·
8 min read

Create Our New Year’s Greeting & Win a SQL Server Swag Set

Enter the New Year Cover Photo Challenge and help us ring in 2013 with a ‘Happy New Year’ themed message to the SQL Server community! Submit an image or photo of your own design that we can use as our SQL Server Facebook page cover photo in January, and if your entry is selected as one of our four winners, you will also receive a SQL Server Swag Set worth over $150!

clip_image002To enter:

  • Create an original JPG image that is 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels in height and no larger than 2 MB in file size.
  • Submit your entry by email as an email attachment or by sending a link to a publically accessible site (but not a Facebook page) where your entry is posted to SQLServer@live.com before 5 pm PT on December 26th.
  • The filename of your submission should be your first name and your last name in the following format: “FirstnameLastname.jpg
  • You may only submit one entry to this contest.

This is an opportunity to let your imagination run free! The winning entries will be selected by a panel of three judges based on relevance to the theme of ‘Happy New Year to the SQL Server community’, creativity, suitability for use as the SQL Server Facebook cover photo, and overall visual appeal. The design of your entry should take into consideration the standard placement of the SQL Server Facebook profile picture in the lower left hand area. The four winners will be notified by email prior to 5 pm PT on December 28th, using the email address used to submit the entry.

This contest is open to all eligible participants worldwide, subject to the official contest rules below.

NEW YEAR COVER PHOTO CHALLENGE – OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. COMMON TERMS USED IN THESE RULES:

These are the official rules that govern how the New Year Cover Photo Challenge promotion will operate. This promotion will be simply referred to as the “Challenge” throughout the rest of these rules. In these rules, “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Microsoft Corporation, the sponsor of the Challenge. “You” refers to an eligible Challenge entrant.

WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES?

This Challenge entry period begins at 9 a.m. PT on December 12, 2012 and ends at 5:00 p.m. PT on December 26, 2012 (“Entry Period”).

CAN I ENTER?

You are eligible to enter this Challenge if you meet the following requirements at the time of entry:

  • You are and are 18 years of age or older “(Entrant”); and
  • If you are 18 of age or older, but are considered a minor in your legal place of residence, you must ask your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission prior to entering this Challenge; and
  • You are NOT a resident of any of the following countries: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.
  • PLEASE NOTE: U.S. export regulations prohibit the export of goods and services to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. Therefore residents of these countries / regions are not eligible to participate.
  • You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and
  • You are NOT involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Challenge; and
  • You are NOT an immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Challenge.

This Challenge is void in the geographic locations described above and wherever else prohibited by law.

HOW DO I ENTER?   

The object of the Contest is to select the four best original photo or graphics (an “Entry”) to potentially feature as the homepage picture on the SQL Server Facebook page. To enter, create an Entry which illustrates the theme “Happy New Year to the SQL Server Community.”

Your Entry must be in .jpg file format, and may not exceed 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels in height and 2 MB in size and it must comply with all Facebook page cover guidelines. The filename should be your first name and your last name in the following format: “FirstnameLastname.jpg”.

Then email your entry as an email attachment or by sending a link to a publically accessible site (but not a Facebook page) where the Entry is posted to SQLServer@live.com. Entries must be received during the Entry Period. Our computer will be the official timekeeper.

To be eligible your Entry:

  • must be in compliance with Facebook.com TOU’s ; and
  • must be your own original work; and
  • cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest; and
  • may only include content for which you have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your entry; and
  • may not include any third party trademarks (logos, names) or copyrighted materials (music, images, video, recognizable people). You may include Microsoft trademarks, logos, and designs, for which Microsoft grants you a limited license to use for the sole purposes of submitting an entry into this Contest
  • may not be obscene or offensive or communicate messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or good will to which we wish to associate; and/or violates any law;

We reserve the right to reject any entry, in our sole and absolute discretion, that we determine does not meet the above criteria.

Note: You may only submit one entry to the Challenge. If you enter more than once, only the first Entry received will be considered and all subsequent ones will be disqualified.

We will automatically disqualify:

  • Any incomplete or illegible entry; and
  • Any entries that we receive from you that do not meet the requirements described above.

