Advertisement

Engadget's Insert Coin: New Challengers Official Rules

Barb Dybwad
Updated ·12 min read

ENGADGET'S "INSERT COIN" CONTEST
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE REQUIRED TO ENTER OR WIN

1. ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States (including the District of Columbia) and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 13 years of age or older at time of entry. Employees of AOL Inc. and its respective subsidiaries, affiliates, parent companies, distributors, divisions and agencies, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. Subject to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Void in Quebec, Puerto Rico and where prohibited by law.

2. SPONSOR: The Contest is sponsored by AOL Inc., 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 ("Sponsor").

3. AGREEMENT TO OFFICIAL RULES: Participation in the Contest constitutes entrant's full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor which are final and binding. Winning a Prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

4. TIMING: The entry time is from 10:00 a.m. EST on December 28, 2012 until 11:59p.m. EST on February 8, 2013 (the "Entry Period"). Entries received prior to or after the Entry Period will be disqualified.

5. HOW TO ENTER: To enter the Contest, go to https://www.engadget.com/event/engadget-expand/awards/ and follow the instructions to submit your new product. In order for your entry to be considered, it must meet the following criteria:

  • Existing products / updates to existing products will not be accepted.

  • Product should not be announced, though those with limited coverage will be assessed on an individual basis in Sponsor's sole discretion.

  • Product must not have an existing Kickstarter, Indiegogo or other crowdfunding effort already underway.

  • Companies must be ready to launch crowdfunding campaigns around the event.

  • Products must fall within Engadget's coverage scope, as determined by Sponsor.

  • Products must have a hardware component and not be purely software or web services in origin.

  • Inventors who are selected as Semifinalists will need a working prototype or other presentation for a team of Engadget editors ahead of the event.

  • Simulations or product renderings will not suffice to enter Insert Coin; what you have to show to us must be functional.

  • No products from major manufacturers will be accepted.

Entry must be the original work of entrant and must be owned by entrant. Modifying, enhancing or altering a third party's pre-existing work does not qualify as entrant's original creation. Entries cannot defame, invade or violate the publicity rights or privacy rights of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person's personal, moral, or proprietary rights of any kind whatsoever. Any entrant whose entry includes any third party's name, likeness, trademarks, trade names, logos or any other elements not owned by the entrant must be able to provide a legal release for such use, including Sponsor's use of such entry, in a form satisfactory to Sponsor. See Section 13, Rights to Contest Entries, for additional information.

6. Judging: All entries will be judged by Engadget editors according to the following criteria (the "Judging Criteria"): innovativeness, design, functionality, overall quality, market fitness.. Ten (10) entrants will be selected as "Semifinalists." In the event of a tie, the entries involved in the tie are subject to review by an additional judge who will serve as a tiebreaker and who will evaluate entries according to the Judging Criteria. Decisions of judges are final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to select less than ten (10) Semifinalists if, in Sponsor's discretion, an insufficient number of quality entries are submitted.

7. NOTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL SEMIFINALISTS: Entrants who are notified that their entry was selected is a Potential Semifinalist. Potential Semifinalist is not a Semifinalist until he/she has returned all required documentation and his/her eligibility has been verified by Sponsor. Potential Semifinalists must comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. Potential Semifinalists will be notified by U.S. mail, e-mail and/or telephone. If a Potential Semifinalist cannot be contacted/has not responded after the first attempt to contact him/her, the entrant with the next highest score will be deemed a potential Semifinalist. Except where prohibited, a Potential Semifinalist may be required to sign and return to Sponsor, within a time period to be specified, an affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release and W-9 form in order to claim their Prize and proceed to the next stage of the Contest. If a Potential Semifinalist fails to sign and return the documents within the required time period, the entrant with the next highest score will be deemed the Potential Semifinalist. In the event a Potential Semifinalist is deemed a minor in his/her state of residence, his/her parent or legal guardian must complete the paperwork on the minor's behalf.

8. DETERMINATION OF FINALISTS: Engadget readers will have the opportunity to vote for a Semifinalist in order to determine the five (5) Finalists who will then be invited to go on the stage at the Engadget Expand event and pitch their new product to the judges. Voting Period will begin at on 2/18/13 and end on 2/27/13 (the "Voting Period"). The five (5) Semifinalists with the highest number of valid votes at the end of the Voting Period will be deemed the Finalists (subject to verification). There is no prize associated with becoming a Finalist.

