30 to Launch - Official Rules

PLEASE NOTE: It is your sole responsibility to review and understand your employer’s policies regarding your eligibility to participate in trade promotions. If you are participating in violation of your employer’s policies, you may be disqualified from entering or receiving prizes. Microsoft disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for disputes arising between an employee and their employer related to this matter, and prizes will only be awarded in compliance with the employer’s policies.

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES: Microsoft is committed to complying with government gift and ethics rules and therefore government employees are not eligible.

COMMON TERMS USED IN THESE RULES:

These are the official rules that govern how the Microsoft 30 to Launch A Windows Phone Application contest promotion will operate (“Contest”). In these rules, “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Microsoft Corporation, the sponsor of this Contest. “You” refers to an eligible Contest entrant.

CONTEST DESCRIPTION:

This is a skill-based Contest and an early bird incentive offer. The object of this Contest is to inspire hobbyists, professionals, and developers to create and publish Windows Phone 7.5 Applications in 30 days utilizing a digital experience that provides weekly guidance and training. After enrolling in the Microsoft 30 to Launch campaign, each application you successfully publish to the Windows Phone Marketplace will be called an “entry”. All eligible entries received will be judged using the criteria described below to determine the winners of the prizes described below.

WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES?

This Contest starts at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on January 31, 2012, and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on March 15, 2012 (“Contest Period”) and will consist of an application submission phase from January 30, 2012 – February 29, 2012 with an extra 15 days (February 29 – March 15) for applications to be approved and official entry forms to be submitted.

The early bird incentive offer will start at 12:01 a.m. PT on February 13, 2012 and end at 11:59 p.m. PT on February 19, 2012.

Entries must be submitted during the specific date periods above to be eligible and all applications must be approved and published in the Windows Phone Marketplace no later than March 15, 2012 to qualify for contest judging.

CAN I ENTER?

You are eligible to enter this Contest if you meet the following requirements at time entry:

You are a hobbyist, professional or developer the field of software technology; and
You are a legal resident of the 50 United States and District of Columbia 18 years of age or older; and
You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and
You are NOT involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Contest; and
You are NOT an immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Contest.

This Contest is void outside the geographic area described above and wherever else prohibited by law.

HOW DO I ENTER?

Contest: To enter, you must do all of the following:

Visit http://www.30tolaunch.com and enroll in the free online digital campaign using your Live ID account before Feb 29, 2012. . By signing up for 30 to Launch, you will be automatically enrolled into Microsoft Platform Ready program, a free program connected to the Microsoft Partner Network.
Review the guidance and content for weekly trainings and create a Windows Phone application for submission, approval, and addition to the Windows Phone Marketplace. Your application must be submitted to the Windows Phone Marketplace by Feb 29, 2012 and published on or before March 15, 2012.
Once your app has been approved in the Marketplace, login to http://www.30tolaunch.com and update your published application URL as well as your app type to the My App page.

NOTE: In order to submit an app into the Windows Phone Marketplace, you must have a valid App Hub account.

If you do not already have an App Hub account, follow these steps to obtain one:

If you are a student, you can join for no charge by signing up for DreamSpark (http://www.dreamspark.com).
If you are not a student, you can request a free one-year promotional membership token at no charge through the following steps providing you meet the qualifications below:
- Sign up for http://www.30tolaunch.com using a Windows Live ID
- Spread the word via Social Media in one of the following ways:
  - Like the Microsoft User Community Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/Aho2an OR
  - Tweet about 30 to Launch by telling us about your participation. For your tweet to qualify, you must reference the tag #30tolaunch AND include the following in the body of your tweet: I am participating in 30 to Launch to build a Windows Phone app! Rules: http://bit.ly/wPtqPp. We reserve the right to remove any inappropriate tweets.
- Send an email to 30tolaunch@microsoft.com with Subject line: Token
Offer Details: This offer is good only in the 50 United States and D.C. to legal residents 18+ who are professionals, developers, or hobbyists in the field of software technology and are not current App Hub account holders but would like to be for purposes of entering this contest. This offer is limited to the first 500 unique individual respondents. Limit one (1) token per person. This offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer. This offer will be available starting February 6, 2012 and expires on February 17, 2012 or while supplies last and is not redeemable for cash. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. Each promotional token will be associated with the Live ID used to sign up for 30 to Launch. Token must be used by March 15, 2012. If a token remains unused till March 15, 2012, it will be forfeited.

During the registration process, you will be asked to review and sign the following legal Terms of Use (collectively “App Hub Agreements”): App Hub Terms of Use, Xbox LIVE Terms of Use, Windows Phone Marketplace Application Provider Agreement (the “APA”), DreamSpark Addendum (if you are a student licensed under the DreamSpark program), Windows Phone Marketplace Certification Vendor Agreement, and App Hub Submission Agreement for Xbox 360. Please review the App Hub Agreements before accepting. If you are not willing to be bound by the App Hub Agreements, please refrain from participating in this Contest.

