2020-2021 Vocabulary.com Vocabulary Bowl
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN.
PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE CHANCES OF WINNING.
ELIGIBILITY: The Vocabulary Bowl (“Contest”) is open to accredited public and private K-12 schools in the United States and Canada, subject to U.S. law as set forth herein. By participating in the Contest, each entrant school and competing student agrees to be bound by these Official Rules. Void where prohibited.
CONTEST PERIOD: The Contest begins at 12 AM (GMT) on October 1, 2020 and ends at 11:59:59 PM (AoE) on April 30, 2021 (the “Contest Period”). Thinkmap, Inc., D/B/A Vocabulary.com ("Sponsor") is not responsible for unsuccessful attempts to enter. The server operated by Sponsor is the official clock for this Contest.
HOW TO ENTER: Teachers and students sign-up to play and choose their school from the list of schools available. Schools that are chosen in this manner automatically become entrants in the Contest, and students become competitors who compete on behalf of their schools. Teachers do not compete. Students must be currently enrolled in school, and children under 13 must have parental consent to sign-up to play.
HOW TO COMPETE ON BEHALF OF YOUR SCHOOL: After signing up and selecting your school, go online to Vocabulary.com during the Contest Period and play the game. Students compete on behalf of their schools to master as many words as they can. You can play each day of the Contest Period, and there is no limit to the amount of play (except that you should always follow your parents’ instructions regarding limitations on screen time). All words that you master during the Contest Period will count toward your school’s total. Each student’s total of mastered words will be added to the other student totals for the same school to arrive at an aggregate total of words mastered during the Contest Period for the school.
SELECTION OF WINNERS:
MIDDLE & ELEMENTARY / HIGH SCHOOL DIVISIONS: For the purposes of this Contest, a school will be considered in the HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION if it serves students in the 12th grade. Otherwise, it will be considered in the MIDDLE & ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION.
DIVISIONS I, II and III: For the purposes of this Contest, a school will be considered in DIVISION I if full-time enrollment is 1000 students or more, in DIVISION II if full-time enrollment is from 500 - 999 students, or in DIVISION III if full-time enrollment is up to 499 students.
WINNING: Two schools, one in the HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION and one in the MIDDLE & ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION, that have entered the Contest and are eligible to win, and whose competing students have signed up correctly on Vocabulary.com and have collectively mastered the most words on Vocabulary.com during the Contest Period, will be declared the winners.
Six schools that have entered the Contest and are eligible to win, and whose competing students have signed up correctly on Vocabulary.com and have collectively mastered the most words on Vocabulary.com during the Contest Period, will be declared the winners of the following levels of competition, with one winner in each: HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION I, HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION II, HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION III, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION I, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION II, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION III.
Six schools that have entered the Contest and are eligible to win, and whose competing students have signed up correctly on Vocabulary.com and have collectively mastered the second-highest total of words on Vocabulary.com during the Contest Period, will be declared the Runners-up of the following levels of competition, with one Runner-up in each: HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION I, HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION II, HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION III, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION I, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION II, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION III.
The top ten schools in the HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION and the MIDDLE & ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION that have entered the Contest and are eligible to win, and whose competing students have signed up correctly on Vocabulary.com and have collectively mastered the most words on Vocabulary.com during the Contest Period, will be recognized as HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION or MIDDLE & ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DIVISION top ten schools.
The top ten schools in DIVISIONS I, II and III that have entered the Contest and are eligible to win, and whose competing students have signed up correctly on Vocabulary.com and have collectively mastered the most words on Vocabulary.com during the Contest Period, will be recognized as DIVISIONS I, II and III top ten schools.
The school in each U.S. state, each U.S. territory, and each Canadian Province that have entered the Contest and are eligible to win, and whose competing students have signed up correctly on Vocabulary.com and have collectively mastered the most words on Vocabulary.com during the Contest Period, will be recognized as state/territory/province champion. A minimum of 500 words must be mastered by students at the school during the promotional period for the school to be eligible for state/territory/province champion.
Sponsor has the right to audit results. If Sponsor determines that there has been any kind of unusual activity or cheating that results in artificially increased scores, including but not limited to using automated methods or enlisting people other than enrolled students, the Sponsor, in its sole judgment, can disqualify entrants, reduce the scores of a particular school, or implement another remedy.
Prize winners will be notified by telephone and/or by email. A representative of each winning school may be required to complete and sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Publicity/Liability Release (unless prohibited by law) and other documents as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. If the signed affidavit and release and any other required documents are not received by Sponsor within 7 business days following notification, an alternate winner may be selected.
ALL FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL TAXES ARE SOLELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER. Any difference between the stated estimated value of the prize and its actual value will not be awarded. Each winner agrees to accept the Prize “as is.” Sponsor or its representative may provide the winners with an IRS Form 1099 showing the actual retail value of the Prize for the calendar year in which the Prize was awarded. Prizes are nonrefundable and nontransferable and cannot be redeemed for cash. Sponsor is not required to (but may, in its sole discretion) offer substitutions, or an alternative, to the Prize awarded under this Contest. In addition, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event the Prize is unavailable. The prizes awarded are subject to the restrictions and limitations noted in these Official Rules, on the prizes and/or included with the prizes.
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School Champion's Trophy School Runner Up's Trophy School Banner School Certificate Student Medals| Overall | ||||
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School Banner Student MedalsPRIZES/VALUE/ODDS: The prize for each of the two HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION and MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION winners is one trophy, one banner, and 100 medals. The approximate retail value (“ARV”) of this prize is $2,000 USD. The prize for each division top ten school and each state/territory/provincial champion is one banner. The ARV of each banner is $150 USD. The prize for the six winners and the six runners-up in the following levels of competition is one trophy and one banner: HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION I, HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION II, HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION III, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION I, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION II, MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION III. The ARV of this prize is approximately $450. The ARV of all prizes is $23,000 USD.
