2023 TI Codes Contest

OFFICIAL RULES

Important: Please read these Official Contest Rules (“Rules”) before participating in the TI Codes Contest (collectively for ease of reference the "Contest"). By participating in the Contest, you agree to be bound by these Rules and represent that you satisfy the eligibility requirements below.

 

IMPORTANT COVID-19 NOTICE:  THE CONTEST, THESE RULES, AND ALL DATES INDICATED BY AN ASTERISK (*) ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY NOTICE VIA EMAIL TO ADULT SPONSORS, AS TEXAS INSTRUMENTS IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION DEEMS APPROPRIATE, IN RESPONSE TO GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE, ORDERS, OR TRAVEL ADVISORIES CONCERNING COVID-19 IN THE UNITED STATES.

 

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.  VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

CONTEST DESCRIPTIONS: The Contest is a series of STEM-focused design challenges held in three competitive elimination rounds. Each round of the Contest presents a new challenge for teams to advance. Challenges include the creation of a Project proposal and Project Plan, models, and videos. The team that advances through all three rounds and receives the most public votes at the end of the Contest Period will win the Grand Prize (see prize descriptions below). The Adult Sponsor of the Grand Prize-winning team will win a $250 Amazon gift card.

SPONSOR: The sponsor of the Contest is Texas Instruments Incorporated, acting through its Education Technology division (“TI”), with a place of business at 12500 TI Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75243, and with a website at http://education.ti.com.

 

CONTEST PERIOD: The Contest will begin on January 9, 2023, at 9:01 am Central Time (“CT”) and will end at 11:59 pm CT on May 2, 2023* (the “Contest Period”). TI’s computer will be the official timekeeping device of this Contest. All dates are expressed as month/day/year.

 

ELIGIBILITY: THE CONTEST IS OPEN ONLY TO STUDENTS WHO, AT THE TIME OF ENTRY, ARE AGES 13-19, IN GRADES 6-12, AND ARE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ANY OF THE FIFTY (50) UNITED STATES, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, OR PUERTO RICO. These individuals are not eligible to enter or win: Employees (and interns) of TI, and their immediate families (parent, child, spouse or sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in their same households (whether or not related), and of TI’s affiliates, subsidiaries and their respective contractors (e.g., TI T³  instructors, advertising and promotion agencies). By participating, Entrants agree to be bound by these Rules, and the decisions of the judges and TI are binding and final on matters relating to this Contest.

This Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws. This Contest and any advertisements relating thereto are intended for viewing only within the above-referenced eligible locations. By participating, you agree: (1) you have read and understood these Rules; (2) you meet the eligibility requirements as explained in these Rules; (3) you are bound by these Rules and TI's Terms of Use and TI Privacy Policy as published at http://www.ti.com; (4) you unconditionally accept and agree to comply with and abide by these Rules and the decisions of TI without appeal; and (5) these Rules will be legally binding on you and your legal representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns.

HOW TO ENTER:

Take these steps before the end of the first round of the Contest, February 15, 2023, at 11:59 pm CT:

• Form a team and select a team name (minimum of one student member and a maximum of five student members), then select an Adult Sponsor, such as a parent or teacher. The email address of the team’s Adult Sponsor must be used to participate in the Contest.
• Click on the link for the Contest at TIcodescontest.com and review the challenge prompt. You may reach this link directly at the http://education.ti.com website or from posts on the Facebook or Twitter feeds of TI Education Technology, or posts on other Facebook and Twitter feeds, or banner advertisements on certain educator news outlets.
• The Adult Sponsor must create a team profile by completing the appropriate online form, checkbox consent to the Official Rules on behalf of the Adult Sponsor and each team member and submit a project proposal packet, as outlined on the contest webpage. A team that submits this form with a packet is a “Team Entrant”, and the individual team members are “Entrants”. Materials submitted to the Contest (e.g., project plans, videos, or other submissions) by Team Entrants are “Entries” (individually an “Entry”).

 CONTEST ROUNDS AND JUDGING CRITERIA:

• Round 1: The first round of the Contest involves the submission of the team profile and completion of the Project Plan Packet on the TICodesContest.com website. A group of TI judges (“Judges”) will use the rubric in the Project Plan Packet to evaluate all Project Plan submissions. Up to 10 top-scoring teams will advance to Round 2.

