Graduation Cap Contest

OFFICIAL RULES

 

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

 

  1. Contest Entry Period: The Graduation Cap Contest ("Contest"), sponsored by American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine ("Sponsor"), begins on Monday, May 17 at 12:00 pm EDT and ends on Sunday, May 23 at 11:59 pm EDT (the "Contest Period").

 

  1. Eligibility: Contest is open only to American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) students and graduates and who have reached the age of 18 or older. Contest is void where prohibited. Employees (and their immediate families (parent, child, spouse or sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in their same households, whether or not related) of Sponsor, and their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, judging panels, and advertising and promotion agencies are not eligible to enter or win. By participating, contestants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges and/or Sponsor, which are binding and final on matters relating to this Contest. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws.

 

  1. To Enter: To enter the Contest, take a photo of your decorated graduation cap. Horizontal photos work best. Limit decorations to the top of your cap. During the entry period, contestants must post the photo with the hashtag #AUCgrad on their Instagram account. In order to enter the Contest, you must have an Instagram account. Contestants with private Instagram accounts must also send their entry as a direct message to @aucmed_edu.  

 

Only one (1) entry per person regardless of the method of entry. Photos with two or more people will not be eligible for prizes.

 

All entries must meet the Eligibility Criteria set forth below. Entries not meeting the Eligibility Criteria will not be considered. Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned. All entries must be received by May 23, 2021. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for lost, late, damaged, misdirected, illegible, incomplete or postage-due mail/entries. With respect to Internet or electronic entries, Sponsor shall not be responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry information, whether caused by Internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in the Contest. Sponsor is not responsible for computer system, phone line, hardware, software or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures or delays in computer transmissions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Limit to 1 entry(ies) per person/per household. Should multiple users of the same e-mail account enter the Contest and a dispute thereafter arises regarding the identity of the contestant, the authorized subscriber or said e-mail account at the time of entry will be deemed the contestant. Authorized account subscriber is the natural person who is assigned the e-mail address by the Internet Service Provider (ISP), on-line service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses.

 

  1. Eligibility Criteria. All entries must comply with these criteria:
    1. Entries must be the original work of the contestant (except for permitted public domain material) and not have been published previously or submitted in another contest or competition.
    2. Entries must not contain material that violates or infringes on another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes infringement.
    3. Entries must not disparage Sponsor or any other person or party affiliated with the Contest.
    4. Entries must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, tortuous, defamatory, slanderous, derogatory, or libelous.
    5. Entries must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred, or harm against any group or individual, or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age.
    6. Entries must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of, or contrary to the laws or regulations in any state where the entry is created.
    7. Contestants may not use multiple Instagram accounts to enter the Contest. Anyone found to have used multiple Instagram accounts to enter will be ineligible to enter or win the Contest.

 

Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entry that violates these restrictions or that otherwise does not comply with the requirements of these Official Rules.

 

  1. Judging Criteria: Entries will be judged by a panel of competent judges in the Contest area on the following criteria: creativity; originality; and appropriateness to the categories of “Sint Maarten inspired,” “Healthcare inspired,” “Medical specialty inspired,” “Most school spirit,” and “Most creative.” At the submission deadline, all valid photo submissions will be collected and placed into the following categories (“Sint Maarten inspired,” “Healthcare inspired,” “Medical specialty inspired,” “Most school spirit,” and “Most creative”). Submissions will be presented to representatives of AUC’s Commencement Planning Committee, who will serve as judges for the contest. The group will vote on one winner per category. Winners will be determined by a majority vote. Judges will vote on the best entry that pertains to each of the five categories. In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest score in the creativity criterion will be deemed the winner.  For Wisconsin residents only; in the event of a tie, duplicate prizes will be awarded. Winners will be notified by direct message in Instagram. Decisions of the judges regarding this Contest are final in all respects and binding upon contestants/winners.

 

  1. Prize: A prize for each of the five categories will be given out with a retail value of $100 each. Prize winners will receive a gift card of their choice from a variety of retailers including Amazon, Starbucks, or Target. Approximate retail value: $100 each. Total value of all prizes: $500. Sponsor is offering one prize to each of the five winners. Winners may not substitute, assign or transfer prize or redeem prize for cash, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute prize (or portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value. Winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes, if any, as well as any other costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided. All prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Winners will be contacted by direct message on Instagram. If prize notification or prize is returned as undeliverable, the corresponding prize will be awarded to an alternate winner. Sponsor is not responsible for any change of e-mail, mailing address and/or telephone numbers of contestants.

 

  1. General Conditions: Winners maybe required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility, a liability release, and where lawful, a publicity release within 7 days of notification or prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner may be selected. Only one prize per household/family/person.[1] Winner, by acceptance of prize, except where legally prohibited, grants permission for Sponsor and its designees to use his/her name, address (city and state), photograph, voice and/or other likeness and prize information for advertising, trade and promotional purposes without further compensation, in all media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide in perpetuity, without notice or review or approval. Submission of an entry grants Sponsor and its agents the worldwide, perpetual right to publish, use, adapt, edit and/or modify such entry in any way, in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter developed, without limitation, and without consideration to or approval by the contestant. Submission of any entry further constitutes the contestant's consent to irrevocably assign and transfer to Sponsor any and all rights, title and interest in the entry, including, without limitation, all copyrights. Contestant must obtain releases of any individuals featured in a photo or video. Such individuals may be required to sign a liability/publicity release prior to awarding of any prize.

 

  1. Other Requirements: All contestants must provide a valid e-mail address or contract information as specified in the entry instructions. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual (and all of his or her Contest entries) who tampers with the entry process, violates these Officials Rules or engages in any unsportsmanlike or offensive behavior. By participating in the Contest and/or accepting a prize, contestant/winner agree (and agree to confirm in writing): (a) to release Sponsor, its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, retailers, sales representatives, distributors, Instagram, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders and agents (“Promotional Parties”) from any and all liability, loss or damage incurred with respect to the awarding, receipt, possession and/or use or misuse of any prize; (b) under no circumstances will contestant be permitted to obtain awards for, and contestant/winner hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental, consequential, or any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses; (c) all causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or any prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; and (d) any and all claims, judgments and award shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, excluding attorneys’ fees and court cost. By participating in this Contest, contestants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor/Judges in all matters related to this Contest.

 

  1. Choice of Law: By entering this Contest, contestants agree that all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, contestants’ rights and obligation, the rights and obligations of Sponsor and any and all claims arising out of or related to or in connection with the Contest shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provisions (whether of the State of Illinois or any other Jurisdiction) which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Illinois. By entering, contestants consent to the jurisdiction and venue of the federal, state and local courts located in the State of Illinois.

 

  1. Disclaimers: SPONSOR MAKES NO WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS OR GUARANTEES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, AS REGARDS THIS CONTEST OR THE MERCHANTABILITY, QUALITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING ANY PRIZE OR ANY COMPONENT OF ANY PRIZE.  This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated or affiliated with Instagram.

 

  1. Winners’ List: For the names of the winners (available after May 26, 2021) send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Graduation Cap Contest, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, 880 SW 145th Ave., Suite 202, Pembroke Pines, FL 33027 after November 23, 2021.

 

  1. Sponsor: American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, 880 SW 145th Ave., Suite 202, Pembroke Pines, FL 33027