Official Competition Rules

The submission window for the ASAP Innovation Competition has closed as of April 2nd, 2012 at 11:59pm EDT. Thank you to all who participated.

I. Contest Description

  • Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary.
  • The School Programs bracket of the ASAP Innovation Competition, presented by ChildObesity180 (the “competition”) at Tufts University is a contest designed to uncover the most innovative and effective approaches to incorporate quality physical activity into elementary schools, that have the potential to be scaled and spread to a wider base of students in schools of all types, sizes, and geographies across the country.  This is not an ideas competition; all contest entries must refer to an existing Physical Activity Program (Program), in operation as of February 7, 2012.
  • ‘Program’ may refer to any curriculum, activity, environmental modification, event, or other initiative that promotes quality school-time physical activity among the Target Population (children ages 5-12).
  • To enter, Teams will be asked to submit written and multimedia materials that illustrate their Program to the competition judging panels.  All entry materials must be submitted online at the contest website www.ActiveSchoolsASAP.org.  All information related to the contest entry, including application instructions, eligibility, rules, and evaluation criteria may also be found on this site.
  • The Submission Window for the School Programs bracket will begin at 9:00am Eastern Time on February 7, 2012 and will close at 5:00pm Eastern Time on April 2, 2012 (“Contest Deadline”).

II. Eligibility

  • To be considered, Programs must be operating in a public, private, parochial, or charter school within one of the 50 US States.
  • Entries must be submitted by a Team that meets stated requirements (see Section III).  Online submission, including acceptance of rules and regulations, is necessary to enter or win.
  • Eligible Programs may be housed in a school, school district, or multiple schools within a district. Program beneficiaries must fall within the Target Population age range (children between 5 and 12).  Entries will incur no penalty should they additionally reach children outside of the Target Population.
  • Eligible Programs may be those deployed in a single classroom, a single school, or multiple schools.
  • Eligible Programs may incorporate or feature elements developed by an outside party, so long as the entry does not violate any law, regulation, or right of any third-party.
  • Immediate family members (spouses and parents, children and siblings and their spouses) and persons living in the same household as employees of ChildObesity180 and School Programs bracket judges are not eligible to apply.
  • Entrants or Programs that do not meet these stated requirements are not eligible to participate or be awarded prizes.  All applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Winner is responsible for state, federal, and local taxes.
  • ChildObesity180 maintains ultimate authority over all determinations of eligibility.

III. Team Rules

  • Entries to the School Programs bracket must be submitted by a Team as defined in these official rules.
  • A Team must include of a minimum of two and maximum of six individuals.
  • One individual must be designated the Team Leader.  Team Leaders must be an adult, age  18 years or older, who is an employee of the school or district where the entry program is deployed.
  • Teams are strongly encouraged to include one student who is a participant in the entry program.
  • Teams may include children or adults.  By registering for the competition at www.ActiveSchoolsASAP.org, Team Leaders and Team Members provide their consent to comply with these official rules.  For Team Members under the age of 18, registering  indicates that a parent or guardian has consented to your participation and to your compliance with these Official Rules.
  • Team Leaders and Team Members are strongly encouraged to have an affiliation with the entry Program. For example, individuals on a team might be a Program participant (a student), the parent of a Program participant, a teacher, a school official, a coach, a health education instructor, a Program volunteer, or another individual with a stake in the Program’s implementation.
  • Each Team is permitted to submit only one entry to the School Programs bracket
  • No individual may participate on more than one Team, either as a Team Leader or as a Team Member.
  • Only one Team may submit an entry on behalf of any given Program, with the exception of circumstances outlined in Section III.j.
  • In the event a single Program is deployed in multiple schools, one Team from each school where the Program is deployed is permitted to submit an entry on behalf of said Program.

