The Rules - IGF Student Category

[Please visit separate pages for the Main Category rules and for the IGF Mod Competition rules.]

2006 Independent Games Festival Competition – Student Category

OFFICIAL RULES

The Independent Games Festival Competition - Student Category (the “Contest”) is being sponsored by CMP Media LLC (the “Sponsor”) in connection with the Game Developers Conference to be held March 20-24 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, California (the “Conference”). Each person or entity who enters the Contest (each, an “Entrant”)agrees to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of the Sponsor and its judges, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to the Contest.

HOW TO ENTER :

To enter the Contest, an Entrant who is otherwise eligible under these Official Rules must submit all of the following materials at any time between 12:00 a.m. P.T. on August 1 st, 2005 and 11:59 p.m. P.T. on November 15 th, 2005 (the “Entry Deadline”):

All entry materials become property of Sponsor and will not be returned.

STUDENT SHOWCASE SELECTION PROCESS/NOTIFICATION :

Each Entrant must specify in the entry materials whether the Entrant believes his or her Entered Game is an “Original Game” or a “Middleware Game” (as defined in the Restrictions/Eligibility section of these Official Rules). However, Sponsor will make the final determination as to whether any Entered Game is an Original Game or a Middleware Game.

Entered Games will be evaluated by a panel of approximately five (5) to ten (10) judges appointed by Sponsor (the “Student Judging Committee”). Members of the Student Judging Committee may include employees of Sponsor and other individuals familiar with student video game design. The specific identities of the members of the Student Judging Committee will be listed on the Student Judging Committee page of the Contest Website and are subject to change upon notice posted thereon.

The Student Judging Committee will review the Entered Games and select finalists during approximately the period from the Entry Deadline to January 10 th, 2006 (the “Student Judging Period”). Each member of the Student Judging Committee will assign a score of 1 to 100 to each Entered Game based on the overall innovation, quality, impressiveness, and enjoyability of the Entered Game.

Each Original Game receiving one (1) of the eight (8) highest average scores from all members of the Student Judging Committee and each Middleware Game receiving one (1) of the two (2) highest average scores will qualify as a “Student Showcase Selection.” In the event of any tie score, the decision of the chairperson of the Student Judging Committee will break the tie. On or around January 15th, 2006, Sponsor will notify each Entrant by electronic and/or regular mail if that Entrant’s Entered Game was judged to be a Student Showcase Selection (each such Entrant, a “Student Finalist”).

STUDENT SHOWCASE SELECTION EXHIBITION :

Any Student Finalist that does not satisfy all of the requirements of this section may be disqualified, and Sponsor may select an alternate Student Showcase Selection from the remaining Entered Games.

Each Student Finalist will be required to sign and return a declaration of eligibility and release of liability within seven (7) days of notification. The declaration and release will include, to the extent permitted by law and even if already granted by a Student Finalist’s acceptance of these Official Rules, the grant by each Student Finalist of permission (without further compensation) for Sponsor to use the Student Finalist’s name, photograph and likeness, logo (if any), state of residence, and Entered Game for advertising, promotion, marketing, and administration of the Contest and the Conference, including mention in Sponsor’s Game Developer magazine and on Gamasutra.com and a profile in the Conference program. Each Student Finalist must provide Sponsor with his or her social security or taxpayer I.D. number for tax reporting purposes.

Each Student Finalist will be required to exhibit his or her Student Showcase Selection at the Conference. Exhibition duties will include: (i) staffing a Conference booth; (ii) demonstrating the Student Showcase Selection during specified hours; and (iii) conducting oneself in a manner that upholds the good name and reputation of Sponsor, the Conference, and the Contest. Sponsor will provide one (1) display pod at the Conference for each Student Finalist, which will consist of a counter, a 21" monitor, speakers, hook-ups for electricity and Internet connectivity, and signage indicating the name of the Student Finalist and the name of the Student Showcase Selection. Each Student Finalist will be expected to supply his or her own computer, console, or other platform required to display his or her Student Showcase Selection, along with any additional hardware necessary to operate the Student Showcase Selection.

Any Student Finalist who is unable to attend may officially nominate a proxy attendee (the name and contact details of which to be electronically mailed to the Contest Chairman at chairman@igf.com within fourteen (14) days after notification of nomination has been sent to the Student Finalist). Proxy attendees must perform the same duties as the actual Student Finalists.

Other than the $500 travel stipend mentioned below, each Student Finalist will be responsible his or her own costs of travel, meals, accommodations, and equipment in connection with the Contest and the Conference. All Student Finalists must be in sufficient physical condition for safe travel to the Conference.

