MediaCurves.com™
BALLADS FOR BALLOTS MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION 2008
CONTEST RULES
Background
MediaCurves.Com has been intensely following this year’s presidential campaign and wants to find a music video advancing the cause of each of the two main political parties, Democrats and Republicans. To this end, it is holding a competition designed to stimulate creativity by awarding a prize of $5,000 to the creator of each of the two winning music videos. Music videos must be uploaded to the area clearly dedicated to that purpose on the mediacurves.com web site. Each video must be submitted by an eligible person and be presented in the proper format and contain the proper content. Entries will be accepted beginning on noon, Eastern Time, June 15, 2008. All entries must be received by noon, Eastern Time, on August 25, 2008 (the “Promotion Period”). Limit is one entry per person.
Eligible Contestants
Contestants must be eighteen years of age on or before June 1, 2008.
They must also be United States citizens residing in one of the fifty states or the District of Columbia.
Employees of the Sponsor, their affiliated companies, parents, subsidiaries, vendors, and advertising and promotion agencies (collectively, the “Contest Entities”), and the immediate families (defined as parents, siblings, spouses and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible.
Finally, they must have created the music video themselves and own all rights to it.
Music Video Presentation Format
Music videos may be uploaded to the mediacurves.com web site in Quick Time (.MOV), Microsoft (.AVI), or .MPG files. We recommend, however, the MPEG (Divx,Xvid) format at 640x480 resolution with MP3 audio.
Releases
By submitting a music video, each participant is agreeing that HCD Research, Inc. (“HCD”) has the right to use the music video for any lawful purpose it chooses. It will not license the music video to any other legal person for a fee, however.
Originality
By submitting a music video, each participant in the contest warrants that the material he or she submits will be in all respects an original work of authorship. If anyone makes a claim against mediacurves.com or HCD concerning a particular music video for copyright infringement or otherwise, the participant who submitted that music video will defend and indemnify and hold mediacurves.com and HCD harmless from any such claim.
Guidelines Concerning Music Video Content
1. It must be no less than forty-five (45) seconds in length or longer than ninety (90) seconds.
2. It must contain at least 80% music.
3. It must identify the political party it wished to be associated with.
4. It must advance or parody a theme associated with that party
5. The feeling evoked may be funny, serious, philosophical, or satirical.
6. If the music video relies on copyrighted materials (not recommended), the contestant may submit a license or other permission from the copyright holder, but such license or permission must be broad enough to permit all of the uses which mediacurves.com or HCD may make of it.
7. If the music video was made using equipment owned by someone other than the creator, the creator must present permission from that legal person.
8. All individuals photographed in the music video including the contestant must have signed a release of the kind identified as photographic and entertainment release. Contestants can find an acceptable version at the end of these rules. Contestants must submit the release with the music video by faxing a signed copy of the release required to 908-788-7179 and sending the signed original to: “Ballads for Ballots Music Video Competition” PO Box 2357, Flemington, NJ 08822 before noon, Eastern Time, on August 25, 2008.
9. No contestant will receive his or her music video back. HCD will make video entries available on the mediacurves.com website and the youtube.com website for a period of up to 365 days after the contest winner is announced on October 1, 2008.
10. Entries are limited to one per person.
11. No entry may depict of vocalize profanity or other offensive language, including but not limited to “hate” speech.
12. No entry may include depictions of illegal activity, nudity, illegal substances, or gestures designed to give offense to viewers.
13. HCD, in its sole discretion will make all judgments as to suitability of entries based on the criteria set forth above. That judgment will be final and not subject to review.
Judging Methodology
Phase One: After prescreening by HCD personnel for adherence to the guidelines and format criteria set forth above, MediaCurves.com will present each music video to the online public. These onlineviewers will be persons visiting MediaCurves.com, selected Tribune Company websites (to be announced), the Campaigns and Elections’ Politics Magazine website (http://www.campaignline.com) and the AAPC (American Association of Political Consultants) website (www.theaapc.org). Each online viewer will give each music video that he or she reviews two scores, each on a one to seven scale with 7 being best and 1 being worst. The first will be in the area of creativity (Does the video present an original or at least an inventive expression of its main idea or concept?). The second will involve content (Does the video with its music and lyrics touch upon important issues relevant to a party or a particular candidate such as character, fitness, objectives or values?). The two scores from each viewer will be weighted equally so that they can be averaged to create a score taking both areas into account. When a video has received five (5) final scores, MediaCurves.com will average the scores and produce a final score which it will use to determine whether the video qualifies for Phase Two judging.
