Science Idol Editorial Cartoon Contest

2008 Official Contest Rules

1. Guidelines

To participate in Science Idol Cartoon Contest (hereafter referred to as “the Contest”), create/design/draw an editorial cartoon related to political interference in science and submit the cartoon through the official entry form at www.ucsusa.org/scienceidol (hereafter referred to as “the Contest Webpage”).
Cartoons may consist of one or multiple frames.

The subject of the cartoons must relate to political interference in science in the federal government. Cartoons may address many aspects of scientific integrity, including scientific openness, freedom of scientific speech, use and misuse of the scientific process, the intersection of politics and science, and more. UCS defines political interference in science as action by elected officials or political appointees to manipulate, alter, or suppress independent government science or inappropriately restrict or censor government scientists. This definition is distinct from the ethics of scientists themselves, corporate influence over science, the teaching of evolution, or ethical issues like stem cell research.

Cartoons may address political interference in science in general; specific misuses of science on environmental, public health, safety and security, or other issues; the treatment and rights of federal government scientists; solutions to defend science from abuse; or other related issues. For more information and recent news about scientific integrity, past cartoons published in nationwide newspapers, and more detailed subject guidelines and suggestions, see the Contest Webpage.

2. Eligibility

The Contest is open to all individuals residing in the United States, except the following: employees of the Union of Concerned Scientists and their immediate families/households; the Contest judges and their immediate families/households.

Cartoons may be hand-drawn or computer rendered. Entries may not depict pornographic, libelous, or other inappropriate images deemed by the Union of Concerned Scientists or violate the privacy rights or any other right of any person or entity. At the discretion of the Union of Concerned Scientists, these entries may be removed from the Contest without notice to the entrant.

Entries must be Contestant’s own original work. Contestants represent and warrant that the submitted cartoons are wholly original by them and are not copied from a book, magazine, newspaper, or other commercial or proprietary source.

3. How to Enter

Contestants are allowed to submit up to five (5) cartoons. There are two (2) ways to enter the Contest:

1) Entries may be submitted via the Internet at www.ucsusa.org/scienceidol.
Entries should not exceed 500 KB in size and must be a resolution of 72 DPI.
Should your entry be selected as a finalist, you will be required to submit a high-resolution version of your cartoon of a resolution that is at least 300 DPI.

2) Entries may be sent via the United States Postal Service or private carrier to
Science Idol, c/o Union of Concerned Scientists, 1825 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20006.
All non-Internet entries must include a signed copy of the Contest Rules.

All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on June 11, 2008.

The Union of Concerned Scientists is not responsible for lost or interrupted mail, lost, interrupted, or unavailable network, server or other connections, miscommunications, failed phone or computer hardware or software or telephone transmissions or technical failures, garbled or jumbled transmissions or other errors of any kind, whether human, mechanical or electronic; including without limitation the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry information online. Entry materials/data that have been tampered with or altered are void.

While Contestants may be of any age, a parent/guardian must submit entries on behalf of any Contestant under eighteen (18) years of age.
The Contestant or parent/legal guardian (if applicable) must agree to be bound by the Contest Rules.

4. Preliminary Judging

Judging will be based primarily on originality, creativity, and applicability to issues of scientific integrity. Preliminary judging will commence on June 12, 2008. Sixty (60) cartoons will be selected by the Union of Concerned Scientists as semi-finalists. An effort will be made by the Union of Concerned Scientists to select semi-finalists that speak to a diversity of topics surrounding the scientific integrity theme.

A panel of professional judges will review the sixty (60) semi-finalists. The celebrity judges will rank their top twelve selections.
Each ranking will be assigned a point value using the following scale:
Ranking 1 = 27 points
Ranking 2 = 24 points
Ranking 3 = 21 points
Ranking 4 = 19 points
Ranking 5 = 17 points
Ranking 6 = 15 points
Ranking 7 = 13 points
Ranking 8 = 11 points
Ranking 9 = 9 points
Ranking 10 = 7 points
Ranking 11 = 5 points
Ranking 12 = 3 points

The twelve cartoons with the most points from all celebrity judges will be considered finalists.
In the case of a tie for 12th place, the winner will be the cartoon that received the highest ranking from any one judge.
If this tie-breaker does not result in a finalist, UCS staff will determine a finalist based on applicability to the issue.

All decisions of the judges and the Union of Concerned Scientists will be considered final.
Finalists will be notified of their selection on or before July 9, 2008.

