JUST ANNOUNCED: See the 2012 Challenge Finalists

Rules

THE SIEMENS WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

MIDDLE SCHOOL CHALLENGE

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES - UPDATED 8/24/2011

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

1. TERM: The Siemens "We Can Change the World" Middle School Challenge (the "Contest") begins at 12:01 am Eastern Time ("ET") on August 24, 2011 and ends at 11:59 pm ET on March 15, 2012 ("Term").  Discovery Communications, LLC ("Sponsor") reserves the right in its sole discretion to extend the deadline and if chooses to do so, will notify all registrants of this decision and post notice of such deadline extension at the Contest website.

2. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The objective of the Contest is for teachers, mentors or other adults to work with and supervise teams of two, three, or four eligible students (each a "Team" and, collectively, "Teams"), in the creation of a Contest entry which identifies an issue in their community that needs to "go green" and provides a plan to positively impact that issue and further "green living" in their community.  Each Team's entry should include the following steps: choosing a topic, writing a problem statement, doing background research, writing a hypothesis, developing a plan, collecting data, drawing a conclusion, reporting the results and explaining how to replicate this project.  Additional information and tips for creating an effective Contest entry will be available online at the Contest website, www.wecanchange.com.  Contest entries must be submitted online at www.wecanchange.com by the Team's teacher/mentor.

3. REQUIREMENTS FOR TEACHERS/MENTORS: Each Team shall be supervised by one teacher, mentor or other adult who is a legal resident of one of the 50 United States or Washington DC, age 18 or older ("Teacher/Mentor").  These Teacher/Mentors will provide guidance to the Team, work with the Team to develop the entry, and submit the final entry.  Employees of the Sponsor, the National Science Teachers Association (the "NSTA"), the College Board, their respective subsidiaries and affiliates, the Contest administrator, advertising and promotion agencies and members of the immediate families (spouses and parents, children and siblings and their spouses) and persons living in the same household of such individuals (collectively, "Affiliated Parties") are not eligible to be a Teacher/Mentor.

4. TEAMS: Each Team may be made up of two, three, or four students who have been approved and recommended by the Teacher/Mentor.  Each Team member must be a legal resident of one of the 50 United States or Washington DC who is enrolled in 6th through 8th grade at a public, private, parochial or home school located in one of the 50 United States or Washington DC at the time of entry.  Children and siblings of employees of any Affiliated Parties may participate but are not eligible to win a prize.  Eligibility may be verified by the Sponsor at any time; any determinations of eligibility will be made by the Sponsor whose decisions are final.

5. PERSONAL DATA AND PARENTAL CONSENT: Sponsor and Siemens Foundation (the "Foundation") will be collecting personal information from the Teacher/Mentors at the time of entry.  This information will be used in accordance with Sponsor and the Foundation's privacy policies, located at http://dsc.discovery.com/utilities/about/privacypolicy.html and http://w1.siemens.com/about/en/footer/privacy.htm.  Each Team's entry must not contain any personally identifiable information about the students on the Team.  Instead, the entry must only contain the first name of each participating student on the Team.  In the event that any additional information is provided, the entry will become VOID.

In order to fulfill the prizes, the Sponsor will need to collect personal information from the members of a particular Team in case the Team is selected as a potential First, Second, Third or State prize winner in the Contest.  In such an instance, the Sponsor will ask the applicable Teacher/Mentor or parent(s) to provide the Sponsor with an executed parental consent form.  This form must be completed by a parent or legal guardian of each participant in order for each Team member to continue participating in the Contest.  In addition, the Teacher/Mentor and the parent or legal guardian will be required to execute the prize documents described in Sections 9 and 10 of these Official Rules.  Without completing and returning such consent, the affected student may not receive the applicable prize and could be disqualified from the Contest.

6. TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY: The Teacher/Mentor must visit www.wecanchange.com to register and create a Team.  After registering and creating a Team, the Teacher/Mentor will be given access to the challenge application which must be completed in the space provided.  Entries must be received by the Sponsor's server by 11:59 PM ET on March 15, 2012.  The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to extend the deadline.  If the Sponsor does extend the deadline, it will notify all Teacher/Mentors, and notice of such deadline extension will be posted at the Contest website.  The entry must be in the Team's own words, but the Teacher/Mentor may assist and supervise the students in their preparation and organization of the entry.  The entry can be a continuation of a prior project, however any work done prior to the Term must be identified and only work done during the Term will judged.  Limit: ONE ENTRY, PER TEAM.  Students may not participate as a member of more than one Team.  In the event that the Sponsor learns that one student is on two separate participating Teams, it may disqualify both Teams or ask the Teacher/Mentor to remove the student from one or both of the Teams.  Any disputes between Team members are solely the responsibility of the Teacher/Mentor and the Teacher/Mentor may not substitute or change Team members after entry without receiving the written permission from the Sponsor.  Entries must be completed in English.

