DE’s Design Challenge - Official Rules

By DE Editors

Editor’s Note: The terms and conditions have been updated to reflect revised contest deadlines.

Contest: DE’s Design Challenge (“Contest”) challenges entrants to design an inventive office “toy” that will inspire, amuse, amaze, or even annoy your coworkers.   Three finalists will be selected from initial graphics image proposals (in .JPEG, .PNG, .BMP, or .TIFF format) and will use their design creativity and engineering talent to submit 3-D models of their ideas.   One winner will be selected from the finalists.

Eligibility:   Contest is open to legal residents of the United States of America who are 18 years of age or older, have internet access and the capability to utilize 3-D design software.   Employees of Level Five Communications, Inc. (“Sponsor”), its affiliates, suppliers, promotional partners (including Dell Inc. and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.), agencies, and employees thereof, as well as the immediate family members of, and individuals residing in the same household as any such persons, are not eligible. All federal, state and local laws apply. Offer void where prohibited or restricted by law.   Entrant warrants that she/he is eligible to participate in the Contest and agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Sponsor, Dell Inc., Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., and their affiliates, from any loss, damage or expense arising out of or in connection with participation in this contest or the acceptance, use or misuse of any prize.  

Sponsor:   Desktop Engineering Magazine, Level 5 Communications, Inc., 1283 Main Street, Dublin, New Hampshire 03444.

Contest Administrator:   Stephen Robbins, Desktop Engineering Magazine, Level 5 Communications, Inc., 1283 Main Street, Dublin, New Hampshire 03444.   All decisions of the Judges and of the Contest Administrator shall be final, binding and conclusive on all matters relating to this Contest.

How to Enter:   There are two phases to the Contest.   The first phase of the Contest begins on October 1, 2011 and ends on December 2, 2011.   To enter the first phase, submit your idea for an innovative office toy in the form of a JPEG image www.digitaleng.news/challenge.   Entrants may submit multiple entries on separate entry forms.   Entrants must certify that their submissions are their own work and property.   Late or incomplete submissions shall be disqualified.

First Phase Judging:   A panel of five judges (the “Judges”) will choose three finalists on December 3, 2011 December 19, 2011 from among the first phase entries.   Entries will be evaluated in three categories, weighted equally:   1) creativity, ingenuity, playfulness and unconventional thinking; 2) making the most of CAD software; 3) taking advantage of the computing and graphics horsepower in their current system.   Entrants selected as finalists will be notified by telephone, email and by certified mail using contact information from entry forms no later than December 9 December 23.

Second Phase:   The three finalists shall, no later than January 18, 2012 January 20, 2012, submit their ideas in the form of 3-dimensional models (in IGES, STEP, or STL format), along with a short essay of 400-800 words addressing the design challenges encountered and how they were solved.   Essays will be published online on the Virtual Desktop blog, and finalists will participate in interviews that will be made publicly available by podcast through the Virtual Desktop blog.   The public will be invited, through the Virtual Desktop blog, DE Magazine, or other media, invited to comment on each of the finalists’ designs and to provide suggestions for improving the designs.  

Winner Selection:   The Judges shall select a winner from among the three entries on January 25, 2012.   Each finalist’s entry will be evaluated in three categories, weighted equally:   1) creativity, ingenuity, playfulness and unconventional thinking; 2) making the most of CAD software; 3) taking advantage of the computing and graphics horsepower in their current system.

Prizes:     There will be one (1) grand prize winner from among the three finalists, who will win a Dell Precision T3500 Workstation with 3.46 GHz Six Core Intel ® Xeon ® Processor W3690, 12GB SDRAM memory, Windows ® 7 Professional, 2.0GB AMD FirePro graphics, and a Dell UltraSharp U2410 24 inch HAS Wide Monitor.   Current retail value of Prize is $5,287.00.  An Internal Revenue Service Form 1099-MISC will be issued to winner for the value of the Prize. Any state and local government surcharges, and all taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner.   No productivity software is included in Prize.  Prize is not transferrable or substitutable, in cash or otherwise.   Sponsor makes no representation or warranties concerning the appearance, safety or performance of any prize awarded.