IV. Entry Process

  • To enter, the Team Leader must register at www.ActiveSchoolsASAP.org and complete the user registration. The Team Leader will build his or her Team by inviting Team Members via e-mail through the automated module.  Invited individuals must complete the registration module to become official Team Members.
  • Both the Team Leader and Team Members must supply valid e-mail addresses to participate, and other information as requested. Competition administrators will use these addresses as the primary means of communication with participating Teams.
  • Each Team will be assigned to one of eight regional categories according to the US state in which the school or district housing their Program is located.
  • Following registration, the Team Leader will be directed to the School Programs bracket Entry Form. Once registered, the Team Leader and all Team Members will have access to the Entry Form. Teams may save progress and return to the Entry Form at any time during the Submission Window. Once an entry has been submitted, no more changes to the Entry Form are permitted. Once the Competition Deadline has passed, no more changes to the Entry Form will be permitted and incomplete applications will be disqualified.
  • The Team Leader and all Team Members may access their Team’s Entry Form and any progress towards completion during the Submission Window.
  • The Entry Form asks Teams to complete general questions about their school and Program; seven (7) short-answer essays that correspond to the evaluation criteria (See “Evaluation Criteria”); upload a video file featuring the Entry Program (See Sections IV.g.,h.); and submit a letter of support from their school’s principal, superintendent, or otherwise highest ranking official (see Section IV. i.).
  • Applicant videos must be less than three (3) minutes in length and feature no images or language that would be deemed inappropriate for the Target Population.
  • It is the intention of ChildObesity180 competition administrators to make these videos available for public viewing on the Active Schools Acceleration Project and ChildObesity180 websites. It is the responsibility of the Team Leader to secure any necessary permissions from parents or guardians of children featured in their Team’s video.  It is the responsibility of the Team Leader to confirm that these permissions are sufficiently broad to allow video and image use as outlined in Section IV.k. For a sample release form, please refer to the “Example Release Form” found under the “Prepare” tab in your team’s application.
  • Each entry must be accompanied by a letter of support from the principal, superintendent, or otherwise highest ranking official at the school or district in which the entry Program is deployed. A template for this letter may be found in each Team’s online application portal. This letter acknowledges that school/district administration are aware a Team from their school/district is entering the Innovation Competition and that being named a Regional or National winner is a possible outcome. Additionally, this letter will confirm that schools/districts selected as National Winners are willing, and would not be prohibited from,  participating in a development pilot study.
  • Team Leaders and Team Members will receive e-mail notification upon the successful submission of their Team’s entry.
  • By submitting an entry, the Team Leader acknowledges that their entry, in part or in whole, and including video submissions, may be made available for public viewing on the Active Schools Acceleration Project website, the ChildObesity180 website, the Tufts University website, and other venues. All eligible (not disqualified or eliminated) entries may be posted on the competition website.
  • Once an entry has been submitted, it cannot be changed or modified, except in the event that ChildObesity180 requests additional materials.
  • Entries submitted after the Competition Deadline may be considered or rejected at the sole discretion of ChildObesity180.
  • Entries must be in English.  Any entry in which a third party appears must be submitted with the written consent of such party and any entry depicting a recognizable location or building shall include applicable location releases. ChildObesity180 maintains sole authority over the determination of which entries are incomplete, ineligible, or otherwise inappropriate.
  • Upon submission, the entry becomes the sole property of presenter and will not be returned and cannot be acknowledged. If entrant wants to retain a copy of the materials submitted, he/she is responsible for making and retaining copies of any materials submitted prior to submission.
  • As part of the evaluation process, ChildObesity180 staff may conduct interviews and/or site visits to validate Programs selected by the judging panel as potential Regional and National Winners.
  • Team Leaders will be notified if their Program is selected for an interview and/or site visit.

