TEAMS:
All members of your team must meet the eligibility criteria contained in this Participation Agreement. Participants must be at least 13 years old to participate unless otherwise stated on the individual event page. Where participants under 18 are permitted, participants must complete the Event Participation Permission Form to be eligible to participate. If any member of your team is ineligible or otherwise fails to comply with this Participation Agreement, the team as a whole may be disqualified at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Each team is solely responsible for its own cooperation and teamwork. The Sponsor will not officiate any dispute among members regarding their conduct, participation, cooperation, contribution, prize sharing or intellectual property. Your team’s Prototype and any other materials submitted in connection with the Event will be referred to herein as your team’s “submission.”
THIS EVENT IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. BY PARTICIPATING IN THE EVENT, YOU AGREE TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
SUBMISSIONS:
Winning teams may be subject to a submission-review at some point following the Event or immediately before winners are announced. Your team must complete its Prototype or Submission before the end of the Event period as outlined on the Event website. For events where code is required, instructions will be provided on how to check in the code for your Prototype or Submission.
NO EXPECTATION OF CONFIDENTIALITY:
Unless otherwise noted, Participant Submissions will not be treated as confidential. Participant Submissions will be shared with judges and event staff and may, in some cases, be displayed publicly during and after the event. Information that a team considers proprietary (e.g. code) should not be submitted.
Should a situation arise where judges request to view information a team considers proprietary (e.g. code) in order to accurately judge submissions, a specific request will be made to the team by event staff. In responding to such a request, a team may specify that the proprietary information in question be shared only with judges and event staff. Such requests must be made in writing. We reserve the right to edit or delete any content considered offensive, explicit, or otherwise inappropriate, in whole or in part, without notice at our sole discretion
NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT:
Please see Appendix A for the full NDA.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY:
Participants own the rights to their projects they create at the Event. Your team may create a Prototype using data and/or API’s provided by the Sponsor and/or its Partner. This could mean that you or a teammate created the Technology, acquired Sponsorship of the Technology from a third party, or may rely on binding written statements by the third party that owns or has the right to license the Technology indicating that you (or members of the public generally) are authorized to use that Technology in the manner you intend to use it. Your team will be disqualified if the Sponsor has any reason to believe that your team has violated the terms of this paragraph. You should consult with appropriate advisors or legal counsel if you have any doubt as to whether you are meeting the requirements of this paragraph. “Technology” means, without limitation, content (including pictorial, audio and audio-visual content), code, specifications, technical information, algorithms, images, design, art, music, graphics, SFX, data, and any other information or materials protected by any intellectual property right. Your team may bring to the Event any pre-developed or licensed Technology that you plan to use in connection with your Prototype, provided that such Technology meets the requirements of this paragraph.
By participating in the Event, you may receive access to certain proprietary software, APIs, and/or other copyrighted materials, including pictorial, audio, video and/or audio-visual content owned by the Sponsor or its affiliates, partners or licensors (collectively, the “Event Materials”). You acknowledge and agree that the Event Materials are made available to you solely for your use in developing and testing your Submission in connection with the Event and not for any other purpose, including but not limited to any commercial purpose. You agree that you will not distribute, display, perform, transmit, publish or otherwise disclose or make available to any third party the Event Materials under any circumstances, nor will you allow any third party to access or use the Event Materials using any key, password or other identifier issued to you. Upon the earlier of (1) the conclusion of the Event, (2) cancellation of your registration or disqualification from the Event, or (3) a request by the Sponsor, you agree to permanently delete or otherwise destroy all Event Materials in your possession or control. You will promptly notify the Sponsor if the Event Materials in your possession or control are accessed or used by any third party and provide the Sponsor reasonable cooperation and assistance in connection with attempts to stop such unauthorized access or use.