All online voting in this Contest will be under the supervision of the Sponsor whose decisions are final in all matters relating to this Contest. Any voting results posted in real time shall not be deemed official until Sponsor has reviewed and confirmed all of the votes and announced the Finalists. Use of script, macro or any other automated system to vote is prohibited and all such votes will be void. Entrants are prohibited from obtaining votes for any Submission by any fraudulent or inappropriate means, including, without limitation, offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public, vote farming, or any other activity that artificially inflates such Entrants' votes as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Entrants are prohibited from sabotaging the votes of any Submissions through any means deemed inappropriate by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. If an entrant or voter engages in any of the aforementioned acts, his/her votes will be void, and his/her Submissions (if any) will be disqualified. In the event of a tied score in the Voting Period, the entrants involved in a tie will be reviewed by an additional judge appointed by the Sponsor who will serve as a tie-breaker and who will evaluate the entries according to the criteria listed above. Becoming a Finalist and/or Winner is subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with all terms and conditions set forth in these Official Rules.

9. DETERMINATION OF WINNER: The Contest Winner will be determined at the Engadget Expand event based equally on (1) the judges' vote, (2) event audience vote, and (3) livestream audience vote.

10. PRIZES: Ten (10) Semifinalists will be invited to attend the Engadget Expand event taking place March 16-17, 2013 in San Francisco and will receive a $1,000 travel stipend. If a Semifinalist, for any reason, cannot or does not wish to attend the Engadget Expand event, then the prize will be forfeited in its entirety and the Semifinalist will be disqualified from participating any further in the Contest. Travel stipend is to be used for airfare, hotel accommodations, meals and/or other travel-related incidentals. Semifinalists are responsible for all costs exceeding the $1,000 travel stipend.

One (1) Readers' Choice Winner will receive $5,000 and a product review on Engadget.

One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive $20,000 and a product review on Engadget.

Prizes are nontransferable and must be accepted as awarded. Prize recipients are solely responsible for any and all applicable fees and taxes associated with prize receipt and use.

11. GENERAL CONDITIONS: In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, or other technical problem, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules; or (b) award the prize from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. The Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. In case of a dispute as to the owner of an entry, entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized account holder of the email address from which the entry is made. The "authorized account holder" is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address. A potential winner may be required to provide Sponsor with satisfactory proof that he/she is the authorized account holder of the email address associated with the potentially winning entry.

12. Publicity: Except where prohibited by law, participation in the Contest constitutes winner's consent to Sponsor's use of winner's entry, name, likeness, voice, opinions, biographical information and state of residence for promotional purposes in any media without further payment or consideration.

13. RIGHTS TO CONTEST ENTRIES: Submission constitutes Entrant's certification that the entry is their own original work and does not infringe the intellectual property or proprietary rights of any third party, including, without limitation, any third party patents, copyrights or trademarks ("IP Rights"). Entrant hereby agrees not to instigate, support, maintain or authorize any action, claim or lawsuit against the Released Parties (defined below), or any other person, on the grounds that any use of the entry as provided herein, infringes any of entrant's rights as creator of the entry, including, without limitation, trademark rights, copyrights and moral rights or "droit moral." Submission of entry grants Sponsor, AOL, and their agents a right and license in perpetuity to reproduce, publish, display, and use any submitted entry for promotional or demonstrative purposes on any AOL web properties. In no way is Entrant to be construed as the agent of or to be acting as the agent of Sponsor in any way. Nothing herein shall constitute an employment, joint venture, or partnership relationship between Entrant and Sponsor.

14. Release and Limitations of Liability; INDEMNIFICATION: By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, AOL, their officers, directors, employees, and agents (the "Released Parties") from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (b) technical errors related to computers, servers, providers, or telephone or network lines; (c) printing errors; (d) lost, late, postage-due, misdirected, or undeliverable mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant's participation in the Contest or receipt of any prize. Entrant further agrees that in any cause of action, the Released Parties' liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest, and in no event shall the Released Parties be liable for attorney's fees. Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages. Entrant further agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all third party claims or causes of action arising out of or in any way related to Entrant's product and AOL's use thereof as authorized herein, including, without limitation, any claims of infringement of IP Rights.

15. DISPUTES: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrant's rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth of Virginia.

16. CONTEST RESULTS: Contest results may be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Insert Coin Winners, c/o Engadget, 410 Townsend St., Suite 100, San Francisco, CA 94107. Requests must be received by April 30, 2013.