Rally Rules
Version: Updated as of May 2010
These rules are subject to change.
1.1 The Accessibility Internet Rally (the "Rally") involves designers ("Entrants") and not-for-profit organizations ("NPO's") creating a website ("an Entry") for each NPO that is accessible to people with disabilities.
1.2 The Rally is organized by Knowbility and supported by Entrants' entry fees, grants, sponsorship, and contributions from local agencies, businesses, schools and individuals.
1.3 AIR activities are posted; all registered design teams (Entrants) and nonprofit organizations (NPO's) must be represented at the AIR activities as noted on the registration forms.
1.4 Any notices to Entrants, including changes to these Rules, announcements of winners, notices of disqualification, or otherwise, may be posted at the Rally Website and/or sent by email to Entrants.
Participation
2.1 The Accessibility Internet Rally is open to not-for-profit organizations who complete the appropriate entry form, and designers who complete the appropriate entry form. Each web design team shall be considered a single Entrant. No person may enter more than once, either individually or as part of any team. If an Entrant uses the name of a corporation, partnership or other legal entity, the Entrant certifies it has the permission of the entity to do so.
2.2 All Entrants must be officially registered to participate in the competition. Participants register by completing the appropriate entry form. Upon the Organizer's acceptance of this form, participants will be sent a confirming email message. The Organizer may rely on its records and, if it chooses, participant's possession of an email confirmation, as full and complete evidence that participant is successfully registered.
2.3 Organizer reserves the right to limit participants to any number it chooses, using any mechanism it selects, subject to these rules and applicable state and federal laws, including non-discrimination laws.
2.4 By participating in the Rally, participants fully and unconditionally agree to and accept these Rules.
2.5 Organizer can, at any time and without notification of reason, exclude or disqualify any Entrant whom it believes has not complied with these Rules. Organizer can, at any time, exclude or disqualify any Entrant whose participation it reasonably believes would violate state or federal law.
The Design: Conditions
3.1 Entries must be the Entrant's own original work.
3.2 Entrants are required to submit their Entries in accordance with a mechanism determined by the Organizer This mechanism shall include instructions for preparing files for upload, file specifications including file type and file size and location for uploading.
3.3 Entrants will be given access to a collection of online resources to help them build accessible Web sites. Entrants will be expected to read and familiarize themselves with these resources prior to the Rally.
3.4 Entrants must be represented at the mandatory activities associated with the Rally.
Jury and Judging Entries
4.1 Entries will be judged by one or more Judges selected from a Judging Committee, comprised of experts in accessible design, to be determined and invited by the Organizer.
4.2 The Judges will judge each Entry based on the following criteria: (1) accessibility; (2) creativity; (3) usability; (4)aesthetics and (5) extensibility of concept to a larger website. In addition, Judges will accept the judgment of the nonprofit partner to score the category of appropriateness for the intended audience. The NPO partner will determine to what extent the Entry meets the need of the nonprofit constituency.
4.3 In order to encourage more interactive, sophisticated, community driven sites and fuller user experience, the use of third-party modules or pre-existing components is allowed under these conditions:
4.3a Entrants are reminded that these clauses do not change the basic rule: Coding (html, css, site template) prior to Rally Day is prohibited.
4.3b Third-party modules or pre-existing components may include discussion forums, shopping carts, video (including captions and audio descriptions), audio files and transcripts, Flash movies, blogs, and PDF documents.
4.3c Entrants may enhance the accessibility of third-party components or pre-existing modules prior to Rally Day.
4.3d The coding of the site interface to the component or module must wait for the rally day.
4.3e The third-party component or pre-existing module may not be the interface/template for the entire web site.
4.3f The third-party component or pre-existing module will be judged as part of the site. No bonus points will be awarded for the use of such components. However, this does not preclude the judges from awarding bonus points for effective and innovative modifications for accessibility.
4.4 In accordance with clauses 4.2 and 4.3 the Judging Committee shall select the best designs in each of the divisions. The decisions of the Judges are final and binding.
Awards
5.1 In accordance with clause 4, each First Place winner in each of divisions will receive an engraved trophy. The Second and Third Place winners of each Division will also receive awards.
5.2 The prizes will be distributed to the winners of the Rally at a time and place to be determined by the Organizer.
5.4 The Organizer will notify winning participants by email that their Entries have been selected and they are prize winners.
Disqualification. Termination of Design Contest
6.1 An Entry which does not comply with these Rules will be disqualified.
6.2 If for any reason it becomes impossible for the Organizer to run the Rally as planned, or if a technical or non-technical problem corrupts the administration, security or proper judging of the Rally, then the Organizer reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate, suspend, modify or cancel the Rally.
Release of Responsibility and Liability
7.1 Organizers, sponsors and their respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliate companies, their successors and assigns, and their directors, officers, stockholders and employees shall not be liable for (i) excluding participants or potential participants pursuant to these Rules; or (ii) late, lost, misdirected, or unsuccessful efforts to notify winners of any prize.
7.2 Organizers, sponsors and their respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliate companies, their successors and assigns, and their directors, officers, stockholders and employees shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, damaged, misdirected, incomplete, illegible, non-functioning or unintelligible entries; (ii) telephone, electronic, hardware or software program, network, Internet, or computer malfunctions, failures or difficulties of any kind; (iii) failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions; (iv) any condition caused by events beyond their control that may cause the Rally to be disrupted or corrupted; (v) any injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising in connection with or as a result of the prize, or acceptance, possession or use of the prize, or from participation in the Rally; (vi) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Rally; (vii) or any damage to participant's computer occasioned by participation in the Rally, or downloading any information necessary to participate in the Rally.
7.3 Each participant in the Rally agrees to and hereby does release and hold harmless Organizers, sponsors and their respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliate companies, their successors and assigns, and their directors, officers, stockholders and employees from and against any losses, damages, rights, claims and actions of any kind in connection with the Rally or Judging, or resulting from the acceptance, possession or use of any prize, including without limitation, personal injury, death, property damage, lost business or claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy.
Intellectual Property; Privacy
8.1 Each participant, by virtue of his or her participation in the Competition grants to Knowbility, Inc., the absolute and irrevocable right, free of charge, to use and/or publish the entirety or any part or parts of his or her submitted Entry, including posting it, along with the name(s) of the person(s) who created it, on the Knowbility web site, and to pass Entrant's name and contact information to others for the purpose of contacting Entrant to discuss web design services.
8.2 Each Entrant warrants that the Entry is Entrant's own original work and that the Entry, the assignment and transfer thereof and the eventual publication and use thereof does not infringe on any right of any third party, including intellectual property rights and rights of privacy.
Governing Law
9.1 Any matter relating to the Rally or its implementation shall be decided by these Rules and applicable state and federal laws. Any matter that cannot be so decided shall be decided by the Organizer in consultation with the Judging Committee. The Judges' decisions shall be final.