SPEAK UP FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Prizes

1 Grand Prize

+ 3 other prizes

View entries

The nonprofit organization, Parents for Public Schools is launching a national campaign, rallying support for public schools. Submit your own video now! You could win $1,000! Upload your video or vote for your favorite now! Click the button below to sign our petition!

Rules
1. The "Entry Period" begins at 12:00:01 AM (CT) on August 29, 2011 and ends at 11:59:59 PM CT on October 24, 2011.
2. The "Public Viewing and Rating period" begins at 12:00:01 AM (CT) on August 29, 2011 and ends at 11:59:59 PM (CT) on October 29.
3. Winner will be announced on or about November 7, 2011.

For more information, please read the Requirements (Official Contest Rules).

Prizes
1 - Grand prize winner - $1,000
3 - Runner up winners - $300 each

What can you do to increase your chances of winning?
1) Share your entry with all your friends on Facebook
2) Tweet about it!
2) Send an email to all your contacts to vote for you
3) Talk about the contest to your friends and encourage them to look at the website

THE “SPEAK UP FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS” ONLINE VIDEO CONTEST

OFFICIAL RULES

1. CONTEST DESCRIPTION:

The “Speak Up for Our Public Schools” Online Video Contest (the “Contest”) provides entrants with the opportunity to create a short video on the topic of “What I like about My Public School” and to submit the video for consideration. Eligible submissions will be posted online for others to view and judge, as more fully explained and subject to the terms and conditions set forth below. The Contest is sponsored by Parents for Public Schools, Incorporated, 200 North Congress Street, Suite 500, Jackson, MS 39201 (“Sponsor” or “PPS”).

The Contest begins at 12:00:01 AM Central Time (“CT”) on August 29, 2011 and ends at 11:59:59 PM CT on October 29, 2011 (the “Contest Period”). The Contest Period consists of 1) an entry period that begins at 12:00:01 AM (CT) on August 29, 2011 and ends at 11:59:59 PM CT on October 24, 2011 (the “Entry Period”) and 2) a Public Viewing and Rating period that begins at 12:00:01 AM (CT) on August 29, 2011 and ends at 11:59:59 PM (CT) on October 29, (the “Public Viewing and Rating Period”). There will then be a final judging period that begins at 12:00:01 AM (CT) on October 31, 2011 and ends at 11:59:59 PM CT on November 4, 2011 (the “Final Judging Period”).

By participating in the Contest, each person or group submitting a video for consideration (“Entrant”) unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor made in conjunction with the Contest, including but not limited to decisions regarding eligibility, disqualification, and awards. The decisions of Sponsor under these Official Rules are committed to Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion and shall be final and binding in all respects.

By participating in the Contest and as further explained below, each Entrant unconditionally grants Sponsor certain rights to use the material and information submitted, undertakes specified obligations to Sponsor with respect to participation in the Contest, and agrees to hold Sponsor harmless with respect to any claims that may arise out of Entrant’s participation in the Contest. By participating in the Contest, each Entrant acknowledges and represents that such Entrant has read, understood, and accepted these Official Rules. If Entrant is a student or otherwise lacks the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract, then such Entrant will be required to provide consent from a parent or legal guardian, and to have the parent or guardian sign certain forms and releases on behalf of such Entrant.

2. ELIGIBILITY:

The Contest is open to two categories of Entrants, all of whom must be residents of the United States at the time of entry: (1) adults who are individuals age 18 or older and who have the legal capacity to grant the consents, permissions, releases and agreements required in these Official Rules ("Adult Entrants"), and (2) students who are attending public school, and who are under age 18 at the time of entry, or who otherwise lack the legal capacity to grant the consents, permission, releases and agreements required in these Official Rules ("Student Entrants"). Entrants may be individuals or clearly identified groups of two or more persons (“Group Entrants”). Group Entrants must list all members of the group and designate a single group member for purposes of communication between Sponsor and the Group Entrant. Each individual group member must, however, complete the forms, and provide to Sponsor the consents, permissions, releases, and other information required for individual Entrants. If a group includes both Adult and Student Entrants, the rules governing permissions for Student Entrants will apply to those group members who are students, and the entry will be judged in the Adult category.

