OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
BY PARTICIPATING IN THE STRIDE, INC. K12 INNOVATION CHALLENGE (“CONTEST”), EACH PARTICIPANT REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT THEY MEET THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS DETAILED WITHIN THESE OFFICIAL RULES AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT FAILURE TO MEET ALL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION. ENTRY CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES. ALL ENTRIES (INCLUDING ALL SUBMITTED AND WINNING PROPOSALS) AND REQUESTS BECOME THE PROPERTY OF STRIDE, INC. (THE “SPONSOR”).
Registration for the K12 Innovation Challenge begins at 9 AM Eastern Time (ET) on March 1, 2023, and will close at 11:59 PM (ET) on April 22, 2023. Innovation Challenge proposals must be received at time of registration to be eligible for the Contest.
ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Contestants must be enrolled in grades 9–12 at time of entry (“Entrant Team” or “You”) to be eligible for the Contest. For the purpose of this Contest, “Entrant Team” will be defined as a team consisting of 1–3 participants enrolled in grades 9–12. Employees of Sponsor and its respective parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, distributors (collectively, “Contest Entities”), and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are eligible to enter or win. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding on all matters.
HOW TO ENTER: Visit https://k12.com/stride-competitions and follow all onscreen instructions to complete the official entry form. Submitting a Challenge proposal by the deadline is required to be eligible for the Contest. Proposals can be submitted in Word or PPT format. Google word processor and presentation creator are also acceptable. Proposal must be created solely by the Entrant Team. All entries must be received during the Contest Entry Period (effective 9 AM ET on March 1, 2023, through 11:59 PM ET on April 22, 2023). For the purposes of these Official Rules, receipt of an entry occurs when Sponsor’s server (or Website) records the entry information. “Website” means any website owned or operated by K12, Stride, or its affiliates. Once you submit your entry, your submission is final and may not be modified or edited. Any automated computer receipt (such as one confirming delivery of entry) does not constitute proof of actual receipt by Sponsor for purposes of these Official Rules. Entrant Teams are subject to all notices posted on Website, including, but not limited to Sponsor’s privacy policy.
By submitting a Challenge proposal, Entrant Team understands and grants permission for the Challenge proposal to be posted on Website for viewing by visitors to the Website. Sponsor and Contest Entities are not responsible for any unauthorized third-party use of any Challenge proposal.
Except where prohibited by law, entry submission grants the Sponsor the right in perpetuity to reproduce, publish, use, edit, adjust, modify, abridge, condense, sublicense, and excerpt such Challenge proposal and/or comments in any way, in any and all media, without limitation and without compensation to Entrant Team. Submission of Challenge proposal in the Contest further constitutes Entrant Team’s consent to irrevocably assign and transfer to Sponsor any and all rights, title, and interest in and to the Challenge proposal, including, without limitation, all copyrights. The Sponsor may publish and/or promote a Challenge proposal, or a portion of Challenge proposal. If a Challenge proposal, or a portion of Challenge proposal, is selected for publication and/or promotional purposes, it does not imply that it is a winning Challenge proposal in this Contest. Nor does it create a confidential relationship between you and the Sponsor or any of its respective affiliates or subsidiaries.
Challenge proposals must be in English and must be the original work of the Entrant Team, may not have been previously published, may not have won previous awards, and must not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property, or other rights of any person or entity. Suppose the Challenge proposal contains any material or elements not owned by the Entrant Team and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties. In that case, the Entrant Team is responsible for obtaining, before submission of the Challenge proposal, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the use and exhibition of the Challenge proposal by Sponsor in the manner outlined in these Official Rules, including, without limitation, name and likeness permissions from any person who appears in or is identifiable in the Challenge proposal. Sponsor reserves the right to request proof of these permissions in a form acceptable to Sponsor from any Entrant Team at any time. Entrant Team agrees to fully indemnify and defend Sponsor and the Contest Entities from any and all third-party infringement claims arising from breach of these representations and warranties.