You represent and warrant that your Submission does not violate any agreement or obligation to any invention assignment, proprietary information, confidentiality, non-solicitation, noncompetition or similar agreement with any employer or other person. You represent and warrant that the Submission is and will be your own original work and does not and will not infringe the intellectual property or proprietary rights of any third party, including, without limitation, any third party patents, copyrights or trademarks. You hereby agree not to instigate, support, maintain or authorize any action, claim or lawsuit against the Sponsor, Sponsor’s Partners or any other person, on the grounds that any use of your Submission, infringes any of your Submission as creator of the Submission, including, without limitation, trademark rights, copyrights and moral rights or “droit moral.” You also agree to hold Sponsor and its Partners harmless against such claims of infringement.
You hereby grant to Sponsor and its Partners a royalty-free, non-exclusive world-wide license to use of the non-confidential portions of your Submission and consequently Sponsor and its Partners will have rights to copy, edit, publicly display, publicly perform, broadcast, publish and use, in whole or in part, any Submission, during and after the Event. Nothing herein shall constitute an employment, joint venture, or partnership relationship between or among you, Sponsor or its Partners. You will not receive any compensation from Sponsor in connection with any Entries. Each Participant acknowledges and agrees that Sponsor or other Participants or third parties may have developed or commissioned works which are similar to the Submission of Participant or Participant’s team, or may develop something similar in the future, and each Participant waives any claims that Participant may have resulting from any similarities to the Submission of Participant or Participant’s team.
After the Event, Partners may desire to further license specific code or other confidential aspects of your Submission or further team with or engage you or members of your team. Such arrangements will be negotiated and entered into directly by and among Partners, you and/or team members.
PUBLICITY, RECORDING AND STILL PHOTOGRAPHY:
By participating in this Event, you agree to be photographed and recorded by the Sponsor or its contractors without right of review, compensation, payment or consideration of any kind. You understand that the images and footage may be broadcast, displayed, reproduced, edited, exhibited, used and distributed by the Sponsor over the Internet and/or any other communication medium now existing or hereafter created, for promotional, revenue producing and/or any other purpose as the Sponsor determines in its sole and absolute discretion. This authorization explicitly includes, but is not limited to, the use of your name, biographical information, likeness, voice, Submission and statements attributable to you. You may opt out of being photographed and/or recorded by informing Event staff upon check-in at the Event that you do not consent to be photographed or recorded, or by approaching the photographers or recording staff directly.
DEMONSTRATIONS:
Following the Event period, each team will demonstrate its Submission to a panel of judges selected by the Sponsor. Demonstrations will occur at the selected venue (or online for virtual events) for each event. Demonstration time limits may be shortened or lengthened in the Sponsor’s sole discretion depending on the number of entries.
You may present your submission in any way you see fit, but you are encouraged to explain and demonstrate how your submission meets the judging criteria. For in-person events, the Sponsor will provide equipment to display your submission on a screen. The order of demonstrations will be decided by the Sponsor in its discretion.
JUDGING:
A panel of judges will evaluate each submission against the judging criteria as outlined on the Event website. Each Submission will be scored in each round based on the selected criteria.
Judges are subject to change at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. A judge may elect to recuse him or herself from evaluating a submission, or the Sponsor may require a judge to recuse him or herself from evaluating a submission, if, at the judge’s or the Sponsor’s discretion, it would not be appropriate for the judge to evaluate a participant’s submission because of a past or current relationship with the participant. Recusal decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT AND VERIFICATION:
Potential winners will be announced after the judging. The Sponsor may take any actions necessary to verify a team’s compliance with this Participation Agreement before awarding a Prize, including, without limitation, engaging a third party vendor to evaluate Prototype software code and/or requiring a team to provide evidence of permission to use certain third party materials. By agreeing to this Participation Agreement, the participant understands and acknowledges that even though a team may be announced as a winner, if the team’s compliance with this Participation Agreement cannot be verified to the satisfaction of the Sponsor, the Sponsor will select an alternate winner with the next highest score based on the same judging criteria.