In order to participate in the Contest, Student Entrants must obtain and provide to Sponsor their parent or legal guardian’s written permission for the Student Entrant prior to the posting of the Submission for public viewing. As further explained below, if any potential winner is a Student Entrant, the prize may be awarded or disbursed in the name of the winner's parent or legal guardian, who will be required to complete such forms or releases identified below on behalf of the Student Entrant and such other forms and releases as may be reasonably requested by Sponsor.

PPS staff (National and Chapters), PPS board members (National and Chapters), and their immediate families (i.e., parents, spouse, siblings, children, grandparents, step-parents, step-children and step-siblings, their respective spouses, and those living in the same household, whether or not related) are ineligible to enter the Contest or win a prize.

3. HOW TO ENTER:

To enter, visit the website www.parents4publicschools.org (the “Website”), complete the submission form found on the Contest page with the information requested, and follow the online instructions to upload and submit your video (the “Submission”) directly to the Website. There is a limit of one (1) entry per Entrant, either as an individual or as part of a group. Each Submission that is entered into the Contest must meet the “Submission Requirements” below. Any Submission that, in the Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion, violates the following criteria will be disqualified:

(a) the Submission must be no longer than two (2) minutes in length and may be no larger than 100MB;

(b) the Submission must be the original, previously unpublished work of the Entrant and must not violate or infringe upon any third party rights, including but not limited to copyright, trademark, trade secret, right of privacy, or right of publicity;

(c) the Entrant must be able to provide, on request, all appropriate clearances, permissions, and releases for the Submission, including location releases for all recognizable locations and publicity and privacy releases from all identifiable individuals appearing in the video. In the event that an Entrant cannot provide all required releases, Sponsor reserves the right, in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion, to disqualify the applicable Submission, or to seek to secure the releases and clearances for Sponsor’s benefit, or to allow the applicable Submission to remain in Contest;

(d) the Submission must NOT contain material which is (or promotes activities which are) sexually explicit, obscene, pornographic, violent (e.g., relating to murder, the sales or use of weapons, cruelty, abuse, etc.), discriminatory (based on race, sex, religion, natural origin, physical disability, sexual orientation or age), illegal (e.g., underage drinking, substance abuse, computer hacking, etc.), offensive, threatening, profane, harassing, or derogatory to any person or entity, or which is otherwise inappropriate in the sole and absolute discretion of the Sponsor;

(e) the Submission must be uploaded in one of the following file formats: .3g2, .3gp, .asf, .avi, .dv, .mov, .mp4, .mpeg, .mpg, .qt, and .wmv. Submissions must be received by the end of the Entry Period in order to be eligible for the Contest. Once uploaded, a Submission is deemed final, and no substitutions, alterations, or revised versions of Submissions will be accepted under any circumstances;

(f) the Submission must be free of all computer viruses, bugs, or similar factors that could damage, compromise, or change the operation of the Submission site the Website, or the computers of those who use or view the Submission. Use of any device to automate or subvert submission is prohibited, and any Submissions received by such means will be void. No software-generated, robotic, programmed, script, macro or other automated Submissions are permitted, and any Submissions or votes received by such means will be void.

(g) the Submission must, in all other respects, comply with the Website’s Terms of Use and these Official Rules;

(h) all requested information on the Contest page must be completed at the time the Submission is uploaded.

By making a submission, Entrants represent and warrant that their Submission conforms to these requirements. Submissions which violate any of these requirements will be deemed ineligible and will be disqualified.

Sponsor also reserves the right in its sole and absolute discretion to disqualify any Entrant Sponsor suspects or finds: (i) to have used a software-generated, robotic, programmed, script, macro or other automated entry; (ii) to have tampered with the submission process or the operation of Contest; (iii) to be acting in a disruptive manner, or with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, or in a way that might bring the Sponsor into disgrace, or (iv) to have provided inaccurate information on any documents submitted in connection with the Contest. Sponsor also reserves the right to disqualify, in its sole and absolute discretion, any Submission otherwise deemed inappropriate or inconsistent with the theme and purpose of the Contest.