V. Awards and Prizing

  • The School Programs bracket will name up to ten (10) Regional Winners and two (2) National Winners drawn from the pool of Regional Winners.
  • All awards will be distributed in $USD.
  • Team Leaders of winning Teams will be presented with an Award Agreement, detailing distribution and ownership of award funds.  The Award Agreement must be completed within the time period specified in said agreement for the Team to be eligible to receive an award.
  • Regional Winners

    1. Regional Winners will be awarded a $25,000 grant to recognize the quality of their Program and to support school-based fitness and wellness programming that supports obesity prevention.
    2. One Regional Winner will be identified from each region.  ChildObesity180 may identify up to two (2) additional Regional ‘Wildcard’ Winners.  Regional ‘Wildcard’ Winners may come from any region.
    3. If insufficient quality entries are received for any given region, ChildObesity180 reserves the right to withhold an award from said region. This award may or may not be redirected to a deserving entry from another regional bracket at the sole discretion of ChildObesity180.
    4. All Regional Winners will be announced in the spring of 2012.
    5. A Team has the option to decline acceptance of the Regional Winner distinction.  In this event, the Team forfeits their prize and ChildObesity180 will identify an alternative winner at their sole discretion.
  • National Winners

    1. National Winners will be awarded a $100,000 prize and the resources to support a long-term (12-24 month) development pilot study of their Team’s entry Program. These resources may include financial support, expert staff, consultants, and other backing.
    2. By accepting the $100,000 National Winner prize, National Winner Teams are no longer entitled to the Regional Winner prize of $25,000.
    3. By accepting the $100,000 National Winner prize, the Team Leader and school(s) associated with the winning Program agree to participation in a long-term (12-24 month) development pilot study.
  • Awards Ceremony

    1. Representatives from each Regional Winner Team will be invited to attend an awards ceremony where National Winners will be announced.
    2. ChildObesity180 will provide transportation and accommodation for invited Team representatives to the award ceremony (location TBD).

VI. Ownership of Submission Material

By submitting an application, the entrant Team:

  • assigns to ChildObesity180 all rights to the entry, including the right to reproduce and/or use any written and/or multimedia entry materials in any manner and in any medium, print or electronic, without further notification or compensation of the entrant Team.
  • grants ChildObesity180 permission to publish the following information about the entry Team and Program: the names of the Team Leader and Team Members; the name and location (city and state) of the school or district where the Program is located; descriptions of the Program; and video material documenting the Program.  ChildObesity180 will not release personal identifying information about Team Leaders or Team Members (e-mail or mailing addresses, phone numbers), unless granted specific permission.

VII. Release of Liability

  • By participating, all entrants agree to comply with these Official Rules and to the decisions arrived at by ChildObesity180 and the School Programs bracket judging panels.
  • ChildObesity180 is not responsible for any hardware, software, Internet, electronic, or human error that may compromise the validity or eligibility of a competition submission.
  • ChildObesity180 shall not be held responsible for any loss, damage, cost, or injury incurred by individuals or parties who elect to participate in the School Programs bracket.
  • ChildObesity180 shall not be held responsible for any event beyond the control of ChildObesity180 that may disrupt or terminate the terms of the School Programs bracket as laid out in these Official Rules.

VIII. General Release and Indemnification

  • By entering the competition, each entrant releases Tufts University and its affiliates, trustees, officers, employees, and agents (collectively, the ‘released parties’) from any liability whatsoever, and waives any and all causes of action, claims, costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind (collectively, “claims”), arising in any manner out of or in connection with the competition, use of the competition website, or delivery, misdelivery, acceptance,  possession, use of or inability to use any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory WHETHER OR NOT SUCH CLAIMS ARE ATTRIBUTABLE IN WHOLE OR IN PART TO THE NEGLIGENCE OF ANY OF THE RELEASED PARTIES.  Further, each entrant acknowledges that much of the material that will be submitted as part of the competition may embody materials, suggestions, or ideas substantially similar to those which have been developed by others, or by ChildObesity180. Each entrant acknowledges that any similarity is purely coincidental and unavoidable in light of the volume of ideas that ChildObesity180 and others routinely use and consider in the course of each of their business activities. Accordingly, entrant consents to the following terms by submitting an entry: entrant understands that entrant will not be entitled to any compensation because of use by presenter or any featured nonprofit of any materials similar to entrant’s entry; entrant releases Tufts University and any other entrant from any claim or liability with respect to the use of similar materials, that the materials submitted are free from any lien or claim by anyone, including but not limited to any union, guild or any  performance rights society; that the entrant has obtained and owns all rights, permission and licenses necessary to use the entry for any purpose; that the entry does not infringe in whole or in part on any rights of any other party; and that entrant agrees to indemnify and hold presenter and any featured nonprofit, and their respective affiliates, employees, directors, trustees and agents, harmless from any claims, suits, losses, damages and expenses (including reasonable attorney fees) that arise from the breach of the foregoing terms and conditions.
  • Each entrant further agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless presenter and its affiliates, agents, employees, officers and trustees, and any other person or entity related in any way to the competition for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to persons, including death or property damage, resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the making of an entered video or from any action related to the competition.

