Showcase
Official Rules

Official Rules

THIS EVENT IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. BY PARTICIPATING, YOU AGREE TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES.

1. Overview

  1. In these “Official Rules” (or “Rules”), the term “we,” “us,” or “our” refers to [HOST NAME], a [JURISDICTION] [ENTITY TYPE] (the “Host”).
  2. In these Rules, the term “you” refers to you, the entrant, both as an individual (the “Participant”) and as part of your team (the “Team”).
  3. The [JAM NAME] (the “Event”) is designed to [GAME JAM - facilitate the rapid prototyping of one or more video games OR HACKATHON: solve one or more business or technology problem(s) OR PITCH COMPETITION: present one or more business opportunities for investment or other financial support], the details of which shall be announced before the registration for Event begins on [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY].
  4. The Event, in its totality, shall occur between [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] and [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY]. All times in these Rules are in [REGION] [Daylight OR Standard] Time (##T).
    1. Registration
      1. Begins on or around [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] at [##:##xm].
      2. Ends on or around [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] at [##:##xm].
    2. Building Phase
      1. Begins on or around [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] at [##:##xm].
      2. Ends on or around [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] at [##:##xm].
    3. Judging Phase
      1. Begins on or around [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] at [##:##xm].
      2. Ends on or around [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] at [##:##xm].
    4. Results shall be announced on or around [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] at [##:##xm].
  5. The Event will take place virtually at [URL] OR [physically at [PHYSICAL VENUE] (the “Venue”) OR both virtually at [URL] and physically at [PHYSICAL VENUE] (the “Venue”)].
  6. Certain Event “Sponsors” may also offer “Prizes” during the Event. These Prizes may or may not have financial value, may or may not be tangible good, and may or may not be digital assets.
  7. We may or may not be a Sponsor during the Event, and therefore may or may not be responsible for providing those Prizes.
  8. Each Sponsor is responsible for appointing impartial “Judges” to vote on the submissions by Participants made during the Event. The Judges shall cast votes to determine the “Winners” of the Event. If you have any questions about the Prizes, please contact the applicable Sponsor(s) directly.
  9. We are not responsible for providing or distributing Prizes offered by non-Host Sponsors, and we do not have any role in the determination of Winners. If you have questions about those Prizes, please contact the applicable Event Sponsor(s).

2. Eligibility

  1. The Event is open to registered Participants who are at least [YOUNGEST AGE ALLOWED BY HOST] ([##]) years of age. Participants who are seventeen (17) years of age or younger are determined to be a “Minor” and must have a parent or legal guardian sign the “Parental Consent & Assumption of Risk and Liability Waiver” form and note their relationship to the Minor.
  2. The following parties, however, are not eligible to participate:
    1. Individuals who are residents of, or Organizations domiciled in, a country, state, province or territory where the laws of the United States or local law prohibits participating or receiving a prize in the Event (including, but not limited to, Myanmar (f/k/a/ Burma), Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria and any other country designated by the United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control); or
    2. Any Judge (defined below) of the Event.
  3. If you are an employee of a corporation, government agency, or an academic institution, you are responsible for ensuring that your participation in the Event complies with any policies your corporation, agency, or institution may have regarding participation in contests of this type. We are not responsible for any disputes arising between you and your employer.
  4. Teams formed with the primary intention of recruiting participants for potential employment at the Event shall be disqualified and barred from the Event. Only approved Sponsors may send recruiters to the Event.

3. Registration & Check-In

  1. In order to participate in the Event, you must register on the [REGISTRATION SITE] by [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] at [##:##xm] and comply with the Official Rules, Code of Conduct, and any additional requirements and any other requirements of the Event.
    1. Registration may be closed earlier if capacity is reached.
  2. The Registration site can be accessed at: [URL]
    1. If you do not check in, you will not be allowed to participate in the Event except where otherwise permitted.
  3. A maximum of [NUMBER] (##) eligible individuals will be permitted per Team.
  4. The participant who creates the Team will be designated as the “Captain.”
    1. Only the Captain can submit an Entry (as defined below).
  5. During Registration, the Captain can update the Team’s composition by updating the public addresses and allocations due to each individual member.
    1. Pick your Team members carefully, because after Registration, you will not be allowed to switch Teams, or add or remove Team members.
  6. We are not responsible for, and will not assist in resolving, any disputes between Team members.