• Round 2: The teams advancing to the second round of the Contest will each receive one Supply Kit to build their model. A Supply Kit includes: (i) a TI-84 Plus CE Python, or a TI-Nspire CX II graphing calculator (team may choose), (ii) a TI-Innovator Hub and BBC micro:bit (iii) TI-Innovator Hub Accessories (Breadboard Pack, I/O Modules, Ultrasonic Ranger Module, and External Battery), and (iv) a $50 Visa gift card to purchase miscellaneous supplies for building the model. Teams will build their model and create a video, less than 90 seconds in length, to show their model and explain their Project. Videos must be uploaded to a public YouTube account and a link emailed to codescontest@ti.com by April 11, 2023*, at 11:59 pm CT. YouTube Terms of Service and related policies and guidelines may apply to you. The Judges will select 10 teams to advance to the final round. Judges will evaluate team videos based on these criteria: (1) successful functionality of the model (35%), (2) use of TI technology (30%), (3) visual appearance of the model (10%), (4) explanation and description of the model (10%), and (5) creativity of the video (15%).

• Round 3: Up to five team videos advancing to the final round will be placed on the Contest webpage. Anyone with access to the internet may vote for any video once during the voting round between April 26, 2023*, at 9:01 am CT and May 2, 2023*, at 11:59 pm CT. The team with a video receiving the most votes at the end of Round 3 will receive the Grand Prize. The teams with videos receiving the second and third highest votes will receive the Runners-Up Prize. If any tie occurs in the public voting, the Judges will break the tie based on the most heavily weighted criteria specified above (i.e., functionality of the model).

Message and data rates may apply to using a mobile phone/device to participate in the Contest. You (or your parent/legal guardian if you are a minor in your jurisdiction of residence) are strongly advised to check your mobile phone/device carrier’s rate plan before attempting to participate in the Contest via use of an app. Wireless internet service may not be available in all areas.

RESTRICTIONS: You represent and agree the team name and submitted Entries (including the team profile, Project Plan Packet, video or other submission):

• Have not been licensed, published, distributed or publicly used or displayed by a commercial enterprise;
• Have not been entered into any promotion or contest sponsored by an education technology retailer, either online or in-store, or published for commercial purposes in any medium;
• Must not be used on social media or in any other published material if the submission contains material that, in the sole discretion of TI:
  • Disparages any person, TI and/or any of TI’s affiliates’ products, competitors, or other companies;
  • Violates or infringes upon the copyrights, trademarks, or privacy, property, publicity or other intellectual property rights of any person or entity not affiliated with this Contest;
  • Includes brand names, copyrighted work or trademarks/logos that may infringe on rights of any third party not affiliated with this Contest;
  • Is hateful, tortuous, defamatory, slanderous or libelous;
  • Promotes bigotry, racism, sexism, violence, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes a political agenda or discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age;
  • Contains any personal identification, such as personal names or e-mail addresses;
  • Promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or using the foregoing);
  • Promotes any activities that may appear unsafe or dangerous;
  • Is unlawful or in violation of any law;
  • Contains any nudity, sexually explicit, lewd, obscene, offensive, disparaging or other inappropriate content;
  • Is unsuitable to be entered into this Contest; and/or
  • Communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or good will which TI wishes to associate.

TI reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any team that violates these principles.

PRIZES:

Grand Prize: The Grand Prize consists of:

• TI-84 Plus CE Python (ARV $129) or TI-Nspire CX II (ARV $165) graphing calculator for each team Entrant (5 maximum)
• TI-Innovator Hub (ARV $64) and Rover (ARV $135) for each team Entrant and Adult Sponsor (6 maximum)
• TI t-shirts (6 maximum)
• $250 Amazon.com gift card to the Adult Sponsor for use at his or her discretion

Runners-Up: The Runners-Up Prize (for second and third place) consists of:

• TI-84 Plus CE Python or TI-Nspire CX II graphing calculator for each team Entrant (5 maximum)
• TI t-shirts (5 maximum)

If a stated prize is unavailable, TI reserves the right to substitute items of equal or greater value. Prizes are not transferable, exchangeable, or redeemable for cash. Reporting and payment of any federal, state, provincial, local, VAT, or other taxes, fees, customs, duties, insurance, or other amounts owed in connection with any prize are the sole responsibility of the winner(s). An IRS form 1099 will be issued if required by law.

EACH PRIZE GIVEN AWAY IS “AS IS.” TI DOES NOT MAKE, AND HEREBY DISCLAIMS, ANY WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, REGARDING ANY PRIZE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT.

VIDEO AND PROJECT SUBMISSIONS:

If your team submits a video as part of its Entry, you represent and warrant: (a) you shot/created the video; (b) the video is your sole, exclusive, original creation, and you are the owner of all right, title and interest in the video and have the right to grant the rights granted, or, alternatively you have obtained all necessary rights and permissions to use and submit the video in the Contest and to provide all the rights specified in these Rules before posting the video (e.g., the written consent of any persons other than you taking the video or depicted in the video); (c) you have the unconditional right to submit your video under these Rules, and your video and the use thereof as contemplated herein does not and will not violate, misappropriate, or infringe upon the rights of any third party, including, without limitation, any copyright, trademark, patent, or any rights of publicity or privacy, or any other intellectual property or proprietary rights; (d) your video does not and will not violate any applicable laws or regulations, and is not and will not be defamatory or libelous. You agree TI, in its discretion, may post the video on the Contest site during and after the Contest Period and to use it in future marketing promotions. In addition, project submissions may be used to create future innovator projects/lessons after the Contest Period.

