"RHCE of the Year" Contest


Official Rules
German | French | Spanish | Simplified Chinese | Traditional Chinese

OPEN ONLY TO INDIVIDUALS WHO HOLD A CURRENT RHCE CERTIFICATION AND WHO OTHERWISE MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERA. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Note - the winner of this Contest will be asked to travel to the Red Hat Summit in Boston, Massachusetts on June 18 - 20, 2008. If you cannot travel at that time, please do not enter this Contest. If a potential winner is selected who cannot travel on these dates, the Sponsor will award the prize to an alternative winner.

  1. Contest Description
    NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Red Hat, Inc. ("Sponsor") is sponsoring the RHCE of the Year Contest ("Contest"), a skill contest in which participants compete to receive the Prize (defined below) by submitting a brief essay explaining why they should be considered the "RHCE of the Year." The Contest begins on March 9, 2008 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time ("EST") and ends on May 2, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. EST ("Term"). VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

  2. Eligibility
    To be eligible to enter the Contest, you must be: (1) an individual who holds a current RHCE Certification prior to the start of the contest; (2) a legal resident of South Korea, France, Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec), China, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Spain, India, Argentina, Austria, Singapore, Ireland, Netherlands, Taiwan, or the United States; and (3) above the age of majority in your country, province, and/or state of legal residence at the time of entry or at least twenty years of age in Taiwan. You must also have access to the Internet and a valid email address to enter the Contest. Employees, officers, and directors of Red Hat, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, and their immediate families and those living in their households are not eligible to enter. Government employees and contractors are not eligible to enter.

    If you are entering as part of a company or on behalf of your employer, these rules are binding on you, individually, and/or your employer. If you are acting within the scope of your employment, as an employee, contractor, or agent of another party, you warrant that such party has full knowledge of your actions and has consented thereto, including your potential receipt of a Prize. You further warrant that you and your employer have no claim to or right of ownership in any work product created as part of the Contest and that your actions do not violate your employer's or company's policies and procedures.

  3. How to Enter
    To enter the Contest, visit https://www.redhat.com/apps/webform.html?event_type=simple_form&eid=848 during the Term and submit the information requested on the application, including your first and last name, e-mail address, address, date of birth* and your RHCE identification number. *Canadian residents must provide their age, rather than their date of birth.

    The entry form must be completely filled out for you to be eligible. Your application must also explain, in no more than 1,000 characters, why you should be considered for the RHCE of the Year Prize ("Essay"). When preparing your Essay, consider your past technical and non-technical achievements as they apply to your RHCE certification and describe them to us. For example, if you solved a difficult technical problem for your company, explain the problem, your solution and the result of the implementation of your solution. Make sure you incorporate how your RHCE certification assisted you in your Essay.

  4. Privacy
    To enter, you must provide personal information in order for Red Hat to process your contest application. Your personal information will be transferred to servers located in the U.S. By registering for the Contest, you consent to the transfer of your personal information to servers in the U.S. Further, you agree to be bound by Sponsor's privacy policy located at: www.redhat.com/legal/privacy_statement.html and you understand that your personal information will be used in accordance with this policy.

  5. Sponsor
    Red Hat, Inc., located at 1801 Varsity Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, USA, is the sponsor of the Contest.

  6. Submission of Application
    Your application, including the Essay, must be submitted in English. Applications that are in any other language will not be considered. LIMIT ONE (1) ENTRY PER PERSON. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned or acknowledged. Entries are void if they are in whole or part illegible, incomplete, damaged, altered, counterfeit, manipulated or obtained through fraud or lost, late, misdirected, mutilated, incomplete, or illegible entries or email, or for any computer related, online, telephonic, or technical malfunctions that may occur whether or not within Sponsor's control.

  7. Judging
    Five (5) entries will be selected based upon one (1) round of judging. The judges will consist of a panel of experts in the field of business and open source technology ("Judges").

    The judging will take place beginning on May 5, 2008 and ending on May 9, 2008. Each entry will be evaluated by the Judges based on the following criteria:
    • Articulation of why you are the RHCE of the Year: 50%
    • Creativity of your work: 50%
    The five (5) entries with the highest scores will be selected to receive the Prize, described below. In the event of a tie, the entry that received the highest score from the Judges in the category of "Articulation of why you are the RHCE of the Year" will be selected as the potential fifth winner. The potential winners will be notified by e-mail that they had one of the highest scores in the Contest on or about May 16, 2008. If the e-mail notification is returned as undeliverable, the potential winner will be disqualified and an alternate potential winner will be selected based on the criteria for the selection of the winners described herein.

    In order for the winner to enjoy the prize, he or she must travel to the Red Hat Summit June 18 - 20, 2008. Should the winner be unable to travel to the Summit and attend the award ceremony the winner shall be disqualified and a new winner selected from the remaining eligible entries.

    The Judges' decisions are final with respect to all aspects of the Contest. Before being declared a winner, each potential winner must sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability and/or Publicity Release, where lawful. The Affidavit of Eligibility must be properly executed by you and returned within seven (7) days of attempted notification as a condition of receipt of a Prize. If the Sponsor does not receive the Affidavit of Eligibility within seven (7) days, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, select another potential winner from the remaining eligible entries.