In the case that a school wins multiple divisions and/or multiple levels of the competition, they will receive only the highest prize available for that division.
Odds of winning will depend on the total number of eligible entries received. For the name of the winners, go to https://www.vocabulary.com/bowl within 60 days of the end of the Contest Period.
GENERAL CONDITIONS: All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Except where prohibited by law, winner grants permission to Sponsor, and those acting under Sponsor's authority, the right to the use of its name, along with relevant information and photographs, for advertising, trade, publicity and promotional purposes without additional compensation, in all media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide and on the Internet and World Wide Web, without notice, review or approval. If, for any reason, the Contest does not run as intended by Sponsor due to, without limitation, errors in these Official Rules or advertising for this Contest, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, human error or any other cause beyond the control of Sponsor that, in the sole judgment of Sponsor, could 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 Contest. Sponsor's decisions are final.
LIABILITY LIMITATIONS: Sponsor is not responsible for interrupted or unavailable satellite, network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), Website, telephone or other connections, availability or accessibility, or miscommunications, or failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmissions, or lines, or technical failure or jumbled, corrupted, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures, or technical errors or difficulties, or other errors of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic or network or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information or the failure to capture, or loss of, any such information. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of this Contest, as solely determined by the Sponsors, will be disqualified. Should any portion of the Contest be, in Sponsor's sole opinion, compromised by virus, worms, bugs, non-authorized human intervention, technical failures or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of entries, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest, and select the winners from entries received prior to action taken or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by the Sponsors. Neither Sponsor nor its respective agencies are responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest, and assume no responsibility for any error, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation, or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to or use of the entry webpage.
IN NO EVENT WILL SPONSOR, ITS PARENT, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES AND RELATED COMPANIES, THEIR RESPECTIVE ADVERTISING OR PROMOTION AGENCIES OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS (“CONTEST ENTITIES”) BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR (AND ARE HEREBY RELEASED BY ALL ENTRANT SCHOOLS AND COMPETING STUDENTS WITH RESPECT TO) ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE DAMAGES, PROPERTY DAMAGE OR PERSONAL INJURY/DEATH ARISING OUT OF THIS PROMOTION, USE/ACCEPTANCE OF THE PRIZE, AND PROMOTION-RELATED ACTIVITIES. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS. All entrant schools and competing students acknowledge, understand, and agree that each of them assumes liability for, and all risks of, any and all injuries (including without limitation, personal injury, illness, adverse reaction, or death) or damages caused, or claimed to be caused, by participating in the Contest, and that such parties, along with their heirs, next of kin, spouse, parents, guardians, legal representatives, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, hereby unconditionally and irrevocably release, indemnify, forever discharge and hold the Contest Entities harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, liens, agreements, suits, costs, attorneys’ fees, damages, judgments, orders, and liabilities of whatever kind or nature in law, equity or otherwise, whether known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, and whether or not concealed or hidden, inclusive of any claims for damage to property, personal injury, illness, mental illness, or death, or claims based on defamation, rights of privacy and publicity, and intellectual property rights, in any way arising directly or indirectly out of the participation by the entrant schools and competing students in the Contest.
This Contest is operated by Thinkmap, D/B/A Vocabulary.com, the Sponsor. The Contest is not sponsored by, nor affiliated in any way, with any school district, school board, school administration or individual school.
PRIVACY POLICY: Personal information provided by the entrant schools and competing students to participate in the Contest is subject to the Sponsor’s Privacy Policy, which can be found at www.vocabulary.com.
EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PRE-EMPTED BY FEDERAL OR OTHER APPLICABLE STATE LAW, THE CONTEST SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS THEREOF. ENTRANT SCHOOLS AND COMPETING STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONFIRMING THAT THESE OFFICIAL RULES CONFORM WITH THE LAWS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE JURISDICTIONS AND HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THEY HAVE DONE SO. ENTRANT SCHOOLS AND COMPETING STUDENTS UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT ALL CLAIMS, DISPUTES OR CONTROVERSIES BETWEEN SUCH PARTIES AND THE CONTEST ENTITIES SHALL BE RESOLVED BY FINAL AND BINDING ARBITRATION IN THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK, STATE OF NEW YORK, AND THEY HEREBY VOLUNTARILY AND KNOWINGLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT THEY HAVE TO A JURY TRIAL. THIS ARBITRATION CONTRACT IS MADE PURSUANT TO A TRANSACTION IN INTERSTATE COMMERCE AND ITS INTERPRETATION, APPLICATION, ENFORCEMENT AND PROCEEDINGS HEREUNDER SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE FEDERAL ARBITRATION ACT (“FAA”). THE ARBITRATOR SHALL BE BOUND TO APPLY AND ENFORCE THE TERMS OF THE OFFICIAL RULES AND THE ARBITRATOR’S DECISION WILL BE FINAL, BINDING, AND ENFORCEABLE IN A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION. NEITHER ENTRANT SCHOOLS OR COMPETING STUDENTS, ON THE ONE HAND, NOR SPONSOR, ON THE OTHER, SHALL BE ENTITLED TO JOIN OR CONSOLIDATE CLAIMS IN ARBITRATION BY OR AGAINST OTHER CONSUMERS OR ARBITRATE ANY CLAIM AS A REPRESENTATIVE OR MEMBER OF A CLASS.