5. Final Judging

The twelve (12) finalists will be posted on the Contest Website on or around July 10, 2008.
Any member of the public with a valid email address will be eligible to vote for his or her favorite
cartoon from the time the cartoons are posted on the Contest Website until 11:59 p.m. on August 8, 2008.
Each voter may vote only once. In the unlikely case of a tie for 1st place, UCS staff will chose the winner based on applicability to the issue and creativity.

The Union of Concerned Scientists is not responsible for lost, interrupted, or unavailable network, server or other connections, miscommunications, failed phone or computer hardware or software or telephone transmissions or technical failures, garbled or jumbled transmissions or other errors of any kind, whether human, mechanical or electronic; including without limitation the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry information online. Votes that have been tampered with or altered are void.
Automated or multiple votes will be disqualified.

6. Prizes

The twelve finalists will be published in a Science Idol calendar (hereafter referred to as "Calendar").

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

1. Voting Prize: (50) individuals will be selected at random from all individuals who successfully submit a vote during the voting period to receive one (1) Calendar. Estimated value: $15 for each prize
2. First Prize: Each of the twelve (12) finalists will receive one (1) Calendar signed by each of the judges and nine (9) additional unsigned Calendars. Estimated value: $100 for each prize
3. Grand Prize: The finalist who received the highest number of votes will be considered the Grand Prize Winner. He or she will receive:

a. An all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. and five hundred dollars ($500) in cash; OR eight hundred dollars ($800) in cash
b. One (1) Calendar signed by each of the Contest judges;
c. Fifty (50) additional unsigned Calendars.

The estimated value of the Grand Prize is $1,500.

The Union of Concerned Scientists, the contest judges, and other related entities are not responsible for any taxes due on prize winnings.

No prize substitutions will be allowed.

7. Odds of winning

Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received and the number of individuals who cast successful votes.

8. Conditions of Participation

A Contestant who submit his/her own entry/entries affirm that he/she is eighteen (18) years of age or older.
Entries from individuals under the age of eighteen (18) must be submitted by the Contestant’s parent/legal guardian.
Submission of an entry constitutes the Contestant and the Contestant’s parent/legal guardian’s (if applicable) consent to these Official Rules.

Submission of an entry constitutes the Contestant and the Contestant’s parent/legal guardian's (if applicable) consent to irrevocably assign and transfer to the Union of Concerned Scientists any and all rights, title, and interest in and to the entry including, without limitation, all copyrights. By submitting entry, Contestant and the Contestant’s parent/legal guardian's (if applicable) consent to the use of the Contestant’s name, likeness, city, state/province, and country information and to waive all moral rights and grant to sponsors and their agents the right to modify, adapt, edit, sell, publish and/or use the entry in any way, in whole or in part, in any and all media and/or commerce without limitation and without payment or further consideration to the Contestant. Neither Contestants nor individuals portrayed in submitted cartoons shall receive payment for subsequent publications of the cartoon. Entries and other correspondence become the property of the Union of Concerned Scientists and will not be returned. At UCS's request, Contestant agrees to execute all necessary or appropriate documents and take all other reasonable steps to document or formalize such rights in these materials. Contestant waives any "moral rights" Contestant may have with respect to the works.

9. Indemnification

Contestant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless UCS, and its employees, representatives, and agents from any and all liability, loss, damage, cost or expense, including reasonable counsel fees and expenses, paid or incurred by reason of Contestant's breach of any of the obligations, covenants, representations or terms contained in the official rules of the contest or by reason of Contestant's intentional or grossly negligent conduct relating to performance of this agreement.

10. Winners

For a list of winners, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by December 31, 2008, to Science Idol, c/o Union of Concerned Scientists, 1825 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006.

11. Contestant Acceptance of Rules

While Contestants may be of any age, a parent/guardian must submit entries on behalf of any Contestant under eighteen (18) years of age. The Contestant or parent/legal guardian (if applicable) must agree to be bound by the Contest Rules.

All Contestants who submit entries over the Internet must accept the Contest Rules by checking the appropriate box on the submission form.

All Contestants who submit entries by mail must print these rules, indicate acceptance of the Contest rules by signing below, and include a full, signed copy of the Contest Rules with all submitted entries.

____I affirm that I am eighteen (18) years of age or older.

____I am submitting this entry/entries as the parent/legal guardian of the Contestant.

By submitting an entry/entries to the Contest, I, _________________________(print name), agree to be bound by the Contest Rules.

____________________________________________________________________

Signature Date If you are signing as the parent/legal guardian of the Contestant, please enter the name of the Contestant on the line below:

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