  8. Prize
    Sponsor will award five (5) entrants the RHCE of the Year Prize. The "Prize" covers (i) the cost of registration fees to the Red Hat Summit June 18-20, 2008, in Boston, Massachusetts; (ii) round-trip airfare (coach) for you to travel from the major airport closest to the individual's residence to Boston, Massachusetts; (iii) double-occupancy hotel accommodation for three (3) nights in Boston, Massachusetts; (iv) Red Hat Summit provides shuttle bus transportation for all attendees, which includes transportation to and from the airport to the hotel; should the winner choose not to use the shuttle bus transportation or travels at an earlier date when the shuttle buses are not yet available, transportation cost will be at the winners expense; (v) access to all Red Hat Summit sessions, conference meals, and special events (vi) a Happy Hour Reception where the winners of the 2008 RHCE of the Year will be honored. You are responsible for any other expenses including cost to obtain a passport or visa to travel to the United States and any other incidental travel cost not expressly stated above, including but not limited to, ground transportation, passenger tariffs or duties, surcharges, airport fees, service charges or facility charges, personal charges at lodging, security fees, taxes or other expenses are the responsibility solely of the winner. Prize is not redeemable for cash. The Approximate Retail Value ("ARV") of the Prize is $3,500.00 (USD). The ARV may be adjusted depending on the country of residence of the winner.

    All cost associated with currency exchange are the sole responsibility of the winners. Blackout periods and other restrictions, conditions, and/or limitations may apply. Travel reservations must be made through Sponsor's agent, on a carrier of Sponsor's choice, at least fifteen (15) days prior to intended travel. Winners are responsible for all required travel documents, including Passports and/or Visa requirements. Winners are responsible for obtaining all forms of insurance, including but not limited to travel insurance and acknowledge that Sponsor has no obligation to obtain or provide travel insurance or any other form of insurance. No substitution, cash substitution, or assignment or transfer of the Prize is permitted, except by Sponsor for reason of unavailability, in which case a prize of equal or greater value will be awarded. The Prize consists of only those items specifically listed in Section 8. Prizes are awarded without warranty of any kind from Sponsor, express or implied, without limitation, except where this would be contrary to federal, state, provincial, or local laws or regulations. All taxes, costs, and fees associated with the Prizes are the sole responsibility of the winners. LIMIT ONE PRIZE PER PERSON. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received and the skill of the entrants.

  9. Condition of Participation
    By entering the Contest, you agree to be bound by the terms of these Official Rules and you confirm that you meet all eligibility requirements listed herein. You agree that all federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations apply. By registering for the Contest, you agree that these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Contest.

    Acceptance of the Prize constitutes permission for, and winners consent to, Sponsor and its agencies to use the winning entry and name and/or likeness for advertising and promotional purposes, in any media now known or hereafter devised, without further notice, compensation, consideration, review, or consent, and without regard to moral rights, unless prohibited by law.

    To the extent permitted by law, all registered participants of the Contest agree to hold Sponsor, its respective directors, officers, employees and assigns harmless for any injury or damage caused or claimed to be caused by participation in the Contest and/or use or acceptance of the Prize. Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the Contest, or in the announcement of the Prize. If, in Sponsors' opinion, there is any suspected or actual evidence of electronic or non-electronic tampering with any portion of the Contest, or if technical difficulties compromise the integrity of the Contest, the Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. Any attempt to deliberately damage the content or operation of this Contest is unlawful and subject to legal action by Sponsor or its agents. You may be prohibited from participating in this Contest if Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reasonably believes that you have attempted to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, deception, or other unfair playing practices, or annoys, abuses, threatens, or harasses any other participants, Sponsor, or associated agencies. In the event a potential winner's employer has a policy that prohibits the awarding of a prize to an employee, the Prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected.

  10. License
    As a condition of entry, entrant grants Sponsor and its licensees an irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license, for the duration of protection of the rights, to use, reproduce, distribute, translate, publicly perform, publicly display and create a derivative work from (and in the case of Canadian residents, waives all moral rights in) the essay that participant submits when entering this Contest. Entrants also agree to allow Red Hat to publish his or her name in correlation with the essay. Further, entrants who are residents of PRC grant Sponsor the right to make their essay public. In addition, before being declared a winner, each French potential winner must sign an assignment of copyright. All entrants agree to execute any further documents as necessary to effect the preceding license.

  11. Release of Liability
    By participating, entrants and winners release Sponsor, its affiliates, parent, and subsidiary companies, its employees, agents and officers, advertising and promotion agencies, licensees, as well as all others associated with the development and execution of this Contest, from and against any and all liability with respect to or in any way arising from the Contest and the awarding and use of the prize, or in connection with the use, modification, or publication of the essay submitted by the entrant. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission; communications line failure; theft or destruction of or unauthorized access to Contest entries or entry forms; or alteration of entries or entry forms.

  12. Governing Law
    This Contest is subject to all federal, state, and local laws. This Contest and Official Rules are governed and interpreted by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

  13. Official Rules / List of Winners
    14. The Official Rules and names of the winners will be posted online at http://promo/summit/2008/awards on or about May 28, 2008.

Summit 2008 is produced by IDG World Expo.