2023 Snort® Scholarship Contest Official Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED.
This Contest (the “Contest”) opens on April 3, 2023, at 9:00 am Eastern Time and ends on May 5, 2023,
at 5:00 pm Eastern Time, or if earlier, until there are no more available prizes (the “Contest Period”). Entry into this Contest is
acceptance of these Official Rules. This Contest is sponsored by Cisco Systems, Inc., 170 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134 USA (“Sponsor” or “Cisco”).
ELIGIBILITY.
This Contest is open to participants (“Participants” or “you”) who (i) are eligible to
receive a high school diploma or equivalent in 2023 or who are enrolled in a Qualified Organization in 2023;
(ii) can provide reasonable, written evidence to Sponsor (in the form of an official student enrollment form that lists
Participant’s declared major or other similar form from the Qualified Organization) that they are seeking a degree in computer
science, information technology, computer networking, cyber security or a substantially related field of study in a
tuition-based program at a Qualified Organization; and (iii) are age eighteen (18) years or older at the time of entry.
“Qualified Organization” means an accredited college, university or other institution of higher learning.
This Contest is not open to: (1) employees or internally contracted vendors of Sponsor or its parent/subsidiaries, agents
and affiliates; (2) the immediate family members or members of the same household of any such employee or vendor; (3) anyone
professionally involved in the development or administration of this Contest; (4) employees or internally contracted vendors
of governments and government-affiliated companies or organizations; or (5) any employee whose employer's guidelines or
regulations do not allow entry in the Contest or acceptance of the prize(s). This Contest is not open to individuals in the
province of Quebec in Canada. In addition, residents of Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Sudan
are not eligible to participate. This Contest is void in these countries and where otherwise prohibited or restricted by law.
HOW TO ENTER.
To enter the Contest, please visit https://snort.org/community/scholarship (the “Site”), follow the instructions listed at
the Site, and submit the application. Participants must also agree to these Official Rules before entering the Contest.
Entries must be received during the Contest Period. Sponsor is not responsible for late, lost, delayed, damaged, misdirected,
incomplete, void, corrupted, garbled, illegible, and/or unintelligible entries, or for any problems, bugs or malfunctions
Participants may encounter when submitting their entry. Only complete valid entries will be accepted. Sponsor will not verify receipt of entries.
Participants must provide all information requested to be eligible to win. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify false entries or entries suspected
of being false. Incomplete, unreadable, or unintelligible entries, in the sole discretion of Sponsor, will be disqualified. All entries
submitted become the sole property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.
JUDGING CRITERIA.
All entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges from Cisco Talos selected by the Sponsor.
Judges will score submissions based on the below criteria, awarding points on a scale of one to five (1-5) for a total possible score of fifteen (15) points:
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Originality (Score 1-5): Points will be assigned based on the assessment of original, fresh thoughts and concepts including anecdotes or examples of how security or a related field has shaped the personal and/or professional life of Participant.
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Knowledge of Snort (Score 1-5): Points will be assigned on how well the Participant understands Snort and its use.
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Overall Submission Quality (Score 1-5): Points will be assigned on the overall quality of the submission. Factors will include, but not be limited to, perceived effort and sincerity level.
The Judging Process will be as follows:
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The panel will review a submissions grid and score accordingly against the criteria above.
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Cisco will aggregate scores and pull the top entry based on cumulative scores from all judges.
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In the event of a tie, the judges will take the top score(s) from the “Originality” category to determine the winner.
PRIZES.
Subject to the terms of these Official Rules, once confirmed by Sponsor, the winner(s) will receive the following:
On or about July 1, 2023, at Sponsor’s Maryland office, located at 8135 Maple Lawn Blvd., Fulton, Maryland 20759, Sponsor will announce the two (2) winners, each of which will receive a *$10,000 USD 2023 Snort Scholarship.
Award money will be paid by Sponsor, directly to the Qualified Organizations designated by the winners to receive the 2023 Snort Scholarship on behalf of the winners, which payment is to be applied solely toward winners’ academic tuition at the Qualified Organization during the 2023/2024 academic year.
Limit one (1) prize per Participant. The approximate retail values are subject to change based on current market conditions at the time of prize fulfilment. Winners are not entitled to any surplus between actual retail value (ARV) of prize and stated ARV and any difference between stated ARV and actual value of the prize will not be awarded. No substitution, assignment, transfer, or cash redemption of any prize is allowed by Winner. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value should the advertised prize become unavailable for any reason. If applicable, prizes may be awarded in the form of voucher(s), coupon(s) and/or gift card(s) in Sponsor’s sole discretion. If a potential winner is unable to participate in or accept the prize or any portion of the prize for any reason, Sponsor shall have no further obligation to such potential winner. Neither Sponsor nor any of its prize suppliers will replace any lost or stolen prizes, cards or certificates after being awarded to winners. In no event will Sponsor be responsible for awarding more than the stated number of prizes.
NOTIFICATION OF WINNER(S).
