Terms & Conditions

Windows Phone 7 App Challenge 
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 (including military personnel and employees of public educational institutions) are not eligible.

COMMON TERMS USED IN THESE RULES:

These are the official rules that govern how the Microsoft Windows Phone 7 App Challenge Contest promotion will operate (“Contest”). In these rules, “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Microsoft, the sponsor of this Contest. “You” refers to an eligible Contest entrant.

CONTEST DESCRIPTION:

This is a skill-based Contest open to developers in the field of software or mobile technology. The object of this Contest is to create the best application coded for Windows Phone 7 (WP7). For purposes of this Contest, each application coded on WP7 will be called an "entry". All entries will be judged using the criteria described below to determine the winners of the prizes described below.

WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES?

Please select the country in which you are participating for more details on the start and end date of the competition ("Entry Period"). Entries must be received within the Entry Period to be eligible.

CAN I ENTER?

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

• You are a developer in the field of software or mobile technology 18 years of age or older; and
  • If you are 18 years of age or older, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, you should ask your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission prior to submitting an entry into this Contest; and
• You are resident in one of the competition countries listed here: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania,  Malta and Serbia; and
• You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or 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 of the locations listed above and wherever else prohibited by law.

WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ELIGIBLE ENTRY?

To be eligible for judging your application must meet the following content / technical requirements:

• Your application must be coded and submitted as a Windows Phone 7.1 Application. Tools for Windows Phone 7.1 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 7.1 Emulator
• Your application must be accompanied by screenshot(s) and a summary of the solution (maximum 255 characters).

In addition:

• Your entry cannot have been developed with Microsoft assistive funding; and
• your entry must be your own original work; and
• your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest; and
• you must have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your entry; and
• your entry must not otherwise violate the rights of any other person or company by using their trademarks, music, logos, names or images without their express written consent; and
• 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 DO I ENTER?

To enter, you must do all of the following:

1. Submit the Official Entry Form for the contest. You will need to provide the following information:
   1. First/Last name of individual developer
2. Email address
3. Job Role (please select one)
4. Company (optional)
5. City (optional)
6. The name and description of your application
7. Screenshots from your application
8. A summary of your application (255 characters or less)
9. Upload your application (XAP file) to this website via the registration page

Each individual may submit an unlimited number of applications along with his/her registration details.

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. In addition, we will automatically disqualify any incomplete or illegible entry or any entries that we receive from you that are in excess of the entry limit described above.

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 its content in connection with the promotion of this Contest in all media (now known or later developed) in addition to the license granted under the APA;
• 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 Promotion Parties 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 by Microsoft, other than what is described in these Official Rules.
• Please note that following the end of this Contest your entry will be a fully accessible application on Microsoft Marketplace and accessible to consumers/citizens that are WP7 customers. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your entry. 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, all eligible entries will be judged according to the criteria listed below. Judging will take place as follows:

A panel of judges will review all semi-finalist entries according to the criteria listed below and will select prize winners to receive the prize(s) listed on the country specific page .

Judging Criteria

• 30% Functionality
  • Core Functionality
  • Content Quality
  • Ease of Use
• 40% Use of Innovative Features
  • Feature Set
  • Visual Impact
  • Stickiness
  • Originality
• 30% Great WP7 User Experience
  • Wow Factor
  • Metro Design Language
  • WP7 Features

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. 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 the number of Contest Prizes described below.

Contest Prizes

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 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 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 Contests, so please play fairly.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT WHO WON?

Your local Microsoft subsidiary representative can be contacted for more details about the competition and will also inform all winners at the appropriate time after the competition judging is complete. For more details consult the country specific web page for registration, where you will find more specific details.