MICROSOFT 7 WAYS TO CHANGE THE WORLD CONTEST

OFFICIAL RULES

COMMON TERMS USED IN THESE RULES:

These are the official rules that govern how the Microsoft 7 Ways to Change the World contest promotion will operate (“Contest”).

In these rules, “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Microsoft Corporation, the sponsor 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 celebrate the launch of the Windows 7 operating system by challenging contestants to submit a short video describing how they would use Windows software to help a registered 5013c charity or public education institution (“Organization”) in their community. The best 7 submissions, as chosen by our judges, will win a new PC running Windows 7 and a $7,000 grant for the eligible Organization.

For purposes of this Contest, each video or written description that you create and submit in the Contest will be called an "entry." All eligible entries received will be judged using the criteria described below to determine the prizewinners

WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES?

This Contest starts at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on October 21, 2009, and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on November 11, 2009 (“Entry Period”).

CAN I ENTER?

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

  • You are a legal resident of the 50 United States and District of Columbia, and are 14 years of age or older.
    • If you 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
  • You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and
  • You are NOT involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Contest; and
  • 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.

WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATION?

To be considered an eligible Organization, the group must be a currently registered 5013c public charity or public school, and must qualify to meet the Microsoft donation eligibility criteria requirements (see below). Winning educational institutions must have a donation program and provide Microsoft with a donation letter prior to accepting the prize.

WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ELIGIBLE ENTRY?

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

  • Video entries must be in .wmv, mpeg, or .avi format
  • Video entries cannot exceed 2 min in length or 100MB in size

In addition:

  • your entry must be your own original work; and
  • your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest; and
  • you must have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your entry; and
  • your entry must not otherwise violate the rights of any other person or company by using their trademarks, music, logos, names or images, with the exception of materials owned by an eligible Organization from which you have obtained consent to use; and,

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

  • contains materials embodying the names, likenesses, voices, or other indicia identifying any person, (other than a member of your family or community or eligible Organization from which you have received consent) including, without limitation, celebrities and/or other public or private figures, living or dead;
  • contains look-alikes of celebrities or other public or private figures, living or dead;
  • is sexually explicit, unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional or age group; profane or pornographic;
  • promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing) or a particular political agenda;
  • is obscene or offensive;
  • defames, misrepresents or contains disparaging remarks about other people or companies;
  • 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 BE POTENTIALLY USED?

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, 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 into 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 the Promotion Parties 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.

HOW DO I ENTER?

In order to participate in this Contest, you must go to the Contest web site at http://www.7waystochangetheworld.com and complete and submit the online entry form, including submission of your video and a short written description, as instructed.

We will only accept seven entries per person. You may submit multiple Entries for the same Organization; however, each Entry must be materially unique, as determined by the judges. There is no limit to the number of people who can nominate the same Organization.

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:

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

WINNER DETERMINATION AND PRIZES

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

Judging Criteria

  • 25.00% - Originality
  • 25.00% - Composition
  • 50.00% - Adherence to Contest Theme

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 any eligible entries, an additional judge will break the tie based on the judging criteria described above. 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 the number of Contest Prizes described below.

Contest Prizes

(7) The entrant will receive a PC running Windows 7 (specific manufacturer / model to be determined by Sponsor - Approximate Retail Value $1,000.00) and the eligible Organization that they nominated will each receive a $7,000.00 grant.

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. Winning educational institutions must have a donation program and provide Microsoft with a donation letter prior to accepting the prize.

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 18 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:

  • 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
  • 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
  • If you accept a prize, you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize; and
  • 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
  • Unless otherwise noted, all prizes are subject to their manufacturer's warranty and / or terms and conditions.

We will only award one prize per person and Organization.

WHAT OTHER CONDITIONS AM I AGREEING TO BY ENTERING?

By entering this Contest you agree:

  • To abide by these Official Rules; and
  • To release and hold harmless Microsoft and its 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 Microsoft's decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this contest; and
  • 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 ADMINISTRATED?

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?

IIf 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 worth $25.00 or more online at http://www.microsoft.com/citizenship. This list will remain posted one month after November 12, 2009.

WHO IS SPONSORING THIS CONTEST?

Microsoft Corporation

One Microsoft Way

Redmond, WA 98052

MICROSOFT DONATION ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Microsoft supports a broad spectrum of organizations and institutions through our giving programs. Many nonprofit and educational organizations are eligible. The contest requires that the organizations be located in the United States or one of its possessions and be registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt, designated public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or as an instrumentality of a federal, state or local government as provided by Section 170(c)(1) of the code.

Eligible organizations include:

  • Degree-granting Educational Institutions:
    • Private and public colleges and universities;
    • Two-year colleges;
    • Graduate and professional schools;
    • Technical and specialized schools;
    • Seminaries and theological schools;
    • Public and privately supported elementary and secondary schools;
    • Tax-exempt alumni funds, foundations, and Parent Teacher Associations whose
      exclusive purpose is the support of these educational institutions;
  • Civic, arts and culture, health and human service agencies, and environmental organizations;
  • Social service or community programs provided by religious or faith-based organizations when the following conditions are met:
    • The group is a registered US-based 501c3 non-profit organization;
    • Programs have a formal mission statement and separate program budget;
    • The secular programs or services are offered to eligible participants without regard to their faith or willingness to participate in religious activities; and
    • The group ensures that company contributions do not fund religious activities such as worship or proselytization.

Ineligible Organizations

  • Private or family foundations
  • Political organizations
  • Religious or sectarian organizations for inherently religious purposes (including but not limited to religious worship or proselytization);
  • Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, Ministries, other houses of worship or religious organizations unless for specific social programs that meet the criteria identified above.