/or your Team is invited to compete in the Worldwide Finals in more than one Competition, you may only compete in one Competition at the Worldwide Finals.  In other words, you will be required to choose one Competition in which to compete at the Worldwide Finals. 

If the Competition is designated as a Team Competition, then the following additional rules and regulations apply:

• The size of your Team must not exceed the limits designated in the Competition Details.
• Unless otherwise indicated in the Competition Details, your Team does not need to consist of members who are legal residents of the same country/region, but your Team can only represent one (1) country.
• Your Team does not need to consist of members from the same academic institution.
• Each member of a Team must individually register for the Competition as part of the Team during the designated Registration Period.
• Teams must be completely formed prior to submitting an entry. A team cannot add a team member, after its first submission is uploaded for a competition or an award, or after Round 1 closes. Any outstanding team invitations will become invalid at the time a team uploads a submission or Round 1 ends.
• Once you register as part of Team for an Competition, you cannot change Teams or otherwise remove yourself or anyone else from your Team after Round 1 of that Competition.
• Limit one (1) Team per person per Competition. In other words, you may not attempt to gain more than one entry in an Competition by registering and competing as a member of multiple Teams.
• If your Team is invited to participate in the Worldwide Finals of a Competition, we will provide travel for each registered member, and your Team must send at least one member to compete at the Worldwide Finals. If your Team is unable to send at least one member for any reason, then we may disqualify your entire Team and invite the next highest scoring Team to participate in the Worldwide Finals instead.
• Each Team is solely responsible for its own cooperation and teamwork. In no event will Sponsor officiate in any dispute regarding the conduct or cooperation of any Team or its members.

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Entry limits vary by Competition.  Please see the Competition Details (/Competition/overview.aspx) for specific requirements.

Unless otherwise indicated in the Competition Details, if you submit multiple entries in a single-entry Competition, then we will consider the first entry received your official entry, and we will disqualify all subsequent entries. We will also disqualify any incomplete or illegible entries that we receive.  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.

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Please note that the intent and spirit of the Contest is to test the skills and creativity of the student entrants.  Anyone acting as a team mentor, or in an mentorship role, where allowed (for example, local, regional, or global sponsors), must limit the level of support provided to student entrants to general guidance and must not contribute in any way that may be considered original authorship, or in way that may enable claims of rights or ownership to the submitted entries.  In no event will work-on-behalf of teams or individuals be allowed.

In addition to any Competition-specific requirements and unless otherwise indicated in the Competition Details, to be eligible for judging, an entry must meet the following general standards:

• The actual entry may be localized in any language; however, if you are required to make an oral presentation or provide supporting materials, these presentations and materials must be presented and/or submitted in the English language. If a translator is needed, you will have the opportunity to provide one.
• The content of your entry and any supporting materials must be acceptable for all viewing audiences. We will automatically disqualifying any entrant that submits any entry or supporting materials that contain text, sound or images that we, in our sole opinion and for any reason, find vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate for public viewing, or that presents us and the Sponsors in a negative light.

By submitting an entry in this Contest, you confirm that, to the best of your knowledge:

• Your entry must meet the content and technical requirements set forth above and in the applicable Competition Details; and
• Your entry is your/your team’s original work; and
• Your/your team’s entry only includes material (including music, video or images) that you own or that you have permission from the copyright/trademark owner to use; and
• You/your team has obtained permission from any recognizable person (parent/guardian, if a minor) that appears in the entry to submit your entry in this Contest and to use their personal data in the entry for the purposes of the Contest (if applicable); and
• Your entry has not been selected as a prize winner in any other contest.

We will disqualify any entries that we, in our sole discretion, find to be a duplicate, or the result of collaborative work contrary to these Official Rules, the applicable Competition Details (/Competition/overview.aspx), and to the spirit of the Contest.

If, in any Competition, we do not receive a sufficient number of entries meeting the entry requirements, we may, at our discretion, select fewer than the designated number of winners.  The decisions of the judges are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest.

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• You may not exchange non-cash prizes for cash or any other merchandise or services.
• You may not designate someone else as the winner.  If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we may award it to the next highest scoring Team / entrant.
• If you accept a prize, you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize, as permitted.
• If you meet the eligibility criteria for the Competition, but you are a minor in your place of residence, then we may award the prize to your parent/legal guardian on your behalf.
• Unless otherwise noted, all prizes are subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and / or terms and conditions. 

• Actual value of travel prize depends on date/time/destination, and difference between actual value and stated value will not be awarded in cash. Any expenses not explicitly listed herein, are the sole responsibility of the entrant.
• If you meet the eligibility criteria for the Competition, but you are a minor in your place of residence, then you must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Your travel companion will travel as our guest and will be required to execute a Liability and Publicity Release prior to issuance of travel documents.
• You and your travel companions, if applicable, are responsible for providing all required travel documents, including, but not limited to any required travel visas and passports required for international travel.
• If you live within 250 miles of the travel destination, we reserve the right to substitute alternate transportation for air travel.
• Event dates and location are subject to change at our sole discretion. Therefore, you must have flexible travel capabilities.
• If the Worldwide Finals event is cancelled for any reason, we shall have no further obligation to you.
• Travel is subject to availability and must be completed on the dates we specify, or the prize will be forfeited and awarded to the next highest scoring Team / entrant. Some restrictions may apply. Winner and travel companion, if applicable, must travel on same itinerary. No cancellation of reservation, or transfer of reservation to another date after reservation has been made.

Winners will be announced within 30 days following the Worldwide Finals.

 

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You agree to assist us and the Sponsors in the creation of case studies or white papers (together "Studies") detailing your entry(ies).  Studies will not include any participant confidential information. Upon your approval of the Studies’ accuracy, you agree to give us and the Sponsors permission to display the Studies including trademarks, logos and other identifying information contained therein, on the our and the Sponsors’ web sites and in other documentation. This documentation may take various forms, including printed materials, on-line articles, video, audio, and other digital recordings.

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

• are granting us an irrevocable, 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 (iii) feature your entry and all its content in connection with the promotion of this Contest in all media (now known or later developed);
• agree to sign any necessary documentation that may be required for us and our designees to make use of the rights you granted above;
• understand and acknowledge that we, other Sponsors and other entrants 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;
• 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;
• 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.  

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• To abide by the Official Rules; and
• To the extent allowable under applicable law, to release and hold us and our Sponsors, and our 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
• That our decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this Contest; and
• That, by accepting a prize, we 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.

 

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.

 

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The Organizer of this Contest is Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA, 98052 U.S.A. 

 

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