Youth Sustainability Challenge: Creating An America Built to Last

1. Introduction
2. Eligibility
3. Contest Submission Period
4. How to Submit an Entry
5. Submission Requirements
6. Intellectual Property Rights
7. Display of Submissions
8. Public Voting to Determine the Popular Choice Award
9. Judges and Winner Selection
10. Winners and Recognition
11. Publicity
12. General Conditions
13. Limitations of Liability
14. Privacy
15. Contest Results
16. Questions

1. Introduction
The Youth Sustainability Challenge video contest (the “Contest”), is an initiative of the White House, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “Contest Administrators”) with the support of the U.S. Department of State and other Federal agencies (all together, including the Contest Administrators, the “U.S. Federal Agencies”). The Contest is intended to provide recognition to individuals, and teams of individuals who create videos that describe or demonstrate their actions, commitments, or accomplishments to make their home, school or community more sustainable, or promote sustainability in general. The goal of the Contest is to motivate the youth in the U.S. to address sustainability challenges, share stories and innovative solutions with their peers, and demonstrate to the world that we are committed to tackling the global challenge of sustainability.

The Contest is subject to all applicable Federal laws and regulations.  Participation constitutes Contestant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and the decisions of the Contest Administrators, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest.  Eligibility for recognition is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

2. Eligibility 
The Youth Sustainability Challenge video contest (“Contest”) is open to all citizens or permanent residents of the United States between the ages of 13 and 25.  Employees of the Contest Administrators and their immediate family members may not apply.

To be considered complete and eligible to win awards and recognition, a submission to YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov must include all of the required forms, including the Contest Submission Form, Video Image Release Forms, and Video Copyright Permission Form. Entrants under 18 years of age must get their parent or guardian’s signature on the required permission and release forms. 

Entries may be submitted as a group, but one person must be designated as the point of contact for the group.  If a group entry is chosen as a finalist or winner, one or more members of the group will be invited to participate in the White House event.

3. Contest Submission Period
The Contest submission period begins on or about May 2, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. EDT and ends on or about June 8, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. EDT.  The Contest Administrators’ computers are the official time-keeping devices for this Contest.

Public voting will begin one week prior to the end of the Contest submission period. While submissions will be accepted at any time during the Contest submission period, Contestants should be aware that earlier entered submissions may have a higher chance of winning the Popular Choice Award.

4. How to Submit an Entry
a. Create an account on YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov or log in with an existing ChallengePost account. Creating an account is free.

b. On YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov, click “Accept this Challenge” to register your interest in participating. This step ensures that you will receive important challenge updates.

c. After you sign up on YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov a confirmation email will be sent to the email address you provided. Use the confirmation email to verify your email address. As a registered Contestant, you will then be able to enter a Contest submission (“Submission”).

d. Create a video (“Video”) that is between thirty seconds and three minutes long, and describes or demonstrates your action, commitment, or accomplishment as an individual or group to make your home, school or community more sustainable, or promote sustainability in general. The Video may focus on one or more aspects of sustainability: (1) economic development, (2) environmental protection, and/or (3) social development. Videos that address multiple aspects of sustainability are especially encouraged. You should read all Contest requirements before creating the Video, as any video that does not comply with all requirements will not be considered.

e. Enter a Submission on YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov. As part of a complete Submission you must provide:
- A Contest Submission Form including a unique title for the video, a link to the Video on YouTube.com or Vimeo.com, Contestant name (the designated point of contact in the case of a team entry), mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, a text description of the action, commitment, or accomplishment highlighted in the Video (300 words or less), and confirmation that Contestant has read and agrees to these Official Rules;
- Video Image Release Forms from all individuals who appear in the Video from the subject, or in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian;
- Video Copyright Permission Form from the creator of the Video; and
- A link to the Video on YouTube.com or Vimeo.com in the online form.