Entries must comply with the following content guidelines to be eligible:
- Challenge proposals cannot be sexually explicit or suggestive; unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender (including gender identity or gender expression), disability, sexual orientation, religion, or age group; profane or pornographic; or contain nudity;
- Challenge proposals cannot promote alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing), any activities that may appear unsafe or dangerous, or any particular political agenda or message;
- Challenge proposals cannot be obscene or offensive, endorse any form of hate or hate group;
- Challenge proposals cannot defame, misrepresent, or contain disparaging remarks about other people or companies;
- Excepting that of the Sponsor, Challenge proposals cannot contain trademarks, logos, or trade dress (such as distinctive packaging or building exteriors/interiors) owned by others, or advertise or promote any brand or product of any kind, without permission, or contain any personal identification, such as license plate numbers, personal names, email addresses, or street addresses;
- Excepting that of the Sponsor, Challenge proposals cannot contain copyrighted materials owned by others (including photographs, sculptures, paintings, and other works of art or images published on or in websites, television, movies, or other media) without written permission;
- Challenge proposals cannot contain materials embodying the names, likenesses, photographs, or other indicia identifying any person, living or dead, without written permission;
- Challenge proposals cannot communicate messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or goodwill with which Sponsor wishes to associate;
- Challenge proposals cannot depict and cannot itself violate any law or otherwise;
- Plagiarism will result in disqualification; and
- By submitting their entry, Entrant Team certifies that, to the best of their knowledge, the entry submitted is an original work of authorship by the Entrant Team and that it is not copied or derived from, nor does it include, any other person’s copyrighted work.
All entries must be received no later than 11:59 PM (ET) on April 22, 2023. Entries received after the deadline will not be part of the Contest and not be eligible to win.
Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entry for any reason, in its sole and absolute discretion.
At the conclusion of the Competition, if there aren’t any entries that earn a minimum criteria score of 80% for a grade level, no one will be determined a winner. Judges’ decisions are final and binding. Only winners and semi-finalists will be notified.
JUDGING: At the conclusion of the Contest registration, there will be three rounds of judging.
Contest will include six themes: Carbon Emissions, Helping People, Our Ocean, Healthy Lands, Fresh Water, and Local Leaders. There will be three rounds of judging in this Competition.
- Round 1: Judges will review proposals and select the top 10 proposals in each theme to advance to Round 2 (60 proposals).
- Round 2, the Semi-Finals: Judges will review the top proposals and select 2 proposals per theme to advance to Round 3 (12 proposals).
- Round 3, the National Competition: Semi-finalists will compete in person, where 1 team will be declared the K12 Innovation Challenge winner by a panel of judges, and 1 team will be declared the People’s Choice Innovation Challenge winner based on public voting.
CRITERIA: A panel of judges consisting of Stride Inc. personnel and non-Stride personnel (“Judges”) will determine the Contest winning Entrant Team per theme utilizing the following judging criteria: a) Idea: Did the Entrant Team look at the Challenge and create a new, innovative idea to help solve for this issue (25%); b) Implementation: How realistic would the implementation of this idea be? What would the financial impact be? What are the next steps for the idea? (25%); c) Creativity: How original and creative is the idea in solving the issue posed (25%); and d) Reach: Is the idea something that could be implemented anywhere? Would it successfully impact others? (25%).
TIES: In the event of a tie, the entry from among the tied entries with the highest Idea score will be declared the winner. In the event of a further tie, the entry from among the tied entries with the highest Implementation score will be declared the winner. In the event of further ties, the Judges will make the final determination as to which entry will win.
The Sponsor reserves the right not to award a prize if, in its sole and absolute discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified entries for a given category.
