Submission Guidelines

Apptivate 2.0 Contest Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. Eligibility: Apptivate Contest (the "Promotion") is open only individuals who (i) are not residents of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan or Syria, (ii) are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry, (iii) did not purchase any products, services or equipment for the purposes of entering this Promotion, and (iv) are a Stack Overflow member. Stack Overflow membership is free of charge. Employees of Microsoft Corporation, ePrize, Inc., Stack Exchange, Inc., and any of their respective related companies, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and agents and any agencies or other companies involved in the development or execution of the Promotion or production or distribution of Promotion materials, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. The Promotion is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited. The Promotion consists of a sweepstakes (the "Sweepstakes") and a contest (the "Contest"). Only entrants from countries where Windows Store app upload is available may participate in the Contest.
2. Promotion Overview: The purpose of this Promotion is for entrants to develop and submit original Windows Store apps (for entry into the Contest). Entrants will also become educated on migrating an existing published app (from an alternative platform like Android, iOS, Amazon Kindle, Blackberry, etc.) and porting it to a Windows Store app. Participants will be encouraged to vote for their favorite app and engage with the Stack Overflow community (for entry into the Sweepstakes). A panel of Microsoft and Stack Overflow judges will select the Contest winners, in accordance with the winner selection criteria set forth below. The Sweepstakes winners will be randomly selected.
3. Sponsor: Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052, U.S.A. Administrator: ePrize, Inc., One ePrize Drive, Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069, U.S.A.
4. Agreement to Official Rules: By participating in the Promotion, entrant fully and unconditionally agrees to and accepts these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and/or Administrator, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Promotion. Whether an entrant receives a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

5. Timing: The Promotion starts May 2nd, 2013 and ends June 14th, 2013. (the "Promotion Period"). The Contest consists of two (2) phases as set forth in the chart below.

   Phase	Starts at 00:00:00 UTC	Ends at 23:59:59 UTC
   Submission and Voting *	May 2nd, 2013	June 7th, 2013
   Contest Winner Selection	June 8th, 2013	June 14th, 2013

   Sponsor's computer is the official time-keeping device for the Promotion.

   *Note that you must include your app's url in the Windows Store with your final submission in order to be eligible for prizes. While submitting to the Store is not considered a separate phase, consider the time it takes for your app to be accepted to the Store when planning. See Submission Guidelines for more details.

6. How to Enter: In order to qualify for participation in the Promotion, you must register for Microsoft’s App Builder, by selecting “Port an existing App” on the registration page at http://www.microsoft.com/click/services/Redirect2.ashx?CR_CC=200213395. This registration must be completed during the Submission and Voting Phase. Save your registration confirmation email as proof of registration. Proof of this registration must be provided by all potential winners as part of prize acceptance.

   • The Contest: During the Submission and Voting Phase, visit apptivate.ms and follow the links and instructions to register for the Promotion and upload one (1) copy of demo video that showcases an original app you have created for iOS, Android, or other app platform (your "BEFORE" app), and one (1) demo video that showcases as original app Windows Store app you have created, the name and a description of your app, and up to eight (8) optional screenshots and/or mockups of your app (your "AFTER" app) (collectively, your "Submission"). As part of registration, select one of twenty (20) categories (each a "Category") your Submission falls under, and select the country you are a legal resident of. Categories are listed at http://apptivate.ms. Legal residents of the U.S. will qualify for one Grand Prize, and legal residents of all other eligible countries will qualify for a second Grand Prize. The twenty categories will be combined into five groups ("Groups") for the purposes of awarding prizes (see apptivate.ms/apps/guidelines). During the Submission and Voting Phase you must also submit your original app to the Windows Store, and your app must be accepted by the Windows Store by 11:59 PM UTC on June 7th, 2013 in order to be considered for entry into the Contest. Apps submitted to the Windows Store prior to the Promotion Period (12:00 UTC on May 2nd, 2013) will not be accepted for entry into the Contest. All apps must comply with the Windows Store App Developer Agreement and the App Certification Requirements. Only entrants from countries where Windows Store app upload is available may participate in the Contest. By completing the registration and uploading your Submission, you agree that your Submission conforms to the Guidelines and Content Restrictions as defined below (collectively, the "Guidelines and Restrictions") and that Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may remove your Submission and disqualify you from the Contest if it believes that your Submission fails to conform to the Guidelines and Restrictions.

