“WIRED Small Business Program”
OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST.
A purchase will not improve chances of winning.
CONSUMER DISCLOSURE
You have not yet won.
OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES AND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD AS OF THE DATE OF ENTRY
By entering this Promotion, entrants accept and agree to be bound by these Official Rules. Any violation of these rules may result in disqualification. All decisions of the judges regarding this Promotion are final and binding in all respects.
1. PROMOTION PERIOD. Promotion begins 12:01 AM ET August 1, 2008 and ends,11:59 PM ET September 30, 2008, when all entries must be received (“Promotion Period”).
2. ELIGIBILITY. This contest (the “Promotion”) is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are at least 18 years old as of the date of entry, except officers, directors, members and employees of the Sponsor, the judging organization (if applicable), or any other party associated with the development or administration of this Promotion, and the immediate family (i.e., parents, children, siblings, spouse), and persons residing in the same household, as such individuals. This Promotion is void outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and where prohibited.
3. HOW TO ENTER. Visit http://www.condenet.com/promo/smallbizprogram/sweeps/smallbizprogram/entry/long/ during the Promotion Period and follow the instructions to complete and submit the entry form. The entry will include:
Elevator Pitch: (350-400 words) an entrepreneur's one-minute explanation of his/her business model. This portion should give an idea of the person/people, their business, their goals, etc.
Explanation of Business' potential for success (200 words): This can include current revenue, planned/expected revenue 1yr, 3yr, 5yr. business plan / detailed proposal (optional) Please also elaborate on the success of your business to date. (There will be an upload option to include any pertinent materials, such as a business plan or marketing materials.)
Explanation of Business’ commitment to a WIRED approach (200 Words): Explain how the business aligns with WIRED’s commitment to covering innovation’s impact on our world. This may be exemplified in the product’s unique design, or an ingenious service offering. It may also be shown through the ingenuity in managing a small business. The entry may also include the following optional materials: Marketing material (can include Business Plan, more-detailed proposal should be in Word or PDF format). Entrants represent and warrant that their Submission is the original work of such entrant, it has not been copied from others, and it does not violate the rights of any other person or entity. Limit: One entry per person and per e-mail address during the Promotion Period. All entrant information, including e-mail addresses, is subject to the respective Privacy Policy of the applicable Sponsor.
4. WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION. The judging will be broken into 3 phases. Phase I: All entries will be judged on or about October 1, (the “Semi-Final Judging Date”) by a panel of judges comprised of Wired and Industry experts. The judges will score entries based on the following criteria: Presentation: Description of existing or proposed business idea (20%), Commitment: To innovation and forward-thinking (WIRED-ness (20%), Passion: through real-life example, origin of the idea, personal story, past situation.(20%), Need: Why do you need/What would you do with this prize? How will this help you (20%), Potential: Current revenue, planned/expected revenue 1yr, 3yr, 5yr; - define market, identify market share (20%). The ten entries with the highest score will be declared potential semi-finalists (in the event of a tie, the entry with the higher score in the Presentation criteria will prevail). Phase II: The ten semi-finalists will be judged on or about October 31, 2008 (Finalists Judging Date”) by a panel of industry experts. The judges will score entries based on the criteria listed above. The five (5) semi-finalists with the highest overall score will be declared potential finalists (in the event of a tie, the entry with the higher score in the Potential criteria will prevail). All 5 (five) finalists will be video-interviewed by WIRED. Phase III: Beginning at 12:01 AM ET November 1, 2008 finalist interviews will be posted on www.wired.com/wiredsmallbizprogram/and the public will be asked to vote for their favorite. NOTE: voting will be restricted to one vote per person, per household, per email address. As of 11:59 PM ET the entry with the highest number of votes will be declared the potential Grand Prize winner. The potential winner will be determined within ten (10) business days after voting is completed. Any potential winner will be notified by mail, email and/or telephone. Once selected, If a potential finalist/winner cannot be contacted, does not respond within five (5) days from the date the Sponsor first tries to notify him/her, and/or the prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, such potential finalist/winner forfeits all rights to win the Promotion or receive the prize, and an alternate potential finalist/winner may be selected. Upon contacting a potential finalist/winner and determining that he/she has met all eligibility requirements of the Promotion, including without limitation the execution of required waivers, publicity and liability releases and disclaimers, such individual will be declared the “winner” of the Promotion.
5. PRIZE DESCRIPTION. There will be one (1) winner. The prize is an advertorial page in an upcoming issue of Wired Magazine (valued at $33,800), a WIRED next generation technology package, a digital promotional campaign, and Brother merchandise. The approximate retail value of the prize package is $40,000.