A Submission will not be considered complete and eligible to win awards and recognition if it does not include all of the required items. The forms must be completed and uploaded as part of the Submission on YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov.

5. Submission Requirements 
• Submissions must be entered through the Contest portal on YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov for consideration.
• The Video must be no shorter than thirty seconds and no longer than three minutes. Videos that do not meet these time requirements will be disqualified.
• Submissions must include a text description, no more than 300 words in length, of the action or commitment highlighted in the Video. A Submission may be disqualified if the activities presented in the Video are not the same or closely related to those described in the text description.
• The Video must describe actions or commitments by an individual or group that advance sustainability in the United States, either in one individual’s life or for a group or community.
• The Video may focus on one or more aspects of sustainability: (1) economic development, (2) environmental protection, and/or (3) social development. Videos that address multiple aspects of sustainability are especially encouraged.
• Submissions must include one uploaded file combining hand-signed Video Image Release Forms for each individual appearing in the Video from the subject, or in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian, and the Video Copyright Permission Form from the Video’s creator. Any individuals appearing in a Video submitted by a Contestant must sign a Video Image Release Forms indicating their consent to appear. Minors may appear in a Video if their parent or legal guardian also signs their Video Image Release Form. The person who creates the Video must sign a Video Copyright Permission Form authorizing the Contestant to use the Video in entering the Contest and authorizing the U.S. Federal Agencies to use the Video. Failure to include any of the required Video Image Release Forms or Video Copyright Permission Form will result in Contestant’s Submission being deemed ineligible.
• The Contestant cannot make any changes or alterations to the Submission once the Contest Submission Period has ended.
• A Contestant may not submit more than one Submission describing the same program or activities.
• Submissions which in the Contest Administrators’ sole discretion are determined to be substantially similar to a prior submitted entry in the Contest will be disqualified, or if entered by the same Contestant, the Contestant may be required to choose one Submission to enter.
• The Video cannot contain brand names or trademarks.
• Use of the seals or logos of any of the U.S. Federal Agencies is not allowed.
• The Video must be the original work of the Contestant and must not infringe the copyright or other rights of third parties.
• The Contest Administrators have the right to request access to the Video file to verify any criteria about the Submission.
• The Video must not contain violence, profanity, sex, indecent remarks or direct attacks on individuals or organizations. The Video must not contain any material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, defamatory, slanderous, libelous, or in any way disparaging. The Video must not contain any material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred, or harm against any group or individual, or that promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age. Submissions containing any of the listed prohibited material or any matter which in the sole discretion of the Contest Administrators and Judges is in obvious bad taste, which demonstrates a lack of respect for public morals or conduct, which disparages any individual or group of individuals, which contains messaging that is inconsistent with the Youth Sustainability Challenge goal to highlight the activities of US youth to advance sustainability in their lives and communities, or which adversely affects the reputation of the U.S. Federal Agencies will not be accepted. If the Contest Administrators or Judges, in their discretion, find any Submission to be unacceptable, then such Submission shall be deemed disqualified.
• The Video will be eliminated from the competition if it was obtained by illegal or unauthorized access to restricted areas or show unsafe practices or situations. Life or property cannot be jeopardized to film videos.
• The Video must not contain material that violates any applicable law.
• If the Video displays commercial products, the Contestant should obscure the label, logo, etc. so neither the manufacturer nor the specific product is recognizable.
• The Video must not contain links to commercial websites. The video must not infringe on any third-party rights.
• The Video cannot have been submitted previously in a promotion or contest of any kind.
• The Video should not include any personal identification information about those in the Video (e.g., address, social security number, birth date, etc.).
• The Video must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights, or material that constitutes copyright or license infringement.
• The Video will be eliminated from the Contest if they are of low resolution or low technical quality (for example: poor focus, poor exposure, heavy digital manipulation).

