Rules :: General


Contest Deadline

The Contest deadline is March 15, 2010 at 11:59pm.  All entries must be mailed (post-marked) or submitted online by that date to be considered. Please mail your entry to the following address:

Contest Entry
900 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 924
Los Angeles, CA 90017

Eligibility

To enter the contest, you must be a 6th – 12th grade student in California. We do not ask for grades, income or immigration status. If you are an undocumented student, you may enter the contest. 

The "Save Me a Spot in College" scholarship contest does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability.

If you are 12 years old and under, you must have your parent or legal guardian sign your Entry Form before mailing it to us.  If you submit your written word entry online, you must still mail in a signed Entry Form post-marked by March 15th to be considered.

Contest Prompts

In order to meet our state's workforce needs, California needs one million additional college graduates by the year 2025. Each student who successfully completes college is One in a Million. The "Save Me a Spot in College" scholarship contest invites you to create a written word entry, poster or TV ad addressing one or both of the following contest prompts: (1) Tell California leaders why you and your peers are One in a Million, and (2) Why should California leaders save you and your peers a spot in college? You will learn about college and make sure state leaders are informed about the importance of higher education access and success. To learn more about the history of the contest and about us please click here.

Specific Rules For Each Category

You may submit up to one entry in each category. To read the specific rules for each category, click on one of the following:

Other Contest Details


Judging

Entries are separated into two levels: Middle School (grades 6-8) and High School (grades 9-12). Within each entry category (written word, poster, and TV ad) separate prizes are awarded at the Middle School and High School levels.

Entries are evaluated based first and foremost on whether they address one or both of the following contest prompts: (1) Tell California leaders why you and your peers are One in a Million, and (2) Why should California leaders save you and your peers a spot in college? It is very important that you do not forget the "peers" part of the prompts.

Entries are judged based on effectiveness of message, ability to attract and hold attention, creativity, accuracy of information, and whether they are clear and compelling.

The Campaign for College Opportunity shall have full and complete discretion to make any decisions of interpretation and final word on all matters pertaining to judging.

All judging takes place between March 15th and June 1st. Scholarship winners will be announced after June 1st.

Scholarship Awards

Scholarships are given in six categories:

  • High School Written Word
  • Middle School Written Word
  • High School Poster
  • Middle School Poster
  • High School TV Ad
  • Middle School TV Ad

Within each category, scholarships are awarded at the following levels: $500, $1000, and $2500. Students who submit a TV Ad entry as a group will share the award equally.

A scholarship account will be opened in the name of each winner in a professionally managed account under the supervision of either a non-profit organization, state-sponsored scholarship program, or financial institution selected by the Campaign for College Opportunity.

Each student may submit one entry per category (written word, poster, TV ad).  No one person can win more than one scholarship, award, or prize of any kind.

We will be awarding over $125,000 in scholarships during the 2009-2010 contest year (close to 300 scholarships).

Terms of Agreement


Originality

By completing and submitting the Entry Form, the Entrant and the Entrant's Parent (if Entrant is not 18 years old at time of submitting the Entry Form) certifies that the work submitted herein by the Entrant ("Submitted Work") is the Entrant's original work, it is not copied from a published work by any other individual or entity, and it contains no matter that infringes on any existing copyright, trademark, or right of privacy.

Copyright

By completing and submitting the Entry Form, the Entrant and the Entrant's Parent (if applicable) irrevocably and in perpetuity grant and assign to the Campaign for College Opportunity, all worldwide right, title, and interest in and to the Submitted Work and to all intellectual property created by the Entrant arising out of the Entrant's participation in the Campaign for College Opportunity's "Save Me a Spot in College" scholarship contest promotion, and the ownership of same shall be vested totally in the Campaign for College Opportunity for its own use and disposition. With regard to copyright, this assignment shall be effective for the entire duration of the copyright in and to the Submitted Work in all countries throughout the world and shall include, but not be limited to, all rights to derivative works and the right to alter the Submitted Work at the sole discretion of the Campaign for College Opportunity.

The Entrant and the Entrant's Parent waive all rights of attribution and integrity with regard to the Submitted Work in respect of all marketing, advertising, and commercial uses thereof. Entrant acknowledges that the Campaign for College Opportunity is free to commercially utilize the Submitted Work and no further compensation shall be paid to the Entrant for such use.

In other words, all entries will become the property of the Campaign for College Opportunity and cannot be returned. The Campaign for College Opportunity will have permission to use materials for educational and outreach purposes, including with the media, elected officials, education leaders, and others.

Please click here to review the Campaign for College Opportunity's Privacy Policy for Minors and Internet Privacy Policy.

Disclaimer

The Campaign for College Opportunity is not responsible for submissions lost or damaged on the internet or in the mail. Original copies cannot be returned under any circumstances.

Questions

Please direct any questions you may have about the "Save Me a Spot in College" scholarship contest to contest@collegecampaign.org or 1-800-459-9586.