Food & Water Watch challenged college students from around the U.S. to declare their love for tap water –– and get it on film. As a result, we have been flooded with videos! View all of the submissions here.

The Challenge

To produce a 30 second to 3 minute video that includes the following three elements:

1. A declaration of your love for tap water

2. Some discussion about bottled water consumption

3. Make the case for why your school or any campus should give up bottled water

The Prize

• Our first place winner will receive a $1,500 award, and his or her video will be featured prominently on the Take Back the Tap website;
  
• the second place runner–up will receive a $500 prize; and
  
• the third place winner will receive a Take Back the Tap gift bag.

The winner will be chosen by a panel of prestigious judges, including leaders in environment and film.

The Dates

The contest is now closed. Finalists will be notified by email on our about April 15th, 2008. Announcement of winners will be made on April 22, 2008.

These are the Official Rules for the 2008 “I Heart Tap Water” user–generated video contest.

Sponsors

The 2008 “I Heart Tap Water” video contest (“Contest”) is sponsored by Food & Water Watch, 1616 P Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036, (P) 202.683.2500, (F) 202.683.2501. All inquiries should be directed to the press room at news(at)fwwatch.org.

Eligibility

The Contest is open to adults between the ages of 18 and 24, or registered students from accredited colleges and universities who are 18 years of age or older when the entry is submitted. Employees of Food & Water Watch and their family or household members are not eligible to participate. The Contest is subject to all federal, state and local laws and regulations. Judges and members of the Review Panel (and their immediate family members and members of the same households, whether related or not) are not eligible to participate. Void where prohibited by law. 

Participants agree to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of Food & Water Watch which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Contest.

Contest Procedure and Rules

Food & Water Watch created a user-generated video contest that addresses the bottled water issue. The videos submitted to the contest should speak to this issue, while also promoting tap water as a safe, clean, healthy and ecological alternative to bottled water on college campuses.

This is a chance for undergraduate, graduate students and young adults to voice their ideas about the bottled water issue, while offering positive alternatives in a creative and entertaining medium. The Food & Water Watch Take Back the Tap report offers a clear and compelling case for giving up bottled water, and contest participants are encouraged to add to it in their own words, with their own voices.

How to Enter the Contest 

Beginning at 12:00:01 am midnight EST on February 14th, 2008 and continuing until 12:00 am EST on April 15, 2008 you can submit your video to the I Heart Tap Water contest by posting it on youtube.com and submitting both the url and embed code using the form at www.takebackthetap.org/campus/video-contest/enter or www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/bottled/video-contest/enter.

Submission constitutes agreement to the rules of the Contest. Submissions with non-working links to videos will not be considered. Food & Water Watch is not responsible for technical problems on the host site.  Entrants must comply with the technical and all other requirements of youtube.com.

All finalists must respond to finalist notification and submit a high-resolution .mov, .wmv, .mp4, .mpg or .avi. to a provided ftp site ,and submit all relevant paperwork in regards to clearance of all elements included in the video submission(s) between finalist notification on April 15th and April 20th to be eligible to win.

Videos may NOT contain: Any copyrighted material for which you do not demonstrate the rights to use; 3rd party voice-overs for which you do not demonstrate the rights to use; 3rd party stock photography or artwork for which you do not demonstrate the rights to use; Nudity, lewd or vulgar behavior; offensive language and/or gestures.

All videos submitted may be posted to takebackthetap.org or foodandwaterwatch.org with your first name and the college or university that you attend, but no other identifying information. If a submitted video is less than 30 seconds in length or longer than 3 minutes in length, the submission will be disqualified and not considered for review.

All entries must be appropriate for all audiences. Videos referencing sex, drugs, or violence will not be accepted as entries. Any video that includes content that is deemed inappropriate, indecent, obscene, as determined by Food & Water Watch in its sole discretion, will not be eligible.

Entrants represent and warrant that (i) the videos that they submit: are their own original creations and do not infringe any other person's or entity's rights; (ii) they have obtained permission, if applicable, from the people featured in the Video to enter this Contest; and (iii) the submission of the idea will not violate any enforceable agreements or understandings submitter has with any third party. Entries must be an original creation and not previously published or entered in other contests.

Entrants agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Food and Water Watch, and its employees, representatives, and agents from any and all liability, loss, damage, cost or expense, including reasonable counsel fees and expenses, paid or incurred by reason of its breach of any of the obligations, covenants, representations or terms contained in these Contest Rules or by reason of its intentional or grossly negligent conduct relating to performance of this agreement.

You can submit as many ideas as you would like. Submissions must be made in English or subtitled in English. Each video must be submitted in the name of one, and only one, entrant. An entrant may be an individual or a student organization. You must also provide your email address, university name, mailing address, phone number, and confirmation of your eligibility when you submit an entry. By entering the Contest you grant Food & Water Watch the right to contact you regarding your entry, publicize your entry, promote your entry for any other purpose related to the Contest and/or broadcast your entry.

Review Panel

The judges for the “I Heart Tap Water” video contest will be continuously updated on the Contest website. They include Food & Water Watch staff and invited film industry, environmental advocacy, and university representatives.

Food & Water Watch staff will choose several featured videos from among the eligible entries, which will be featured on the Contest website. Out of the top videos chosen by FWW staff, judges will narrow the videos to 3 winners – 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes. Our first place winner will receive a $1,500 award, and his or her video will be featured prominently on the Take Back the Tap website. The second place runner-up will receive a $500 prize, and the third place winner will receive a Take Back the Tap gift bag. The winning videos be featured on the Food & Water Watch website(s) and possibly through other media outlets.

