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Implementing Solutions

2021 Digital Workforce Challenge

How can historically underserved communities prepare for, access, and prosper in the digital workforce?

Submissions are Closed

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   

ELIGIBILITY: The “ServiceNow Digital Workforce Challenge 2021” Contest (the “Contest”) is open to (i) individuals, entrepreneurs, teams, or established start-ups except those who are legal residents of the Province of Quebec, Italy, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Pakistan, Brazil, Mexico, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Syria, Crimea and the Philippines (“Ineligible Countries”); (ii) individuals who are the age of majority or older in his or her state or country of residence at the time of entry. Employees, temporary workers, interns, officers, and directors of ServiceNow, Inc., its affiliated companies, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, any and all other entities, including the Administrator, directly associated with this Contest (“Released Parties”), and the immediate family members and members of the same residing in the household of any of the above are not eligible to enter or win. Employees or officials of any government entity are not eligible to enter or win a prize. Failure to meet the eligibility requirements will result in an entry being invalid and forfeiture of any prize. Individuals who are legal residents of one of the Ineligible Countries are not eligible to participate or win a prize.

SPONSOR & ADMINISTRATOR: The Contest is sponsored by ServiceNow Inc., 2225 Lawson Lane, Santa Clara, CA 95054 (the “Sponsor”). The Contest is administered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology through its Solve Initiative program (“Administrator”).

AGREEMENT TO OFFICIAL RULES: By participating, entrants (“Entrants”) agree to abide by and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest. Winning a prize (as defined below) is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.  

CONTEST PERIOD: The Contest begins at 9:00am ET on 05/10/21 and ends at 12:00pm ET on 09/10/21 (“Contest Period”). 

HOW TO ENTER: Eligible Entrants may enter the Contest by doing the following: 

Submit your solution on the [MIT Solve URL] site (“Website”) within the Contest Period. Your solution will not be considered if it does not meet the criteria stated on the Website, which may include requiring the submission to be:

  • in pilot or early growth phase (at a minimum, the solution needs to have a working tested prototype); 
  • tech-based – our definition of "tech-based" is broad and includes both low and high tech, including but not limited to AI, blockchain, virtual reality, and user-friendly mobile apps – at its core, technology is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes; and

either:

  • currently deployed in one or more of the following ServiceNow locations: Australia/New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States; or
  • operating and showing promise in another geography, and be ready with clear plans to deploy in one or more of the above ServiceNow locations.

In the event of any conflict between the criteria stated on the Website and the criteria stated above in these Official Rules, the criteria on the Website shall control. All required information must be provided to enter and to be eligible to win. Incomplete entries will be disqualified and void. 

JUDGING:  Sponsor and Administrator will review all entries for compliance with these Official Rules. All eligible submissions will be judged by a panel of judges based on the following equal-weighted judging criteria for both Rounds One and Two (“Judging Criteria”):

  • Alignment
  • Potential for impact
  • Scalability
  • Feasibility
  • Innovative approach
  • Inclusive human-centered design
  • Partnership potential

Round One: Up to ten (10) Eligible Entrants will be selected as a Finalist. The judging and final determination of the Finalists will be in the sole discretion of the judges. Finalists may be required to provide additional information at any time to remain eligible, as requested by ServiceNow.

Round Two: The Finalists selected in Round One will then present their solution submitted during the Contest Period via a live three (3) minute demonstration and an opportunity to answer questions from the same panel of judges as Round One. The Finalist with highest score in Round Two will be the Grand Prize winner(s). The judging and final determination of the winner(s) will be in the sole discretion of the judges.

Sponsor will also select an Employee’s Choice Prize winner, among the selected Finalists, who is voted on by the Sponsor’s employees. Sponsor will also select US Racial Equity Prize winner, among the selected Finalists, based on two criteria: (i) the submission must be directed towards solving United States’ racial equity, (ii) the Finalist is based in the United States, and (i) the submission with the highest score in the “Inclusive human-centered design” Judging Criteria. Sponsor reserves the right to award other prizes at the discretion of Sponsor.

Limit one (1) entry per person. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any person or email address that submits more than one entry.  The Released Parties are not responsible for: lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, illegible, misdirected entries. Contributions remain property of the applicant. All entries submitted on the Administrator’s website are owned by the entrants, however, entrants provide Sponsor and Administrator an unlimited, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use and distribute the submission. By participating, you consent for Sponsor to obtain, use, and transfer your name, address and other information for the purpose of administering this Contest and for other purposes as set forth below. 

WINNER SELECTION NOTIFICATION: All potential prize winners with the highest score will be selected in accordance with the Judging Criteria among all eligible entries received by Sponsor, whose decisions are final and binding. In the event if a tie, the tied entrants with the higher score in the Alignment Judging Criteria will be the potential prize winner. The potential prize winner selection will be on or about 11/15/21. The Sponsor will select at least one (1) potential prize winner for each prize. Prize Winners need not be present to win. All Prize Winners may be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and Publicity Release form, unless prohibited by law, prior to accepting a prize. Failure to comply with any of the requirements set forth in these Official Rules may result in disqualification or forfeiture of the prize.

PRIZE & PRIZE CONDITIONS: One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive a one-hundred thousand ($100,000) dollar funding grant. One (1) Employee Choice Prize winner will receive a ten thousand ($10,000) dollar funding grant. One (1) US Racial Equity Prize winner will receive a fifty thousand ($50,000) dollar funding grant.

Total ARV of Prizes awarded in this Contest: $160,000.  All currency listed in these Official Rules is in USD. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entrants who enter the Contest. Winners are subject to all applicable terms and conditions associated with the prize. Sponsor is not responsible for lost or stolen prize elements. Winners will receive their prizes within 180 days. days of the winner selection. 