Any communication or information transmitted to Sponsor and/or the Website by electronic mail, through uploading the Submission, or otherwise (other than the tax-payer information that are required from winning Entrants under paragraph 9) is and will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary. Submissions will not be returned or acknowledged, and Sponsor will have all of the rights to use any Submission as provided in paragraph 7. Sponsor shall have no liability for any Submission that is lost, intercepted, or not received by Sponsor. Proof of uploading a Submission is not considered proof of delivery to, or receipt of, such Submission.

4. PUBLIC VIEWING AND RATING PERIOD AND FINALIST SELECTION:

Once the Submission is uploaded to the Website and approved by Sponsor or its designee, it will be made available for public viewing on the Website. Visitors to the Website will be invited to rate all of the Submissions and at the end of the Public Viewing and Rating Period (provided a sufficient number of eligible Submissions is received) the top five (5) Submissions from Adult Entrants and the top five (5) Submissions from Student Entrants (the “Potential Finalists”) will be determined based on the combination of the number of views per Submission and the highest overall ranking. Entrants will be disqualified if automatic voting software and/or vote swapping websites are used in their favor. The Potential Finalists will be contacted by phone or email at Sponsor’s discretion on or about November 4, 2011. Potential Finalists must sign and return a Declaration of Eligibility and a Liability/Publicity Release (the “Finalist Documents”) prior to being declared a Finalist. If a Potential Finalist fails or refuses to sign and return all Finalist Documents within two (2) business days, the Potential Finalist may be disqualified and an alternate Potential Finalist may be selected. Potential Finalists from the Student Entrant category must also have their Finalist Documents signed by their parent or legal guardian on their behalf. Sponsor shall have no liability for any Finalist notification that is lost, intercepted, or not received by a Potential Finalist for any reason. If any Potential Finalist does not respond within the time required by Sponsor, or if the Potential Finalist notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to any Potential Finalist, such Potential Finalist will forfeit his or her status as a Potential Finalist and an alternate Potential Finalist may be selected. If any Potential Finalist: (i) is found to be ineligible, (ii) has not complied with or has acted in violation of these Official Rules or applicable law, (iii) is suspected or found to have displayed behavior that will bring the Potential Finalist or Sponsor into disgrace, (iv) is suspected or found to have provided inaccurate information on any documents submitted in connection with the Contest, or (v) declines his or her status as a Finalist for any reason, such Potential Finalist will be disqualified and an alternate Potential Finalist may be chosen. Such disqualification may occur, and a prize may be revoked, even after a Finalist has been named.

5. FINAL JUDGING PERIOD AND WINNER SELECTION:

During the Final Judging Period, representatives of Sponsor (the "Judges") will review the verified Finalists’ Submissions and select a Grand Prize-winning Submission from among all eligible Adult and Student Finalists’ Submissions, and three (3) Runners-Up from among all Finalists’ Submissions (“Winner(s)”). At least one prize (either Grand or Runner-Up) will be awarded in each of the Adult and Student categories. Submissions of Finalists will be judged using the following discretionary judging criteria: a) creativity (style, message delivery, execution, etc.) – 50%; b) effectiveness (clarity of message, persuasiveness, etc.) – 25%; and c) other factors - 25%. Winners will be notified on or about November 4, 2011 by Sponsor. The decisions of Sponsor will be final and binding and not subject to challenge or appeal on eligibility determinations or any other factor or matters relating to the Contest. Winner selection will be subject to Sponsor’s verification of Winners’ eligibility. Those Finalists who are chosen as Winners will be notified by telephone or email using contact information provided at the time of entry. Sponsor shall have no liability for any Winner notification that is lost, intercepted, or not received by the potential Winner for any reason. If any potential Winner does not respond within the time required by Sponsor, or if any Winner notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable, such potential Winner will forfeit his or her prize and an alternate Winner may be selected. If any potential Winner: (i) is found to be ineligible, (ii) has not complied with or has acted in violation of these Official Rules or applicable law, (iii) is suspected or found to have displayed behavior that will bring the potential winner or Sponsor into disgrace, (iv) is suspected or found to have provided inaccurate information on any documents submitted in connection with the Contest, or (v) declines the prize for any reason, such potential Winner will be disqualified and an alternate Winner may be chosen.

6. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES/INDEMNIFICATION:

Each Entrant that enters this Contest represents and warrants as follows: (i) the Submission is the Entrant’s or Entrants’ own original, previously unpublished, and previously unproduced work; (ii) the Submission is uncorrupted and does not contain any computer virus, bugs, or other similar factors that could damage, compromise, or change the operation of the Submission, the Website, or the computers of those who use or view the Submission, (iii) as of the date of submission, the Submission is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim; (iv) the Submission does not and will not violate or infringe upon any third party rights, including but not limited to copyright, trademark, trade secret, right of privacy, right of publicity, or other; (v) the Submission does not and will not violate any applicable laws, rules or regulations whether federal, state, or local, and is not and will not be defamatory or libelous; (vi) the information provided by Entrant(s) is accurate and complete; (vii) Entrant(s) have read, understood and accepted the obligations and requirements set forth in these Official Rules; and (vii) the Submission otherwise complies with these Official Rules in all respects.

Each Entrant agrees: (i) to indemnify and hold Sponsor harmless from any and all liability arising out of or relating in any way to Entrant’s participation in Contest;(2) to release all rights to bring any claim, action or proceeding against Sponsor; and (3) to reimburse Sponsor for the costs associated with any third party claims, actions or proceedings of any kind, and any and all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses relating to or arising out of any breach or alleged breach of any of the warranties, representations, or agreements made by Entrant.

7. GRANT OF RIGHTS:

Each Entrant into the Contest grants to Sponsor an irrevocable, non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, sub-licensable right to make use of the Submission and any person's or other entity's property (physical and personal and indicia) contained therein, in any media now or hereafter known, without any payment or other consideration of any kind, or permission or notification, to Entrant or any third party. Sponsor reserves all rights, on a non-exclusive basis, including without limitation, the right to reproduce, record, alter, amend, edit, publish, republish, publicly perform, use, broadcast and stream all or part of the Submission in connection with any and all media now or hereafter known throughout the world, in any and all media, now or hereafter known, in perpetuity, for no additional consideration. Without limiting the foregoing, Sponsor shall have the right, but not the obligation, to use the Submission in any merchandising, advertising, marketing, promotion or for any other commercial or non-commercial purpose, including, without limitation, the promotion and/or marketing of Sponsor. Entrants forever waive and relinquish all so-called "moral rights” (droit moral) now or hereafter recognized. The parent or legal guardian of a Student Entrant must confirm this grant of rights in writing on the behalf of such Student Entrant.

8. PUBLICITY RELEASE AND RELEASE OF INFORMATION:

By participating in the Contest, in addition to any other grants which may have been given pursuant to this or any other agreement entered into between Sponsor and any Entrant, Potential Finalist, Finalist, and/or Winner of the Contest, each Entrant irrevocably grants to the Sponsor and its respective successors, the perpetual, non-exclusive, irrevocable worldwide right to use such Entrant’s name, likeness, biographical information and Submission in any and all media for any purpose whatsoever, including without limitation, advertising and promotional purposes, as well as in, on or in connection with the Website or the Contest or other promotions, and hereby releases Sponsor from any liability with respect thereto. The parent or legal guardian of a Student Entrant must confirm this grant of rights in writing on the behalf of such Student Entrant.

Sponsor may be assisted by outside vendors in conducting the Contest and in future promotional activities, and MAY provide such vendors with information needed to assist Sponsor in those efforts. Sponsor will not, however, sell or provide personal information provided by Entrants to third parties for their use, other than as may be needed by such third party to assist Sponsor in conducting the Contest.

9. PRIZES:

There will be one (1) Grand Prize winner selected from among all entries (Adult Entrants and Student Entrants combined). The Grand Prize consists of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) (to be awarded in the form of a check to the Winner). Three (3) Runner-Up Prizes will be awarded from among all entries, provided that at least one prize (either Grand or Runner-Up) will be awarded in each of the Adult and Student categories. Each Runner-Up Prize consists of Three Hundred Dollars ($300) (to be awarded in the form of a check to the Winners). A prize in the Student Entry category may be awarded or disbursed in the name of the Winner's parent or legal guardian, who will be required on behalf of the Student Entrant to execute such other forms and releases as may be reasonably requested by Sponsor prior to such award or disbursement.