CONTEST PRIZES AND CORRESPONDING APPROXIMATE RETAIL VALUES (“ARV”): Semi-finalist teams will receive a paid trip—including payment for commercial coach air travel and lodging for students and (1) chaperone (parent, legal guardian, or person provided written authority in a form satisfactory to Stride and signed by parents or legal guardians, to act in the place of the parents or legal guardians)—to Washington, D.C. to present their proposal in person before a panel of Stride personnel and non-Stride personnel (ARV: for a single-person team up to $2,400; for a three-member team up to $4,800). Any additional costs will be the responsibility of the Entrant Team.
The national grand champion Entrant Team will receive a $5,000 scholarship for each team member (ARV: $5,000). The People’s Choice winning team will receive a Microsoft Surface tablet for each team member (ARV: $1,000 per team member).
Total ARV up to: $63,600 (depending on winning team size)
Amazon is not, in any way, associated with Sponsor or this Contest. Gift cards will not be replaced if lost, stolen, or misused. IRS form 1099 may be issued and filed for winners are required to provide all information necessary for the form 1099 prior to receiving the award.
WINNER NOTIFICATION: Semi-finalists will be notified by email, telephone, and/or U.S. mail within 30 calendar days of the End of Contest Entry Period. They may be required to complete and return a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and, where permissible, a Publicity Release (“Affidavit/Release”) within seven days of the date specified on the notification, or an alternate winner may be determined. Semi-finalists will be revealed in May, via Facebook and Instagram Live. Ceremony time and link to access will be posted on K12’s Facebook page and the Stride Student Instagram page. The trip dates for the national round will be pre-determined by Stride. If a semi-finalist cannot attend due to personal or extenuating circumstances, they forfeit the trip winnings, and there will be no substitution. If an Affidavit/Release and/or if any required document(s) is not returned within such time period—or if a selected winner cannot accept or receive the prize for any reason, or if they are not in compliance with these Official Rules—the prize will be forfeited, and an alternate winner may be determined. If a winner is otherwise eligible under these Official Rules but is nevertheless deemed a minor in their state of primary residence, the prize will be awarded in the name of winner’s parent or legal guardian who will be required to execute Affidavit/Release (or any required document) on minor’s behalf. Prizes are awarded within 30 days after winner verification. Prizes are not redeemable for cash and are non-assignable or transferable except to a surviving spouse. No substitutions are permitted except the Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize, or portion of any prize, with one of equal or greater value in case of unavailability. Winners acknowledge that the Sponsor and all other businesses concerned with this Contest and their agents do not make, nor are in any manner responsible for any warranty, representations, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relative to the quality, conditions, fitness, or merchantability of any aspect of any prize. Each winner will be responsible for all federal, state, local, and income taxes associated with winning their prize. Incidental expenses on any prize not specified herein are each winner’s sole responsibility. Except where prohibited by law, entry and acceptance of prize constitute permission for Sponsor and its agents to use each winner’s name, prize won, hometown, likeness, Challenge proposal, and statements for purposes of advertising, trade, promotion, and publicity (including online posting) in any and all media now or hereafter known throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, or permission.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY: Entrant Team agrees to these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges and the Sponsor, and on their behalf, and on behalf of their respective heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, successors, and assigns (“Releasing Parties”), release, defend, and hold harmless the Contest Entities, as well as the employees, officers, directors, and agents of each (“Released Parties”), from any and all actions, causes of action, suits, debts, dues, sums of money, accounts, reckonings, bonds, bills, specialties, covenants, contracts, controversies, agreements, promises, variances, trespasses, lost profits, indirect or direct damages, consequential damages, incidental damages, punitive or exemplary damages, judgments, extent, executions, claims and demands whatsoever, in law, admiralty or equity, whether known or unknown, foreseen or unforeseen, against Released Parties which any one or more of the Releasing Parties ever had, now have or hereafter can, shall or may have which in any way arise out of or result from Entrant Team’s participation, acceptance, and use or misuse of any prize.