7. WARRANTY AND IP RIGHTS AND CONSIDERATIONS: By submitting an entry, the Teacher/Mentor named on the entry form warrants and represents that (i) the entry is entirely the original work of the Team, was written by the Team and was created by the Team, all while under the supervision of the Teacher/Mentor who supervised and assisted the Team in developing the Contest entry (ii) the Teacher/Mentor owns or otherwise controls all of the rights to the entry, (iii) the entry does not violate any law, regulation or any right of any third-party, including but not limited to rights of copyright, publicity and privacy; (iv) he or she has obtained the appropriate permission from each of the Team members and their parent or legal guardian to submit the entry and the related entry materials required in this Contest; and (v) the Teacher/Mentor will only supply the identity, or any personal information related to the students in the event the entry is a winner of First, Second, Third or State Prize.

Submitting an entry that is copyrighted by another individual will result in the Teacher/Mentor being responsible for any legal action the legal copyright holder might take against the Teacher/Mentor, the Sponsor, the Foundation (or its affiliates) or the Team.  Entries may not defame or invade the rights of publicity or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon a person's personal or proprietary rights.  Submissions that are deemed by the judges in their sole discretion to be not in keeping with the Sponsor's or the Foundation's respective image will be void. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entry at any time which, in the Sponsor's reasonable opinion, endangers the safety or well being of any person or in the event it is determined that the entrant has not complied with these Official Rules.  The Sponsor is under no obligation to correspond about entries.  Entries become the property of the Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.

8. JUDGING AND JUDGING CRITERIA: There will be two rounds of judging, each of which is described below.

First Round.  After the completion of the Term and beginning on or about March 16, 2012, the entries will be screened by Discovery Education and judged by a panel of judges from Discovery Education's partner organizations, educators and science professionals.  Judging will not be based on blind reads.  All judging will be based on the following judging criteria:

  • Local Environmental Issue or Problem (10% of total score) - How well does the entry describe the negative effects of a local environmental issue or problem, and its proposed solution?
  • Community Engagement (20% of total score) - How effective was the team in generating awareness and action within their community?
  • Creativity/Innovation (10% of total score) - Is the entry original and creative in its concept and communication, and does it take advantage of a variety of resources and combine them in an effective way?
  • Scientific Approach (45% of total score) - Is the issue or problem well researched, and is research evidence cited in proposing a solution? Is the plan thoughtfully developed and clearly written, including carefully specified materials and detailed, sequential procedures? Are analyses based upon quantitative and qualitative data?
  • Replication/Expansion: "How could other communities do it?" (15% of total score) - Does the team give recommendations on how other communities could use, improve upon, and expand the entry content?

Using the above criteria, the judges will score each entry and select one Team from each state, including the District of Columbia.  Each of these Teams will be named a "State Winner".  In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest combined score in the categories "Scientific Approach" and "Community Engagement" will be named the winner (tie breaking category thereafter will be "Replication/Expansion).  If an insufficient number of qualified entries is received from any state, the Sponsor may award less than fifty-one State Winners.  The "State Winner Prize" is described below.  The Teacher/Mentors of the State Winners will be notified by email, phone, postal mail or express mail, beginning on or about May 1, 2012.  At that time, the Teacher/Mentor will be asked to provide the parental consent described in Section 5 of these Official Rules.  If a group of students from different states form a Team, the state of that Team's Teacher/Mentor shall dictate which state the Team is representing when choosing State Winners. 

Second Round. Beginning on or about May 1, 2012, each State Winner entry will be evaluated by a judging panel from Discovery Education's partners, which may include but is not limited to the NSTA, the College Board, the North American Association for Environmental Education, Discovery Network's Advisory Committees, the U.N. and National Governor's Association, and Education Testing Service, who will consider the following judging criteria:

  • Local Environmental Issue or Problem (10% of total score) - How well does the entry describe the negative effects of a local environmental issue or problem, and its proposed solution?
  • Community Engagement (20% of total score) - How effective was the team in generating awareness and action within their community?
  • Creativity/Innovation (10% of total score) - Is the entry original and creative in its communication, and does it take advantage of a variety of resources and combine them in an effective way?
  • Scientific Approach (45% of total score) - Is the issue or problem well researched, and is research evidence cited in proposing a solution? Is the plan thoughtfully developed and clearly written, including carefully specified materials and detailed, sequential procedures? Are analyses based upon quantitative and qualitative data?
  • Replication/Expansion: "How could other communities do it?" (15% of total score) - Does the team give recommendations on how other communities could use, improve upon, and expand the entry content?