We will only accept one (1) entry per person overall.

Early Bird Incentive Offer: To qualify for this offer, you must meet the eligibility and entry requirements above and be actively participating in the 30 to launch contest portion of this promotion on or before February 19. In addition, you must have an active App Hub account.

Once you have confirmed you meet these criteria, you can enter by uploading an executable .xap file from the My App page on http://www.30tolaunch.com as well provide a valid shipping address, your App Hub ISV ID, and the category you feel your app falls under, between February 13 and February 19. For files greater than 10 MB, you will be prompted with appropriate instructions on the My App page. The .xap file you submit must represent the same app you plan to submit as your contest entry. Your .xap file must target Windows Phone 7.5, include Fast App Switching, conform to design guidelines for Windows Phone and have distinct and substantial content and purpose, including functionality above and beyond launching a webpage.

The first five hundred (500) valid entries we receive will be awarded the prize listed below.

If you are participating in any of the live in-person 30 to Launch events, you are only eligible to participate in one offer, either by submitting your .xap file as indicated above, OR by following the instructions given at each on-site event.

We are not responsible for entries that we do not receive for any reason, or for entries that we receive but are not decipherable for any reason.

We will automatically disqualify:

Any incomplete or illegible entry; and
Any entries that we receive from you that are in excess of the entry limit described above.

WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ELIGIBLE ENTRY?

To be eligible for judging an entry must meet the following content / technical requirements:

Your application must be coded and submitted as a Windows Phone Application by February 29, 2012 and must be published to the Windows Phone Marketplace by March 15, 2012. Tools for Windows Phone development which can be downloaded here include:
- Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone
- Windows Phone Development Tools
- Express Blend for Windows Phone
- Windows Phone Emulator
Your entry must be innovative and original; it cannot be something you’ve otherwise published to the marketplace prior to this contest.
Your entry must have market potential i.e., relevance to current mobile application market trends
Your entry must include at least one (1) of the following features:
- Live Tile or Secondary Tile (does not apply to game applications)
- Use of additional Windows Phone 7.5 capabilities such as cloud-enablement through Windows Azure*, Background Agents, Background Audio, Pictures Hub integration, Music & Video Hub integration etc.
  - *Cloud-enabling the application using Microsoft Windows Azure includes scenarios such as:
    - Use “push notifications” to send updates
    - Manage gamer identity using their Facebook, Google, LiveID, etc.
    - Push video or images using Windows Azure CDN
    - Add leader boards, social interaction, shared landscapes, player location and movement
    - Send Line-of-business data using OData standards

NOTE: While it is not a requirement you have all of these features, you will receive a better score from the judges for incorporating as many as possible. Please refer to the judging criteria below for more information.

In addition:

your entry must be your own original work; and
your entry cannot have been previously submitted to the Windows Phone Marketplace prior to January 31, 2011; and
you must have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your entry; and
your entry may not include any third party trademarks (logos, names) or copyrighted materials (music, images, video, recognizable people) unless you have obtained permission to use the materials. You may include Microsoft trademarks, logos, and designs, for which Microsoft grants you a limited license to use for the sole purposes of submitting an entry into this Contest.

Entries may NOT contain, as determined by us, in our sole and absolute discretion, any content that:

is sexually explicit, unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional or age group; profane or pornographic;
promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing) or a particular political agenda;
is obscene or offensive;
defames, misrepresents or contains disparaging remarks about other people or companies;
communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or good will to which we wish to associate; and/or violates any law;

We reserve the right to reject any entry, in our sole and absolute discretion, that we determine does not meet the above criteria.

HOW WILL MY ENTRY BE POTENTIALLY USED?

Other than what is set forth below, we are not claiming any ownership rights to your entry. However, by submitting your entry, you:

are granting us an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to: (i) use, review, assess, test and otherwise analyze your entry and all its content in connection with this Contest; and (ii) feature your entry and all content in connection with the marketing, sale, or promotion of this Contest (including but not limited to internal and external sales meetings, conference presentations, tradeshows, and screen shots of the Contest entry in press releases) in all media (now known or later developed)
agree to sign any necessary documentation that may be required for us and our designees to make use of the rights you granted above;
understand and acknowledge that the Sponsor(s) may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your submission and you waive any claims you may have resulting from any similarities to your entry;
understand that we cannot control the incoming information you will disclose to our representatives in the course of entering, or what our representatives will remember about your entry. You also understand that we will not restrict work assignments of representatives who have had access to your entry. By entering this Contest, you agree that use of information in our representatives’ unaided memories in the development or deployment of our products or services does not create liability for us under this agreement or copyright or trade secret law;
understand that you will not receive any compensation or credit for use of your entry, other than what is described in these Official Rules

Please note that following the end of this Contest your entry may be posted on a website selected by us for viewing by visitors to that website. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your entry by visitors to this website. While we reserve these rights, we are not obligated to use your entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning entry.

If you do not want to grant us these rights to your entry, please do not enter this Contest.