PRIZES:
A current list of prizes for each individual event will be listed on the Event website. Prizes are awarded based on combined judge scores from each round of judging with the exception of certain types of unique prizes (e.g. A Crowdsource prize might be awarded to the team that wins the most votes in a poll). These types of unique prizes are awarded at the discretion of the Sponsor.
PRIZE CONDITIONS:
All Prize details will be determined by the Sponsor and its Partners in its sole discretion. The Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a similar prize (or prize element) of comparable or greater value. All taxes and other expenses, costs, or fees associated with the acceptance and/or use of any Prize are the sole responsibility of winners. Prizes cannot be transferred or substituted by the winner. The Sponsor or its Partners will furnish the appropriate tax forms to winners for the approximate retail value of the Prize for the tax year in which the Prize was won. If a Prize is unclaimed within a reasonable time after notification from the Sponsor, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, it will be forfeited, and time permitting, an alternate winner may be selected from the remaining eligible entries at the Sponsor’s sole discretion.
SUBMISSIONS:
Your submission must–
DISQUALIFICATIONS:
Your team’s submission may be disqualified if the Sponsor has reason to believe, in the Sponsor’s sole discretion, that your submission (a) contains any element that is malicious, corrupt, damaged, incomplete, inappropriate, or offensive; (b) violates the terms of use of any social media service, website, mobile application or any other platform used in connection with your submission; (c) infringes any third party intellectual property rights; (d) violates any applicable law or (e) violates or does not comply with any section of this Participation Agreement.
You and/or your entire team may be disqualified for any of the following actions, with or without warning, in the Sponsor’s sole discretion: (i) verbal abuse of another participant or Event staff, (ii) inappropriate touching or harming of another participant or Event staff, (iii) breach of the Event Participant Agreement or any other agreement entered into in connection with the Event, (iv) violation of or non-compliance with any section of this Participation Agreement, or (v) violating the spirit of the Event. If the Sponsor has reason to believe that you or your team has compromised the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Event, including, without limitation, by cheating, hacking, creating a malicious bot or other automated program, or by committing fraud in any way, your team will be disqualified and asked to leave the Event. If during the Event, any Event staff has reason to believe that your health is in danger, you may be required to discontinue your participation in the Event and asked to seek immediate medical assistance. Your teammates, if any, may continue participating in the Event if they so choose.
All disqualification decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
CODE OF CONDUCT:
The Sponsors are dedicated to providing an empowering experience for everyone who participates in or supports our community. Because we value the safety and security of our members and strive to have an inclusive community, we do not tolerate harassment of members or Event participants in any form. This Code of Conduct was created to clearly define what we mean by a harassment-free experience, so that our community and those who support it are clear about our intent and have access to procedures for addressing issues, should they arise.
Sponsors Statement of Intent:
The Sponsor values the safety and security of all of our members and, because of that, we will not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination whether an event is in-person or online. Our goal is to provide a safe and secure environment for our members, and to this end we have taken the following actions:
Sponsor Hackathon Events:
The sponsor is dedicated to inspiring all to excel in technology careers. We are committed to our mission statement and equally committed to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, or socioeconomic status. We do not tolerate harassment of Event participants in any form. Event participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled permanently, at the discretion of the Event organizers. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the Event organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the Event with no refund (if applicable).
We expect participants to follow these rules at Event and workshop venues (or online spaces for virtual events) and Event-related social events.
Forms of Harassment and Discrimination:
Forms of harassment include sexual language and imagery, sexist, racist, and exclusionary jokes, and acts that insult or belittle other Event attendees in any way. These are unacceptable at any and all Sponsor events. Other forms of harassment and discriminatory behavior include, but are not limited to: offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status; sexual images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; unwarranted photography or recording; sustained disruption of Event programming; inappropriate physical contact; all forms of cyberbullying; and unwelcome sexual attention.Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to immediately comply and may be removed from the Event without warning by any Event staff. Participants are expected to comply with this Code of Conduct at all Event venues.
