Official Rules & Terms
Contest submissions are due by midnight, August 31, 2020. All winning films will premiere at the Houses for Warriors Film Festival on Veterans Day– November 11th, 2020.
Eligibility:
Houses for Warriors’ Film Contest (hereafter referred to as the “Contest”) is open to students from grade 9 through college and recent college graduates (within 4 years), as per the appropriate entrant category. We accept USA submissions only.
No purchase is necessary to enter the contest, but entrants are liable for any taxes or costs incurred for entering.
Employees, sponsors, and family members of Houses for Warriors, Inc. (the Non-Profit hereafter referred to as “Sponsor” or “HFW”) are not eligible.
All entrants must complete the Entrant Oath and Permission Form. The form must be signed online by a parent or legal guardian for an entrant under the age of 18 where the legal guardian accepts responsibility and has read these official rules on behalf of the entrant.
2. Sponsor
The Contest is hosted by Houses for Warriors, Inc, located at PO Box 334, Evergreen, CO 80439.
3. Agreement to Official Rules
Participation in the Contest constitutes entrants’ full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of the Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding. Winning a prize shall be contingent upon complying with the Rules and fulfilling Contest requirements of film submission. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who fails to comply with all official rules.
3a. Eligible Grade Level Categories
To enter the contest, entrants must be in one of the following grade level categories at the time of submission. There will be one winner of each of the following three (3) grade level categories.
– High School (grades 9, 10, 11)
– Senior Year + College (grade 12 or active, enrolled college students)
– Post-Graduate (recent college graduates that have graduated in the past 4 years)
Note: students who have completed grade 11 and submit an entry during the summer before grade 12 will be considered entrants for grade 12.
Contest officials reserve the right to not name a winner in any given category, pending the volume and quality of entries.
Contest entries may be submitted by an individual, or by a group of any size (ex: a group of friends, an after-school program, or an entire class). In the case of group submission, one prize will be awarded to the entire group as a whole.
3b. Topic
• Raise awareness about the growing issue surrounding our nation’s veterans and homelessness.
• Be moving and informative with clear call to actions.
• Inspire our viewers to make a charitable donation to our mission
• Your submission should be authentic, moving, have good sound and cinematography
Entrants will then be judged on their ability to address the topic by being engaging, informative, inspiring, and creative through their film. All submissions must show a strong (research-supported) understanding of the topics and related issues. Submissions must share and highlight solutions to the issues discussed in the chosen sustainability topic with clear call to action. The film entry’s theme must be solution-based.
The film should talk about the homeless military veteran problem in the United States and inspire viewers to support the mission. You can discuss sub-topics like what could be potential causes to this problem. For example, consider a film that discusses the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) and how these could lead to homelessness and then elaborates on how community should respond and get involved; Present a solution or motivate viewers towards awareness or behavior change for the topic.
3c. Film Length
Entrants may submit a film of no shorter than 2 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes.
Sponsor will not accept or consider animated films.
3d. Prizes
Winners of each category will receive the following prizes:
1. Screening of their film at the Houses for Warriors Film Festival and at other related and subsequent educational and non-profit events hosted by Sponsor.
2. Posting of their film at the Houses for Warriors website and social media outlets. (Note: All Entrants grant Sponsor the exclusive rights to the film and release ownership to Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right to utilize submitted films for any promotional materials, fundraising and online media, at its sole discretion.)
3. Contract prize, Gift Card Prize or scholarship: Each winner will receive a prize pertaining to the grade level category:
The Grand Prize Winners will receive:
• Post graduate (recently graduated in the last 4 years)
o $5, 000 contract with Houses for Warriors, Inc. to produce a short film series on the topic of veterans transitioning out of homelessness + Video Camera Professional Starter Kit ($2,500 value)
o Total Value = $7,500
• Current College or university students, or Grade 12 =
o $1,500 College Scholarship + Video Camera Starter Kit ($1,000 value)
o Total Value = $2,500
• Grades 9 to 11 = $1,000 Scholarship
TOP 10 Film Entries [excluding grand prize winners] will receive:
• $250 gift card
• Honorable mention at Houses for Warriors Film Festival
Note: students who have completed grade 11 and submit an entry during the summer before grade 12 will be considered entrants for grade 12.
As a reminder, while a group of people (ex: a class or a group of friends) may submit an entry together, only one prize will be awarded to the group as a whole.
3e. Judging Criteria
Judges will check to adherence to these submission rules, including compliance with all terms (legality, conduct, etc.), film length, format, etc. Films will be judged by HFW volunteers based upon quality and content of the film and its ability to educate, inspire, and raise awareness of the film’s topic.
We also stress that films from students in grade 11 and under will be judged on their ability to address the homeless veteran problem and propose a solution to that problem.
Films from students in grade 12 and above will be judged on their ability to educate, inspire, raise awareness of the film’s chosen topic, and professional quality of the film.
Entrants who do not conform to policies and rules may be disqualified at the discretion of Sponsor. Any disqualifications are the decision of HFW and are final.
4. Contest Submission Period
The Contest Submission Period is on a rolling basis. All submissions for the 2020 film festival must be submitted and received by July 31, 2020. Entries submitted after this time will be considered for the following HFW contest submission period.
