Spokestack Export to Independence Developer Contest

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

Eligibility

The Spokestack Export to Independence Developer Contest (the “Contest”) is open only to individuals who are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States of America or the District of Columbia who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry. Employees, officers, and directors of Spokestack (“Sponsor”), and their immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and members of the same household (whether or not related), are not eligible.

Agreement to Official Rules

Participation in the Contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and legally binding in all respects. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Void outside the United States and where prohibited by law.

Registration

Please fill out this online form to register for the contest.

Entry

The Contest asks developers to convert their smart speaker skill to a mobile app on either iOS and/or Android mobile platforms using Spokestack’s Free Developer Package. This developer package contains the following tools:

  • Automatic speech recognition (ASR) management
  • An on-device natural language understanding (NLU) service
  • The Spokestack Free Text-To-Speech Service
  • A free Spokestack developer account

After creating a Spokestack developer account, developers can export their smart speaker app’s interaction model and upload it to Spokestack for training for Spokestack’s on-device NLU service. Directions for exporting interaction models and uploading for training are included in Spokestack’s documentation. Spokestack includes Swift, Java and React Native programming language examples of Spokestack-powered mobile apps based on smart speaker interaction models.

Entries will be judged based on usability, utility and creativity. Submissions do not need to have feature parity to the original smart speaker apps on which they are based.

Entry Submission

Please register before submitting an entry.

When your submission is ready, send an email to contest@spokestack.io that includes a short description of your app and a link to a GitHub respository with instructions on how to build the application. The email may also include an invite to a Testflight beta or Google Play beta.

Submissions must be received between 12:00:01 a.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) on June 15th, 2020, and 11:59:59 p.m. PT on September 15th, 2020 (the “Entry Period”).

Submission Requirements

The app you develop (your “Submission”) must be your own original work and must not contain any material that:

  • violates or infringes another person or entity’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights;
  • depicts nudity or is indecent, obscene, hateful, tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous;
  • promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age;
  • promotes activity that may be unsafe or dangerous;
  • promotes any particular political agenda or message;
  • enables or promotes any illegal activities; or
  • is violates the laws of the United States or in the state where the Submission is created.

Limitations on entry: You may make more than one Submission. Multiple Submissions should come from the same user account. Any attempt to enter by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and logins or any other methods will void that entrant’s entry and that entrant may be disqualified. Use of any script, macro, or another mechanical or automated program to enter will result in disqualification and all such Submissions will be void.

Gift for Entry: All entrants into the Contest will receive a free t-shirt. The t-shirt will be mailed to the address stated provided by the contestant in the registration form.

Determination of Winner

Five (5) winners will be selected from among all submissions meeting the entry requirements received from eligible Entrants within the Entry Period (each a “Winner”).

A panel of qualified judges determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion will select the top Submission from among all eligible Submissions. Submissions will be judged based on the following criteria:

  • Usability (50%)
  • Utility (40%)
  • Creativity (10%)

In the event of a tie, those entries will be reevaluated by the judges in a head-to-head manner until the judges agree on a winner. Decisions of the judges are final and binding.

Prizes

One grand prize winner will receive $5,000 in U.S. dollars. Ten runner-up submissions will receive $500. All winner will receive their cash award in the form of a company check. In no event will more than eleven (11) cash prizes be awarded.

Prize Conditions

Grand prize winner is fully responsible for all applicable taxes (including income and withholding taxes). Sponsor is required by law to obtain the Grand Prize winners’ social security number on Form W-9 and will issue each Winner an IRS Form 1099-MISC for the full value of the prize.

Notification

Only Winners will be notified. Entrants will not be notified if their Submission is disqualified or if their Submission does not win. The potential Winners will be notified by email (in the sole discretion of Sponsor) provided at the time of entry on or around October 1, 2020 (“Prize Notification”). The potential Winner must, within seven (7) days of the date of issuance, execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability and, unless prohibited by law, a Publicity Release, and any other document(s) required by Sponsor. In the event that the Prize Notification is returned as undeliverable, or the potential Winner is otherwise unreachable for any reason within the stated time, the Sponsor may award the prize to an alternate potential Winner. If any potential Winner is deemed a minor under the laws of his/her state of residence, confirmation of eligibility and acceptance of these Official Rules may be required from a parent or legal guardian or disqualification may result.

Entry Conditions

As a condition of entry into this Contest, you represent, warrant and agree that (i) the Submission is your wholly original creation,(ii) you are the exclusive owner of all of the rights to the Submission, (iii) you have all rights necessary to present the Submission to Sponsor, and (iv) the Submission does not infringe on the intellectual property or any other rights of any third party. Each entrant agrees to list their Submissions publicly on Sponsor’s website and other promotional materials related to the Contest and Sponsor’s business.