WINNER DETERMINATION AND PRIZES

On or around the close of the Entry Period, a panel of judges from Microsoft or a designated agent, will review all eligible entries received and select winners of the Contest and Incentive Prizes described below based upon judging criteria described below.

Contest Judging Criteria

25.00% - Does the app utilize the live tile or secondary tile feature? (does not apply to game applications)
25.00% - Does the app have market potential given current mobile application trends?
25.00% - Is the app innovative and original?
25.00%- Does the app use additional Windows Phone 7.5 capabilities such as cloud-enablement through Windows Azure*, Background Agents, Background Audio, Pictures Hub integration, Music & Video Hub integration etc.
- *Cloud-enabling the application using Microsoft Windows Azure includes scenarios such as:
  - Use “push notifications” to send updates
  - Manage gamer identity using their Facebook, Google, LiveID, etc.
  - Push video or images using Windows Azure CDN
  - Add leader boards, social interaction, shared landscapes, player location and movement
  - Send Line-of-business data using OData standards

*NOTE: For game applications where use of live tile is not a requirement, your entry will be judged on all the other factors listed above which will be equally weighted at 33.33% each.

Early Bird Incentive Offer Judging Criteria

To qualify, the .xap file you submit must represent the same app you plan to submit as your contest entry. Your .xap file must target Windows Phone 7.5, include Fast App Switching, conform to design guidelines for Windows Phone and have distinct and substantial content and purpose, including functionality above and beyond launching a webpage.

The decisions of the judges are final and binding. If we do not receive a sufficient number of entries meeting the entry requirements, we may, at our discretion, select fewer winners than described above. In the event of a tie between any eligible entries, an additional judge will break the tie based on the judging criteria described above use of Windows Azure as a backend platform.

Contest Prizes

Four (4) Grand Prizes. Each winner will receive a Prize Package consisting of the following items:

Samsung - 46" Class 3D / HDTV
Samsung - 2.1-Ch. Home Theater SoundBar System with Wireless Subwoofer
Two DVDs for 3D Movies
A pair of 3D Viewing Glasses
Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect
Two Xbox Games

The total Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of this Package is $3,000

The total Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of all prizes: $12,000

We will only award one (1) prize package per person.

Early Bird Incentive Offer

Five hundred (500) incentive prizes. Each winner will receive one (1) Nokia Lumia 800 phone. Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $500.00

Between this promotion as well as all associated 30 to Launch in-person training events, there is a limit of one (1) Windows Phone per person. Wireless carrier and wireless service not included. Activation terms and conditions are at the sole discretion of the phone manufacturer and wireless carrier.

If you are a potential winner, we will notify you by sending a message to the e-mail address, the phone number, or mailing address (if any) provided at time of entry within seven (7) days following completion of judging. If the notification that we send is returned as undeliverable, or you are otherwise unreachable for any reason, we may award to a runner-up.

If there is a dispute as to who is the potential winner, we will consider the potential winner to be the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter the Contest. If you are a potential winner, we may require you to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability/Publicity Release and a W-9 tax form or W-8 BEN tax form within 10 days of notification. If you are a potential winner and you are 18 or older, but are considered a minor in your place of legal residence, we may require your parent or legal guardian to sign all required forms on your behalf. If you do not complete the required forms as instructed and/or return the required forms within the time period listed on the winner notification message, we may disqualify you and select a runner-up.

If you are confirmed as a winner of this Contest:

You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services. However, if for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value; and
You may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we may award it to a runner up; and
If you accept a prize, you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize; and
If you are otherwise eligible for this Contest, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, we may award the prize to your parent/legal guardian on your behalf; and
Unless otherwise noted, all prizes are subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and / or terms and conditions.

WHAT OTHER CONDITIONS AM I AGREEING TO BY ENTERING?

By entering this Contest you agree:

To abide by these Official Rules; and
To release and hold harmless Microsoft and its respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Contest, or any prize won; and
That Microsoft’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this Contest; and
That, by accepting a prize, Microsoft may use of your proper name and state of residence online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this Contest, without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law.

WHAT LAWS GOVERN THE WAY THIS CONTEST IS EXECUTED AND ADMINISTRATED?

This Contest will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Contest.

WHAT IF SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENS AND THE CONTEST CAN’T RUN AS PLANNED?

If someone cheats, or a virus, bug, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and / or integrity of this Contest, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this Contest. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the Contest, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Contest.

If you attempt to compromise the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Contest by hacking or by cheating or committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law. Further, we may ban you from participating in any of our future Contest, so please play fairly.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT WHO WON?

Within 30 days of winner announcement, the list of contest winners that receive a prize worth $25.00 or more will be published to http://www.30tolaunch.com

WHO IS SPONSORING THIS CONTEST?

Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052

30 to Launch - YOUR IDEA | YOUR APP | 30 DAYS

MICROSOFT 30 TO LAUNCH A WINDOWS PHONE APPLICATION CONTEST