4. Entry

  1. You must submit your Team’s “Entry” by [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] at [##:##xm]. A Team may only submit one (1) Entry per “Challenge.” Incomplete Entries may be disqualified. Your Entry consists of:
    1. Your “Application,” i.e. the code base, product, application, game, music, movie, presentation, dapp, or other deliverable created by the Team to address the Challenge;
    2. Selection of the Challenge you are competing;
    3. Project title;
    4. Project tagline;
    5. Project description (should be approximately 500 words);
  2. By submitting an Entry, you represent and warrant that:
    1. Any code you supply for your Entry was newly written (as specified in Section 5, below) by you or your Team during the Event;
    2. If applicable, any code that has been copied by you and included as part of your Entry is publicly available in accordance with the Section 5 below; and,
    3. You have fully complied with these Rules.
  3. We reserve the right to disqualify any Entry that is offensive, as determined by us, in our sole discretion. Please ensure your Entry is appropriate for all viewing audiences.
  4. Please refer to Section(s) 11-13 for information about how we may use your Entry.
  5. To be eligible for any of the monetary prizes at the Event, you must agree to open source your Project in accordance with the MIT License, found at https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT (opens in a new tab).
    1. You only have to open source newly written code created at the Event. You may participate in the event without open sourcing your Entry, but you will not be eligible to win any prizes.

5. Technologies

  1. Other Technologies: You are also able to use source code, sample code, libraries, SDKs, and APIs as long as these technologies are:
    1. Made publicly discoverable and available for public use in developing applications, unless prohibited by law, and are still public as of the event;
    2. Indexed and reachable through a publicly available search engine including but not limited to Google, DuckDuckGo, and Brave; and
    3. Easily accessible (i.e., anyone can download or access if signup is required, access must be granted in less than 1 hour).
      1. Examples of common technologies that meet our requirements as allowable are Angular.js, jQuery, Bootstrap, D3, Hadoop, MySQL, Lucene, Twilio, Google Talk, and Weather Underground.
      2. Our intention is to provide you with the full suite of tools available to software developers in a professional setting, but barring teams from utilizing commercial grade technology that other participants do not have access to, whether developed by the team or by others.
      3. As a rule of thumb, if a particular technology provides an unfair advantage to one Team, it is likely disallowed.
    4. You cannot use or reuse any code base or project that you started prior to the Event. Doing so will result in immediate disqualification from the Event.
  2. We reserve the right to assess your eligibility and compliance with these Rules at any point during the Event. If we require any assistance in order to assess your compliance, you must promptly provide that assistance. If you do not provide the requested assistance in a timely manner, or if we have reason to believe that you are not complying with the Rules, you may be disqualified, in our sole discretion.

6. Judging

  1. Eligible Entries will be evaluated by a panel of Judges selected by the Host and/or Sponsor(s). Judges may or may not be listed individually in the registration forms, and may change before or during the Judging Phase. Judging may take place in one or more rounds with one or more panels of Judges, at the discretion of the Host and/or Sponsor(s).
  2. “Judging Criteria” will be defined within a given Challenge.
  3. If a Judge or participant identifies to us a conflict of interest, that judge will be recused from judging the Entry with the conflict. If time permits, an alternate Judge will be identified as a substitute for the Judge with the conflict.
  4. Entries may be subject to a due diligence review at any time for eligibility and compliance with these Rules. Determination of eligibility and compliance is at our sole discretion, and may result in your personal disqualification and/or the disqualification of your Team’s Entry. Our decisions, and those of the Judges, are final.
  5. Judges are not required to test Applications and may choose to judge based solely on Team presentations and Application demonstrations given to Judges during the Judging Period.
  6. If there is only one Entry in a Challenge, a Winner is not determined by default. The Judges, in their sole discretion, may withhold awarding a Winner and associated Prizes if no entry meets the minimum stated Judging Criteria.
  7. In the event of a tie, the Host and/or Sponsor(s) will designate a tie-breaking Judge from the existing group of Judges.

7. Prizes

  1. Prizes for each Challenge will be defined within a given Challenge.
  2. Winners may be required to complete documentation to receive prizes, as specified in Section 8, below.