5. How to Enter – Submission Rules/Guidelines
There is a limit of one (1) entry per person or per group, regardless of method of entry. Any additional entries will be void. All film submissions must be made electronically. If you have a special circumstance and need to submit a hard copy DVD, contact Andrew Canales at filmfest2020@housesforwarriors.org
Hard Copy Entries may be mailed to:
Warrior Film Fest 2020– Submissions
P.O. Box 334
Evergreen, CO, 80439.
All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned, and entrants agree that all entries can be used for future events held by Sponsor and hosted on Sponsor’s website.
5a. Steps to submit an electronic file:
To officially enter the contest, fill out our form on our website- housesforwarriors.org. Instructions will be sent to your email. Simply follow the instructions and submit your film when it’s ready!
Be sure to complete the customized oath and permission form that will also be sent in the email.
For group entries, send an email to filmfest2020@housesforwarriors.org, explaining that you are submitting as a group. We will send an electronic oath and permission form which each additional entrant must complete.
5b. Intellectual Property
By entering this contest, all entrants agree that their submission is their own original work, does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others, and is in compliance with all copyright laws.
When using sources and works that are not your own, entrants agree that those works are part of the public domain, that they have obtained permission to use the work, or that the use of the work does not constitute a substantial portion of the film so as to comply with fair use laws of USC Title 17 Section 107 found at http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html. Where an entrant has obtained permission to use a substantial portion of another’s intellectual property, entrant agrees to submit proof of permission with the film entry. We urge entrants in their creativity to use their own artistic works or those in the public domain. As to research, please give credit to the owners and authors of scientific, academic, political, etc. works, such as through the credits of the film or when the source is used in the film.
For help finding images that are in the public domain and do not constitute any type of infringement, try starting at the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/pictures.
For free or royalty-free sound recordings and music, an artist typically places their work into the public domain. Try doing a search for royalty-free music, and you can find many songs available for a free and legal download to accompany your video. While HFW does not endorse or promote any specific website, you may find some of these free resources helpful in your film creation: http://socialtimes.com/royalty-free-music_b37470
Entrants agree to not hold Houses for Warriors, Inc. or Houses for Warriors' Film Festival liable for any intellectual property disputes and to comply with these rules and all copyright laws.
6. Winner Selection/Notification
During the last week of September, 2020, the Sponsor will announce the potential winners after judgment of all eligible entries.
After winners are chosen, Sponsor will attempt to notify the winners via telephone or e-mail during the week of October 7th, 2020. If the winner cannot be contacted within five (5) days after the date of the first attempt to contact, the Sponsor may choose to award the next runner-up in place of the originally selected winner.
***Dates may be subject to change without notice.
Potential winners will be notified by phone and followed up by e-mail. If the potential winner cannot be contacted or if the prize is undeliverable, potential winner forfeits the prize.
It is the duty of the winners to supply a mailing address to Sponsor to which the prize can be delivered at the time of entry. If this address should change it is the duty of the entrant to inform Sponsor of the updated address. For winning entrants who are minors, Sponsor reserves the right to award the prize in the name of the parent/legal guardian. Potential winners must continue to comply with all terms and conditions of the Rules, and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all of the requirements. If a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor may award the applicable prize to the next runner-up in the category.
7. General Conditions
In the event that the operation or administration of the Contest is impaired for any reason such as, but not limited to, fraud, legality, technicality, or in the event that the Contest is unable to run as planned for any reason, Sponsor may suspend the Contest temporarily or indefinitely. Sponsor may address the issue and resume the Contest or terminate the Contest. Suspension or termination of the Contest is under the sole discretion of Sponsor, and entrants agree not to hold Sponsor liable in these circumstances.
Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that it finds to not be in compliance or in violation with the Contest Rules or any entrant who acts in an unprofessional or disruptive manner. Contest entries reflect upon Sponsor, and all entrants have freely and voluntarily entered Contest, so it is the sole discretion of Sponsor to disqualify any entrants who do not comply or act accordingly.
In submitting a film and signing the application form within our Official Entry Page, all entrants agree to these terms and conditions of the contest and that Sponsor is not liable for any unauthorized or inappropriate sharing of films. Note that violence, profanity, or direct attacks on individuals or organizations will not be accepted. All films must adhere to copyright laws. Any film utilizing copyrighted material that is not the creation or property of the entrant will not be considered unless clear evidence of the legal right to use that copyrighted material is provided with the submission by the applicable deadline (ex: permission by the owner of the intellectual property).
8. Release and Limitations of Liability
By voluntarily participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of the entrant’s participation in the Contest including but not limited to intellectual property disputes (where entrant agrees that their submission is their own intellectual property, is of fair use, from the public domain, or that entrant has obtained permission for use from the owner of the intellectual property), cancellation of the Contest, or injury, death, or losses of any kind from entrant freely participating in Contest. Entrant waives any right to claim any damages whatsoever, including but not limited to consequential, punitive, direct, or indirect damages.
9. Disputes
Except when prohibited by law, entrants agree that any and all disputes will be handled individually. In the case of any dispute, entrants agree to attempt resolution with Sponsor. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of the Rules, entrants’ rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection to the Contest, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Colorado, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules, which would cause the laws of any jurisdiction other than Colorado. Any legal fees incurred by Sponsor in the event of a dispute from an entrant is the responsibility of the entrant.
Sponsor reserves the right to update these rules, dates, and entry periods.
Last updated: 12/24/2019