STUDENT FINALIST PRIZES :

Student Finalists will receive:

The estimated total value of each prize package is approximately $2,825.00. The estimated total value of the ten (10) prize packages is approximately $28,250.00.

Prizes will be shipped to each Finalist after receipt of the declaration and release mentioned in the Student Showcase Selection Exhibition section of these Official Rules and confirmation of attendance at the Conference.

PRIZE TERMS :

All monetary amounts are shown in United States dollars and all monetary prizes will be awarded in the form of checks or money orders in United States dollars. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any non-monetary prizes with items of equal or greater value. Each Student Finalist will be solely responsible for bearing any income or other taxes, fees, or other costs relating to any prize.

All It is possible that some or all Student Finalists may be offered gifts from Conference sponsors or other third parties. Sponsor makes no representation or warranty that any such gifts will be offered or received, does not endorse any such gifts, and is no way responsible for any such gifts.

PRIOR CONTESTS :

Sponsor does not know how many games will be entered in the Contest. However, participation in similar contests held by Sponsor over the previous three (3) years was as follows: 2005 – 110 games entered; 2004 – 80 games entered; 2003 – 60 games entered.

RESTRICTIONS/ELIGIBILITY:

The Contest is open only to individuals 13 years or older who were full-time college or high school students during the Spring 2005 semester and who have access to the Internet on or before August 1 st, 2005. Individuals under the age of 18 years must provide evidence of parent or legal guardian consent satisfactory to Sponsor. Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and its advertising, promotion, and production agencies, as well as employees of any of the foregoing, members of such employees’ immediate families (including spouse, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, step-children, step-parents and in-laws), and persons with whom such employees are domiciled, are not eligible. Each Entrant may enter only one (1) game in the Contest. In addition to the foregoing general eligibility requirements, the following additional requirements must be met:

RELEASE:

By entering the Contest, each Entrant releases and holds harmless Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, and employees from any and all responsibility or liability arising out of or relating to: (i) any personal injury, death, property (including computer) damage, or other loss or claim of any kind arising from or in connection with any violation of these Official Rules; the Contest, the Conference or any Entered Game; the acceptance, possession, or use of any prize; or any travel required by the Contest; (ii) any entry or other materials that have been tampered with, that are misdirected, incomplete, incorrect, non-conforming, corrupt, lost, late, or ineligible, or, with respect to mail-in entries or materials, that are sent postage due; and (iii) computer, telephone, cable, satellite, network, hardware, software, or other technical malfunctions or failures; garbled or jumbled transmissions; Internet or website inaccessibility or delays; printing or typographical errors in any Contest or Conference materials; or any other technical or human errors occurring in connection with the Contest or Conference.

By entering the Contest, each Entrant consents to the use of the Entrant’s name, photograph and likeness, logo (if any), state of residence, and Entered Game for advertising, promotion, marketing, and administration of the Contest and Conference without additional compensation, to the extent permitted by law. Each entrant further agrees that Sponsor may use any and all information collected through the Contest, including the Entrant’s name and contact information, for marketing or other purposes whether or not related to the Contest, to the extent permitted by law and Sponsor’s privacy policy, which may be found on the Contest Website.

REPRESENTATIONS :

By entering the Contest, each individual submitting entry materials (including an Entered Game) represents and warrants to Sponsor that:

TERMINATION :

Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest in its sole and absolute discretion if the Contest becomes technically corrupted or is not capable of being run as planned, including infections by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest. In such event, Sponsor will post notice at the Conference and on the Contest Website and will implement an alternate means for awarding all prizes.

MISCELLANEOUS :

If any part of these Official Rules is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or otherwise unenforceable, such part will be deemed modified or eliminated to the extent necessary, in the court’s opinion, to make it enforceable while preserving the original intent of the Sponsor, and the remaining parts of these Official Rules will remain in full force and effect. The Contest will be governed by, and these Official Rules will be interpreted by, and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of California and applicable United States federal law, without regard to any conflicts of laws principles. The Contest is void where prohibited by law. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Official Rules, the Contest, the Conference, or any prize must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco, California, and Sponsor and each Entrant irrevocably waive any objection to the venue and jurisdiction thereof.

STUDENT FINALIST LIST :

For the names of the Student Finalists, which will be available after January 20 th, 2006, check the Contest Website or send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to:

2006 Independent Games Festival Competition, Student Category
c/o CMP Game Group
600 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
USA
Telephone: (415) 947-6000

 

 

Announcements Congratulations to the 2006 IGF winners! View a list of all the winners and finalists here...