Rules and Regulations for Middle Grades
and High School Competition

ELIGIBILITY:

History Uncovered, the Annual History Research Competition, is open only to teachers, librarians (“Coaches”), and students in accredited, public and private schools, located in the United States and U.S. territories. Department of Defense Dependents’ Schools are also eligible to participate in History Uncovered. Teachers and library media specialists must be at least 21 years of age or older and legal U.S. residents at time of entry. All Team members must be currently enrolled in the same accredited, public or private school during the Competition period.

Employees, volunteers, interns, and agents of ABC-CLIO, their affiliates, subsidiaries and advertising and promotion agencies and their immediate families (spouse, parents, children, and siblings and their respective spouses) and individuals living in the same households of such persons are ineligible to enter or win. Void where prohibited by law. All federal, state, and local laws apply.

By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and accept decisions of the Competition Administrator as final in all matters relating to this Competition.

Back to Top

ROLE OF COACH:

Coaches may not:

The Coach must:

Each student must:

Back to Top

COPYRIGHTED CONTENT:

Student teams members must do their own work and must not permit any person (other than student members of the Team) to perform such work, and must not copy the materials (words, images, data, audio and video files, and other media) of others, except as permitted below.

Team Entries may not violate the copyright, patent, or trademark rights of any individual or entity. With the exception of content cited from ABC-CLIO’s online database products, all writing, graphics, illustrations, sound, music, video footage, or photographs must be either 1) the original work of the Student Team or 2) must be completely and accurately cited, and if permission is necessary to use such content, the Team shall disclose how such permission was obtained.

Back to Top

ABC-CLIO DATABASE CITATIONS:

Entries MUST include ten (10) citations from ABC-CLIO online databases in MLA format (citations are provided in databases).Teams may either cite sources directly on each page, slide, etc., or create a summary of the Citations to adequately disclose the sources and/or permissions to include cited content.

By submitting an Entry, Team members represent that they have the unrestricted right to submit the content and it does not infringe upon any third party’s proprietary or other rights. Any content, including, but not limited to, text, images and videos, that is not the original creation of the Team must be completely and accurately cited, and if permission is necessary to use such content, the Team shall disclose how such permission was obtained.

Entries may include material that was created by another person before January 1, 1978 so long as an accurate citation is provided within the Entry; and Entries may include material that was created by another person on or after January 1, 1978 so long as written permission to quote or use such material is obtained as required by the creator or owner of such intellectual property AND an accurate citation is provided noting permission was granted. Team must also be able to provide a copy of such permission to ABC-CLIO, if requested.

Back to Top

PLAGIARISM:

Any plagiarism or copyright violation, as defined below, can result in an Entry’s disqualification.

Back to Top

SPONSOR & ADMINISTRATOR:

The Sponsor of this Competition is:

ABC-CLIO
130 Cremona Drive
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
USA
805-968-1911

The Competition Administrator is ABC-CLIO.

Back to Top

COMPETITION SCHEDULE:

The Competition begins at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) on November 14, 2008, and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on March 30, 2009 (“Competition Period”). Entries must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on March 30, 2009 to be eligible.

The competition schedule is as follows:


Back to Top

SUBMITTING AN ENTRY:

A teacher and/or library-media specialist (Coach) must submit a student Team Entry by clicking the “SUBMIT ENTRY” button located on the Competition website Welcome Page: www.abc-clio.com/historyuncovered.

Complete the Competition Entry Submission Form. An Entry must be uploaded with a completed Entry Submission Form to the Competition website, www.abc-clio.com/historyuncovered.

Entries submitted by postal mail or facsimile are prohibited.

Back to Top

ADDITIONAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

Team Entries may not have been submitted in whole or in part to any other national competition.

Personal Information

For the protection of student Team members, the Entry content may NOT contain any of the following:

Supported Technologies

Each Team is allotted a maximum of 75MB of ABC-CLIO server space for its Entry.

Entries will be accepted in the following file formats:

Compressed files (ZIP files) of Entries in the above files formats may be uploaded if the source file exceeds the 75MB file size limit. ZIP files of Entries may not exceed 75MB.

Prohibited Content

Entries may not contain any objectionable material. "Objectionable" means any content in any medium or format that (as determined by ABC-CLIO and the Judges):

Entries may not contain any commercial content. Commercial content is content that promotes the sale of a product or service either directly via the Website or via hyperlinks to external sites. Commercial content includes but is not limited to logos, brand names, slogans, text, images, videos, or any type of multimedia file(s).

Entries that are not complete will be disqualified.