8. Verification of Winners

  1. Verification Requirement: THE AWARD OF A PRIZE TO A POTENTIAL WINNER IS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION OF THE IDENTITY, QUALIFICATIONS, AND ROLE OF THE POTENTIAL WINNER IN THE CREATION OF THE ENTRY. The final decision to designate a Winner shall be made by the Host.
  2. Required Forms: In order to receive a Prize, the potential Winner (including all participating Team members in the case of a Team Entry) may be required to sign and return to the Host affidavit(s) of eligibility (or a similar verification document) and liability/publicity release(s), and any applicable tax forms (the “Required Forms”).
    1. The deadline for returning the Required Forms shall be ten (10) business days after the Required Forms are sent.
  3. Disqualification: The Host may deem a potential Winner (or participating Team members) ineligible to win if:
    1. The potential potential Winner, or any member of a potential Winner’s Team, does not respond to multiple emails from the Host(s) or fails to sign and return the Required Forms by the deadline listed above, or responds and rejects the Prize;
    2. The Prize is returned as undeliverable; or
    3. The Entry or the potential Winner, or any member of a potential Winner’s Team, is disqualified for any other reason.
    4. In the event of a disqualification, the Host(s) may award the applicable Prize to an alternate potential Winner.
  4. Potential Winners will be announced following the completion of the Judging Phase, at or around [MONTH] [DD], [YYYY] at [##:##xm].

9. Prize Distribution

  1. Substitutions & Changes: The Host and/or Sponsor(s) have the right to make a Prize substitution of equivalent or greater value. The Host will not award a Prize if there are no eligible Entries entered in the Event, or if there are no eligible Participants or Entries for a specific Prize.
  2. Prize Delivery: After receipt of the Required Forms by the Host, a monetary Prize will be distributed in one of the following ways:
    1. A Prize, in the form of cryptocurrency or other digital asset, will be distributed automatically to the Winner or Winning Team’s digital wallet address(es) through use of smart contracts on a blockchain or other distributed ledger technology.
      1. If the Winner is an individual, the Prize will be sent in full to the Winning Participant’s digital wallet address.
      2. If the Winning Team is composed of more than one individual, the Prize, if fungible, will be sent to each individual Team members’ digital wallet address in an amount determined by the allocation specified during Registration.
      3. If the Winning Team is composed of more than one individual, the Prize, if non-fungible, will be sent to the Captain, who is then responsible for allocating the Prize’s value among the Team’s participants in an amount determined by the allocation specified during Registration.
  3. Prize Delivery Timeframe: Prizes will be delivered within 45 days of the Host’s receipt of the Required Forms.
  4. Taxes: Winners (and in the case of teams, all participating members) are responsible for reporting and paying all applicable taxes in their jurisdiction of residence (federal, state/provincial/territorial, and local). Winners may be required to provide certain information to facilitate receipt of the award, including completing and submitting any tax or other forms necessary for compliance with applicable withholding and reporting requirements. United States residents are required to provide a completed W-9 form and residents of other countries are required to provide a completed W-8BEN form. Winners are also responsible for complying with foreign exchange and banking regulations in their respective jurisdictions and reporting the receipt of the Prize to relevant government departments/agencies, if necessary. The Host and/or Sponsor(s) reserve the right to withhold a portion of the Prize amount to comply with the tax laws of the United States or other jurisdiction, or those of a Winner’s jurisdiction.