General Conditions

The decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest. Sponsor shall have the sole right to disqualify any entrant for violation of these Official Rules or any applicable laws relating to the Contest, and to resolve all disputes in Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

In the event of a dispute as to the ownership of any entry, the authorized account holder of the email address used to enter will be deemed to be the entrant and he/she must comply with these Official Rules. Potential Winners may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address.

Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend, and/or modify the Contest, in whole or in part, if any fraud, virus or other problem corrupts the administration, security, or fairness of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. In such event, Sponsor reserves the right to award the prize(s) from among the non-suspect eligible Submissions received up to the time of the impairment or cancellation. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest, annoying, abusing, threatening or harassing any other entrant or Sponsor’s representatives, or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules. Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.

The Released Parties (as defined below) are not responsible for incomplete, inaccurate, misdirected, lost, delayed, stolen, postage-due, damaged, or garbled Submissions, entries, email or mail; or for lost, interrupted or unavailable telephone, computer network, Internet Service Provider, computer hardware or software malfunctions or failures, or other errors or problems of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, computer or communication network, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with entry into Contest, administration of the Contest, the processing of entries, the availability of Prizes or any portion of Prizes, the announcement of Winners or in any Contest-related materials. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information caused by website users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt by Sponsor.

Released Parties are not responsible for injury, death or damage to participants or to any other person or their computer or property related to or resulting from participating in this Contest, accepting or using a Prize or downloading materials from or use of Sponsor’s website or services.

Governing Law

All issues and questions relating to the Contest or concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrant’s rights and obligations or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of California or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than California.

Release and Indemnification

ENTRANTS AGREE TO RELEASE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS SPONSOR AND ITS AFFILIATES, AND EACH OF THEIR DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, AND AGENTS (COLLECTIVELY, “RELEASED PARTIES”) FROM AND AGAINST ANY INJURIES, DEATH, LOSSES, DAMAGES, CLAIMS, ACTIONS AND OTHER LIABILITY OF ANY KIND RESULTING OR ARISING FROM THE CONTEST OR ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE, MISUSE OR NONUSE OF ANY PRIZE THAT MAY BE AWARDED.

Dispute Resolution

All disputes, claims, controversies or causes of action arising out of or relating to this Contest or the Official Rules (each, a “Claim”), shall be resolved exclusively in the federal or state courts of appropriate jurisdiction in San Francisco, CA

IN NO EVENT SHALL EITHER PARTY BE ENTITLED TO RECOVER PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES OR HAVE DAMAGES MULTIPLIED OR OTHERWISE INCREASED, OR AN AWARD OF ATTORNEYS’ FEES OR OTHER SUCH RELATED COSTS OF BRINGING A CLAIM, OR TO REVOKE OR RESCIND THIS AGREEMENT. PARTICIPANTS AGREE THAT THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF ANY PARTICIPANT AND/OR RELEASED PARTIES AND/OR ANY OTHER PARTY SHALL BE RESOLVED INDIVIDUALLY, WITHOUT RESORT TO ANY FORM OF CLASS ACTION. ENTRANT FURTHER AGREES THAT THE RELEASED PARTIES’ LIABILITY WILL BE LIMITED TO THE COST OF ENTERING AND PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST, OR THE VALUE OF THE PRIZE IF THE ENTRANT WAS PROPERLY SELECTED AS A WINNER. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. ACCORDINGLY, SOME OF THESE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

ANY CLAIM MUST BE FILED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR FROM THE END OF THE CONTEST PERIOD, OR THE CAUSE OF ACTION SHALL BE FOREVER BARRED.

Publicity Release

Each Winner, by acceptance of a prize, hereby grants Sponsor the right to publicize such Winner’s name, city and state of residence, photograph, voice, statements and/or other likeness, a description of Winner’s entry, and prize information in any media now known or hereafter devised, throughout the world, in perpetuity, without limitation and without additional compensation or consideration, notification, approval or permission, unless prohibited by law.

Privacy

Personal information collected during the Contest may be used or disclosed by Sponsor and its affiliates as stated in these Official Rules (including for publicity and promotional purposes), for purposes of Contest administration, winner identification and qualification, winner notification, and prize award, to send you information about our products and services, and otherwise as described in our Privacy Policy.

Requesting Official Rules

To request a copy of the Official Rules, send an email to hello@spokestack.io; or a self-addressed stamped envelope to Spokestack Attn: Export to Freedom Contest at 369 3rd Street, B575, San Rafael, CA 94901. Requests must be received by October 4th, 2020.

Requesting Winner’s List

For a list of Winners, submit your request to hello@spokestack.io by October 15, 2020.

Sponsor

The Contest is sponsored by Pylon ai, Inc., dba Spokestack at 369 3rd Street, B575, San Rafael, CA 94901 (“Sponsor”).