Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship Contest

OFFICIAL RULES

No Purchase Necessary
A Purchase Will Not Increase Your Odds of Winning

Sigma Corporation of America (“Sigma”) is proud to offer the Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship Contest (“Contest”). The Contest illustrates Sigma’s five decades of technological advancement and innovation in the industry, and Sigma’s desire to empower and support up-and-coming photographers.

The Contest is for participants in the United States only and shall be construed and evaluated according to the laws of the United States. Do not proceed in this Contest if you are not a legal resident of the United States. Further eligibility restrictions are contained in the official rules below.

1. ELIGIBILITY
The Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are matriculating students in grade 12 in a public or accredited private school, and who aspire to obtain a degree or certificate in a photography-related field of study. An eligible minor in his/her state of residence must have his/her parent’s or legal guardian’s permission to enter the Contest. Employees of Sigma, its parents, affiliates, dealers or subsidiaries and members of the immediate family and household of each are not eligible. Immediate family members include parents, siblings or any person residing in the same household as employee. Void where prohibited by law. Entries must be from individuals only; groups, organizations and multiple-party entries are not eligible. This Contest is governed by U.S. law and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. This Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.

2. ENTRY
Sigma is conducting this Contest to promote up and coming photographers.  Eligible entrants are asked to submit an application (the “Application”), essay (the “Essay”), and three to five images that have a connecting theme (the “Images”).  A complete entry consists of (1) the completed online Application, (2) the Essay, and (3) the Images (the “Entry”). The Essay should describe your methodology and thematic intent for creating the Images, to help the judges better understand your process of capturing and selecting the photographs.  The Application, Essay and Images must be submitted to Sigma via Sigma’s secure website at http://scholarship.sigmaphoto.com.

Incomplete entries will not be eligible to win. Entrants must have all ownership rights in and to the Entry, and the Entry must not infringe the rights of any third party and must be suitable for publication and use. Sigma reserves the right to disqualify, without notice, any Entry if found in Sigma’s sole discretion to be incomplete, fraudulent, infringing upon existing rights of others, inappropriate, libelous, plagiarized, obscene, vulgar, offensive or otherwise unsuitable in any way for print or publication.

The Application must be completed online at http://scholarship.sigmaphoto.com and entrant must complete all required fields.

The Essay must be between 300 and 800 words in length, and Sigma reserves the right to reject any Essay that is shorter than 300 words or longer than 800 words. The Essay should describe the creative process through which entrant captured, selected and edited the Images. The Essay should describe how the Images are linked, how the Images were captured and the creative process the entrant used to obtain the Images.  The Essay must be the entrant’s own original work.

The Images must consist of 3 to 5 photographs that are thematically tied and that illustrate outstanding image quality. The Images must be saved in JPEG format. The Images must be the entrant’s own original work.

3. CONTEST PERIOD
Entries will be accepted from November 15, 2010 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) to February 28, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Online voting will occur between March 1, 2011 at 12:00 a.m. ET to April 1, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Sigma will announce the Contest winner on April 18, 2011.

4. WINNER SELECTION
Sigma will post Images and Essays that meet the entry requirements on the http://scholarship.sigmaphoto.com. Visitors to the site will be invited to vote for their favorite Images and Essay. The top five vote-getters from the public online voting will become the Contest Finalists. A judging panel comprised of Sigma executives will choose the Contest Winner from the Contest Finalists. The Sigma judging panel will evaluate entries based on image quality (50%), creativity (25%), and technique (25%). Entrants are not required to use Sigma equipment to participate in the Contest. The decisions of the Sigma judging panel in all matters relating to this Contest are final. Potential winners will be notified by e-mail, telephone, overnight carrier or regular mail on or about May 3, 2011. Return of any prize or prize notification as undeliverable, if Sigma is unable to contact the potential winner after reasonable effort, or failure of potential winner to respond within seven (7) days of first attempted notification, will result in forfeiture of prize and selection of an alternate winner.

Should there be any attempt to manipulate the voting or winner selection process, Sigma reserves the right to select the finalists, disqualify any votes, disqualify any entry, and take any other action it deems appropriate in order to conduct this Contest fairly and equitably. 

