StoryTubes 2009 National Contest
Contest Rules and Regulations

The rules and regulations for the upcoming StoryTubes 2009 National Contest have not yet been finalized.  They will vary from the rules of StoryTubes 2008 (see below).  However, there will be similarities.

StoryTubes 2008 National Contest
Contest Rules and Regulations

Any failure to follow the rules and regulations stated below will make an entry
ineligible to enter the contest and ineligible to win prizes associated with the contest.

• Children must have a parent’s or guardian’s permission to enter the contest.
• The contest is open to students in grades one through six who are residents of the United States or its territories and same-aged children of active-duty U.S. military personnel stationed abroad.  If you do not qualify for the contest but are interested in it, please email us as we would like to collect input for the future.
• An entry consists of an online video of one student promoting one book and a corresponding online entry form.  To enter, the contestant must upload the video to YouTube and submit a corresponding StoryTubes Contest Entry Form.  Failure to include both elements of the entry will make the entry ineligible.
• All required fields of the online entry form must be completed, including the category for which the entry is being submitted.  See Contest Categories for more information.
• Entries must be submitted between 9:00 a.m. EST on April 1, 2008 and 9:00 p.m. PST on April 26, 2008.
• A child may enter the contest more than once, but each video entry must feature a different book.
• The spoken information on the video must be in English.
• The maximum length for each video is two (2) minutes.  Entries that exceed two minutes and one second (2:01) in length, as noted by the YouTube timer, will be ineligible.
• The video may show the book cover and may include brief quotations from the book but may not include any excerpt of the book that exceeds one-sixteenth of the book’s total text.
• The book that is promoted in the video must be appropriate for children in grades one through six.
• All visual and spoken content of the video must be appropriate for children in grades one through six.
• Information provided on the online form must be true and accurate. 
• No personally identifying information should be included in the visual or spoken content of the video.  Personal information includes but is not limited to last name, street address, and town or city.
• By allowing his/her child to enter the contest, a parent acknowledges the nature of the Internet and agrees to ensure that appropriate safety precautions are taken.  YouTube is a freely accessible website.  Partner libraries and sponsoring publishers have no control over or responsibility for the content on this site or the actions of those who view the videos.
• Videos will be reviewed by the partner library for the entrant’s assigned geographic region. To avoid any conflict of interest or preferential treatment, no reviewer will review a video that was made by a child whom the reviewer recognizes.  The video will be forwarded to a reviewer who is unfamiliar with the child.  In the event that the regional library that receives the submission has difficulty locating a reviewer to whom the child is unknown, another region will provide a reviewer.
• Videos will be evaluated primarily for performance, script, and creativity of supporting materials.  Other factors with lesser weight include but are not limited to demonstrated knowledge of the book, technical quality of the entry, and general appeal of the presentation.
• The first 2,000 entries in each region are guaranteed a review for Top Ten consideration and subsequent voting in their selected categories.  Entries beyond this number will be screened if possible, as determined by the regional library partner.
• Each partner library will send two regional entries from each category to the national contest.  The selection of entries by regional partners is final.
• Online voting will be held one category at a time, beginning May 5 and concluding June 1.  For specific voting dates for each category, see Contest Categories.
• One or more specific publishers will sponsor each category (one week) of online voting.  The individual contestant who created the winning video in a given category will receive $500.00 of books (retail value) from the sponsoring publisher(s).  Each week’s sponsoring publisher(s) will be noted on the voting site. 
• Each creator of a winning entry will be allowed to select a public library, school library, or other educational association to receive $1,000.00 worth of books (retail value) from the category’s sponsoring publisher(s).  Each week’s sponsoring publisher(s) will be noted on the voting site.
• Videos that are selected for the voting phase (ten in each category) will be moved to a StoryTubes YouTube account so that they can be retained throughout the voting.  A specific parental permission form granting permission for this action must be signed for an entry to reach the voting stage of the contest.  Inability to contact the child’s parent/guardian and or to receive the permission form by the date required will render an entry ineligible for voting.
• Participants in the StoryTubes contest are subject to all usual and ongoing rules and policies of the partner libraries representing each region of the U.S.
• Prize winners are responsible for determining what, if any, local tax laws or other laws apply to their winnings and winners agree to abide by those laws.
• Contestants understand that while only highly rated entries will proceed to the online voting phase of the contest, online voting itself is not a scientific process. The purpose of the contest is to promote and have fun with books rather than to engage in a controlled process of determining the best entry.
• All decisions regarding the contest will be made solely at the discretion of the public library contest partners representing each region. Library partners reserve the right to change or amend procedures during the contest so as to ensure its viability. All decisions made by library partners are final, determinative, and non-appealable.

 

Questions regarding the contest should be directed to Denise Raleigh.

 

 

[Revised June 27, 2008]