FINALIST SELECTION AND PRIZES

We will judge the entries based on creativity, suitability for use as the SQL Server Facebook cover photo, and overall visual appeal of the submissions received during the Entry Period.

A panel of judges from the SQL Server Team will judged all eligible entries based on their relevance to the theme of “’Happy New Year to the SQL Server community’, creativity, resourcefulness, aesthetic beauty, and the overall impression your photo makes. Four potential winners will be selected to each receive a “SQL Server Swag Set” comprised of Microsoft branded promotional items. Approximate retail value of each set, $150.

Winning Entries may be displayed on the SQL Server Facebook and Twitter channels.

If you are a potential winner, we may require you to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability/Publicity Release within 10 days of notification. If you are a potential winner and you are 18 or older, but are considered a minor in your place of legal residence, we may require your parent or legal guardian to sign all required forms on your behalf. If you do not complete the required forms as instructed and/or return the required forms within the time period listed on the winner notification message, we may disqualify you and select an alternate, randomly selected winner.

If you are confirmed as a winner of this Challenge:

  • You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services. However, if for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value; and
  • You may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we will award it to an alternate potential winner; and
  • If you accept a prize, you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize; and
  • If you are otherwise eligible for this Challenge, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, we may award the prize to your parent/legal guardian on your behalf.

NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS

If you are a potential winner, we will notify you by sending a message to the e-mail address provided at time of entry within the time period listed in the winner notification. If the notification that we send is returned as undeliverable, or you are otherwise unreachable for any reason, we may award the prize to a runner up winner. Only three (3) winners will be selected after which the applicable prize will remain un-awarded.

WHAT ARE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING?

Your odds of winning this Challenge depend on the number of eligible entries we receive and the creativity of the entries as judged by a panel of three (3) members of the SQL Server Team at Microsoft.

WHAT OTHER CONDITIONS ARE YOU AGREEING TO BY ENTERING THIS CHALLENGE?

By entering this Challenge you agree:

  • To abide by these Official Rules; and
  • To release and hold harmless Microsoft, and its respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Challenge or any prize won; and
  • That Microsoft’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this Challenge; and
  • That by accepting a prize, Microsoft may use of your proper name and state of residence online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this Challenge, without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law

LICENSE GRANT

By submitting a photograph or information to Microsoft, you:

  • Grant Microsoft and its affiliates and subsidiaries an irrevocable, perpetual and royalty-free right to use, reproduce, edit, display, transmit prepare derivative works of, modify, publish, and otherwise make use of the submitted Entry and your likeness and statements or other information in any and all media, whether now known or hereinafter created, throughout the world and for any purpose.
  • Affirm that the submitted Entry or information does not and shall not infringe on any copyright, any rights of privacy or publicity of any person, or other right of the third party, and that you have the right to grant any and all rights and licenses granted to Microsoft.
  • Affirm that we have no obligation to display, post or otherwise make it available to the public. Conversely, you affirm that we may delete, edit or remove any submissions at our discretion.
  • Understand and intend that any photograph or information submitted by you to Microsoft may be available for viewing, rating, review and comment on by the public, and understand that comments or ratings with which you disagree or are unhappy about may be published or otherwise become associated with any photograph or information you submit to Microsoft.
  • Waive any privacy expectations that you may have with respect to any such photograph or information submitted by you to Microsoft. You hereby waive any right to pursue any claims of any nature arising in connection with the inclusion in, publication via or display on any Microsoft site, or any other user authorized under these Official Rules, of any Entry or information submitted to Microsoft by you.

WHAT LAWS GOVERN THE WAY THIS CHALLENGE IS EXECUTED AND ADMINISTRATED?

This Challenge will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Challenge.

WHAT IF SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENS AND THE CHALLENGE CAN’T RUN AS PLANNED?

If cheating, a virus, bug, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and / or integrity of this Challenge, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this Challenge. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the Challenge, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Challenge. If you attempt to compromise the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Challenge by hacking or by cheating or committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law. Further, we may ban you from participating in any of our future Challenge, so please play fairly.

HOW CAN YOU FIND OUT WHO WON?

To find out who won, send an email to sqlserver@live.com by January 15th, 2013 with the subject line:  “SQL Server New Year Cover Photo Challenge”.

WHO IS SPONSORING THIS CHALLENGE?

Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052