10. Entry Conditions & Release

  1. By entering the Event, you (and, if you are entering on behalf of a Team, each participating member) agree(s) to the following:
    1. The relationships between you as the Participant, the Host, and the Sponsor(s) is not a confidential, fiduciary, or other special relationship.
    2. You will be bound by and comply with these Rules and the decisions of the Host, Sponsor(s), and/or Judges, which are binding and final in all matters relating to the Event.
  2. By entering the Event, you agree to release, indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Host and/or Sponsor(s), promotion entities, affiliated companies, prize suppliers, and any other organizations responsible for sponsoring, fulfilling, administering, advertising, or promoting the Event, and all of their respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliated companies or entities, as well as their past and present trustees, officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, instructors, volunteers, and the [LOCATION OF JURISDICTION] (hereafter, the “Released Parties”) from and against any and all claims, expenses, (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), actions, causes of action, debts, liabilities, or demands of any kind and nature including, but not limited to the following:
    1. Negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property (including personal property such as laptop computers and smartphones);
    2. Defamation;
    3. Slander;
    4. Libel;
    5. Violation of right of publicity;
    6. Infringement of trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, (including disclosure of images, information, or data that results from the upload, download, or storage of content on the Event or “Showcase” platform maintained by Rensa Inc. d.b.a. Rensa (“Rensa”).
    7. A violation of third-party intellectual property rights as a result of Participant’s participation in the Event or submission of an Application;
    8. Any access or attempt to access Host’s, Sponsor(s’), or Rensa’s information systems or confidential information (including third-party confidential information) to which the Participant has not been expressly granted access to by the Host, Sponsor(s), or Rensa;
    9. Unauthorized human intervention in the Event;
    10. Technical errors that may impair your ability to participate in the Event;
    11. Errors in the administration of the Event;
    12. Any claim or allegation that your participation in this Event, or your Entry;
    13. Was in violation of these Rules, or that your Entry infringes any copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property right;
    14. Disputes between team members;
    15. Disputes between team members and their employers;
    16. Personal injury; or
    17. Death.
  3. This release is valid for all such claims howsoever arising, whether anticipated or not, including, but not limited to the following: 4. Entrance into the Event;
    1. Participation in the Event;
    2. Creation of an Entry or submission of an Entry;
    3. Acceptance or use or misuse of a Prize (including any travel or activity related thereto);
    4. Temporary or permanent inability to access or retrieve any content from a site;
    5. Harm caused by viruses, worms, Trojan horses, or any similar contamination, destructive program, or malware; or
    6. Broadcast, transmission, performance, exploitation or use of the Entry as authorized or licensed by these Rules.
  4. Without limiting the foregoing, the Released Parties shall have no liability in connection with:
    1. Any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by the Host’s or Sponsor(s’) electronic or printing error, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Event;
    2. Technical failures of any website or online portal created in support of the Event by the Host or Sponsor(s) (the “Event Website”) or Rensa’s Showcase platform, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines, internet connectivity or electronic transmission errors, or network hardware or software or failure;
    3. Technical failures at the Event Venue of any kind, including, but not limited to power outages, spikes, or fluctuations, interruptions or disconnections in phone lines, internet connectivity or electronic transmission errors, or network hardware or software or failure;
    4. Unauthorized human intervention in any part of the Entry process or the Event;
    5. Technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Event or the processing of Entries; or
    6. Any injury or damage to persons or property that may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from the Participant’s use of the Event Website, Rensa’s Showcase platform, participation in the Event, or receipt or use or misuse of any Prize or gifts. This includes, but is not limited to, loss or damage associated with personal property such as laptop computers and smartphones, as well as unauthorized disclosure of images, information, or data that results from the upload, download, or storage of content on the Event Website, GitHub, or Rensa platform; the temporary or permanent inability to access or retrieve any content from the site; and harm caused by viruses, worms, Trojan horses, or any similar contamination, destructive program, or malware.
  5. The Released Parties are not responsible for incomplete, late, misdirected, damaged, lost, illegible, or incomprehensible Entries or for physical address, email address, or digital wallet address changes of the Participants. Proof of sending or submitting such address changes will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by the Host, Sponsor(s), or Rensa. If for any reason any Participant’s Entry is determined to have not been received or been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, the Participant’s sole remedy is to request the opportunity to resubmit his or her Entry. Such a request must be made promptly after the Participant knows or should have known there was a problem, and will be determined at the sole discretion of the Host and/or Sponsor(s).

11. Publicity

  1. You do not transfer ownership of your Entry (or any part of it). However, by submitting an Entry, you grant us irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide rights and license to:
    1. Use, review, assess, test, and otherwise analyze your Entry and all its content in connection with the Event; and
    2. Feature your Entry and all its content for promotional purposes (including, but not limited to, in advertisements, press releases, presentations, and trade shows) in all media, now known or later developed. You also agree to sign any necessary documentation that may be required for us and our designees to make use of the rights you granted.
  2. You acknowledge that we, other entrants, or others may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your Entry, or may develop something similar in the future, and you waive any claims you may have resulting from any similarities to your Entry.
  3. You understand that we cannot control the information you disclose to us or our representatives in the course of participating in the Event, or what we or our representatives will remember about your Entry. You also understand that we will not restrict work assignments of representatives who have had access to your Entry. By participating in the Event, you agree that we may use any information in our representatives’ unaided memories in the development or deployment of our products or services without liability or compensation to you. You understand that you will not receive any compensation or credit from us for use of your Entry in connection with this Event. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your Entry by those accessing or viewing your Entry.
  4. Please note that after the Event, you and/or your Entry may be publicized in advertisements related to the Event, the Host, the Sponsor(s), and/or Rensa. These advertisements may be distributed online and posted on our site or third-party websites.
  5. The Host, Sponsor(s), and/or Rensa may record the presentations and judging of the Entries and may take photos and videos throughout the Event of people (including Participants) and Entries. By participating in the Event, you consent to the use of personal information about you, by the Host, Sponsor(s), Rensa, and/or third parties acting on their behalf. Such personal information includes, but is not limited to, your name, likeness, photograph, video recording, voice, opinions, comments, and hometown, state, and country of residence. It may be used in any existing or newly created media worldwide without further payment or consideration or right of review, unless prohibited by law. Authorized use includes advertising and promotional purposes.
  6. Nothing in these Rules shall be interpreted as granting you permission to use or display any of the Host’s, Sponsor(s)’, or Rensa’s trademarks (including any logo or brand) or rights in any intellectual property.
  7. While we reserve the rights set forth above, we are not obligated to use your Entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning Entry. If you do not want to grant us these rights to your Entry, please do not enter this Event.