     You may enter as many apps as you want, but each app you submit must be substantially unique and different. Closely similar apps that have minor changes (i.e., color, language) but have been submitted as separate apps will be disqualified and only the first app submitted under that app type will be eligible.

     Guidelines:

     • For the demo video portion of the Submission, video must be at least two (2) but no greater than three (3) minutes in length and must show the entrant interacting with the BEFORE and AFTER apps;
     • The AFTER app cannot have been submitted previously in a promotion of any kind or exhibited or displayed publicly through any means.
     
     

     Content Restrictions:

     • The Submission must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement;
     • The Submission must not contain brand names or trademarks, except for Sponsor's trademark for which entrant has a limited license to use for the sole purposes of creating and uploading a Submission into this Contest;
     • The Submission must not contain images or artwork not created by entrant;
     • The Submission must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene hateful, tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous;
     • The Submission must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age; and
     • The Submission must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations in any state where the Submission is created.
     
     

     For all Submissions: Uploading a Submission constitutes entrant's consent to give Sponsor a royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, create derivative works from, and display such Submissions in whole or in part, on a worldwide basis, and to incorporate it into other works, in any form, media or technology now known or later developed, including for promotional or marketing purposes. If necessary, entrant will sign any necessary documentation that may be required for Sponsor or its designees to make use of the non-exclusive rights entrant is granting to use the Submission. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, un-intelligible or misdirected Submissions, which are disqualified.

   • The Sweepstakes: During the Submission and Voting Phase, visit apptivate.ms and follow the links and instructions to complete an available action (each an "Action") as outlined in the Reviewer Contest section at apptivate.ms. For each Action you complete, you will gain one (1) entry into the applicable Bronze, Silver, or Gold (each a "Level") drawing, which will be shown in the Action listing you are completing.

     Mail-in Alternate Method: To enter without completing an available Action, hand print your name, address, phone number, email address, and date of birth on a 3" x 5" piece of paper and mail it in an envelope with proper postage to “Apptivate Contest,” c/o ePrize, Inc., PO Box 5046, Kalamazoo, MI, 49003-5046, Dept# 590596, U.S.A. On the exterior of your envelope, specify which Level drawing you would like to gain entry into (Bronze, Silver, or Gold). Upon receipt of your entry, you will receive five (5) entries into the Level drawing you have specified on the exterior of your envelope. You may only mail two (2) envelopes per Level. Limit: One (1) entry per envelope. All mail-in entries must be handwritten and must be postmarked by June 7th, 2013 and received by June 13th, 2013. All entries become the exclusive property of Sponsor and none will be acknowledged or returned. Proof of sending or submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, illegible, misdirected or postage-due entries, which will be disqualified.

     Limit: Each entrant may gain ten (10) entries into each Level drawing. Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same email address. Any attempt by any entrant to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods will void that entrant's entries and that entrant may be disqualified. Use of any automated program to enter will result in disqualification. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible or misdirected registrations, which will be disqualified. In the event of a dispute as to any online entry, the authorized account holder of the email address used to enter will be deemed to be the entrant. Potential winners may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned 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 address.

7. Winner Determination: Winners will be determined via the processes set forth below.
   • Contest:
     1. Submission and Voting Phase: During the Submission and Voting Phase, approved Submissions will be posted at apptivate.ms and individuals who meet the eligibility criteria set forth in Section 1 will be invited to vote for their favorite Submission. The number of votes each Submission receives during the Submission and Voting Phase will go towards that Submission's score in the Public Appeal category of the Judging Criteria, as outlined below.
     2. Contest Winner Selection:

        During the Contest Winner Selection Phase, qualified judges will select the top two (2) Submissions, one (1) U.S. resident, and one (1) resident from all other participating countries, from all Finalist Submissions based on the following Judging Criteria:

        • Innovativeness/Creativity in migrating your BEFORE to AFTER app (30%);
        • Quality of Submission (30%);
        • Use of Windows 8 features such as the live tile display (30%); and
        • Public Appeal/Votes (10%).

        The entrants whose Submissions receive the highest scores will be deemed the potential Grand Prize winners. In the event that none of the Finalist Submissions are submitted by residents of the United States or none of Finalist Submissions are submitted by residents of other participating countries, qualified judges may elect in their sole discretion and using an application of the same Judging Criteria listed above to select a Submission not included in the Finalist pool to be deemed the applicable potential Grand Prize winner. In the event of a tie, Sponsor, in its sole discretion, will determine the potential Grand Prize winner based on the Submission that received the highest score in the Quality of Submission category.