Phase Two: MediaCurves.com will determine which fifteen (15) videos (for each party) have the highest final scores. If there are ties extra videos will qualify to become part of Phase Two. MediaCurves.com will submit these qualifying videos for each party to a panel of judges. Using the 1 to 7 scale from worst to best set forth above, each judge will review each video and generate three scores for each video using the following equally weighted criteria: Impact (how inspiring it was), Originality (how unique its music and video treatment was), and Message (how clear and powerful its theme was). By averaging the scores from each criterion the judges will select the top 3 videos for each party. In the case of ties, the judges will vote and by a majority decide which of the tied videos will make Phase Three.
Phase Three: The judges will submit the top 3 videos for each party to members of the HCDSurveys and MediaCurves.com panels based upon party identification. Each panel member will generate three scores based on the seven point system set forth above. The criteria each will use are the same as in Phase Two. The only difference is that these scores, will be given the following weights: Impact (45%), Originality (30%), and Message (25%). When tallied and weighted each video will have a final score. Each panel facing a tie will break the tie with a majority vote.
Phase Four: The music video associated with each party which receives the highest score wins or in the case of a tie, the video which receives the majority of the votes in a tie breaking vote by the judges will be the overall winner.
Prizes
There are two (2) Grand Prizes, one representing each party. Each Grand Prize consists of $5,000, which will be awarded in the form of a check payable to the winner. Total value of each Grand Prize is $5,000. In addition, the first one hundred (100) Contestants to submit a qualified entry based on the timestamp at the Sponsor’s website will receive an Incentive Prize of $25, which may be awarded in the form of a gift card. Total value of each Incentive Prize is $25. All federal, state and local taxes on any prize are the sole responsibility of the prizewinner. Winners will be issued an IRS Misc. Income 1099 tax form for the total value of the prize. Prizes cannot be transferred, or substituted. All prizes will be awarded. Total value of all prizes to be awarded: $12,500.
Conditions of Participation
Grand Prize Winners will be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility & Liability/Publicity Release (the “Releases”), within five (5) days of notification. Said releases grant the Sponsor the right to confirm the validity of Contestant’s entry, and to use winner’s name and likeness in all publicity and marketing activities associated with this Contest, without the payment of additional compensation. All Contestants agree that the Contest Entities shall have no liability and will be “held harmless” by Contestants and Winner for any liability, loss, injury or damage due to participation in this Contest and/or acceptance of the prize offered, and participation in any prize-related activities or any travel related thereto. Winner will be solely responsible for federal, state and local taxes associated with the receipt and use of the Grand Prize. All federal, state, and local laws apply. Sponsor and its agencies are not responsible for online entries that are not received due to technical/transmission difficulties beyond their reasonable control, as stated in “Limitations of Liability” paragraph, below, nor for mailed entries that are lost, late, mutilated, illegible, or postage-due. All videos submitted become the exclusive property of the Sponsor and will not be returned. By participating, all Contestants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which shall be final and binding.
CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OR CRIMINAL OR CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY SUCH ENTRANT AND SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
Limitations of Liability
Sponsor is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with, or utilized in, this Contest, or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing and/or transmissions in the Contest. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or authorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Sponsor is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of e-mail due to technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof, including injury or damage to participants or to any other person’s computer related to, or resulting from, participating or downloading materials in this contest. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including, without limitation, infection by computer virus, bugs, worms, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of the Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this contest, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Internet portion of the Contest, and select winners from all entries received up to the time of termination.
Winner’s List
The winner’s entry will be posted online at the Sponsor’s website for up to 60 days after the winner has been confirmed in writing. For a hard copy of the name/city of residence of the Grand Prize winner, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by November 30, 2008 to: “Ballads for Ballots Music Video Competition” Winner Confirmation, PO Box 2357, Flemington, NJ 08822.
Sponsor
HCD Research, 260 US Highway 202/31, Suite 1000, Flemington, NJ 08822.
CONTEST VOID OUTSIDE THE US AND WHEREVER ELSE PROHIBITED.
Photographic and Entertainment Release Form