Winners will be notified by phone, mail and/or email, at Sponsor’s discretion. Sponsor’s decision will be final in all matters. Sponsor may also send potential winner(s) a declaration of eligibility / liability / publicity release (“Release”). Unless restricted by law, potential winners receiving such a Release may be required to complete and return it within the time period specified therein. The prize may be forfeited and, in such case, an alternate potential winner may in Sponsor's discretion be selected from among the remaining eligible entries (using the criteria described above), if a potential winner: (i) cannot be reached; (ii) fails to obtain all signatures on the Release and to return the documents in a timely manner as required pursuant to these Official Rules; or (iii) cannot accept or receive the prize for any reason. Prizes will be sent to winner as quickly as practicable following notification (and receipt of any Release and related document, if applicable).
CONTENT AND LICENSE TERMS.
Originality: By participating in this Contest, Participant warrants and represents that his or her entry:
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is original and has been legally created, and that Participant owns all rights to the entry;
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does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights or any other legal or moral rights of any third party;
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has not been entered in any previous contest or won any previous award;
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has not been published or distributed previously in any media; and
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complies in all respects with the requirements set out in these Official Rules.
THIRD PARTY RIGHTS. No part of any entry may depict recognizable third-party marks, copyrights, brands or other property, unless Participant has obtained all proper licenses. The entry must not contain any elements that would infringe upon any third party's rights (intellectual property or otherwise) and must not include any commercial content that: (1) promotes any product or service, other than one owned or branded by Sponsor, or (2) disparages Sponsor, its affiliates, partners, customers, competitors or any third party in any way. Sponsor’s determination as to whether Participant's Submission potentially violates the rights of any third party is final.
PERMISSIONS AND RELEASE. Participant acknowledge and agrees that he or she is responsible for obtaining any and all documents, policies and authorizations necessary to submit the entry to Sponsor in connection with this Contest, including but not limited to publicity releases, permits and venue permissions, as may be necessary; and Participant represents and warrants that he or she has done so and can make written copies of such permissions available to Sponsor upon request.
If applicable: Participant represents and warrants that he or she has obtained permission from each person whose name, image, likeness and/or voice (“Likeness”) is included in any entry, and that such person(s) has/have granted Participant all necessary rights to use the person’s Likeness as described in these rules, and that Participant can make written copies of such permissions available to Sponsor upon request. If the Likeness of a minor is included, such grant of rights must include written permission from the minor’s parent or legal guardian authorizing the use of the minor’s likeness on behalf of the minor. Participant represents and warrants that he or she has obtained written permission when filming or photographing any part of his or her entry on private property not owned or controlled by Participant, where such permission is required.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT LIMITATIONS. Participant’s entry must not include anything in its theme or language that would offend parents whose young children view the entry, and must not include any nudity, sex, explicit activity, violence or drug use, nor any references to same.
LICENSE GRANT. By submitting any entry in this Contest, Participant irrevocably grants Sponsor and its affiliates, legal representatives, assigns, agents and licensees, the unconditional, irrevocable and perpetual right and permission, royalty-free, to reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, publicly perform, adapt, exhibit and/or otherwise use or reuse (without limitation as to when or to the number of times used), for any purpose, the Participant's entry and ideas and materials contained therein, including, but not limited to, any recordings and performances contained therein (in each case, as submitted or as edited/modified in any way by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion), as well as to use Participant's Likeness, and/or statements regarding his/her participation in this Contest (with or without using the Participant's name) in any and all media without limitation as to time or territory, and without additional compensation or approval from the Participant, or any other party. Participant waives all intellectual property rights, privacy/publicity rights or other legal or moral rights that might preclude the Sponsor's use of the Submission and agrees not to sue or assert any claim against Sponsor for the use of the Submission or Participant's Likeness or statements. The grant of rights under these Official Rules includes all rights of paternity, integrity, disclosure, and withdrawal and any other rights that may be known as or referred to as “moral rights” (“Moral Rights”). If Moral Rights cannot be assigned under applicable law, then to the full extent allowed by law, Participant hereby waives such Moral Rights in favor of Sponsor and consents to any action of Sponsor which would violate such Moral Rights in the absence of such consent.
GENERAL CONDITIONS.
The Contest is subject to applicable federal, state and local laws, and these Official Rules.
Each winner will be solely responsible for any local, provincial, country or any other applicable taxes, and any other costs, expenses and fees in connection with the prize. If applicable, the winner(s) may be issued an IRS Form 1099 or other tax documentation for the approximate retail value of any awarded prize.
Participant grants permission to Sponsor and its authorized representatives to use his/her name, address (city and state/province/territory/country), photograph, voice, and/or other likeness for advertising, trade and promotional purposes without further compensation, in all media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide, and on the Internet and world wide web, in perpetuity, without notice, consideration, review or approval.
Following the Contest Period, Sponsor shall not be required to retain records of any Entries.
By participating, Participant hereby: (a) agrees bound by these Official Rules, and the decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final and binding; and (b) waives any right to claim ambiguity in the Contest or these Official Rules, except where prohibited by law. Once submitted, an Entry cannot be deleted or cancelled.