        For all Voting: Each voter may vote only one time on each app, and each voter may vote a maximum of 20 times per day. In its sole discretion, Sponsor reserves the right to select an alternate entrant for any placement should the voting appear to have been tampered with or manipulated in any way. In case of a tie, the Sponsor, in its sole discretion, will select the potential winner based on an application of the Judging Criteria. Multiple voters are not permitted to share the same email address. Any attempt by any voter to obtain more than the stated number of votes by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods will void that voter's votes and that voter may be disqualified. Use of any automated program to vote will result in disqualification.

   • Sweepstakes: Sponsor's decisions as to the administration and operation of the Sweepstakes and selection of potential Sweepstakes winners are final and binding in all matters related to the Sweepstakes. Administrator will randomly select the potential Sweepstakes winners from all eligible entries received in each Bronze, Silver, or Gold raffle on or around June 18th, 2013 and will notify each potential winner by email following that time.
8. Winner Requirements: Receiving a prize is contingent upon compliance with these Official Rules. Except where prohibited, each potential Contest Grand and First Prize winner, and each potential Sweepstakes Gold Prize winner (parent/legal guardian if a winner is a minor in his/her place of residence) will be required to sign and return a Declaration of Compliance, Liability and Publicity Release ("Declaration"). Declarations for potential Contest Grand Prize winners must be returned and received by Administrator within twenty-four (24) hours of the date notice or attempted notice is sent, in order to claim his/her prize, and all other Declarations must be returned and received by Administrator within seven (7) days of the date notice or attempted notice is sent. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, fails to execute and return the Declaration of Compliance, Liability and Publicity Release within the required time period (if applicable), or prize is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits the prize. In the event that a potential Contest winner is disqualified for any reason, an alternate winner may be determined by the Submission with the next highest score. If after three (3) attempts a Contest winner is not confirmed, the applicable prize will remain un-awarded. In the event that a potential Gold or Silver Sweepstakes winner is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor will award the applicable prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all eligible entries. Only three (3) alternate drawings will be held after which the applicable prize will remain un-awarded. Unclaimed Bronze Sweepstakes prizes will remain unawarded. Acceptance of any prize shall constitute and signify winner's agreement and consent that Sponsor may use the winner's name, city, state, likeness, Submission and/or prize information in connection with the Promotion, worldwide, including the Internet, without limitation and without further payment or consideration, except where prohibited by law. Without limiting the generality of these Official Rules, winner shall irrevocably grant, transfer, convey and assign to Sponsor the entirety of the rights in and to the Submission and all renewals and extensions of copyright, and the right to secure copyright registrations thereto in perpetuity including, without limitation, the rights to use the Submission for any and all purposes in any and all media whether now known or hereafter developed, on a worldwide basis, in perpetuity. Winner accepts and acknowledges that Sponsor shall not be obligated to use the Submission and that Sponsor in its sole discretion shall have the right to refrain from using the Submission. Sponsor shall not incur any liability whatsoever to the extent Sponsor chooses to refrain from any exploitation of its rights hereunder. Winner will indemnify Sponsor, Released Parties (as defined in Section 9, below) and any licensee of Sponsor against all claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and legal expenses) arising out of any breach of these terms. Prizes will be fulfilled 8 - 10 weeks after end of Promotion.
9. Prizes:
   • Contest:

     TWO (2) GRAND PRIZES (1 for U.S. residents, and 1 for residents of all other participating countries): A trip for the winner to Microsoft's Developer Conference (www.buildwindows.com) in San Francisco, CA from June 26 – June 28, 2013. Trip package includes an airfare voucher for travel to and from the conference (airline determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion; terms and conditions of voucher apply); two (2) nights' accommodations at a hotel determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion (single room, double occupancy); one (1) ticket to Microsoft's Developer Conference (terms and conditions apply); and a Microsoft "Geek Basket" that includes a selection of Microsoft devices, software, and gear (specific basket components determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion). Winner must travel on the dates determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion or prize will be forfeited. Travel and accommodations are subject to availability and blackout dates. Travel must be round trip. Sponsor will determine airline and may flight itinerary in its sole discretion. No refund or compensation will be made in the event of the cancellation or delay of any flight. Travel is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Promotion, and those set forth by the Sponsor’s airline carrier of choice as detailed in the passenger ticket contract. All expenses and incidental travel costs not expressly stated in the package description above, including but not limited to, ground transportation, meals, incidentals, gratuities, passenger tariffs or duties, airline fees, surcharges, airport fees, service charges or facility charges, personal charges at lodging, security fees, taxes or other expenses are the responsibility solely of winner. Winner is solely responsible for obtaining valid passports and any other documents necessary for international travel. Travel restrictions, conditions and limitations may apply. If in the judgment of Sponsor air travel is not required due to winner’s proximity to prize location, ground transportation may be substituted for air travel voucher at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor will not replace any lost, mutilated, or stolen tickets, travel vouchers or certificates. Sponsor is not responsible if conference is delayed, postponed or cancelled for any reason, in which event that portion of prize is forfeited in its entirety and no substitution will be provided except as in Sponsor’s sole discretion. No exchanges or cash value for the Grand Prize package will be allowed. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): $5,000 USD. Actual value may vary based on airfare fluctuations and distance between departure and destination. Winner will not receive difference between actual and approximate retail value. TEN (10) FIRST PRIZES (2 per Group): A Surface Pro. ARV: $899 USD. FIVE (5) SECOND PRIZES (1 per Group): A one-year subscription of Microsoft Office 365 Home Edition (good for up to 5 devices). ARV: $99.99 USD.

   • Sweepstakes:

     THREE (3) GOLD PRIZES: A Surface Pro. ARV: $899 USD. TEN (10) SILVER PRIZES: A one-year subscription of Microsoft Office 365 Home Edition (good for up to 5 devices). ARV: $99.99 USD. FIFTY (50) BRONZE PRIZES: A t-shirt. Size and style of t-shirt determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. ARV: $15 USD. Odds of winning a prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period.

   Odds of winning a prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period.

   
   

   For all prizes: For any non-U.S. winner, prize will be grossed-up to include an additional 30% of the prize value, the entirety of which will be withheld and remitted to the IRS to comply with U.S. tax laws. The ARV of electronic prizes is subject to price fluctuations in the consumer marketplace based on, among other things, any gap in time between the date the ARV is estimated for purposes of these Official Rules and the date the prize is awarded or redeemed. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitution will be made unless Sponsor, in its sole discretion, determines otherwise. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize or a component thereof for one of equal or greater value should it become unavailable for any reason. Winners are responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use. TOTAL ARV OF ALL PRIZES: $23,936.85 USD.

10. Release: By receipt of any prize, the applicable winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor, Stack Exchange, Inc., Administrator, and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and each of their respective parent companies and each such company's officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the "Released Parties") from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the Promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.
11. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Promotion, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Sponsor's reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Promotion, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Promotion or to be acting in violation of the Official Rules of this or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Promotion may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.
12. Limitations of Liability: The Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrant, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Promotion; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Promotion; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Promotion or the processing of entries; (5) late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail; or (6) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. Sponsor is not responsible for misdirected or undeliverable entries or for any technical problems, malfunctions of computer systems, servers, providers, hardware/software, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission or any combination thereof. Sponsor and Administrator are not responsible for any typographical/other error in entries, selection announcement or for any liability for damage to any computer system resulting from participation in, accessing or downloading information in connection with this Promotion. If for any reason an entrant's entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant's sole remedy is another entry in the Sweepstakes, if it is possible. If the Sweepstakes, or any part of it, is discontinued for any reason, Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance for any or all of the prizes offered herein. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. In the event that production, technical, seeding, programming or any other reasons cause more than the stated number of prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be available and/or claimed, Sponsor reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes by a random drawing among all legitimate, un-awarded, eligible prize claims.
13. Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Promotion or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Southern Division) or the appropriate Michigan State Court located in Oakland County, Michigan; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Promotion, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (3) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Promotion, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Michigan without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Michigan or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Michigan.
14. Entrant's Personal Information: Information collected from entrant is subject to Sponsor's Privacy Statement, and Stack Exchange's Privacy Policy.
15. Winner List: For a winner list, visit http://bit.ly/13JBXWE. The winner list will be posted after winner confirmation is complete.

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