The Contest Administrators will disqualify any entries they deem to violate the requirements of this Contest, and such entries will not be either judged or included in public voting. Submission of videos to this contest by Contestants, and inclusion in the contest video gallery do not imply endorsement by the U.S. Federal Agencies of any and all views expressed therein.

6. Intellectual Property Rights 
The Contestant must complete and sign the Video Copyright Permission Form granting the U.S. Federal Agencies the rights to use your video. The Contest Administrators will contact winning Contestants to provide the original video files.

A Video submitted to the Youth Sustainability Challenge must be the Contestant’s own original creation. The Video remains the intellectual property of the Contestant who developed it.  However, by entering the Contest the Contestant grants the U.S. Federal Agencies a non-exclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable permission to use, modify, reproduce, prepare derivative works, publish, authorize others to use, distribute and exhibit publically the Video in any and all formats, media, or manners, now known or hereafter devised, worldwide for educational, outreach, and other communications purposes consistent with the U.S. Federal Agencies’ missions. By entering the Contest, the Contestant agrees that it is their sole responsibility to obtain all permissions necessary to grant these rights.

7. Display of Submissions
Submissions will be posted on YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov on a rolling basis once the Contest Administrators have reviewed them for compliance with all Contest requirements, and particularly the Submission Requirements described in Section 5. Submissions will not be posted without the required Contest Submission Form, Consent/Release Form, and Copyright Permission Form, as described in Sections 5 and 6.

Upon submission of a video to the Contest, the Contestant will receive an e-mail acknowledging the submission and stating that the video will be reviewed by Participating Agency staff for consistency with the requirements of this Contest before being posted to YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov. A submitted video will only be displayed on YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov, included in public voting, and judged if the Contest Administrators determine that it is consistent with the requirements of this Contest. Following Participating Agency review, the Contestant will receive an e-mail notifying them if their video has been accepted for the Contest and posted to the website.

8. Public Voting to Determine the Popular Choice Award
Public voting to select a Popular Choice Award will occur through the video gallery at YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov. Both Contestants and non-contestants will be able to access the videos in the gallery and vote. Registration on Challenge.gov is required to receive Contest updates and vote for the Popular Choice Award. Please see Challenge.gov for instructions on how to create such a user account. The public voting will begin on or about May 24, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. EDT, one week before the end of the Contest submission period, and end on or about June 11, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. EDT. While Submissions will be accepted at any time during the Contest submission period, Contestants should be aware that earlier entered Submissions may have a higher chance of winning the Popular Choice Award.

Each registered visitor is able to vote for more than one video, but can only place one vote per video. There will be one Popular Choice Award. In the event of a tie, an internal panel named by the Contest Administrators will choose the winner. Use of an automated process or similar device to submit an electronic vote is strictly prohibited. Any attempt to circumvent the one vote limit per registered visitor or to use an automated vote process will subject all votes from the person to disqualification. If a Contestant receives multiple and/or irregular votes from the same user or users, including but not limited to votes generated by a robotic, programmed, script, macro, other automated means or other source, the Contest Administrators reserve the right to disqualify the Contestant at their sole discretion.

If the voting process fails to operate properly or appears to be tampered with or tainted with errors, fraud, or unfair practices, the Contest Administrators reserve the right to use another means to determine the winner of the Popular Choice Award (e.g., appointing a panel of judges).

Contestants may not pay people or provide any other type of consideration in exchange for votes, and any Contestant who violates this rule will be disqualified. Public votes may be displayed on the Contest website, on a real-time basis, before being verified for integrity. These unverified votes do not necessarily reflect accurately the Popular Choice Award. The Popular Choice Award will be given to the Contestant who is contacted directly by the Contest Administrators after votes have been verified. The Contest Administrators reserve the right to modify the voting period at any time for any reason.

9. Judges and Winner Selection 
A judging panel will be selected by the Contest Administrators and consist of 3-5 Administration officials. Judges may be named from the White House, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of State. The judging panel will judge the Submissions on the criteria identified below to select four of the five winners (the other winner being the Popular Choice Award selected by public voting). All judging will take place between on or about June 8, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. EDT and on or about June 11, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. EDT.

