Competition rules

Participation is free.

No purchase is necessary.

A purchase does not increase the chances of winning.

By participating in this competition, participants accept these Terms, Conditions & Requirements.

Contest Description:
“Where did your bio begin?” is a contest featuring video, photographic and written submissions brought to you by Sigma Life Science a subsidiary of the Sigma-Aldrich corporation. Any person or group can send submissions with a passion for biology and/or biological research; however current and former Sigma-Aldrich employees are not eligible to win.

We would like you to tell us the story of how your bio began using video, text or photography and upload it on www.wherebiobegins/contest to share with our global followers. We will showcase all content received and ask viewers, like you, to rate the entries in each category (video, short essay and photo) through the deadline on May 31st, 2010.

Entries received after the May 31st contest deadline are welcome and will be added to contest page but will not be judged and are not eligible to win. Winners will be contacted and announced by June 15th 2010.

How do I enter the contest?

  1. Create a video, short essay or photograph with supporting descriptions to describe the story of where your bio began. Limit the video to between: 30 and 60 seconds, submit only original images you have created or images you have explicit license to use and limit the image file to 50K, do not exceed 300 words for the essay.
  2. Complete and submit the entry form when you upload your content.
  3. Upload to the contest page at wherebiobegins.com/contest. Make sure the title and username you have used to submit your video, blog or photograph match the username and title listed on your entry form. For more information on how to post an entry, visit the help section at http://www.wherebiobegins.com/contest.

Schedule:
Official Contest Start Date: March 9th , 2010.

Official Deadline for Submissions is May 31st 2010 Central Standard Time.

Winners will be announced by June 15th 2010 on the contest web page and through Facebook and Twitter.

Winners will be contacted via e-mail.

Rules and Requirements for Content

  1. The entry must be about the inspiration that began your interest in biology or a career in biological sciences. Any entry submitted which is unrelated to the topic of biology will not be judged and will be removed.
  2. The video must be from 30 to 60 seconds in length, text can be up to 300 words and photographs should be no larger than 50K and 300 x 300 pixels.
  3. The contest is open to all individuals with a passion for biology with the exception of both current and former Sigma-Aldrich employees.
  4. The video, text or images must not contain brand names or trademarks, or use content that someone else owns the copyright to, such as music tracks, band shows, snippets of copyrighted programs, or videos made by other users, without necessary authorizations.
  5. The entry must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright or license infringement.
  6. The entry must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, defamatory, slanderous or libelous.
  7. The entry must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age.
  8. The entry must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws or
    regulations in any state where the video is created.
  9. One entry per participant in one category (either a video, text or photograph).

Screening
All entries that adhere to all of the rules and video requirements (above) and are uploaded to the wherebiobegins.com/contest web site with an entry form before May 31st 2010 will be reviewed by the selection committee.

All entries received and approved in the preliminary review will be streamed or posted on the contest page immediately and are available for viewers to begin voting.

The content may be streamed or posted at the Sigma booth during the American Association for Cancer Research conference in Washington DC, April 17-21, 2010 and Experimental Biology in Anaheim, CA, April 24-28, 2010, or later exhibitions or vendor shows.

Judging Criteria by pre-screening committee for the Grand Prizes

  • Message and appropriateness to theme (40%)
  • Creativity (40%)
  • Aesthetics (20%)

Judging Criteria by online community for the category prizes

  • Entirely up to the viewers!
  • Determined by user ratings and number of votes, i.e. two five star videos, one has 5,000 votes, one has 4,700 votes, so the one with 5,000 votes wins the category.

Winner Selection
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation reserves the right to accept or reject all content, especially entries deemed contrary to the spirit of community and fun the contest is intended to inspire.

The online viewing community at wherebiobegins.com/contest is welcome to vote from March 9th through the contest deadline on May 31st 2010 for their favorite selection within each of the three categories, video, text or photograph. The online voters determine the winner in each category using the voting tools available on the site.

The selection committee at Sigma-Aldrich Corporation will select the winner of the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize recipient will be chosen from any of the three categories.

The selection committee will then contact the winners to arrange receipt of their respective prizes.

Additional Resources
Return often to wherebiobegins.com/contest to keep track of the vote tally and view/read content from other contestants. Visit wherebiobegins.com to read the latest blog entry, keep track of the bio-conversation feed on twitter or access the Facebook fan page. Share with your friends so they can vote for your entry!