UW Contest Rules
Our Ideas @ Work
Official Contest Rules
These are the official rules for the 2008 "Creating the Future: Our Ideas @Work" contest.
Sponsor
The 2008 “Creating the Future: Our Ideas @Work” contest (“Contest”) is sponsored by the Service Employees International Union Local 925 (“Sponsor” or “We”). All inquiries should be directed to SEIU Local 925 at 1-866-734-8925 or “Creating the Future: Our Ideas @Work” at SEIU Local 925, 3647 Stone Way N, Seattle WA 98103.
Eligibility
The Contest is open to residents of Washington State who are (1) SEIU Local 925, University of Washington Chapter bargaining unit members as of 5/1/2008; and (2) who are 21 years of age or older by 6/30/2008. No purchase is necessary to participate. Employees, officers, directors, agents, representatives and independent contractors (and their immediate family members and members of the same households, whether related or not) of the Sponsor, SEIU Local 925, are not eligible to participate. Judges (and their immediate family members and members of the same households, whether related or not) are not eligible to participate. The Contest is void outside of Washington State, and where prohibited by law. The Contest is subject to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Participants agree to abide by the terms of these official rules and by the decisions of the Sponsor and Contest Judges. All decisions of the Sponsor and Contest Judges are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Contest.
Contest Purpose and Criteria
Purpose: Employees who are in the SEIU Local 925 University of Washington Chapter bargaining units have an abundance of great ideas for improving public services—ideas that stem from their own firsthand experience of what works well and what does not. When these employees are able to run with their ideas, the public and the University benefit, and bargaining unit members’ jobs are improved. The purpose of this Contest is to give SEIU Local 925 University of Washington Chapter bargaining unit members an opportunity to present their innovative ideas for improving the quality of public services ideas to a panel of impartial judges. The Contest will reward those bargaining unit members whose ideas are determined by the Judges to have the best potential to improve University of Washington public services
Contest Criteria: In order to evaluate the potential of the Contest entries to improve University of Washington public services, the entries will be judged in equal measure on seven criteria, as follows:
• Does the idea further the Mission of SEIU Local 925: To advance the well-being of our members, their families, and all working people by developing leaders who are a voice for change in the workplace and solidarity in our communities.
• Improves Quality: Will the idea improve the quality of University of Washington public services, ideally in ways that are measurable?
• Practicality: How broadly can the idea be implemented across the diverse University of Washington system?
• Sustainability: Are the time and resources available to implement and sustain the idea, and is the investment of time and resources justified by the degree of improvement in public services?
• Public Appeal: Does the idea resonate with the public and with the University of Washington community?
• Member Appeal: Will SEIU Local 925 members be energized about implementing the idea?
• Strategic: Does the idea include a strategy for engaging the University of Washington community in improving public services?
Contest Procedure and Content
1. How to Enter. The Contest Period begins at 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Savings Time on 5/31/08 and continues until 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Savings Time on 6/30/08. Entries can be submitted by United States mail or through the Contest Web site. Entries by mail must be received in the union office by 5:00:00 p.m. on 6/30/08. Entries submitted through the Contest Web site will be deemed timely if registered by the Contest Web site within the Contest Period. The Contest Web site is at:
http://www.seiu925.org/UW/UW_Contest_Submission/Default.aspx
Contest entries may be mailed to:
SEIU Local 925
Attention: Contest Review Panel
3647 Stone Way N
Seattle, Wa 98103
In order to be considered, each entry must be submitted on a contest entry form and must include (1) the personal and contact information of the Entrant; and (2) the Entrant’s idea for improving public services.
Contest entry forms are available at the Contest Web site, above, or by calling SEIU Local 925 at 1-866-SEIU925, or by writing to “Creating the Future: Our Ideas @Work,” SEIU Local 925, 3647 Stone Way N, Seattle WA 98103.
2. Idea Length and Format. Ideas must be no more than 300 words. Participants may use an additional seven words for a title. IDEAS EXCEEDING 300 WORDS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
3. Preparation and Quantity. Entrants are welcome to develop their idea submissions either alone or in collaboration with others. Entrants who choose to prepare their submissions in collaboration with others must complete the entry form in the name of one person; that person, alone, is eligible to win any of the prizes. Entrants may submit more than one idea during the course of the Contest Period. Entrants who submit more than one idea must complete and submit a separate entry form for each submission.
4. Prohibited Content. Ideas must be submitted in English; submissions in a language other than English will not be considered. In addition, any submission which contains any of the following prohibited content will be disqualified at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Any decision by the Sponsor to disqualify a submission based on prohibited content is final.
i. Defamation: Submissions must not contain any material deemed defamatory, as determined by the Sponsor at its sole discretion.
ii. Copyright: Ideas must not contain any copyrighted material not in the public domain that the Entrant has not obtained the right to use.
iii. Privacy/Anonymity: The text of idea submissions must not contain information which could lead a Contest Judge to specifically identify an individual nor which invades the privacy of others.
iv. Obscenity and Offensive Material: Submissions must not contain any material that is deemed obscene or patently offensive on the basis of race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, family status, physical ability, socioeconomic status, or any other similar basis, as determined at the sole discretion of the Sponsor.