In the event Sponsor is prevented from continuing with the Contest as planned herein by any event beyond its control, including but not limited to fire, flood, hurricane, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, satellite or equipment failure, riot or civil disturbance, terrorist threat or activity, war (declared or undeclared), or any federal, state, or local government law, order, or regulation, or order of any court or other cause not within Sponsor’s control or concerns regarding the safety of any winner or guest, Sponsor shall have the right to modify, suspend, extend, or terminate the Contest. Entrant Teams assume all liability for any injury, including death or damage caused or claimed to be caused by participation in this Contest or use or redemption of any prize.
This Contest shall be governed by and interpreted under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA, without regard to its conflicts of laws provisions. Entrant Team hereby agrees that any and all disputes, claims, causes of action, or controversies (“Claims”) arising out of, or in connection with, this Contest shall be resolved, upon the election by Entrant Team or Sponsor, by arbitration pursuant to this provision and the code of procedures of either the National Arbitration Forum (“NAF”) or the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), as selected by the Entrant Team. IF ARBITRATION IS CHOSEN BY ANY PARTY WITH RESPECT TO A CLAIM, NEITHER PARTY WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO LITIGATE THAT CLAIM IN COURT OR HAVE A JURY TRIAL ON THAT CLAIM. FURTHER, NEITHER SPONSOR NOR ENTRANT TEAM WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY ON BEHALF OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC OR OTHER PERSONS SIMILARLY SITUATED OR AS A MEMBER OF ANY CLASS OF CLAIMANTS PERTAINING TO ANY CLAIM SUBJECT TO ARBITRATION. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH BELOW, THE ARBITRATOR’S DECISION WILL BE FINAL AND BINDING. NOTE THAT OTHER RIGHTS THAT ENTRANT TEAM WOULD HAVE IF ENTRANT TEAM WENT TO COURT ALSO MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN ARBITRATION. The arbitrator’s authority to resolve Claims is limited to Claims between Sponsor and Entrant Team alone, and the arbitrator’s authority to make awards is limited to awards to Sponsor and Entrant Team alone.
Furthermore, Claims brought by either party against the other may not be joined or consolidated in arbitration with Claims brought by or against any third party unless agreed to in writing by all parties. No arbitration award or decision will have any preclusive effect as to issues or claims in any dispute with anyone who is not a named party to the arbitration. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Agreement, and without waiving either party’s right to appeal such decision, should any portion of this provision be deemed invalid or unenforceable, the entire provision (other than this sentence) shall not apply. Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the Contest, or in the announcement of any prize.
LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY FOR WEB ACCESS: The Sponsor is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by Website users, tampering or hacking, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest, and assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to the Website. The Sponsor is not responsible for injury or damage to an Entrant Team’s or to any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in this Contest or downloading and/or uploading materials from or using the Website. Suppose for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned because of infection by computer virus, worms, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor could corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest. In that case, the Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest and determine winners from all eligible entries received prior to that action taken.
Entry materials/data that have been tampered with or altered, or mass entries or entries generated by a script, macro, or use of automated devices, are void. Entries made with multiple email addresses, under multiple identities, or using any automated other device or artifice to enter multiple times will be deemed invalid. Mechanically reproduced, illegible, incomplete, or inaccurate entries are void. In the event of a dispute, entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the Authorized Account Holder of the email address provided at the time of entry. “Authorized Account Holder” means the natural person assigned to 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 email address. Mechanically reproduced entries are not eligible. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, damaged, or misdirected entries.
WINNERS LIST: For the names of the winners (available 14 calendar days after the Facebook Live reveal), visit https://www.smore.com/y9d23-national-contest-challenge-winners.
OPT-IN/OPT-OUT: By entering the Contest, Entrant Team agrees that collected information from Entrant Team may be used for future communications, solicitations, and marketing efforts (via U.S. mail, phone, text, or email) by Sponsor regarding its products, services, school offerings, including current offers, promotions, and enrollment opportunities, in addition to being used to notify winners. Calls and/or texts may use a device that autodials the number provided. Message and data rates may apply. Refer to the Sponsor’s privacy policy at https://www.stridelearning.com/privacy-policy.html to learn how to opt-out if you do not wish to receive future offers from Sponsor.