Official Rules
Who: Eligibility to participate in this Contest or to win prizes is limited to an individual who at the time of entry are:
- law students at an ABA-accredited law school, or attorneys in their first five (5) years of practice;
- at least 21 years of age;
- not employees, officers, directors, contractors, agents and representatives of the ABA, or their immediate families and household members, all of whom are ineligible.
Contestants need not be a member of the American Bar Association (“ABA”), the Antitrust Law Section ("Section") or the Privacy and Information Security Committee ("Committee") although membership in all is encouraged. No purchase is necessary to win.
What: Participants are required to submit an original written work on data privacy or cybersecurity law.
- Entry form and essay should be submitted to Tiffany Goldston, Program Specialist, American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Section, via email to [email protected].
- Entry forms can be found here.
- The ABA is not responsible for errors or for lost, late, or misdirected email, or telecommunication or hardware or software failures, including by reason of any bug or computer virus or other failure.
- Essays must be:
- the original, un-published work of the entrant;
- in the English language;
- submitted in electronic format (Word or PDF) to [email protected];
- A minimum of 15 pages in length, include footnotes, with 12-point font and 1-inch margins; and
- All entries are final. No revised entries will be accepted. Acceptance of any subsequent revisions to the paper prior to publication are at the discretion of the ABA publication.
When: The ABA will accept entries via email through midnight (CST) January 28, 2022 and will not consider any entry received after the due date and time. The winning works will be chosen by the Committee leadership and are expected to be announced by February 25, 2022.
The leadership of the Committee will judge all essays. The decision of these judges is final.
The winners are expected to be notified by email by February 25, 2022. The winner must acknowledge and confirm agreement to the terms and conditions of winning the Contest no later than 5 days from such notification by the ABA. If a prize winner: (i) cannot be located (e.g., an email notification or prize is returned as undeliverable) ii) does not respond within 5 days of the award email notification; (iii) is found to be ineligible (as determined solely by the ABA); or (iv) fails to execute an affidavit, license, publication or rights agreements or other documentation as required by the ABA, the ABA may consider such prize winner to have forfeited the prize, and may, at its sole option, award the prize to another contestant.
Limit 1 entry and 1 prize per contestant. The ABA's determination of eligibility, in its sole discretion, is final. The ABA reserves the right not to award any prize(s) if, in the ABA's sole judgment (based upon the Committee's recommendation), the quality of submitted entries does not merit award(s) or publication.
Why: The Committee will select three winners. First place will receive a cash prize of $5,000, complimentary registration to the ABA Antitrust Law Section Annual Spring Meeting. The winning work, along with a biography of the winning student or young lawyer, will be published in an ABA publication. Second place will receive a cash prize of $3,000 and third place will receive a cash prize of $2,000.
- The ABA may substitute a prize of equal or greater value in its sole discretion. Prizes are non- transferable and cannot be substituted by the winner. Cash equivalent for prizes is not available. The ABA makes no warranties with regard to the prizes.
- Winners will be solely responsible for reporting and payment of all taxes (federal, state, local or other) on prizes, which will include the value of any accommodations and airfare. Winners will be required to complete an IRS Form W-9, affidavit of eligibility, tax acknowledgment, publicity release (except where prohibited) and liability waiver. All forms must be completed and returned to the Section within 5 business days of receipt and prior to the delivery of any prize, or prizes will be considered forfeited, and another winner may be named.
Additional Rules
Odds of Winning: Chances of winning will vary depending on the number of entries.
License/Grant of Rights:
By entering, the winning entrant consents to the publication of her/his name on the ABA website and materials, her/his entry by the ABA, but such publication is not guaranteed and is at the sole discretion of the ABA. The winning entrant grants the ABA the following rights: (i) the exclusive worldwide right of first publication of their entry in any and all ABA media or form of communication;
(ii) the non-exclusive worldwide right, in ABA's sole discretion, to use, transcribe, publish, reproduce, distribute, sell (as part of an ABA publication) or display the entry, alone or in conjunction with other materials; (iii) the right to edit the essay to conform to the publication's standards of style, technological requirements, language, grammar and punctuation, provided the meaning of the essay is not materially altered; and (iv) the non-exclusive worldwide right to use the winner's name and likeness in connection with the essay or this Contest, in each case, without further compensation.
The winning entrant must execute a separate publication agreement giving the ABA the publication rights enumerated above and the right to use the essay for any other purpose related to the ABA mission. If the winner fails to execute this publication agreement within 5 days of its provision by the ABA, the prize will be considered forfeited, and another winner may be named.
By entering this Contest, contestant represents that their essay is original and that they (contestant) are its author.
Conditions of Participation: By participating, each entrant agrees to these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and releases and discharges the Sponsor, including but not limited to the ABA, the Section, any subsidiary and affiliated entities, and each of their respective officers, directors, members, employees, independent contractors, agents, representatives, successors and assigns (collectively "Released Parties) from any and all liability whatsoever in connection with this Contest, including, without limitation, legal claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages, demands or actions of any kind (including, without limitation, personal injuries, death, damage to, loss or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation, or portrayal in a false light) (collectively "Claims). Except where prohibited, acceptance of a prize constitutes a release by any winner of the Released Parties of any and all Claims in connection with the administration of this Contest and the use, misuse or possession of any prize. All entries submitted to the ABA become the property of the ABA and will not be returned; however, entrants who do not win may submit their entries for publication elsewhere. All expenses involved in preparing and submitting an entry are the sole responsibility of the entrant. Sponsor is not responsible for errors or for lost, late, or misdirected mail or email, or telecommunication or hardware or software failures, including by reason of any bug or computer virus or other failure. Sponsor may cancel, modify or terminate the Contest if it is not capable of completion as planned, including by reason of infection by computer virus, tampering, unauthorized intervention, force majeure or technical difficulties of any kind.
Laws and Regulations: This Contest is governed by U.S. law and all relevant federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. By entering, all participants agree that the Contest shall be governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, that the courts of Illinois shall have exclusive jurisdiction, and that Cook County, Illinois shall be the venue for any dispute or litigation relating to or arising from the Contest. Void where prohibited by law.
Opt-Out Option: Any individual may elect to opt out of receiving future Contest mailings from the ABA by calling the ABA Service Center at 800-285-2221.
Privacy Policy/Data Collection: Information provided by entrants in connection with this Contest is subject to the ABA's privacy policy available at http://www.americanbar.org/utility/privacy.html
Sponsor: The Contest is sponsored by the American Bar Association through its Antitrust Law Section.
American Bar Association
Antitrust Law Section
321 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654-7598