ALL FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL TAXES ARE SOLELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNERS. Winners may be required to complete required tax forms or other documents requested within the time period stipulated by Sponsor. Any difference between the stated estimated value of the prize and its actual value will not be awarded.  Winner agrees to accept the prize “as is.”   

The value of the prizes set forth above represents Sponsor’s good faith determinations of the ARV thereof and such determinations are final and binding and cannot be appealed. If the actual value of any prize turns out to be less than the stated ARV the difference will not be awarded in cash. 

ALL EXPENSES OR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCEPTANCE OF A PRIZE NOT MENTIONED HEREIN ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRIZE WINNERS. No substitution or transfer of prize will be permitted. The Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to substitute the prize with another prize of equal or greater value.

If a prize or prize notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to the Prize Winners, if the Prize Winners cannot be reached by the Sponsor or Administrator within fourteen (14) calendar days from the first notification attempt, if the Prize Winners do not comply with the Sponsor’s prize acceptance instructions within seven (7) calendar days from the first notification attempt, or the Prize Winners are not in compliance with these Official Rules, then such person shall be disqualified and, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, alternate Prize Winners may be selected for the prize at issue. 

Failure by the Sponsor to enforce any provision of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.  In the event of a dispute as to the identity of a Prize Winner based on an email address, the winning entry will be declared by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational, institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. 

RELEASE AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: By participating in the Contest and/or accepting a prize, Entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any claim, action, injury, loss, damage or cause of action arising out of or relating to participation in the Contest, acceptance or receipt of any prize, use or misuse of any prize, or participation in any prize-related activity, including, but not limited to: (a) any technical errors that may prevent an Entrant from submitting an entry; (b) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (c) errors in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (d) injury, death, or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from Entrant’s participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize. Released Parties assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Entrant further agrees that in any cause of action, the Released Parties’ liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest, and in no event shall the Released Parties be liable for attorney’s fees. Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.  

GENERAL CONDITIONS: If for any reason the operation or administration of this Contest is impaired or incapable of running as planned for any reason, including but not limited to (a) infection by computer virus, bugs, (b) tampering, unauthorized intervention, (c) fraud, (d) technical failures, or (e) any other causes beyond the control of the Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, the Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest in whole or in part, at any time, without notice and award the Prizes (defined below) using all non-suspect eligible entries received as of, or after (if applicable) this cancellation, termination, modification or suspension date, or in any manner that is fair and equitable and best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual deemed to be (a) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest website; or (b) acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner.  

ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.  

PUBLICITY: By accepting a prize, where permitted by law, the Prize Winners grant to the Released Parties and those acting pursuant to the authority of the Released Parties, the right to print, publish, broadcast and use worldwide IN ALL MEDIA without limitation at any time a Prize Winner’s submission, full name, image, photograph, portrait, voice, likeness, signature and/or biographical information for advertising, trade and promotional purposes without further payment or additional consideration, and without review, approval or notification.  

USE OF DATA: All information submitted by Entrants will be treated according to Administrator’s Privacy Statement, available at https://solve.mit.edu/privacy-policy. By participating in the Contest and providing any personal contact information, Entrants hereby agree to Administrator’s collection and usage of their personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted Administrator’s Privacy Statement.  

DISPUTES: 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 CALIFORNIA, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS THEREOF. ENTRANTS UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT ALL CLAIMS, DISPUTES OR CONTROVERSIES BETWEEN ENTRANT AND THE RELEASED PARTIES SHALL BE RESOLVED BY FINAL AND BINDING ARBITRATION IN THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA.  BY ENTERING, ENTRANTS 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”), AND CONDUCTED BY JUDICIAL ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION SERVICES, INC. (“JAMS”), IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JAMS COMPREHENSIVE ARBITRATION RULES. THE TRIBUNAL WILL CONSIST OF ONE ARBITRATOR. 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 NOR SPONSOR 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.     

FURTHER, IN ANY SUCH DISPUTE, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ENTRANTS BE PERMITTED TO OBTAIN AWARDS FOR, AND THEY HEREBY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO CLAIM, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES AND COSTS), OTHER THAN ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES (I.E. COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ENTERING THIS CONTEST) AND FURTHER WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO HAVE DAMAGES MULTIPLIED OR INCREASED.   

Each Entrant hereby waives application of California Civil Code Section 1542 which provides as follows:  

A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS THAT THE CREDITOR OR RELEASING PARTY DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE AND THAT, IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER, WOULD HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR OR RELEASED PARTY.                                                  

Each Entrant expressly waives the provisions of Section 1542 of the California Civil Code as well as any other statutes, rules, laws, ordinances, or common law principles or other authority of similar effect of any jurisdiction, and further waives any right to invoke said provisions now or in the future with regard to the Contest.  Entrants and the Winners further acknowledge and agree that this waiver is an essential and material term of these Official Rules and the Contest.  

WINNERS LIST REQUEST: You may request the name of the winners by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope within thirty (30) days from the end of the Contest Period to: ServiceNow Innovation Challenge Contest Winners List Request, Attn: Global Impact, 2225 Lawson Lane, Santa Clara, CA 95054. During the Contest Period, Official Rules requests may be sent to the aforementioned address. Rules requests must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Residents of Vermont may omit return postage for rules requests.  

NO SOCIAL MEDIA ENDORSEMENT: This Contest is not endorsed, sponsored, or administered by any social media platform for which Entrants may interact with in participation of this Contest.

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