How to Report Harassment and Discrimination:
Blue Clarity LLC administers hackathon events on behalf of the Sponsors. If you experience or notice harassment, discrimination, or any of the unacceptable behaviors outlined herein at a Sponsor’s Event, or have any other concerns, please report the incident as soon as possible. To report an incident, take one of the following actions: inform the Event organizer on site; inform another organizer in your network; report the incident to Blue Clarity HQ by emailing info@blueclarity.io. If you choose to share your name, it will only be seen by Blue Clarity event staff involved with resolving the issue. Blue Clarity event staff will take all appropriate actions to mitigate risk factors moving forward and continue to provide a safe and secure environment- whether in-person or online- for all Event participants. Blue Clarity leadership is happy to assist attendees in contacting venue security, local law enforcement, or otherwise aid those experiencing harassment so that they feel safe for the duration of the Event. The Blue Clarity event staff will take great care to ensure that the assistance provided meets the needs of attendees who were affected.
Periodic Review:
The Sponsors will conduct a periodic review of this Code of Conduct and its components to ensure it remains updated, relevant and applicable.
ADDITIONAL TERMS:
The failure of the Sponsor to comply with any provision of this Participation Agreement due to an act of God, hurricane, war, fire, riot, earthquake, terrorism, act of public enemies, actions of governmental authorities outside of the control of the Sponsor (excepting compliance with applicable codes and regulations), or other “force majeure” event will not be considered a breach of this Participation Agreement. The Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any injury or damage to your or any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from downloading materials or software in connection with the Event. The Sponsor is not responsible for telecommunications, network, electronic, technical, or computer failures of any kind; for inaccurate transcription of submission information; for errors in any promotional or marketing materials or in this Participation Agreement; for any human or electronic error; or for Entries that are stolen, misdirected, garbled, delayed, lost, late, damaged, or returned. The Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Event or any element thereof (including, without limitation, this Participation Agreement) without notice in any manner and for any reason (including, without limitation, in the event of any unanticipated occurrence that is not fully addressed in this Participation Agreement). In the event of cancellation, modification, or suspension, The Sponsor reserves the right to select winners in a random drawing from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to the time of the Event warranting such cancellation, modification, or suspension. The Sponsor may prohibit any entrant or potential entrant from participating in the Event, if such entrant or potential entrant shows a disregard for this Participation Agreement; acts with an intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other entrant, the Sponsor, or the Sponsor’s agents or representatives; or behaves in any other disruptive manner (as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion.)
NEITHER THE SPONSORS OR THEIR PARTNERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE EVENT OR THESE EVENT RULES. YOU HEREBY RELEASE AND AGREE TO INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS THE SPONSORS AND ITS EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, AFFILIATES, AGENTS, PARTNERS, JUDGES AND ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL AGENCIES FROM ANY AND ALL DAMAGES, INJURIES, CLAIMS, CAUSES OF ACTIONS, LIABILITY OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND (INCLUDING ACTUAL LEGAL FEES AND EXPENSES), KNOWN OR UNKNOWN, ABSOLUTE OR CONTINGENT, NOW OR IN THE FUTURE ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO: (A) YOUR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY OF THE EVENT RULES (B) ANY MISREPRESENTATION YOU MAKE UNDER THE EVENT RULES OR OTHERWISE TO THE SPONSORS; (C) YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE EVENT ; OR (D) YOUR RECEIPT, USE OR REDEMPTION OF ANY PRIZE, OR YOUR INABILITY TO RECEIVE, USE OR REDEEM ANY PRIZE.
Appendix A: NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT
Event Project Development
As part of the Event, the Sponsor may provide Participants with certain Confidential Information solely for use during the Event. Participant agrees that the Participant will protect the Confidential Information. Therefore, the parties agree as follows: