Moonshot for Kids Competition Contest Official Rules

Eligibility

The A Moonshot for Kids Competition (the “Contest”) is only open to persons who are U.S. residents over age 18 at the time of submission. Void outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and where prohibited by law. To be eligible to be a Finalist or Winner (defined below), the entrant must meet certain eligibility criteria, outlined below.

No purchase is necessary to enter or win the Contest.

Contest Sponsor and Administrator

Center for American Progress, which is located at 1333 H St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20005, and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, which is located at 1016 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, are the co-sponsors and administrators of the Contest (“Co-Sponsors”).

Agreement to Official Rules

Participation in this Contest constitutes entrants’ full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Co-Sponsors’ and judges’ decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this Contest. These Official Rules are subject to change. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. The Contest begins and ends according to the below schedule (the “Contest Period”). Co-Sponsors’ computer is the official time-keeping device for the Contest.

General Requirements

Theme & Criteria

The Contest will initially seek applied research and development ideas (“Entry”, collectively “Entries”) that will unleash innovation, support educators, and dramatically improve student outcomes.

Criteria for Competition:

Would the Entry (500 words or less) help the U.S. achieve one of the following big goals:

• Cut in half the number of fourth graders reading “below basic”
• Double the number of eighth graders who can write an effective persuasive essay
• Shrink by 30 percent the average time a student spends in English-language-learner status
• Double the amount of high-quality feedback the average middle schooler receives on their academic work
• Ensure that every student receives high-quality college and career advising by ninth grade
• Double the number of students from low-income families and students of color who graduate from high school with remediation-free scores on the SAT, ACT, or similar exams
• Double the number of young women who major in STEM fields

Co-Sponsors will choose ten individuals (the “Finalists”) based on the above criteria, who will be invited to further flesh out their idea using up to 2,500 words (“Entry”, collectively “Entries”) and to participate in a “Shark Tank” style competition in Washington, D.C., to submit their ideas to the scrutiny of a panel of judges, including educators and senior staff of large national foundations who will select a single winner (the “Winner”), and award a $10,000 grand prize.

The judges’ decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest. If Co-Sponsors do not receive a sufficient number of eligible or qualified entries, or in the case of other interference or fraud, Co-Sponsors reserve the right not to select a Winner, in Co-Sponsors’ sole discretion.

Entries:

Initial Entries to the Contest must be submitted using the online portal by August 1, 2019 (11:59:59 p.m. EST).

No material owned or created by a third party may be submitted. By submitting an Entry, you grant Co-Sponsors the non-exclusive right to use, publish and otherwise display the idea or permit the idea to be used by others.      

Contest Publicity:

By participating, where allowed by law, all Contest entrants grant the Co-Sponsors non‑exclusive permission to use their names and likenesses in connection with promotion of this Contest and for all other uses and waive any claims to royalty, right, or remuneration for such use. By entering, you acknowledge that Co-Sponsors may, but have no obligation to, use or post your Entry online or in other media.

Prior to publishing a written Entry in connection with promotion of the Contest, Co‑Sponsors will contact the entrant to ensure she/he/they agree(s) to specific use, including attribution of the Entry.

Content Restrictions:

By completing the registration and submitting your entry, you agree that your Entry conforms to the rules and requirements set forth herein and that the Co-Sponsors, in their sole discretion, may remove and disqualify your Entry at any time and for any reason, including if it believes, in its sole discretion, that your Entry fails to conform to these rules and requirements in any way. By submitting an Entry, you warrant and represent that your Entry meets the following content restrictions:

• The Entry does not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, tortuous, defamatory, slanderous or libelous
• It does not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age
• It is your original work and has been legally created
• Publication, duplication or distribution of the Entry via various media including Web posting, will not infringe on any third-party rights
• You will indemnify and hold harmless the Co-Sponsors from any claims and damages (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from or relating to the breach or alleged breach of your representations and warranties herein, your Entry, or your conduct in creating your Entry or otherwise in connection with this Contest

Sponsor’s Rights to Your Entries

By submitting an Entry, you acknowledge that there is a limited universe of ideas and that Co-Sponsors have access to and/or may create or have already created ideas and concepts that may be similar or identical to an Entry. Contest entrants will not be entitled to any compensation or other consideration because of the use by Co-Sponsors of such similar or identical material, ideas and/or concepts. Contest entrants waive any claims because of the use by Co-Sponsors of such similar or identical material, ideas and/or concepts, including claims based on contract, copyright, or intellectual property laws.

By submitting an Entry, you irrevocably grant Co-Sponsors and their agents an unlimited, worldwide, perpetual, unconditional, gratis license and right to edit, modify, adapt, distribute, stream, post, publish, broadcast, reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publicly display, exhibit, and or otherwise develop, use, or reuse (without limitation as to when) the Entry, in whole or in part (in each case, as submitted or as edited/modified in any way by the Co-Sponsors, in their sole discretion) in any way, and may use them now or hereafter devised, worldwide in perpetuity, without attribution, compensation, permission or notification to you, your successors or assigns, or any other entity, and without notice, review, or approval from you or any other party.

Furthermore, although Co-Sponsors are not under any legal or contractual obligation to do so, Co-Sponsors reserve the right to review and/or edit any and all Entry elements deemed by Co-Sponsors, in their sole discretion, to be prohibited, inappropriate, offensive, infringing or otherwise unacceptable. Should Co-Sponsors edit any such elements, you are not relieved from responsibility for compliance with these rules.

By submitting an Entry, you acknowledge that Co-Sponsors have no obligation to use or publicize your submitted Entry.

Entrants also agree to sign all other legal forms deemed necessary by Co-Sponsors to establish Co-Sponsors’ right to use, publish and otherwise display the idea or permit the idea to be used by others. Winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and a liability and publicity release within a time period specified by the Co-Sponsors. Failure to respond may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, Co-Sponsors acknowledge that you retain a non-exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free license to use and republish the Entries (including portions thereof). 

Taxes

Any valuation of prize(s) stated above is based on available information and the value of any prize awarded to a Winner may be reported for tax purposes as required by law. Each Winner is solely responsible for reporting and paying any and all applicable taxes related to the prize(s) and paying any expenses associated with any prize that are not specifically provided for in the Official Rules.

LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY AND RELEASE

Co-Sponsors:

• disclaim all liability for the inability of any person to complete or submit an entry or submission due to equipment malfunction, busy lines, inadvertent disconnections, acts beyond our control, or otherwise. For all contests, we disclaim all liability for any delays, misdelivery, loss, or failure in the delivery of any Entry or item. Co-Sponsors are not responsible for mechanical, technical, electronic, communications, telephone, computer, hardware or software errors, malfunctions or failures of any kind, including: failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed transmission of online entries, traffic congestion on telephone lines, the Internet or at any website or lost or unavailable network connections which may limit an online entrant’s ability to participate in the Contest, and any injury or damage to an entrant’s or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating in or downloading any information necessary to participate in the Contest, or any injury, loss or damage arising from the acceptance, use, misuse of any prize or any prize related travel or activity.

• are not liable in the event that any portion of the Contest is cancelled due to weather, fire, strike, acts of war or terrorism, or any other condition beyond their control (a “Force Majeure Event”). Should a Force Majeure Event occur, Co-Sponsors may, but are not obligated to, exercise reasonable efforts to publicize the winning entries and deliver all or part of the prize or make a reasonable substitution in their sole discretion.

Waiver

By participating in the Contest, each entrant waives any and all claims of liability against the Co-Sponsors, its employees and agents for any personal injury or loss which may occur from the conduct of, or participation in, the Contest, including while claiming the prize.

Any waiver of any obligation hereunder by Co-Sponsors does not constitute a general waiver of any of Co-Sponsor’s rights nor a waiver of any obligation required of an entrant.

Privacy

Entries are subject to Co-Sponsor Center for American Progress’s privacy policy.

Disputes and Jurisdiction

Except where prohibited, each entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by a Court of the District of Columbia.

Winners List

To access a winner’s list after the Contest concludes In October/November, 2019 send a self-addressed envelope to Co-Sponsors at:

Thomas B. Fordham Institute, 1016 16th Street NW, Floor 8, Washington, DC 20036