M&T Bank Rochester Institute of Technology Meet and Hack (“Competition”)

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE, ACCOUNT OPENING, LOAN APPLICATION, DEPOSIT OR PAYMENT IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS COMPETITION, NOR WILL IT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.

1) Eligibility:  The Competition is open to any registered students at Rochester Institute of Technology (“RIT”), who are 18 years of age or older on February 4th, 2022. Only United States Residents are eligible to receive a prize.

Employees of Sponsor, RIT, and their affiliates, and such persons' immediate family members (spouses, siblings, parents, children, grandparents, and grandchildren), whether living in the same household or not, and anyone living in the same household, whether related or not, are not eligible to participate or win. Void where prohibited by law.

2) How to Enter the Competition:  M&T Bank will host the Meet and Hack event at RIT on February 4th- February 6th, 2022. To enter the Competition, individual participants (“Entrants”) must register for the event on the competition website no later than 12:00 p.m. EST on February 6th, 2022. Registration will be limited to the first 125 Entrants. Entrants may participate either in person on the RIT campus or virtually. Entrants will form teams of up to 4 people at the commencement of the event on February 4th. All Teams that submit a final project (“Entry”) by 12:00 p.m. EST on February 6th, 2022 will be eligible for judging. All Entrants must follow applicable federal, state, local, and RIT laws, regulations and rules in place at the time of the Competition, including, but not limited to, mask requirements, social distancing, and gathering requirements and restrictions.

3) Judging Procedure and Criteria: The judges will be determined in Sponsor’s sole discretion and will represent Sponsor. Teams must choose one Category/Track from the following list under which their project will be judged:

1.     Community  

Community hacks are centered around the wellbeing of our community, whether that’s on campus, the city of Rochester, or the global community. This can mean increasing equity and inclusion, protecting and preserving our environment, encouraging community service, and much more. Entries that aim to strengthen and sustain our communities contribute to this track.  

2.     Health  

Projects seeking to improve personal or public health—be it physical or mental health, environmental health, nutrition, mindfulness, health care and access to it—fall under this track. During a pandemic, innovations that help us live happily and healthily are needed more than ever, and so are contributions to the health track.  

3.     Gaming  

This track encourages you to show off your design and innovation skills within the realm of gaming. Whether you’re developing a video game, bringing gamers together, or creating a new VR or AR experience, Entries focused on gaming fall under this track. 

Projects may only be judged under one Track as identified by each Team prior to judging.

Judges will use a scale to rank each presentation according to the judging rubric outlined below with a ranking of one (poorest quality) to three (highest quality). Limit one Entry per Team. Any Entry not meeting all Entry requirements stated herein will be void.

The judges will assess each Entry individually based on the judging criteria developed and implemented by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. Entrants are prohibited from inducing the judges, including, without limitation, offering prizes and/or using any websites or online forums, to judge their Entry higher or differently than the other Entries.

Judging (12 POINTS MAXIMUM):

·        Idea (1-3):

o   Does your idea tackle a real-world problem, or is your game fun? 

o   Who are your users? 

o   Where will you take the project next? 

o   How well did you present your idea?

·        Creativity & Originality (1-3):

o   Is your idea or approach novel, creative, or original? 

o   What sets your idea apart from other competitors in this space?

·        Technical Challenge (1-3):

o   How challenging is the problem you’re trying to solve?

o   How well suited is your tech stack to the problem you’re trying to solve?

·        Solution Quality (1-3):

o   Does your solution achieve the desired outcome?

o   How polished and accessible is the user experience?

Judging will consist of each Team making a 5-minute presentation before the full panel of judges, with a specified number of judges judging each team. At the end of the judging, the scores will be compiled for each Team and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Winners identified based on total point values, subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules (see Section 5 below). 

Tie Breaker Policy: In the event of a tie, the tied Entries will be re-judged by the full panel of judges and the judges will vote on a winner based on the aforementioned criteria. If there is still a tie, Sponsor will bring in a tie breaking judge to apply the same judging criteria to break the tie.

By participating, each Entrant agrees to abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and judges, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Competition.

Additional Prizes will be awarded to Entries under the following categories:

1.     Most Creative: Judges will discuss their picks for Most Creative and after discussion, there will be a vote. If no clear winner is chosen, the Tie Breaker Policy will be used to determine a winner. 

2.     Best Beginner Hack: Judges will discuss their picks for Best Beginner Hack (from the pool of teams with 50% or more first time hackathon goers) and after discussion, there will be a vote. If no clear winner is chosen, the Tie Breaker Policy will be used to determine a winner.

4) Entry Requirements:  By submitting an Entry, each Team agrees that (a) the Entry does not violate any law or regulation or any right of any third party, including those laws, regulations, and rights related to copyrights, trademarks, publicity, or privacy, (b) he/she has the right to grant the rights to his/her Entry as provided in these Official Rules, (c) the Entry has not been otherwise published or submitted in any other competition; (d) the Entry is his/her original work; (e) the Entry has not won previous awards; (f) he/she does not include, in the Entry, personally identifiable information regarding any person other than himself/herself; and (g) publication of the Entry via various media including social posting will not infringe on the rights of any third party. Entries cannot defame or invade intellectual property rights of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any copyrighted, trademarked, or patented works or any person’s personal or proprietary rights.   