Using the above criteria, the Second Round judges will score each entry and select the First, Second and Third Place potential winners.  The potential First Place winner will be the Team with the highest score, the potential Second Place winner will be the Team with the second highest score and the potential Third Place winner will be the Team with the third highest score.  In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest combined "Scientific Approach" and "Community Engagement" score will be named the potential winner.  If an insufficient number of qualified entries is received, the Sponsor may award less than the stated number of Team and Teacher/Mentor Prizes described below. The Teacher/Mentors of the First, Second and Third Place Teams will be notified by email, phone, postal mail or express mail, on or about May 16, 2012.

If the Teacher/Mentor does not respond to any of the notification attempts described herein within the time period specified within the notification, then such Team will be disqualified and an alternate potential Team will be selected from among all eligible entries received based on the judging criteria described herein.

9. TEAM PRIZES:

First Place Prize: Each member of the First Prize-winning Team will receive a $10,000 Series EE United States Savings Bond ($10,000 face value of bond redeemed at maturity; $5,000 present value); a Discovery trip to a national park, such as Yellowstone, Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, or a major US city such as San Francisco, New York or Boston, anticipated to be 3 days and 2 nights and to take place during the last two weeks in July although timing is subject to change, location to be determined; a prize package of Discovery "Green" merchandise; and a pocket video camera.  Total Approximate Retail Value ("ARV") $7,680 per person.

Second Place Prize: Each member of the Second Prize-winning Team will receive $7,500 in Series EE United States Savings Bonds ($7,500 face value of bonds redeemed at maturity; $3,750 present value); a Discovery trip to a national park, such as Yellowstone, Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, or a major US city such as San Francisco, New York or Boston, anticipated to be 3 days and 2 nights and to take place during the last two weeks in July although timing is subject to change, location to be determined; a prize package of Discovery "Green" merchandise; and a pocket video camera. ARV $6,430 per person.

Third Place Prize: Each member of the Third Prize-winning Team will receive a $5,000 Series EE United States Savings Bond ($5,000 face value of bond redeemed at maturity; $2,500 present value); a prize package of Discovery "Green" merchandise; and a pocket video camera; total ARV $2,680 per person.

State Winner Prize: Each member of a State winning Team will receive a prize package of Discovery "Green" merchandise valued at approximately $50.  The prize will be awarded to the Teacher/Mentor of the applicable Team, who will be responsible for ensuring each Team member receives the prize.

Honorable Mention Prize: After the State winners have been determined, up to the next fifty (50) highest scoring entries will be awarded an Honorable Mention prize, at the Sponsor's sole discretion.  Each member of an Honorable Mention Prize-winning team will receive notification and a certificate of achievement.  The prize will be awarded to the Teacher/Mentor of the applicable Team, who will be responsible for ensuring each Team member receives the prize.

The First, Second, Third and State Prizes will not be awarded without the Sponsor first receiving each Team member's parental consent.  Each member of the First, Second, Third and State prize Teams must provide the Sponsor with the appropriate consent and also may be required to complete an affidavit of eligibility, liability and (where legal) publicity release which must be returned within the time period specified in notification letter or the Sponsor may select an alternate winner or disqualify that member of the Team.  Prize trips will include round trip coach air travel for one person from a major commercial airport near winner's home (as determined by the Sponsor), hotel accommodations for 2 nights, admission or participation fees for activities planned by the Sponsor, all meals and ground transportation.  Actual value will be determined by winner's residence and destination of the trip.  All other expenses not specifically mentioned are the sole responsibility of prize recipients, or if prize recipient is a minor, such prize recipient's parent/legal guardian.  Travel and accommodations are subject to availability and certain restrictions.  Air carriers, hotels and other transportation selected by the Sponsor.  Black-out dates may apply.  The parent/legal guardian of winner is responsible for any travel insurance.  Trip must be taken at time determined by the Sponsor or trip portion of the prize will be forfeited in its entirety and replaced with an alternate prize determined by the Sponsor.  The Sponsor will make reasonable efforts to accommodate all winning team member schedules.  The Sponsor reserves the right to award an alternative prize in the event that a prize is unavailable or inapplicable.

10. TEACHER/MENTOR PRIZES:

First Place Prize: The Teacher/Mentor of the First Place Team will receive a one-year membership to the NSTA; free registration to the next NSTA National (or Area) Conference; hotel accommodations for three nights at the conference; a pocket video camera; a Discovery trip to a national park, such as Yellowstone, Yosemite or the Grand Canyon or a major US city such as San Francisco, New York or Boston, anticipated to be 3 days and 2 nights and to take place during the last two weeks in July although timing is subject to change, location to be determined; and a prize package of Discovery "Green" merchandise; total ARV $3,130.