IX. No Representations or Warranties

This site and competition is provided on an ‘as is’ basis. The competition and Tufts University make no representations or warranties of any kind express or implied, as to the operation of the site or the information, content, materials, or products included on this site. To the full extent permissible by applicable law, the competition and Tufts University disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

X. Miscellaneous

The competition and these official rules will be governed, construed and interpreted under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States, without regards to Massachusetts’ conflict of interest rules. All applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited. All claims shall be brought in the federal or state courts located within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Entrants agree that such jurisdiction is acceptable to them. Entrants agree to be bound by these official rules and by the decisions of Tufts University, which are final and binding in all respects. Tufts University reserves the right to change these official rules at any time, in its sole discretion, and to suspend or cancel the competition or any entrant’s participation in the competition should viruses, bugs, unauthorized human intervention, or other similar or dissimilar causes beyond Tufts University’s control affect the administration, security or proper play of the competition or Tufts University otherwise becomes (as determined in its sole discretion) incapable of running the competition as planned. Entrants who violate these official rules, tamper with the operation of the competition, or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Tufts University, the competition, or any other entrant (in each case as determined in Tufts University’s sole discretion) are subject to disqualification from entry into the competition. Tufts University reserves the right to disqualify persons whose eligibility is in question or who have been disqualified or are otherwise ineligible to enter the competition. Except where prohibited by law, the winner grants permission for Tufts University and those acting under its authority to use the winner’s name, photograph, voice and/or likeness, video, in whole or in part, for business, advertising and/or publicity purposes in all media, now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide and on the internet without notice, review, approval, additional compensation, or time limitation. By submitting any entry, entrants also agree that Tufts University and competition entities do not have any obligation to show or use any entry for any purpose. Entrant agrees that Tufts University and competition entities shall have the right to use, assign, edit, modify or dispose of any entry, accompanying materials and any video produced pursuant to this competition and to disclose entrant’s name if entrant is judged the winner by Tufts University. By participating in this competition, entrant agrees to waive any right to claim ambiguity or any deficiency in these official rules or the competition, including its administration. This release constitutes a waiver of all applicable rights under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) with respect to the subject matter hereof and of the materials submitted to the competition.

XI. Questions

If you have any questions about these official rules or the competition, please contact us at ActiveSchoolsASAP@tufts.edu or send written questions to:

Active Schools Acceleration Project
c/o Emily Rak
ChildObesity180
Tufts University
150 Harrison Ave  Boston MA, 02111

XII. Winners List

For the name of the winners, see www.ActiveSchoolsASAP.org after the Competition Deadline and for at least thirty days thereafter.

XIII. Competition Presenter

The presenter of the competition is ChildObesity180.

By submitting an entry, each Team entering the competition affirms that:

  • all members of the Team have met all eligibility requirements and have agreed to the general release above;
  • the entry becomes the property of the presenter and may be used for any purpose by presenter;
  • the entry is the original work of the Team and its members, does not defame or infringe upon any rights of any party, has not been copied, in whole or in part, from any video or audio of any third party; does not use any third party materials or misappropriate or infringe any intellectual property (patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, or other proprietary right); and does not include any collaborative or third party material unless such material is  in the public domain or express written permission has been obtained and documented.