Grant of Rights in Videos Submitted

Submission of a video constitutes the irrevocable right to Food & Water Watch of all rights in the video, all rights to use, copy, sublicense, edit, modify, make derivative works, publish, exploit, transmit, distribute, publicly perform, publish, delete or display the content of and elements embodied in the video and the video itself, in whole or in part, in perpetuity in any and all media (whether now existing or hereafter devised) without limitation, and without consideration or acknowledgment to the entrant and the unconditional right to use the idea and statements about the video for advertising/publicity purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law.

Cost

There is no cost to participate in the Contest. No purchase is necessary.

Prizes

The student(s) who submits the best video, as chosen by the Contest judges will receive a $1,500 award. The second place runner-up will receive a $500 prize. The third place winner will receive a Take Back the Tap gift bag.

Notification; Provision of Phone Number, Address

Winners will be notified via email within approximately seven (7) business days after determination that they are eligible to receive a prize. They will be asked to confirm their phone number, mailing address and any information necessary to provide IRS documentation for the cash award. Entrants who do not provide a phone number and mailing address with their initial submission will forfeit any prizes. If an entrant cannot be reached by email within ten (10) business days of the first attempt to notify them, the prizes may be forfeited and the next successful entrant will receive said prizes.

Judging Criteria

The Review Panel and Food & Water Watch staff will select the videos that are the most inspiring and entertaining, and that have a clear message, although, at the discretion of Food & Water Watch, such criteria may not be given equal weight.The Review Panel and Food & Water Watch staff will select the videos that are the most inspiring and entertaining, and that have a clear message, although, at the discretion of Food & Water Watch, such criteria may not be given equal weight.

• Inspiring (Does it make me want to do something?)
• Entertaining (Does it make me want to keep watching? Does it make me want to tell my friends about it?)
• Clear Message (Does it make it easy to understand the issue?)

Dates

The Contest will begin on February 14th, 2008. Submissions can be entered starting on February 14th, 2008 and will be accepted until April 14th, 2008. Finalists will be notified by email on our about April 15th and given instructions for uploading high-resolution files of their video(s) by April 20th 2008. Announcement of winners will be made on April 22, 2008. All dates are subject to change at the discretion of Food & Water Watch.

Delivery of Prizes

The first place prize will be sent by mail to the addresses provided; shipping costs are included. Food & Water Watch shall not be responsible for misdelivery of any documents and/or prizes provided that Food & Water Watch addresses the documents and/or prizes to the address provided by the winner. 

Announcement of Winners

Food & Water Watch will announce the winners and post their full names and the name of the college or University that they attend on the web site following the completion of the Contest.

Use of Winners’ Names and Likeness

Each winner who accepts any prize will be deemed thereby to have granted to Food & Water Watch the right, at any time and from time to time, to print, publish, broadcast and use, worldwide and in any media now known or hereafter developed, including but not limited to, the Internet and world wide web, the name, portrait, picture, voice, likeness and biographical information of each such winner as news or information and for advertising and promotional purposes without additional consideration, except where prohibited by law.

Disqualification

Food & Water Watch reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any participant that it determines, in its sole discretion, is ineligible to participate in the Contest. Failure to comply with these rules may result in a participant’s disqualification.

Limitation of Liability

If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Food & Water Watch reserves the right at their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the Contest, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. Food & Water Watch assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Food & Water Watch is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail to be received by Food & Water Watch on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this Contest.

Limitation of Remedies

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, SHALL FOOD & WATER WATCH OR AFFILIATED ENTITIES OR ITS SUCCESSORS OR ASSIGNS, OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS AND REPRESENTATIVES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS OR HARM TO BUSINESS OR REPUTATION, ARISING OUT OF PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST, POSTING ON OR ACCESS AND/OR DOWNLOAD OF ANY MATERIALS OR INFORMATION FROM ANY WEB SITE OWNED, OPERATED OR CONTROLLED BY FOOD & WATER WATCH OR AFFILIATED ENTITIES, OR ACCEPTANCE OR USAGE OF A PAYMENT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, DAMAGES FOR BODILY OR PERSONAL INJURY, EVEN IF FOOD & WATER WATCH OR ANY AFFILIATED ENTITES, THEIR SUCCESSORS OR ASSIGNS, OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, SHAREHOLDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS OR REPRESENTATIVES HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR LOSS. THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF FOOD & WATER WATCH ARISING OUT OF ANY KIND OF CLAIM (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE) SHALL NOT EXCEED $1.00. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

Amendments

Food & Water Watch reserves the right to suspend, cancel, terminate or modify the Contest without advance notice, and thereafter to re-commence such Contest, if at all, only at such time(s) and upon such terms and conditions as we shall deem reasonable under the circumstances.

Severability

If any one or more provisions of these Official Rules are held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect the validity, effect or enforcement of any other provision or provisions of these Official Rules.

Winners List

A list of winners will be posted on the web site at the conclusion of the Contest. For a copy of the winners list, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: I Heart Tap Water, Food & Water Watch, c/o I Heart Tap Water Contest, 1616 P Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036. For a copy of these official rules send a self-addressed stamped envelope to above address marked I Heart Tap Water, Attn: Rules. Or visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/bottled/video-contest/winners or www.takebackthetap.org/campus/video-contest/winners.

Jurisdiction; Venue

Any dispute that may arise hereunder, if not settled by the parties directly or through alternate dispute resolution, shall be brought solely in the appropriate state or federal court sitting in Washington, DC, and participants consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue thereof.