A complete entry ("Entry" or "Entries") consists of the following THREE (3) items:

  1. The file or files the Team has produced and successfully uploaded to the ABC-CLIO server.
  2. An online Entry Submission Form providing requested information about the Team and the submitting School.
  3. Coach’s affidavit of Team’s original work product (submitted by the Coach as part of the online Entry Submission Form).

Upon receipt of a Team Entry, an email will be sent to a site-level administrator who has legal signing authority on behalf of the school to:

  1. Confirm that the school meets the eligibility requirements for History Uncovered.
  2. Verify that he or she acknowledges and agrees on behalf of the school to abide by the Rules and Regulations of the Competition.

If a site-level administrator with legal signing authority agrees to the terms in the confirmation email, no response or further action on his or her part is necessary.

If a site-level administrator who has legal signing authority responds by either reply email or U.S. mail that he or she does not agree to the above conditions, your Entry will be disqualified.

Entries that are not submitted by the Entry Submission Deadline will be disqualified. The Entry Submission Deadline for the History Uncovered High School and Middle Grades Competition is March 30, 2009, 11:59:59 PDT.


Back to Top

ABC-CLIO WEBSITE AND SERVER USAGE:

Each Team is allotted a maximum of 75 MB of ABC-CLIO server space for its Entry. Teams whose Entries exceed the 75 MB maximum at the time of the Entry Submission will be disqualified and will be notified of such disqualification.

All Entry content must be uploaded to the ABC-CLIO server. No portion of the content can be hosted on an external server. This includes multimedia files on services including, but not limited to, videos (e.g. YouTube), blogs, and/or other hosting services.

A Team will be disqualified if any member gains unauthorized access to, or misuses, the ABC-CLIO website or server by gaining access to areas that the Team does not have the explicit right to use or for using the server for purposes not related to the development and deployment of Entries for the Competition.


Back to Top

JUDGING AND CRITERIA:

A panel of ABC-CLIO employees and independent historians and educators (“Judges”) will review the Entries and select finalists for each category based on the Evaluation Criteria which is incorporated in and made a part of the Competition website, www.abc-clio.com/historyuncovered.

All decisions of ABC-CLIO, in cooperation with the Judges, shall, in all respects, be final, binding, and not be subject to review. Judges’ scores will not be posted or publicized.


Back to Top

WINNING ENTRIES:

Potential winners of the History Uncovered High School and Middle Grades Competitions will be notified by email in May 2009, followed by certified mail with a return receipt requested. Each participant appearing in or credited in the production of a winning Entry must complete and sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release, and where legal, a Consent and Publicity Release, which must be returned within 14 days of issuance of prize notification. If the participant is under 18 years of age, this form must be signed by the participant’s parent or guardian.

The school principal, or another site-level administrator who has legal signing authority on behalf of the school, must also complete an Affidavit of School Eligibility and Release before prizes may be distributed.

If the required documents are not returned within the time period, are not properly executed, or are returned as undeliverable, the prize will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner.

The names of the winners will be available on www.abc-clio.com/historyuncovered after May 31, 2009.


Back to Top

PRIZES:

Monthly Drawings

Four (4) monthly drawing winners will be chosen from among all eligible Entries. Drawing winners will be awarded vouchers that may be exchanged for $500 in ABC-CLIO print products. Odds of winning a prize are dependent on the number of eligible Entries received.

High School Competition Awards

The sponsoring school site for the First Prize winning Entry in each of the five (5) Competition categories will receive: a digital whiteboard, estimated retail value $1,500; a $500 cash award; and a one (1) year subscription to ABC-CLIO online history database products, estimated value $2,000.

Each contributing high school student Team member shall receive a $200 cash award.

History Uncovered Hall of Fame: High School Competition

The sponsoring school site for a History Uncovered Hall of Fame inductee will receive a $100 cash award, and each contributing student Team member shall receive a $50 cash award.

Middle Grades Competition Awards

The sponsoring school site for the First Prize winning Entry in each of the three (3) Competition categories will receive: a digital whiteboard, estimated retail value $1,500; a $300 cash award; and a one (1) year subscription to ABC-CLIO online history database products, estimated value $2,000.

Each contributing middle grades student Team member shall receive a $100 cash award.

History Uncovered Hall of Fame: Middle Grades Competition

The sponsoring school site for a History Uncovered Hall of Fame inductee will receive a $100 cash award, and each contributing student Team member will receive a $30 cash award.

Prize Distribution

Prizes will be mailed to the address shown on the Consent Form in the care of the adult participant in the case of Participants over 18 years of age, and for Participants under the age of 18, to the Parent or Guardian at the address listed on the Consent Form.

The transfer of prize property will occur as soon as practicably possible, but no later than 90 days after the return of a) a signed Affidavit of Eligibility and Release; and b) where legal, Consent and Publicity Release for each student on a winning Team.