SUBMITTED VIDEOS REPRESENT SOLELY THE VIEWS/OPINIONS OF THE ENTRANT AND DO NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS/OPINIONS OF TI. TI HAS NO OBLIGATION TO, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY IN CONJUNCTION WITH, SCREENING, MONITORING, OR REVIEWING THE CONTENT OF SUBMITTED VIDEO.

WINNER NOTIFICATION/ VERIFICATION/ ACCEPTANCE:

On or about one (1) day after calculating is complete, TI will make two (2) attempts within three (3) business days to contact the Adult Sponsor of potential winning Team Entrants via email, using the Adult Sponsor email address used for the submission. The Adult Sponsor should confirm email spam filters will permit email from TI and/or periodically check the junk email folder for email from TI. 

Winner(s) must respond to the prize notification within the time specified in the notification and may be required to: (1) provide his or her full mailing address to receive the prize(s); (2) upon TI’s request, sign and return a release of liability, declaration or affidavit of eligibility, confirmation of Entrant’s agreement to the Official Rules and, where lawful, a publicity release signed by Entrant (or if a minor in his/her jurisdiction of residence, signed by his/her parent or legal guardian) granting permission to use his/her name and likeness for advertising, and/or promotional and/or marketing purposes (without further compensation) (Tennessee residents need not complete and return a publicity release), and/or to comply with disclosure requirements under applicable law; and (3) upon TI request, provide confirmation of the License  granted to TI below signed by each Entrant and, if necessary, by any other person taking or depicted in any video (or if either is a minor, a parent or guardian as prescribed above); (4) take possession of the prize(s) in the manner specified by TI.

DISQUALIFICATION: Noncompliance with these Rules, failure to return any documents within the time specified, or failure to respond to notification attempts or returns of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will cause disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected using the criteria specified. TI will fulfill all prizes within 4-6 weeks of the end of the Contest Period. All decisions of TI relating to the Contest are final.

PUBLICITY: Each winner, by acceptance of the Prize, unless legally prohibited, grants permission for TI and its designees to use his/her name, address (city and state), photograph, voice and/or other likeness and prize information for advertising, trade and promotional purposes without further compensation, in all media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide in perpetuity, without notice or review or approval.

WINNERS’ NAMES: The winners’ team name, individual first name, last initial, city and state may be posted on the TICodesContest.com webpage or on TI social media accounts such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

LICENSE TO ENTRY: By submitting an Entry, each Entrant (or if a minor in his/her jurisdiction of residence, his/her parent or legal guardian) acknowledges and agrees that if the Entry advances to the third round of the Contest, each such Entrant grants to TI and its licensees, sublicensees, designees, successors, and assigns, the exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable right and license (including but not limited to, all intellectual property and proprietary rights) to use the Entry in any manner and in all media now known or hereinafter developed (the “License”). The rights granted under the License shall also include, without limitation, the right to alter or edit the Entry, and to make derivative works based on the Entry. Entrant (or if a minor in his/her jurisdiction of residence, his/her parent or legal guardian) agrees to sign any documents required by TI upon request to confirm such License. This License survives the Contest Period.

IDENTITY OF ENTRANT: If a dispute occurs about the identity of a Team Entrant, Entries will be declared/made by the Authorized Account Holder of the email address of the Adult Sponsor entered on the Team Entrant’s Entry, and if a prize is won, it will be awarded to the email account owner. “Authorized Account Holder” is defined as the natural person assigned to an email address by an Internet Access Provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that assigns email addresses.

GENERAL CONDITIONS: The decisions of TI are final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest without appeal. Except as determined by TI in its sole discretion, no substitution of a prize shall be offered and no transfer of the right to receive a prize to a third party is permitted, except by TI, who reserves the right to award a prize, or portion thereof, of equal or greater value. In no event will more than the stated number of prizes be awarded. Actual value of prize will depend on current market conditions during fulfillment, and any difference between the stated MSRP and the actual value of the prize will not be awarded, except at TI’s sole discretion. Any guarantees and warrantees on merchandise prizes are subject to the manufacturer’s terms, and winners agree to look solely to said manufacturers for any such warranty or guarantee claim. All prize details are in TI’s sole discretion.

PRIVACY: All personal information collected in this Contest will be used under TI’s Privacy Policy found at http://education.ti.com or with any other consent given by an Entrant (e.g., Privacy Policy of YouTube). Any communication or information transmitted to TI by electronic mail or otherwise is and will be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary.