Entries deemed by the Sponsor and/or the judges, in their sole discretion, (a) to be immoral, obscene, offensive, or inappropriate; (b) that defame, misrepresent or disparage others; (c) that contain trademarks, logos, or trade dress owned by others; (d) that contain personal identification, names, likenesses, etc. identifying any other person who has not given permission to be featured in the Entry, including, without limitation, celebrities and/or other public or private figures, living or dead; or (e) that violate any law or these Official Rules will be void. Harassment of other Entrants or Teams of any type in any form will not be permitted. Entries started or worked on in any way prior to the start date will be disqualified. Entrant and Entrant’s Team will be disqualified in the event of non-compliance with any requirements specified herein or with any of the terms of these Official Rules. Once submitted, an Entry cannot be deleted, canceled, or modified except by Sponsor.

By submitting an Entry, each Entrant agrees Sponsor shall license the Entry submitted for purposes limited to advertising and promoting the competition, the Winners and Entrants. Entrant further agrees that submission of an Entry is gratuitous and made without restriction and will not place Sponsor under any obligation and that Sponsor is free to discuss or otherwise disclose the ideas contained in the Entry on a non-confidential basis to anyone or otherwise use the ideas without any additional compensation to him/her. Entrant acknowledges that, by acceptance of his/her Entry, Sponsor does not waive any rights to use similar or related ideas previously known to Sponsor, or developed by its employees, or obtained from sources other than him/her.

By submitting an Entry, Entrant hereby grants Sponsor, RIT, and their affiliates, and each of their employees, directors, shareholders and representatives (“Released Parties”), without any limitation of any other rights granted herein, permission for the Entry to be posted on websites or social media channels as determined by Sponsor. Entrant agrees that Released Parties are not responsible for any unauthorized use of Entries by third parties. Released Parties do not guarantee the posting of any Entry and may remove a posted Entry at any time.

By submitting an Entry, Entrant acknowledges and agrees that Sponsor may obtain many Entries in connection with the Competition and/or other promotions staged and/or promoted by the Sponsor, and that such Entries may be similar or identical in theme, idea, style, look, format or other respects to other Entries submitted in connection with the Competition and/or other promotions sponsored by the Sponsor or submitted for other reasons or other materials developed by the Sponsor. Entrant waives any and all claims Entrant may have had, may have, and/or may have in the future, that any Entry in the Competition may be similar to his/her Entry, or that any compensation is due to Entrant in connection with such Entry or other works used by Sponsor.

5) Verification of Winning Team:  The Winning Team, and each Entrant within that Team, must execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability Release, and a Publicity Release form and any other documents required by Sponsor within 48 hours. Failure to respond within the designated timeframe may result in disqualification and, at Sponsor’s discretion and time permitting, an alternate being chosen. Winning Team status is subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. The Released Parties are not responsible for electronic communications that are undeliverable as a result of any form of active or passive filtering of any kind, or insufficient space in an Entrant’s email account to receive email messages.

6) Prize:  Prizes will be awarded to each Entrant on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Teams for each Track, and the Entries chosen under the Most Creative and the Best Beginner Hack categories as follows:

·        1st Place Track Winners: Samsung Odyssey G5 27” Gaming Monitor ($380 Approximate Retail Value)

·        2nd Place Track Winners: Corsair® K100 gaming keyboard ($230 Approximate Retail Value)

·        3rd Place Track Winners: CanaKit™ Raspberry Pi 4 Starter MAX Kit ($135 Approximate Retail Value)

·        Most Creative: XP-Pen Deco Pro Medium drawing tablet ($130 Approximate Retail Value)

·        Best Beginner Hack: Bose® SoundLink Color II ($130 Approximate Retail Value)

Released Parties have no additional obligations or commitments to any member of the Winning Team in connection with the Competition. All costs and expenses associated with the acceptance and use of a Prize, including, but not limited to, all federal, state and local taxes, are the sole responsibility of each member of the Winning Team.