5. PRIZES
One (1) Contest Winner will be selected. The Winner will receive (1) a check from Sigma in the amount of $5,000.00 and (2) a gift card in the amount of $1,000.00 toward Sigma products that must be used within one (1) year of issuance (together, the “Prize”). The Prize will be awarded within thirty (30) days of the announcement of the winner. The Winner is subject to eligibility verification and compliance with these Official Rules. The Prize is neither transferable nor redeemable for cash. Sigma reserves the right to award a prize of equal or greater value in the event of unavailability.

6. RIGHT TO USE SUBMISSION AND INFORMATION
By submitting an Entry, entrant, or in the case of a minor, the minor’s parent or legal guardian, grants to Sigma and its affiliated companies, for a period of 18 months, (1) an irrevocable, nonexclusive, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free right and license to use, display, modify, reproduce, publish, distribute, make derivative works of, sublicense, and otherwise commercially and non-commercially exploit the Images, the Essay, and all intellectual property rights therein, including copyrights, in any manner or medium now existing or hereafter developed (including but not limited to print, film, or electronic storage devices), without compensation of any kind to entrant or any third party and (2) the right, except where prohibited by law, to use entrant’s name, likeness, picture, address (city and state), e-mail address, voice, biographical information and written or oral statements, for advertising and promotional purposes in promoting or publicizing Sigma and its products or services, without compensation unless required by law. Entrant shall have no right of approval, no claim to compensation, and no claim (including, without limitation, claims based on invasion of privacy, defamation, or right of publicity) arising out of any use, blurring, alteration, or use in composite form of entrant’s name, picture, likeness, address (city and state), e mail address, biographical information, or Entry. The rights granted under this paragraph shall extend to Sigma and its affiliated companies with respect to all entrants in the Contest, including non-winners and winners. Sigma Corporation of America respects the copyright ownership rights of photographers, and should Sigma wish in the future to use an Image for a purpose other than in connection with promotion of future contests, Sigma will contact the owner to purchase the rights for this use for a reasonable fee.

7. GENERAL
The Contest Winner will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release and a W-9 Form (Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification Form) within seven (7) days of receipt before the Prize can be officially awarded. In compliance with US Internal Revenue Service regulations, Sigma will issue a Form 1099-Misc to the Winner, which requires disclosure of the winner’s social security number. The Winner remains solely responsible for paying all federal and other taxes in accordance with the laws that apply in the Winner’s state of residence. Should a winner be deemed ineligible or fail to return the required forms within the time period allowed, an alternate winner may or may not be selected. Sigma reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, suspend or terminate the Contest should the administration or security of the Contest become compromised. Sigma is not responsible for late, lost, incomplete, or misdirected Entries. By entering, entrant, or in the case of a minor, the minor’s parent or legal guardian, (a) agrees to be bound by the Official Rules and the decisions of Sigma (including but not limited to eligibility determinations) which are final and binding in all respects; (b) agrees to release Sigma and its employees and agents from any and all liability, loss, damage or injury resulting from participation in this Contest or awarding, receipt, possession use and/or misuse of any prize awarded herein and acknowledge that Sigma and its employees and agents have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize; and (c) consents to use of entrant’s name, Contest Entry and/or likeness for advertising and promotional purposes in connection with this Contest without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

8. DISPUTES
This Contest is governed by the laws of the United States and the State of New York, without respect to conflict of law doctrines. As a condition of participating in this Contest, participants agree that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between the parties, and causes of action arising out of or in connection with this Contest, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively before a court located in New York having jurisdiction. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will participants be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waive all rights to claim punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than participant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (e.g., costs associated with entering), and participant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.

9. OFFICIAL RULES/WINNER INFORMATION
For a copy of the official rules or the winners’ list, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope by June 1, 2011, to Sigma Scholarship Contest, Sigma Corporation of America, 15 Fleetwood Court, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779. Please indicate “Rules Request” or “Winners’ List Request.” 

10. SPONSOR
The sponsor of this Contest is Sigma Corporation of America, 15 Fleetwood Court, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779.