12. General Terms

  1. The Host and Sponsor(s) reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel, suspend, and/or modify the Event, or any part of it, in the event of a technical failure, fraud, or any other factor or event that was not anticipated or is not within their control.
  2. Without limiting our rights and remedies, we reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to disqualify any individual or team who:
    1. Fails to comply with any provision of these Rules or the Event’s Code of Conduct;
    2. Cheats or tampers with the operation of the Event, or otherwise acts in a disruptive or inappropriate manner; or
    3. Engages in conduct that is unlawful, offensive, or otherwise leads us to conclude, in our sole discretion, that public association with you could cause controversy or embarrassment to us or our partners.
  3. Any attempt by any person to undermine the proper conduct of the Event may be a violation of criminal and civil law. Should the Host or Sponsor(s) suspect that such an attempt has been made or is threatened, they reserve the right to take appropriate action including but not limited to requiring a Participant to cooperate with an investigation and referral to criminal and civil law enforcement authorities.
  4. If there is any discrepancy or inconsistency between the terms and conditions of the Official Rules and disclosures or other statements contained in any Event materials, including but not limited to the Event application form, Event Website, Showcase, and advertising or interviews (including but not limited to television, print, radio, or online media), the terms and conditions of the Rules shall prevail.
  5. Under no circumstances shall the submission of an Entry into the Event, the awarding of a Prize, or anything in these Rules be construed as an offer or contract of employment with either the Host, Sponsor(s), Rensa, or any other party associated with the Event. You acknowledge that you have submitted your Entry voluntarily and not in confidence or in trust. You acknowledge that no confidential, fiduciary, agency or other relationship or implied-in-fact contract now exists between you and the Host, Sponsor(s), Rensa, or any other party associated with the Event and that no such relationship is established by your submission of an Entry under these Rules.
  6. The terms and conditions of the Rules are subject to change at any time by the Host and/or Sponsor(s), including the rights or obligations of the Participant. The Host and/or Sponsor(s) will post the terms and conditions of the amended Rules on the Event Website and Showcase. To the fullest extent permitted by law, any amendment will become effective at the time specified in the posting of the amended Rules or, if no time is specified, the time of posting.
  7. In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Event is in our judgment impaired in any way, we may, in our sole discretion, without limitation:
  8. Suspend the Event to address the impairment and then resume the Event;
  9. Award the Prize according to the criteria set forth above from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment;
  10. Extend any deadlines; or
  11. take any other reasonable action as we deem necessary and appropriate to the circumstances.
  12. If at any time prior to the deadline, a Participant or prospective Participant believes that any of the Rules is or may be unclear or ambiguous, they must submit a request for clarification.
  13. The failure by the Host, Sponsor(s), and/or Rensa to enforce any term of these Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Should any provision of these Rules be or become illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction whose laws or regulations may apply to a Participant, such illegality or unenforceability shall leave the remainder of these Rules, including the Rule affected, to the fullest extent permitted by law, unaffected and valid. The illegal or unenforceable provision shall be replaced by a valid and enforceable provision that comes closest and best reflects the Host’s intention in a legal and enforceable manner with respect to the invalid or unenforceable provision.
  14. Excluding Entries, all intellectual property related to this Event, including but not limited to copyrighted material, trademarks, trade-names, logos, designs, promotional materials, web pages, source codes, drawings, illustrations, slogans, and representations are owned or used under license by the Host, Sponsor(s), and Rensa. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized copying or use of any copyrighted material or intellectual property without the express written consent of its owners is strictly prohibited.
  15. By registering and participating in the Event, you indicate your full and unconditional agreement to these Rules, the Event Code of Conduct, and any other requirements of the Event, as well as to our decisions regarding the Event, which are final and binding. Winning a Prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements in these Rules.
  16. Except where prohibited, you agree that any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Event or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in [LOCATION]. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Rules, your rights and obligations, our rights and obligations connection with the Event, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of [JURISDICTION], without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of [JURISDICTION] or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than [JURISDICTION].
  17. Our failure to enforce any term of these Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. The Event is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.
JudgingCode of Conduct