130 Characters Could Get You Into PASS Summit 2011!

September 20, 2011

Want to get a free full 3-day registration to the PASS Summit 2011 in Seattle, WA from Oct 11-14, 2011? Well, a tweet reply of 130 characters or less (on Twitter) is all it might take to win!

We will post a question on our official Twitter account (@SQLServer) at 9:00 a.m. PT on September 21, 2011 and will take responses to our question until 9:00 p.m. PT on Friday, September 23, 2011. Any answers submitted after that time will be disqualified.

Your reply to our question should be no longer than 130 characters including the #sqlpass hashtag in the character count. Why only 130 characters you might ask? Well, we want to re-tweet your answer! Your answer can be very short or you can use up the 130 character limit.

A panel of three members of the SQL Server Team at Microsoft will evaluate all answers to the question received during the Entry Period and judge the responses based on pure creativity. There is no right or wrong answer to this and you don’t have to be first as you can submit anytime during the Entry Period.

You can only submit one response to the question, so take your time and make it a good one. If you submit more than one, you will be disqualified, including your first response.

To give you time to book your travel and accommodation arrangements, we will announce the winner of the Challenge at 12:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, September 24^th on @SQLServer.

As it states in the rules below, we are providing the winner with one (1) Full (3-Day) Individual Registration to PASS Summit 2011. You are responsible for all travel and accommodation costs and arrangements. This contest is available to all eligible participants worldwide (see rules below).

Additionally, you may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we will award it to an alternate potential winner.

Like all of our other contests, you must be following the @SQLServer account and reply to our question to be eligible to win!

130 CHARACTERS COULD GET YOU TO PASS SUMMIT 2011 CHALLENGE – OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

COMMON TERMS USED IN THESE RULES:

These are the official rules that govern how THE Tell Us in 130 Characters Why You Should Go To PASS Summit 2011 Challenge (“Challenge”) promotion will operate. This promotion will be simply referred to as the “Challenge” throughout the rest of these rules.

In these rules, “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Microsoft Corporation, the sponsor of the Challenge. “You” refers to an eligible Challenge entrant.

WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES?

This Challenge starts at 9:00 a.m. PT on Sept 21, 2011 and ends at 9:00 p.m. PT on Sept 23, 2011 (“Entry Period”).

CAN I ENTER?

You are eligible to enter this Challenge if you meet the following requirements at time of entry:

This contest is open to IT Professionals who are interested in attending the PASS Summit 2011 in Seattle on October 11-14, 2011 and willing to pay for any/all travel and accommodation costs involved attending the Summit . Microsoft will pay the full cost of the Full Summit (3-Days) Individual Registration for PASS Summit 2011. Details of the event are available here.

If you are 18 of age or older, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, you should ask your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission prior to submitting an entry into this Challenge; and
You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and
You are NOT involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Challenge; and
You are NOT an immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Challenge

This Challenge is void wherever prohibited by law.

HOW DO I ENTER?

At 9:00 a.m. PT on Wednesday, September 21, 2011, we will ask a question related to attending PASS Summit 2011 and will have judge the answers based on creativity of the answers during the Entry Period.

To enter, you must do all of the following:

Sign in to your Twitter account. If you do not have an account, visit www.twitter.com to create one. Twitter accounts are free.
Once logged into your Twitter account, follow the links and instructions to become a follower of SQL Server at @SQLServer
From your own account, reply to @SQLServer and include in the tweet your answer to the posted question.
Your tweet must contain the #sqpass hashtag to be eligible for entry and be no longer than 130 characters including the #sqlpass hashtag

Note: You may only submit one answer to the question. If you provide more than one answer, you will be automatically disqualified, including your first response. So take your time and provide only one answer.

We are not responsible for entries that we do not receive for any reason, or for entries that we receive but are not decipherable for any reason, or for entries that do not include both the #sqlpass hashtag, or do not answer the question.