If any prize involves travel, all potential winners are responsible for obtaining all necessary travel documents, including valid passports, visas and travel insurance, and complying with all health or other government regulations.
Participant acknowledges and agrees that Sponsor has neither made, nor is in any manner responsible or liable for, any warranty, representation or guarantee, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize or the Contest. All warranties are hereby disclaimed; and each potential winner will accept the Prize “AS IS.” All costs and expenses, including support services, not specifically listed above as part of the prize, are solely the winner’s responsibility.
In the event of a dispute as to the source of any Entry, the authorized account holder of the email address used to enter will be deemed to be the person making the Entry. The authorized “account holder” is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address.
Subject to applicable law, Sponsor reserves the right in its discretion, to (a) cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Contest and these Official Rules, for any reason, at any time and without any liability, and (b) limit or restrict participation in the Contest, upon notice.
All Participants are solely responsible for compliance with any applicable laws, rules and regulations, contractual limitations and/or office or company policies, if any, regarding Participant’s participation in trade promotions or acceptance of promotional prizes; and by entering this Contest, Participant confirms that he or she is not in violation of any of the foregoing and has obtained the consent of his or her employer to participate, if applicable. If a Participant is not permitted to accept any received prize, then the Participant may return such prize to Sponsor; and Sponsor will refund the cost of shipment, as appropriate.
Use of any automated entry device or software is prohibited. Creation or use of multiple accounts for registration or participation in the Contest is prohibited. To the extent the Contest uses or requires functionality of any third-party website (e.g., social media sites or platforms that enable broad communications, collaboration and/or posting of videos), you understand that the Contest is not sponsored by such third parties, and further agree to follow the policies on such website(s), as applicable. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Participant it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or violating these Official Rules, or otherwise acts in an uncooperative, unsportsmanlike, disruptive, abusive, or threatening manner; and Sponsor reserves the right to cancel the Contest should it suspect fraud or for reasons out of the control of Sponsor. Disputes regarding these Official Rules and/or this Contest will be governed by the internal laws of California. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY FEES) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.
Sponsor is not responsible for: (a) lost, late, misdirected, undeliverable, incomplete or indecipherable entries due to system errors or failures, or faulty transmissions or other telecommunications malfunctions and/or entries; (b) technical failures of any kind; (c) failures of any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (d) unauthorized human and/or mechanical intervention in any part of the submission process or the Contest administration; (e) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (f) other factors beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control. Sponsor is not responsible for injury or damage to any Participant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in the Contest or downloading materials from or use of the Site.
If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned by Sponsor, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which, in Sponsor’s sole determination, corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. If Contest is cancelled prior to the end of the Contest Period, for the reasons stated above, notice will be posted on the Contest website; and some or all of the prizes may, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, be awarded to potential winners to be selected (using the judging criteria described above) from among all the remaining uncorrupted entries received up until the time of modification or cancellation.
Sponsor shall not be liable to any Participant or other person for failure to supply any prize or any part thereof, by reason of the prize becoming, for reasons beyond the reasonable control of Sponsor, unavailable or impracticable to award, or for any force majeure event, technical or equipment failure, terrorist acts, labor dispute, or act/omission of any kind (whether legal or illegal), transportation interruption, civil disturbance, or any other cause similar or dissimilar beyond Sponsor’s control.
LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY AND RELEASE. PARTICIPANT AGREES THAT SPONSOR, ITS AFFILIATES, DIVISIONS, SUBSIDIARIES, RESELLERS, DEALERS, DISTRIBUTORS, ADVERTISING/PROMOTION AGENCIES, AND ALL OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS (“RELEASED PARTIES”) WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR, AND WILL BE RELEASED AND HELD HARMLESS BY PARTICIPANT FOR ANY CLAIMS, LIABILITIES, OR CAUSES OF ACTION OF ANY KIND OR NATURE FOR ANY INJURY, LOSS OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES TO PERSONS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DISABILITY OR DEATH. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON THE SITE AND IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, IN WHICH CASE SUCH LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION SHALL APPLY ONLY TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY THE LAW IN THE RELEVANT JURISDICTION.
PUBLICITY. Participant acknowledges and agrees that Sponsor may use the Contest (including any submission) for publicity, advertising or other marketing purposes, in any media, and may use the name, likeness, and hometown name and/or prize information of potential winners as part of that publicity, without additional compensation to the potential winners.
PRIVACY. All personal information collected by Sponsor will be used for the administration of the Contest and in accordance with Sponsor's privacy policy. Any questions regarding privacy matters should be directed to the address set out below. Please refer to Sponsor's privacy policy located at http://cisco.com/web/siteassets/legal/privacy.html for important information regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by Sponsor.
OFFICIAL RULES AND WINNERS' LIST. For a copy of these Official Rules or the names of winners, please send your request to snort-scholarship@cisco.com. Winners list to be available at https://snort.org/community/scholarship, on approximately July 1, 2023.