Selection Process
There will be three steps in the process of selecting the Contest winners: the review for eligibility and compliance, the transfer of the entries to the Contest Judges, and the judging.
1. The Review Panel:
All entries will first go to a Review Panel. The Review Panel will be made up of three members of the SEIU Local 925 Executive Board. Review Panelists will review all Contest entries in light of the Procedure and Content portion of these Contest Rules. Any Contest entries which do not comply with these requirements will be disqualified by the Review Panel.
The Review Panel will also have responsibility for determining, in its sole discretion, if two or more entries contain identical or substantially similar ideas. If the Review Panel determines that two or more entries contain identical or substantially similar ideas, the entry which was received by Sponsor first will remain in the Contest and all other subsequently submitted ideas will be disqualified.
2. Transfer of Entries to Judges:
Entries from eligible contestants that are in compliance with the Procedure and Content portion of these Contest Rules and that are not disqualified as identical or substantially similar to previously submitted entries will be forwarded by Sponsor to the Contest Judges without identifying information. Sponsor will administratively create a procedure for separating the identifying information from the idea entries before forwarding them to the Contest Judges and matching the entries with the identity of the Entrants at the conclusion of the judging.
3. Contest Judges:
Upon receipt of the Contest entries, the Contest Judges will review the entries in light of the seven criteria described in the Criteria section, above. Judges will assign scores to each submission, with a separate score for each of the seven criteria. Submissions will receive a total score from each Judge and a total overall score which will be the sum of the total scores assigned by each Contest Judge. The submission with the highest total overall score will be the first-place winner and will be awarded a $500 prize. The submission with the second-highest score will be the second-place winner and will be awarded a $300 prize. The submission with the third-highest score will be the third-place winner and will be awarded a $200 prize. In the event of a tie score at any of these levels, the tie-break procedure described below will apply. Contest Judges will be solely responsible for computing the scores and selecting the Contest winners from among the qualifying entries.
The Contest Judges are:
• David S Harrison is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs and the Chair of the Washington Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board.
• Susanne Recordon is a Graduate Program Assistant in the Political Science Department at the University of Washington.
• Jack Hildebrandt, Professor, PBio and Med
• Andrew Hedden, Program Coordinator, Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies
• Guy Chiu-Kai Chan, UW Department of Pharmacology
Tie Scores
If two or more ideas receive a tie score, there will be a run-off vote conducted by the five Contest Judges. Each Contest Judge will have one vote, which he or she shall cast in favor of the single tied entry which that Contest Judge deems to best meet the seven Contest Criteria. If the run-off is conducted among more than two tied entries and the run-off results in another tie, the Contest Judges will conduct additional run-off votes as necessary to break the tie.
Dates
As set forth above, the Contest Period will be from 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Savings Time on 5/31/08 to 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Savings Time 6/30/08. Entries submitted by United States mail must received in the union office by 5:00:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Savings Time 6/30/2008. Entries submitted via the Contest Web site must be registered by the Contest Web site during the Contest Period.
Number of Rounds
There will be one judging round in this Contest.
Grant of Rights in Ideas Submitted; Originality of Idea
By completing the entry and submission process, the Entrant irrevocably grants Sponsor and its legal representatives, assigns, agents, and licensees, the unconditional and perpetual right and permission to copyright (as appropriate), reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, publicly perform, adapt, exhibit and/or otherwise use or reuse (without limitations to when or to the number of times used), the Entrant’s Submission, including, but not limited to, the text of the submitted idea contained therein (in each case, as submitted or as edited/modified in any way by the Sponsor, at its sole discretion), as well as to use the Entrant’s name, city/state, image, voice, likeness, biographical material and photograph (collectively “Likeness”), and/or statements regarding his/her participation in this Contest as well as any additional photographic images, video images, portraits, interviews or other materials relating to the Entrant and arising out of Entrant’s participating in this Contest (with or without using the Entrant’s name) (collectively, the “Additional Materials”) in any and all media throughout the world for any purpose, without limitation as to time or territory, and without additional review, compensation or approval from the Entrant or any other party—except where prohibited by law. Entrant waives intellectual property rights, privacy/publicity rights or other legal or moral rights that might preclude the Sponsor’s use of the submission and agrees not to sue or assert any claim against the Sponsor for the use of the Submission or Entrant’s likeness or statements.
Entrant represents and warrants that the idea is original, does not infringe the rights or intellectual property claims of any third parties, and the submission of the idea will not violate any enforceable agreements or understandings submitter has with any third party.