We will automatically disqualify:

Any incomplete or illegible entry; and
Any entries that we receive from you that are in excess of the entry limit described above
Any entries that do not comply with Twitter.com terms of use

WINNER SELECTION AND PRIZES

A Panel of three (3) judges from the SQL Server Team at Microsoft will evaluate all responses to the question and determine a winner based on creativity. The prize is one (1) Full Summit (3-Days) Individual Registration for PASS Summit 2011. Approximate Value $1,795. Only one (1) prize is available.

The winner of the challenge will be personally responsible for all travel, accommodation, entertainment, meals, or any other cost involved with coming to and staying in Seattle for the duration of PASS Summit 2011. Microsoft is not responsible for any costs other than the Full Summit (3-Days) Individual Registration for PASS Summit 2011

The winner of the Challenge will be sent their registration code via a Direct Message (DM) on Twitter or we can email the registration code if the winner provides us an active email address via a Direct Message (DM) to @SQLServer. The winner must reply to our Direct Message (DM) by 12:00 p.m. PT on Monday, September 26, 2011 or the winner will be disqualified and SQL Server Team at Microsoft will immediately notify the runner up of winning. If that happens, the runner up must respond to our Direct Message (DM) by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 26, 2011 or that person will be disqualified and the contest will end without a winner.

If you are a potential winner, we will notify you via Direct Message on Twitter to the account provided at time of entry within twelve (12) hours following the end of the Entry Period. If the notification that we send is returned as undeliverable, or you are otherwise unreachable for any reason, we may award the prize to an alternate winner as decided by the panel of judges. Microsoft will provide the winner the registration code for the Full 3-Day Registration to the PASS Summit 2011 within 2 hours of selecting the winner on Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. PT.

If there is a dispute as to who is the potential winner, we reserve the right to make final decisions on who is the winner based on the creativity of the answers provided, ensuring that the rules of including hashtags is followed, and the times the answers arrive within the Entry Period on www.twitter.com.

If you are a potential winner, we may require you to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability/Publicity Release within 10 days of notification. If you are a potential winner and you are 18 or older, but are considered a minor in your place of legal residence, we may require your parent or legal guardian to sign all required forms on your behalf. If you do not complete the required forms as instructed and/or return the required forms within the time period listed on the winner notification message, we may disqualify you and select an alternate, randomly selected winner.

If you are confirmed as a winner of this Challenge:

You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services. However, if for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value; and

You may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we will award it to an alternate potential winner; and

If you accept a prize, you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize; and

If you are otherwise eligible for this Challenge, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, we may award the prize to your parent/legal guardian on your behalf; and

WHAT ARE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING?

Your odds of winning this Challenge depend on the number of eligible entries we receive and the creativity of the answers as judged by a panel of three (3) members of the SQL Server Team at Microsoft.

WHAT OTHER CONDITIONS ARE YOU AGREEING TO BY ENTERING THIS CHALLENGE?

By entering this Challenge you agree:

To abide by these Official Rules; and
To release and hold harmless Microsoft, and its respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Challenge or any prize won; and
That Microsoft’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this Challenge; and
That by accepting a prize, Microsoft may use of your proper name and state of residence online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this Challenge, without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law

WHAT LAWS GOVERN THE WAY THIS CHALLENGE IS EXECUTED AND ADMINISTRATED?

This Challenge will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Challenge.

WHAT IF SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENS AND THE CHALLENGE CAN’T RUN AS PLANNED?

If cheating, a virus, bug, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and / or integrity of this Challenge, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this Challenge. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the Challenge, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Challenge.

If you attempt to compromise the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Challenge by hacking or by cheating or committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law. Further, we may ban you from participating in any of our future Challenge, so please play fairly.

HOW CAN YOU FIND OUT WHO WON?

To find out who won, send an email to [email protected] by November 21st, 2011 with the subject line: “130 Characters Could Get You To PASS Summit 2011 Challenge”.

WHO IS SPONSORING THIS CHALLENGE?

Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052