The following information details the commitment of judges:
• Judges will be fair and impartial.
• Judges will fully comply with all applicable government ethics requirements for Federal employees. If questions arise about the applicability of or compliance with ethics requirements, judges are encouraged to consult with their designated agency ethics officer.

The panel of judges will select one contest winner in each of five categories:
• Best Overall Video
• Best Contribution to Sustainability Concepts
• Most Innovative Approach
• Best Communication of Sustainability
• Popular Choice Award

The judges will make their decisions based on the following criteria:
• Contribution to Sustainability Concepts – How much does the action, commitment, or accomplishment described in the video advance sustainability?
• Innovation – How innovative is the approach to sustainability described or demonstrated in the video?
• Success in Communicating Sustainability – How well does the video communicate the larger vision of sustainability, ideally integrating environmental, economic, and social aspects?
• Quality of Video Presentation – How compelling is the video presentation? Is it technically strong?

The decisions of the judges will be final. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible Submissions received and the quality of Submissions. Odds of winning the Popular Choice Award may also be affected by the timing of entry.

10. Winners and Recognition 
The winners of this Contest will be announced on or about June 11, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. EDT on YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov, the Youth Sustainability Challenge White House website (www.whitehouse.gov/sustainability-challenge), and the EPA Rio+20 website.

Recognition Offered
• Video displayed on the White House Youth Sustainability Challenge website, and potentially other websites of the U.S. Federal Agencies
• Video displayed at the U.S. Center at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development
• Contestant (or one individual per group) invited to participate in an exclusive White House event

The Contest Administrators will contact winning Contestants to obtain copies of the original video files submitted to YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov through YouTube or Vimeo, as well as a transcript of all dialogue in the video. The Contest Administrators may, at their discretion, modify winning videos to make them Rehabilitation Act Section 508 compliant, such as through the addition of close captioning.

The Contest Administrators reserve the right to not name winners or offer recognition in any category at their sole discretion. The recognition offered to winners and/or the number of winners recognized may be added to or increased at any point during or after the Contest submission period. The Contest Administrators may name fewer than the stated number of winners if not enough eligible and verifiable Submissions are received. After recognition is awarded and the Contest is completed, the U.S. Federal Agencies and judges may, with a Contestant’s approval, independently consider further developing winning Submissions for educational or other purposes.

11. Publicity 
Except where prohibited, participation in the Contest constitutes the winner’s consent to use of the winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions, and/or hometown and state information by the U.S. Federal Agencies for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration.

12. General Conditions
The Contest Administrators reserve the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures, or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest.

The Contest Administrators reserve the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any Contestant found tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest, or acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner.  Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, the Contest Administrators reserve the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. The Contest Administrators’ failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. The Contest Administrators are not responsible for, nor are they required to count, incomplete, late, misdirected, damaged, unlawful or illicit votes, including those secured through payment, votes achieved through automated means or by registering more than one e-mail account and name, using another Contestant’s e-mail account and name, as well as those lost for technical reasons or otherwise.

13. Limitations of Liability
This Contest is governed by Federal law. The Contest Administrators are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by Contestants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (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 Contest; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (5) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from Contestant’s participation in the Contest or receipt or use or misuse of any recognition offered. If for any reason a Contestant’s entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, Contestant’s sole remedy is another entry in the Contest.

14. Privacy
The Contest Administrators collect personal information from you when you enter the Contest. The information collected is subject to the ChallengePost privacy policy located at http://www.challengepost.com/privacy.

15. Contest Results
For Contest results, go to YouthSustainability.Challenge.gov on or about June 11, 2012.

16. Questions
For questions about these Official Rules contact YouthEngage@ceq.eop.gov and include “Youth Sustainability Challenge” in the subject line.