The school site principal, or another person with legal signing authority on behalf of the school, must also complete the Affidavit of School Eligibility and Release.

ABC-CLIO must also have an Acknowledgement and Consent from the school site principal or another person with legal signing authority on behalf of the school.

The ENTIRE Team may be disqualified at the discretion of ABC-CLIO if ANY member of the Team does not a) submit a signed Affidavit of Eligibility and Release, as described above by the stated deadline; and b) where required, submit a Consent and Publicity Release by the stated deadline.

Prize Warrantees

ABC-CLIO is not responsible for the fitness or operation of any of the Prizes awarded under this competition; the standard manufacturer’s warranties shall apply. Winners shall be responsible for all personal or property taxes—if any—resulting from the prize awards.


Back to Top

LIMITATIONS:

ABC-CLIO is not responsible for any typographical or other errors in printing, the offering or administration of the promotion, or in the announcement, awarding, or acceptance of prizes. ABC-CLIO has no liability whatsoever for any injuries, loses, or damages of any kind resulting from acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of the prize or participation in this Competition.


Back to Top

GENERAL CONDITIONS:

By participating, entrants agree to irrevocably assign and transfer all rights, titles, and interest in and to the project including photographs and drawings (if applicable) essays, QuickTime movies, presentations, and websites, including, but not limited to, copyrights to the Sponsor. Winners are responsible for the payment of taxes on prizes and for any other expenses relating to use of prizes. Winners consent to the use of their name and/or photograph for promotional purposes, including online announcements, without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. Entrants agree that their Entries will be owned by the Sponsor and its designees shall have the right to publish, use, adapt, edit, and/or modify such Entries in any way, with or without attribution, including in commerce and in any and all media worldwide, including but not limited to the Internet, without limitation and without compensation to the entrants. Entrants represent that their Entries, and the Sponsor’s use thereof, will not infringe upon the rights of any third parties.

This offer is void where prohibited or restricted by law and is subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

ABC-CLIO and Competition Judges are not responsible for (a) late, lost, stolen, damaged, garbled, incomplete, incorrect, or misdirected Entries, (b) errors, omissions, interruptions, deletions, defects, or delays in operations or transmission of information, in each case whether arising by way of technical or other failures or malfunctions of computer hardware, software, communications devices, or transmission lines, or (c) data corruption, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to or alteration of Entry materials, loss or otherwise.

ABC-CLIO and the Competition Judges are not responsible for electronic communications or emails that are undeliverable as a result of any form of active or passive filtering of any kind, or insufficient space in any email account to receive email messages.

ABC-CLIO reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any Team member from this Competition or any other promotion conducted now or in the future by the ABC-CLIO or any of its affiliates if his or her fraud or misconduct affects the integrity of the Competition. A Team may be disqualified: if there is a violation of any portion of the Rules and Regulations or Competition Agreement; if any member of the Team is found to be acting in an inappropriate, disruptive, or unsportsmanlike manner or with the intent to abuse, threaten, or harass any other person; and/or if there is any attempt by any member of the Team to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition. ABC-CLIO disclaims any liability for damage to any computer system resulting from participation in, or accessing or downloading information in connection with the Competition, including, but not limited, to the installation or use of any third party software.

ABC-CLIO reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify, cancel, terminate or suspend this Competition should any virus, bug, technical failures, unauthorized human intervention, or other causes beyond ABC-CLIO’s control, corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, or proper conduct of the Competition. In any such event, a notice will be posted on the ABC-CLIO website at www.abc-clio.com/historyuncovered and the winners will be selected from among all eligible Entries received prior to such time.

These Rules and Regulations, and the ABC-CLIO Competition Agreement, and Evaluation Criteria, incorporated herein, constitute the entire agreement and understanding between the parties regarding the Competition, and supersede and merge all prior discussions and agreements between them relating thereto. ABC-CLIO reserve the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Competition.


Back to Top

OWNERSHIP:

Entries may be displayed in the History Uncovered Hall of Fame website following the Winner’s Announcement, at the sole discretion of ABC-CLIO.

The ABC-CLIO Competition Agreement describes certain rights and licenses granted to the ABC-CLIO to use the Entries in the Hall of Fame website. Please review the Competition Agreement for a complete description of these rights. By submitting an Entry, each Team member agrees that they have, or will grant the Eligible School the rights necessary for the Eligible School to grant ABC-CLIO the rights to use the Entry, in accordance with the Competition Agreement.


Back to Top

Adobe, Flash, and Shockwave are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

AppleWorks, Keynote, and QuickTime are registered trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Microsoft, Word, and PowerPoint are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.