7) Miscellaneous:  Released Parties are not responsible for (a) lost, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, stolen, delayed, or damaged Entries; (b) failures or malfunctions of phones, phone lines or telephone systems, failed computer hardware, software or other technical issues; (c) interrupted or unavailable network, server or other connections, cable, satellite, Internet Service Provider (ISP) or other connections; (d) traffic congestion on the Internet or for any technical problem, including but not limited to any injury or damage to Entrants’ or any other person’s computer or other device related to or resulting from participation in the Competition; (e) theft, destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, Entries; (f) human-processing error; (g) printing, typographical or other errors or omissions in these Official Rules or in any Competition-related materials; (h) other errors or problems of any kind whether mechanical, human, technical, network, electronic; or (i) errors which may occur in connection with the administration of the Competition, judging of Entries, or announcement of the members of the Winning Team. Released Parties will not be liable for any failure or delay in conducting the competition, in whole or in part, that is due to any of the following causes, to the extent beyond its reasonable control: acts of God, accident, riots, war, terrorist act, epidemic, pandemic (including the COVID-19 pandemic), quarantine, civil commotion, breakdown of communication facilities, breakdown of web host, breakdown of internet service provider, natural catastrophes, governmental acts or omissions, changes in laws or regulations, national strikes, fire, explosion, or generalized lack of availability of raw materials or energy. Sponsor reserves the right to postpone or cancel competition at its sole discretion at any point. Sponsor reserves the right to void the Entry of an Entrant who Sponsor believes has attempted to tamper with, influence, or impair the administration, security, fairness, judging or proper play of the Competition, and such Entrant and Entrant’s Team will be disqualified.

No transfer, assignment, or substitution of a Prize (or portion thereof) is permitted except by Sponsor, who reserves the right to substitute a Prize (or applicable portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value, at its sole discretion. By participating, each Entrant agrees that: (a) Sponsor and its designees may use (unless prohibited by law) each Entrant’s name, city and state of residence, Entry, any oral or written statements, and/or likeness for advertising, trade and/or any other purposes in any media now or hereafter known throughout the world in perpetuity, without further compensation, permission or notification, (b) Sponsor reserves the right to conduct a background check, and Entrant consents to such background check, provided that, if additional authorization is necessary under law, Entrants shall authorize such check. Sponsor reserves the right (at its sole discretion) to disqualify any Entrant based on the results of the background check or failure of the Entrant to properly authorize such check, and (c) the Released Parties shall have no liability or responsibility for any claim arising in connection with participation in the Competition or any Prize awarded, and will be held harmless by Entrant for any claim, action, liability, loss, injury or damage to Entrant or any other person or entity, including, without limitation, personal injury or death to Entrant or any other person or damage to personal or real property, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, by reason of the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of a Prize and any activity or travel related to the Competition. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, suspend, and/or terminate the Competition (or portion thereof) for any reason, including should virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play of the Competition or for any other reason and, in the case of termination, at its discretion, select the Winning Team from all eligible non-suspect Entries using the judging criteria specified above.

8) Arbitration:  Except where prohibited by law, as a further condition of participating in the Competition, Entrant agrees that (a) any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Competition, or any Prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively, by final and binding arbitration in accordance with the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA,” Title 9 of the United States Code) under the auspices of the American Arbitration Association ("AAA"); (b) the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and (c) judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO OPT OUT OF THIS ARBITRATION PROVISION. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS MANDATORY ARBITRATION PROVISION WITH REGARD TO THIS PROMOTION, THEN, WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF YOUR ENTRY, YOU MAY OPT OUT OF THIS, AND ONLY THIS, PART OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES BY NOTIFYING THE SPONSOR OF SUCH OPT-OUT REQUEST BY PROVIDING WRITTEN NOTICE AND MAILING SUCH NOTICE TO:  M&T BANK, REGULATORY SUPPORT, PO BOX 1468, BUFFALO, NEW YORK 14240-1468 (ATTN:  ARBITRATION REJECTION). Under no circumstances will Entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and Entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys' fees, and Entrant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.

9) Choice of Law:  These rules are governed by the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to conflicts of law rules.

10) LIABILITY RELEASE; INDEMNIFICATION:  The Released Parties shall have no liability whatsoever and shall be released, discharged, indemnified and held harmless for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property, including death, sustained, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in connection with or resulting from participation in the Competition, including, without limitation, the use of the Prize. Without limiting the foregoing, the Competition and the Prize are provided “AS IS” without representation or warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. Some jurisdictions may not allow the limitations or exclusions of liability for incidental or consequential damages, or exclusion of the implied warranties, so some of the aforementioned limitations or exclusions may not apply. Check local laws for any restrictions or conditions regarding these limitations and/or exclusions.  Entrants understand and agree that their participation in the Competition is entirely at their own risk.

11) Privacy:  Information collected from any Entrant will be used only for the Competition and to announce the members of the Winning Team as set forth in these Official Rules, and will not be re-used, sold or shared in any manner by Sponsor unless Entrant has requested to receive additional information and promotional material from Sponsor.  Sponsor’s privacy policy is available at https://www.mtb.com/help-center/policies/privacy-policy.

12) Winner’s List:  For the names of the members of the Winning Team (available after February 13, 2022), send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to be received by May 13, 2022 to: M&T Bank Rochester Institute of Technology Meet and Hack, M&T Bank, Colleen McGuire, Seneca One, 1 Seneca Street, Buffalo, NY 14203

13) Sponsor:  M&T Bank, One M&T Plaza, Buffalo, NY  14203-2399.

Rochester Institute of Technology, Samsung, Corsair®, CanaKit™, XP-Pen and Bose® are not Sponsors of, affiliated with, or responsible for, this Competition.