10. GENERAL PRIZE CONDITIONS:

The prize Winners shall be solely responsible for any required or applicable federal, state, and/or local taxes and the reporting consequences thereof, and for any other fees or costs associated with the applicable prize. Winner must provide the Sponsor with valid identification and a signed Form W-9 with a valid taxpayer identification number or social security number before any prize money will be disbursed. Any residents of the fifty (50) United States that win $600 or more in Prizes will have income reported to them on IRS Form 1099, as required under IRS rules, and a copy of said form will be sent to the IRS. You must contact your own tax advisor for any questions concerning taxes.

ANY VIOLATION OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES BY A WINNER WILL RESULT IN SUCH WINNER’S DISQUALIFICATION AS A WINNER OF THE CONTEST AND ALL PRIVILEGES AS A WINNER WILL BE IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED.

11. CANCELLATION OF CONTEST, MODIFICATION OF RULES, PURSUIT OF REMEDIES, DISCLAIMER OF RESPONSIBILITY:

Sponsor assumes no responsibility for and will disqualify Submissions and votes that are: stolen, late, lost, illegible, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, damaged, destroyed, delayed, misdirected, or not received, garbled votes or failure to receive votes, Submissions that have incorrect or inaccurate submission information, whether caused by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in Contest, or by any human, mechanical or electronic error which may occur in the processing of the Submissions in the Contest, or other errors appearing within the Official Rules or in any Contest-related advertisements. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the Contest, errors in processing entries, identifying the Finalists, in the announcement of the Prizes and Finalists, and the delivery of the prizes, any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer systems, online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or players on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or on any website, or any combination thereof, including, without limitation, any injury or damage to Entrant’s or any other person’s computer system/software related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in the Contest.

Sponsor is not responsible for, and will not be liable, if the Contest cannot take place, or if any Prize cannot be awarded due to delays, interruptions or failures due to acts of God, war, natural disasters, weather, acts or threats of terrorism, strikes, lockouts, labor disputes, work stoppages, fire, acts of government, or other events outside of the reasonable control of Sponsor. If, for any reason Sponsor is not capable of running the Contest as planned, including, without limitation, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor, which, in Sponsor’s sole determination, corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, including the online voting process, or proper conduct of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest, or any part of the Contest, including the online voting process, and to determine the Winners. If the Contest is terminated prior to the expiration date stated herein, notice will be posted on www.parents4publicschools.org and the prizes may or may not be awarded to potential Winners to be selected from among all eligible Submissions received up until and or after, if applicable, the time of modification, cancellation or termination, or in a manner that is fair and equitable as determined in the sole and absolute discretion of Sponsor.

Sponsor reserves the right to modify and amend these Official Rules from time to time during Contest for clarification purposes, without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Contest.

ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY PERSON TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAW AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY’S FEES) FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

12. NO OBLIGATION TO USE:

Sponsor shall have no obligation (express or implied) to use any Submission, including a winning Submission, or to otherwise promote any Submission or, if commenced, to continue the distribution or promotion thereof, and Sponsor may at any time abandon the use of any Submission for any reason, with or without legal justification or excuse, and Entrants, including winning Entrants, shall not be entitled to any damages or other relief by reason thereof.

13. FURTHER DOCUMENTATION:

If Sponsor desires to secure additional assignments for the Submission or other documents as Sponsor may reasonably require in order to accomplish the purposes and intents of these Official Rules, then each Entrant agrees to sign the same upon Sponsor’s request therefor.

14. GOVERNING LAW/JURISDICTION:

THE MISSISSIPPI COURTS (STATE AND FEDERAL) SHALL HAVE SOLE JURISDICTION OF ANY CONTROVERSIES REGARDING THE CONTEST AND, EXCEPT WHERE FEDERAL LAW CONTROLS, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI SHALL GOVERN THE INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES. EACH ENTRANT WAIVES ANY AND ALL OBJECTIONS TO JURISDICTION AND VENUE IN THESE COURTS AND HEREBY SUBMITS TO THE JURISDICTION OF THESE COURTS.

15. WINNERS LIST:

Contest Winner’s List shall be available on Sponsor’s website, www.parents4publicschools.org, on or about November 7, 2011, and after.

These Official Rules will be posted on the Website.
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