GENERAL LIABILITY: Entrants agree that TI, its parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates and advertising and promotion agencies, and the successors and assigns and licensees of each of the foregoing, all other companies involved in the development or operation of the Contest, all other companies involved in the provision of any prize, and the directors, officers, employees and agents and contractors of each of the foregoing (individually and collectively, the “Releasees”) (a) shall not be responsible or liable for, and you release Releasees from, any claims, losses, damages or injuries of any kind (including death, to persons, property) resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in the Contest or any Contest related activity, or from acceptance, receipt, possession and/or use/misuse or inability to use a prize; (b) to the maximum extent permitted by law, has made no warranty, condition, representation or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, regarding a prize, including, without limitation, to such prize’s quality or fitness for a particular purpose; (c) TI shall not be liable or responsible for any allegation of a violation of any law, rule or regulation relating to personal information or data security, resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the Contest or from using YouTube; and (d) shall not be liable for any injury, damage, loss, expense, accident, delay, inconvenience or irregularity that may be caused or contributed to: (i) by any wrongful, negligent or unauthorized act or omission by any of their agents, servants, employees or independent contractors; (ii) by any wrongful, negligent or unauthorized act or omission by any other person or entity not an employee of TI, or (iii) by any other cause, condition or event beyond the control of TI.

TI assumes no responsibility for computer system, phone line, hardware, software, third party sites, or program malfunctions or other errors, failures of any kinds, delayed computer transmissions or network, server, cable, satellite, Internet Service Provider (ISP) or other connections that are human or technical or other errors or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, computer, network, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in the administration of the Contest, notification and announcement of the prize winners, or in any other Contest related materials. TI is not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate registration information, whether caused by Internet users or by the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest, by any technical or human errors which may occur in the processing of the entries in the Contest, or for any technical or human errors which may occur during the administration of the Contest. TI reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual or team it suspects to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or entry process, or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike, disruptive, or illegal manner or in violation of these Rules and to void all associated entries. TI also reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual or team it suspects is using any automated entry (e.g., any use of a bot), and any individual or team suspected or found to be: (1) submitting automated entries of any kind; (2) using software that automatically completes any challenges; or (3) engaging in any form of cheating or hacking.

TI is not responsible for entries garbled, late, tampered with, forged, incomplete, misdirected, lost, misplaced, stolen, delayed, damaged, inaccurate, undelivered, destroyed or otherwise not in compliance with these Rules, and all such entries will be void, and all such entries or submissions will be void. If production, technical, seeding, programming or any other factors/reasons cause more than the stated number of prizes in these Rules to be available and/or claimed, TI reserves the right to award the prizes as stated herein via additional random drawings from among all eligible, legitimate, entries, at its sole discretion.

Failure of TI to enforce any provision herein shall not be deemed a waiver of the provision. TI reserves the right to modify these Rules for clarification and/or administration purposes without materially affecting the terms of the Contest.

ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE CONTEST OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, TI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND COSTS (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, TI SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE CONTEST, HOWSOEVER CAUSED, WHETHER ARISING IN STATUTE, TORT, CONTRACT, OR OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER TI WERE ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, AND ALL SUCH DAMAGES ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED AND EXCLUDED.

TI IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH YOUTUBE OR ANY OTHER PROVIDER OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES WHICH MAY BE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CONTEST, AND TI IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTIONS OR OMISSIONS OF ANY SUCH THIRD PARTIES OR THE PERFORMANCE OF ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.

If any part of these Rules is determined to be invalid or unenforceable under applicable law, then the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed superseded by a valid, enforceable provision that most closely matches the intent of the original provision and these Rules shall continue in effect.

MODIFICATION OR TERMINATION: TI reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, amend, suspend, cancel, or terminate the Contest at any time for any reason, including but not limited to any reason that affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest. Such reasons include but are not limited to fraud, tampering, unauthorized access, infections by computer virus, bugs, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of TI.

GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION: The Contest and these rules and conditions shall be governed by the laws of the State of Texas, and any dispute arising out of this Contest shall be brought in, and each Entrant consents to exclusive jurisdiction and venue in, the Federal District Courts sitting in Dallas County, Texas. By entering this Contest, all Entrants agree that any disputes, claims, and causes of action relating to this Contest, or any prizes awarded, shall be resolved individually without resort to any form of class action or other proceeding.

WINNERS LIST: To obtain a copy of these Rules or the name of the Prize winners, available after the end of the Contest Period, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to:

Texas Instruments Incorporated
Educational Technology Division
c/o 2022 TI Codes Contest
13532 N. Central Expressway, MS 3818
Dallas, TX 75243

Requests must be received by June 1, 2023.

This Contest is no way is sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with YouTube.