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2010 Video Essay Contest Official Rules

Open to Massachusetts high school students

BACKGROUND: The "Diversity in the Law" YouTube video contest asks Participants to create a video about how the law applies to diversity within our state. We will choose three winners and each winner will receive scholarship monies awarded by the Massachusetts Bar Association.  The first place winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship.  The second place winner will receive a $500 scholarship and their will be a $250 honorable mention scholarship.  All three winners (and their families) will be invited to attend the MBA's House of Delegates meeting scheduled on May 19, 2010 at the Hilton Hotel located in Dedham, Massachusetts.  All winning videos will be shown and the winners will be prominently recognized at this event.

SPONSOR: Massachusetts Bar Association ("MBA" or "Sponsor"), 20 West Street, Boston, MA  02111-1204

ELIGIBILITY: This contest is open to all high school students (Grades 9 - 12) residing and attending a high school in Massachusetts.  Persons under 18 years of age at the time of entry must receive their parents' permission and provide written parental consent before their entries are considered. Employees and directors and family members of employees and directors of the Massachusetts Bar Association, are not eligible.

STEPS TO ENTER: Eligible Participants must:

1. Visit the contest page to complete an online entry form and agree to the terms of these rules. Students under 18 years of age must also submit a parental consent form.
2. Submit/post their video to www.YouTube.com any time between now and April 15, 2010. Videos must be three minutes long or less. If you are under the age of 18, you must submit a signed permission form (see below) from your parent or guardian, including your YouTube username. Fax the signed form to (617) 338-0503, scan and email it to [e-mail communityservices] or mail it to MBA Law Day Video Essay Contest, Attn: Elizabeth O'Neil, 20 West Street, Boston, MA 02111-1204.
3. Mail a high-quality copy of the video, on DVD or videotape, to MBA Law Day Video Essay Contest, Attn: Elizabeth O'Neil, 20 West Street, Boston, MA 02111-1204. Include your name and YouTube username on the copy. Videos not posted to the Diversity in the Law YouTube group by 5:00 p.m. on April 15, 2010, will not be considered.  By completing the above steps, eligible persons will be deemed to have agreed to the terms and rules of the contest, and entered in the contest as a "Participant."

CONTEST DESCRIPTION

Video entries will be accepted on YouTube until April 15, 2010 at 5:00 pm.  From among the entries, the MBA will choose finalists based on originality, creativity, adherence to the theme, and overall quality of the video, through its panel of distinguished judges.  The judges will give each video a total score based on these criteria and the videos will be ranked according to this score. The winning video will be the one with the lowest rank.

Winners agree to comply with all terms and conditions set forth in these Official Rules. Winning is contingent on fulfilling all requirements.  Winners may be required to provide proof that they are the authorized account holder of the email address associated with their entry, and that they meet age and residency requirements.

PRIZES

The first place winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship to the school of his or her choice. The second place winner will receive a $500 scholarship to the school of his or her choice. The honorable mention winner will receive a $ 250 scholarship to the school of his or her choice.  All three winners (and their families) will be invited to attend the MBA's House of Delegates meeting scheduled on May 19, 2010 at the Hilton Hotel located in Dedham, Massachusetts.  All winning videos will be shown and the winners recognized at this event.

ENTRIES

Entries on YouTube will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry. The authorized account holder is the person assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses or the domain associated with the email address. Each entrant may enter the contest only once. Entries become the exclusive property of the sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

SUBMITTED VIDEOS

The Participant must not have granted any person or entity other than the sponsor the right to use the video.

Submitted videos will not be accepted or eligible if they include any content that contains or appears to contain:

1. Explicitly profane or obscene material;
2. An endorsement of (or condoning) illegal drug use, alcohol abuse, or other illegal activity;
3. Nudity, profanity, or extreme or gratuitous violence;
4. Unacceptable language, which, will be evaluated by the sponsor based on context and societal acceptability;
5. Any express or implied commercial endorsement;
6. Any derogatory characterization of any person or group based on age, race, color, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, marital status, mental or physical disability, citizenship, creed, national origin, physical appearance, political affiliation, union membership, or other unethical or unlawful factors; or
7. Depictions of any conduct, language, or other context deemed inappropriate by the sponsor or any of the judges.

CLEARANCES

Each Participant is solely responsible for obtaining from all applicable individuals or entities, any and all required rights, releases, consents, clearances, licenses, and other authorizations necessary to exploit and otherwise use their submitted video in any and all media. Clearances required include but are not limited to:

1. Location releases;
2. Releases from any person whose name, voice, likeness, or persona is referenced, shown, or otherwise used in the submitted video;
3. If any individuals depicted are minors, Participants must obtain the signature of the individuals' parent or guardian on the applicable clearance(s). By submitting their video entries, Participants warrant that the submitted video and all elements contained therein does not infringe on any copyright owned by another, and/or that the content of the video is within the bounds of the fair use doctrine. Participants also confirm that to the best of their knowledge, any statements made in the submitted video are true and do not violate or infringe on the rights of third parties. Sponsor reserves the right (but not the obligation) to verify that all necessary clearances have been obtained, prior to selecting the video as a finalist or winning video. The Sponsor may disqualify any submitted video at any time if the Participant has not obtained all necessary clearances.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

By entering, Participants agree to the fullest extent permitted by law to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Sponsor and Sponsor's principals, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents, from any and all claims of, and for all liability or damages arising from,  any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind related to, caused by, arising from or in connection with the contest, or receipt or use and/or misuse of any prize.

Each Participant agrees that the sponsor may retain a copy of the submitted video and releases the sponsor from liability for any loss or damage thereto. Each Participant, by submitting the video, also consents, approves, and authorizes the Sponsor to use, broadcast, webcast, podcast, link to or from, syndicate, or otherwise exhibit or display, the submitted video in its original or an altered form or format.

Each Participant grants the sponsor the unqualified, unrestricted, worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, and royalty-free right to use his or her name, logo, marks, or other distinctive identification in connection with promoting or marketing the contest or its theme, and in future educational materials for attorneys or the public.

The rights described in these official rules begin immediately upon submission of the submitted video and continue indefinitely unless revoked in written notice from the Sponsor to the Participant. The Sponsor has no obligation to post or display any submitted video and may at its discretion remove any submitted videos at any time.

The Participant releases the Sponsor from any and all claims against the Participant in connection with the submitted video.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

This contest is governed by the laws of Massachusetts and Participants consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the Massachusetts Courts for any causes or controversies arising therefrom.

The Sponsor reserves the right to void entries it deems associated with electronic or non-electronic tampering. Should technical difficulties arise that compromise the integrity of the contest, the Sponsor may cancel, modify, or suspend the contest without notice. In that case, the Sponsor reserves the right to award the prizes from eligible entries received before the cancellation and shall not be liable for any damages related to the cancellation, modification or suspension because such claims are expressly waived as a condition to participating. The Sponsor is not responsible for any technical malfunction or service outage related to the contest.