Winner and Acceptance/Delivery of Prize: The selected entrant will be subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these Official Rules, and execute a prize acceptance declaration and release, within 21 days of notification, prior to being declared the Winner.   Prize winner will be expected to share information with Sponsor regarding their use of the Prize, and to allow their name, likeness, contest submissions for Sponsor’s promotional purposes, without limitation and without compensation and further grants Sponsor any and all rights to said use.   If the selected entrant declines to accept the Prize or fails to claim the Prize, the prize will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner selected by the Contest Administrator in accordance with the Judging criteria for this contest.   Prize will be delivered by FedEx, UPS, or other similar courier.  

Conditions of Entry:   Submission of an entry grants Sponsor the right to publish the submitted design, in any and all media, in perpetuity, without limitation, and without additional consideration to the entrant.   The designs themselves, however, will remain the property of submitter.   Those desiring copyright or other intellectual property protections for their designs shall make their own arrangements, at their own expense.   Entries must be the original work of the entrant, may not have won previous awards, may not have been published previously, must not infringe third-party intellectual property or other rights, and must be suitable for publication (i.e., may not be obscene or indecent). By submitting a entry, entrants agree that their submission is gratuitous and made without restriction, will not place Sponsor under any obligation, and that Sponsor is free to disclose or otherwise disclose the ideas contained in the submission on a non-confidential basis to anyone.   By entering, entrants agree that all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these rules, participant’s rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor and Contest Administrator in connection with the contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of State of New Hampshire, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules. By entering, entrants consent to the jurisdiction and venue of the federal, state and local courts for Dublin, New Hampshire. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend part or all of this promotion should causes beyond the control of Sponsor or Contest Administrator corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play of the contest.   Sponsor and Contest Administrator are not responsible for technical, hardware, software or telephone failures of any kinds, lost or unavailable network connections, late, lost, ineligible, or misdirected entries, fraud, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions, whether caused by any of the equipment, programming or personnel associated with or utilized in this promotion.
Winners List: Winner’s name and entry will be announced and available at www.digitaleng.news.   For the name of the Winner send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (residents of VT may omit return postage) to: Winner, Desktop Engineering Magazine, Level 5 Communications, Inc., 1283 Main Street, Dublin, New Hampshire 03444.   Requests must be received by February 29, 2012.

Privacy:   When you enter the Contest, Sponsor will collect information to administer your participation.   Sponsor may use this information for other purposes consistent with its Privacy Policy, which may be found at /de/level-5-communications-inc-internet-privacy-policy.   Sponsor will also provide collected information to its promotional partners in this Contest, Dell, Inc. and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., who may use the information in accordance with their respective privacy policies.   Sponsor shall not be responsible for any use of provided information by its promotional partners.

Acknowledgement:   Entrants, by submitting an entry, acknowledge that they have read and understand the above rules and regulation surrounding the Contest, agree that Sponsor is not responsible or liable for any liability, cost, expense, injury or damage to persons or property that may be caused by, arise from or relate to, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, participation in this contest, including the use of any prize awarded or the infringement of a design by any third party, and that they are legal residents of the United States who are at least eighteen (18) years old.

Limitation of Liability:  Each entrant into the Contest agrees to be bound by these rules.   By participating, entrants release Sponsor, Dell Inc., Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., their corporate affiliates and each of their respective directors, officers, agents and employees, as well as Contest Administrator and the Judges, from any and all liability, loss or damages arising from otherwise with respect to participation in any contest related activities, including but not limited to any claim of third-party misappropriation of design submissions, and from the award, receipt, and/or use or misuse of any prize.  Under no circumstances will any entrant or Winner be permitted to obtain, and participants hereby waive all rights to, claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or attorneys’ fees, and entrants further waive all rights to multiplied, increased or otherwise enhanced damages.   Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend part or all of this promotion should virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes beyond the control of Sponsor or Administrator corrupt or impair its administration, security, fairness or proper play.   In such an event, Sponsor may award prizes in a drawing from eligible entries received prior to cancellation or suspension.   Sponsor and Administrator are not responsible for technical, hardware, software or telephone failures of any kinds, lost or unavailable network connections, fraud, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions, whether caused by any of the equipment, programming or personnel associated with or utilized in this promotion.

CAUTION:   ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY’S FEES) FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.