Cost
There is no cost to participate in the Contest. No purchase is necessary.
Required Documentation
Before payment of prize money is made, all winners will be required to submit an affidavit of eligibility, in which they affirm that they meet the eligibility requirements for the Contest. In addition, winners may also be required to submit an affidavit of compliance with these rules, a release, and such other forms as the Sponsor may require.
Notification and Payment
By entering the Contest, each Entrant grants the Sponsor permission to contact the Entrant in connection with Contest matters at the addresses and telephone numbers given on the Contest entry form. Winners will be notified via email, phone, or regular mail within approximately three (3) business days after the determination by the Contest Judges that they have received the requisite score to win a prize. Upon reaching the winners, the Sponsor will also send the relevant affidavit(s) and forms necessary for the winner to receive the prize. In the event that a recipient cannot be reached within seven business days of the Sponsor’s first attempt to notify him or her, the payment may be forfeited and the Entrant receiving the next-highest score may be selected as the winner and contacted in the same manner.
Winners must return the required affidavit of eligibility and such other forms as the Sponsor may require via the provided overnight shipping supplies within five (5) business days of receipt. Entrants grant Sponsor permission to verify the information included in the affidavit of eligibility, the affidavit of compliance, and any other documents that Sponsor may require. If these documents are returned to Sponsor as undeliverable or are not completed and returned to Sponsor by such deadline, or if a potential winner does not meet the eligibility or other requirements of the Contest, the prize will be forfeited and the entry which received the next highest score may be chosen to receive the prize.
The Sponsor will award payment to the winning Entrants at the conclusion of this notification and documentation process. The payment will be sent by overnight mail to the addresses provided by the winners. The Sponsor shall not be responsible for unsuccessful delivery of any documents and/or payments which the Sponsor addresses to the address provided by the winner.
Announcement of Recipients
The Sponsor will announce the winners and post their names on the Contest Web site following the completion of the Contest and the execution and verification of the affidavits of eligibility and such other forms as required by Sponsor.
Use of Winners’ Names and Likeness
Each winner who accepts any payment will be deemed thereby to have granted to the Sponsor the right, at any time and from time to time, to print, publish, broadcast and use, worldwide and in any media now known or hereafter developed, including but not limited to, the Internet and World Wide Web, the name, portrait, picture, voice, likeness and biographical information of each such recipient as news or information and for advertising and promotional purposes without additional consideration, except where prohibited by law.
Disqualification
The Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any participant that it determines, at its sole discretion, is ineligible to participate in the Contest. Failure to comply with these rules may result in a participant’s disqualification.
Limitation of Liability
If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, the Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. The Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft, destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. The Sponsor is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any mail delivery process, telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, compact discs (CDs) or other hardware storing videos, software, failure of any email to be received by the Sponsor on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this Contest.
Limitation of Remedies
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, SHALL THE SPONSOR OR AFFILIATED ENTITIES OR ITS SUCCESSORS OR ASSIGNS, OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS AND REPRESENTATIVES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS OR HARM TO BUSINESS OR REPUTATION, ARISING OUT OF PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST, POSTING ON OR ACCESS AND/OR DOWNLOAD OF ANY MATERIALS OR INFORMATION FROM ANY WEB SITE OWNED, OPERATED OR CONTROLLED BY THE SPONSOR OR AFFILIATED ENTITIES, OR ACCEPTANCE OR USAGE OF A PAYMENT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, DAMAGES FOR BODILY OR PERSONAL INJURY, EVEN IF THE SPONSOR OR ANY AFFILIATED ENTITES, THEIR SUCCESSORS OR ASSIGNS, OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, SHAREHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR REPRESENTATIVES HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR LOSS. THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF SPONSOR ARISING OUT OF ANY KIND OF CLAIM (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE) SHALL NOT EXCEED $1.00. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Amendments
Sponsor reserves the right to suspend, cancel, terminate or modify the Contest without advance notice, and thereafter to recommence such Contest, if at all, only at such time(s) and upon such terms and conditions as Sponsor shall deem reasonable under the circumstances.
Severability
If any one or more provisions of these Official Rules are held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability shall not affect the validity, effect, or enforcement of any other provision or provisions of these Official Rules.
Recipients List
A list of winners will be posted on the Contest Web site at the conclusion of the Contest. For a copy of the winners list, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Creating the Future: Our Ideas @Work, SEIU Local 925, 3647 Stone Way N, Seattle WA 98103. For a copy of these official rules send a self-addressed stamped envelope to above address marked “Creating the Future: Our Ideas @Work,” Attn: Contest Review Panel.
Jurisdiction; Venue
Any dispute that may arise hereunder, if not settled by the parties directly or through alternate dispute resolution, shall be brought solely in the appropriate state or federal court sitting in Seattle Washington, and participants consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue thereof.
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