Second Place Prize: The Teacher/Mentor of the Second Place Team will receive a one-year membership to the NSTA; free registration to the next NSTA National (or Area) Conference; hotel accommodations for two nights at the Conference; a Discovery trip to a national park, such as Yellowstone, Yosemite or the Grand Canyon or a major US city such as San Francisco, New York or Boston, anticipated to be 3 days and 2 nights and to take place during the last two weeks in July although timing is subject to change, location to be determined; a pocket video camera; and a prize package of Discovery "Green" merchandise; total ARV $2,980.

Third Place Prize: The Teacher/Mentor of the Third Place Team will receive a one-year membership to the NSTA; free registration to the next NSTA National (or Area) Conference; hotel accommodations for one night at the Conference; a pocket video camera; and a prize package of Discovery "Green" merchandise; total ARV $505.

State Winner Prize: Each Teacher/Mentor of a State Winner Team will receive a one-year membership to the NSTA and a prize package of Discovery "Green" merchandise, total ARV $150.

For any First and Second Place prize trips, the Teacher/Mentor of the winning team and one (1) additional chaperone selected by the Sponsor in its sole discretion will act as chaperones for the students.  Trip prizes will include round trip coach air travel for one person from a major commercial airport near winner's home (as determined by the Sponsor), hotel accommodations for 2 nights, admission or participation fees for activities planned by the Sponsor, all meals and ground transportation.  Actual value will be determined by winner's residence.  All other expenses not specifically mentioned are the sole responsibility of winner.  Travel and accommodations are subject to availability and certain restrictions.  Black-out dates may apply.  Air carriers, hotels and other transportation selected by the Sponsor.  Winner is responsible for any travel insurance.  The Sponsor will make reasonable efforts to accommodate all winning team member schedules.  Chaperones will be required to complete an affidavit of eligibility, liability and (where legal) publicity release prior to issuance of travel documents and within the time period specified in the notification document.  In the event the chaperone does not complete these documents, the Sponsor may disqualify his or her Team and select an alternative Team in its place.  The Sponsor reserves the right to award an alternative prize in the event that a prize is unavailable or inapplicable.

11. PRIZE RESTRICTIONS: Taxes on prizes and all expenses related to acceptance and use of the prizes and not specified are the sole responsibility of prize recipients.  No prize can be transferred, substituted or redeemed for cash except at the Sponsor's sole discretion.  The Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of comparable or greater value if a prize cannot be awarded as described for any reason.  Limit one prize per person.  Odds of winning any prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the Contest and the relative performance of the entrants.

12. RELEASE: By participating, entrants agree [a] to these Official Rules and to decisions of the Sponsor and the Foundation, which shall be final in all respects relating to this Contest; and [b] to release, discharge and hold harmless the Sponsor, the Foundation, the NSTA, the College Board, their respective affiliates and subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, agents and representatives, and their respective officers, directors and employees (collectively, "Releasees") from any and all injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind resulting from their participating in the Contest or their acceptance, use or misuse of a prize including, without limitation, personal injury, death and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, copyright, trademark, defamation or invasion of privacy.  In addition, Releasees are not responsible for and shall not be liable for [a] electronic, hardware or software program, network, Internet or computer malfunctions, failures, or difficulties of any kind, including without limitation, server malfunction or by any human error which may occur in the processing of entries; [b] failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions; [c] lost, late, misdirected, damaged, incomplete entries or postage-due mail; or [d] any condition caused by events beyond the control of the Sponsor that may cause the promotion to be disrupted or corrupted.

13. RIGHT TO CANCEL & DISQUALIFY: The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest or any portion thereof should viruses, bugs or other causes beyond the control of Sponsor corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Contest, and limit entries to those submitted prior to the action taken, or to proceed in such a manner as may be deemed fair and equitable by the Sponsor in its sole discretion.  Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Contest or website or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by the Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated entries will be void.

14. RIGHTS IN ENTRY MATERIALS: Teacher/Mentors hereby assign to the Sponsor and the Foundation: [a] all rights of ownership, reproduction and use of essay and entry materials for any purpose whatsoever without compensation or further permission, including but not limited to an irrevocable and perpetual, royalty-fee, worldwide right, in all media (now known or later developed) to use, publish, alter or otherwise exploit entries; and [b] use of Teacher/Mentor's name, school, city and state and/or photograph and any video footage of winners recorded on any prize trip for programming, advertising, publicity and promotional purposes without compensation (unless prohibited by law) and without prior approval or inspection, and agree to execute specific consent to such use if asked to do so.

15. WINNERS LIST: To receive a list of winners, mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope to be received by September 30, 2012, to: Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge Winners, PMI Station, PO Box 750, Southbury, CT 06488-0750.  Residents of Vermont need not supply return postage.

16. SPONSOR: Discovery Communications, LLC, One Discovery Place, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

©2011 Discovery Education.  All rights reserved.

 

 

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