6. TAXES. All federal, state and/or local income and other taxes, if any, are the winner’s sole responsibility.
7. OWNERSHIP AND LICENSE. All entry materials become the property of the Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. The copyright in any Submission shall remain the property of the entrant, but entry into this Promotion constitutes entrant’s irrevocable and perpetual permission and consent, without further compensation or attribution, to use such Submission for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes by the Sponsor and/or others authorized by the Sponsor, in any and all media now in existence or hereinafter created, throughout the world, for the duration of the copyright in the Submission. Sponsor and/or others authorized by the Sponsor shall have the right to edit, adapt, and modify the Submission.
8. NO PRIZE TRANSFER OR SUBSTITUTION. No prize or any portion thereof is transferable or redeemable for cash. Any portion of the prize that is not used is forfeited. No substitutions for prize except by Sponsor, in which case a prize of equal or greater value will be substituted.
9. CONSENT AND RELEASE. By entering the Promotion, or voting such individual releases and discharges the Sponsor, judging organization (if applicable), and any other party associated with the development or administration of this Promotion, their parent, subsidiary, and affiliated entities, and each of their respective officers, directors, members, shareholders, employees, independent contractors, agents, representatives, successors and assigns (collectively, “Sponsor Entities”), from any and all liability whatsoever in connection with this Promotion, including without limitation legal claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages, demands or actions of any kind (including without limitation personal injuries, death, damage to, loss or destruction or property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation, or portrayal in a false light) (collectively, “Claims”). Except where prohibited: (i) acceptance of a prize constitutes the consent of any winner, without further compensation, to use the name and likeness of such winner and his/her Submission for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes by the Sponsor and/or others authorized by the Sponsor; (ii) acceptance of a prize constitutes a release by any winner of the Sponsor Entities of any and all Claims in connection with the administration of this Promotion and the use, misuse, or possession of his/her Submission or any prize; (iii) any potential winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility (including social security number) and a liability/publicity/copyright release; and (iv) if prize involves travel or activities, any potential winner and travel companion (if applicable) may be required to execute releases of the Sponsor from any and all liability with respect to participation in such travel/activities and/or use of the prize. Affidavits and releases must be returned within ten (10) days from the date that Sponsor first tries to notify the potential winner. If winner is deemed to be a minor under the jurisdiction of his/her residence, the prize will be awarded in the name of his/her parent or legal guardian who must execute the necessary affidavit and release and, if applicable, must accompany winner on the trip (no additional travel expenses will be awarded should a parent or legal guardian be required to accompany the winner on the trip).
10. DISCLAIMERS. (i) Entries or votes that are lost, late, misdirected, incorrect, garbled, or incompletely received, for any reason, including by reason of hardware, software, browser, or network failure, malfunction, congestion, or incompatibility at Sponsor’s servers or elsewhere, will not be eligible. In the event of a dispute, entries or votes will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet Access Provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institute) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. (ii) Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry or voting process or the operation of the web site. Use of bots or other automated process to enter or vote is prohibited and may result in disqualification at the sole discretion of Sponsor. (iii) Sponsor further reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the Promotion if it is not capable of completion as planned, including by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, force majeure or technical failures of any sort. (iv) Sponsor Entities are not responsible for errors in the administration or fulfillment of this Promotion, including without limitation mechanical, human, printing, distribution or production errors, and may modify or cancel this Promotion based upon such error at its sole discretion without liability. (v) SPONSOR ENTITIES MAKE NO WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS OR GUARANTEES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, AS REGARDS THIS PROMOTION OR THE MERCHANTABILITY, QUALITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING ANY PRIZE OR ANY COMPONENT OF ANY PRIZE. (vi) CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROMOTION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND/OR CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.
11. APPLICABLE LAWS AND JURISDICTION. This Promotion is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Issues concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York. All disputes arising out of or connected with this Promotion will be resolved individually, and without resort to class action, exclusively by a state or federal court located in New York, New York. Should there be a conflict between the laws of the State of New York and any other laws, the conflict will be resolved in favor of the laws of the State of New York. All judgments or awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket damages (excluding attorneys’ fees) associated with participation in this Promotion and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.
12. WINNER LIST. For a list containing the name of the winner, send a self-addressed stamped envelope, within six (6) months of the Judging Date, to: Winner List, “WIRED Small Business Program,” CondeNet, 1166 Avenue of the Americas, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10036.
13. SPONSORSHIP. This Promotion is sponsored by Conde Nast Publications, 4 Times Square, New York, NY 10036, CondeNet, 1166 Avenue of the Americas, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10036, and Brother International Corp 100 Somerset Corporate Boulevard, Bridgewater, NJ 08807.
