2008 Creative Expression Contest
School or School District (Grades 5 - 8)

Sep 12, 2007

THESE RULES AND GUIDELINES ARE FOR SCHOOLS or SCHOOL DISTRICTS (GRADES 5-8). For other entry categories, click here.

OFFICIAL RULES AND GUIDELINES:
Submissions to the School or School District Entry (Grades 5 - 8) category should be structured as a proposal (see entry form for specifics on formatting), and should address the question 'What role will No Name-Calling Week play in our school or school district?' Entries may be prepared and worked on by an individual or a group of students, teachers, librarians, school counselors/social workers, administrators, parents, or any combination thereof, and may represent the plans of one school or for an entire school district.

Additional guidelines for the School or School District Entry (Grades 5 - 8) category include the following:

Schools or school districts entering this category should serve students at what is traditionally known as the Middle School or Junior High School level (5th-8th grade students). For schools or districts serving a wider age-range of students (K-8, 6-12, K-12, etc), or that use non-traditional grouping for students, please submit materials pertaining only to activities and events planned for the students between the ages of 10 and 15.

One School or School District Entry (Grades 5 - 8) (see MORE INFO box to download form) must be filled out in full for the school or school district submitting to the contest.

An optional Individual Classroom Plan template (also for download from the MORE INFO box) has been provided to help each school or school district demonstrate how individual classes/groups within the school or school district will participate in No Name-Calling Week. If all events planned are school or district-wide, no Individual Classroom Plan pages need be attached.

Entrants are also strongly encouraged to attach to their entry any and all supplemental materials (lesson plans, photographs, etc.) that they feel best communicate the school or school district's intentions for incorporating the overall No Name-Calling Week vision into the curricular plans for January or the school year in general.

All referenced or sourced materials submitted must be given proper citation/credit. If possible, copies of all sourced poems, songs, activity plans/forms etc. should be included with the entry.

Only one entry per school or school district may be submitted, and all entries will become the property of the No Name-Calling Week project and will not be returned.

JUDGING:
Submissions to the School or School District Entry (Grades 5 - 8) category will be judged on the overall clarity of the proposal, as well as the extent to which the No Name-Calling Week project goals and ideals have been incorporated into the plans for activities/events. Judges will look for the following components in the entry:

Clearly presented and organized activities and/or events for No Name-Calling Week

Activities and/or events that closely relate to the overall vision of the No Name-Calling Week project

Originality and creativity of activities and/or events as described on the entry form or in supplemental materials

Demonstration of a school or school district-wide commitment to the successful implementation of No Name-Calling Week activities, events, or curricula

PRIZES:
There will be up to 2 major winners in the School or School District Entry (Grades 5 - 8) category. Recognition may be given to additional entries of merit. Winners' work may be featured on www.nonamecallingweek.org. Winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes.

The winner of the Grand Prize for the School or School District Entry (Grades 5 - 8) category will receive a prize package that may include the following:

Recognition of school or school district by James Howe, popular author of The Misfits, Bunnicula, and The Watcher (Sponsored by Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and GLSEN)

A No Name-Calling Week project kit from Human Relations Media

Assorted educational prizes from No Name-Calling Week Partners (for a list of Partners, click here)

A No Name-Calling Week project kit from Human Relations Media

Assorted educational prizes from No Name-Calling Week Partners (for a list of Partners, click here)

DEADLINE:
All entries must be postmarked on, or received via fax or e-mail by 6pm Eastern time on Tuesday, November 20, 2007. Winners will be notified by telephone, mail, or e-mail by mid-January 2008.

HOW TO ENTER:
Please download and fill out completely the entry form entitled School or School District Entry (Grades 5 - 8) (found in the MORE INFO box on top-right of this page), attach it to the actual entry as a cover page, and submit the entire package to GLSEN by the Tuesday, November 20, 2007 deadline:

Via fax: 646-388-8060

Via mail:

No Name-Calling Week Creative Expression Contest
c/o GLSEN Education Department
90 Broad Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10004

Via email: contest@nonamecallingweek.org
Please note that all electronically submitted work must be accompanied by an electronically signed entry form. Alternately a hard copy of the form, with signature, may be mailed or faxed simultaneous to electronic submission.

LEGAL GUIDELINES
The decisions of the judges with respect to the selection of the winners and in regard to all matters relating to this contest shall be final. Anyone not complying with all of the contest rules will automatically be disqualified. No telephone calls or correspondence will be accepted inquiring on judges' selections. By entering, the individual student entrant and his/her parent or legal guardian, or the school/district entrant and all those involved in compiling entry materials grant the Sponsor (GLSEN) the right to copy, edit, publish, promote, broadcast or otherwise use, in whole or in part, their entries in any manner without further permission, notice or compensation.

In the event that there are an insufficient number of entries received that meet the minimum standards for any of the three entry categories (as determined by the judges), all prizes may not be awarded. By accepting a prize, each individual student winner and his/her parent or legal guardian, and each school/district entrant and all those involved in compilation of entry materials grant the Sponsor the right to use his/her individual or school/district name and likeness for any advertising, promotion, trade or any other purpose without further compensation or permission, except where prohibited by law. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited or restricted by law.

By entering, individual students and school/district entrants release the Sponsor and its project partners and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions, advertising, production and promotion agencies from any and all liability for any loss, harm, damages, costs or expenses, including without limitation property damages, personal injury and/or death arising out of participation in this contest, the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy, merchandise delivery or the violation of any intellectual property rights.

Participants using the Internet must provide a valid e-mail address.

The Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware, software or telephone or other transmission failures of any kind; lost or unavailable network connections; or incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions whether, by any equipment or programming utilized in promotions, games or contests, or by human error which may occur in the processing of submissions, which may limit a participant's ability to participate.

The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend the Contest should a virus, bug, computer or other problem beyond the control of the Sponsor corrupt the administration, security or proper execution of the Contest. The Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual that tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or website; violates the Official Rules; or acts in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner at any time during the judging process, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. All Internet participants agree to be bound by these rules, and the Official General Rules appearing above.

The Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, stolen, damaged, incomplete, undelivered, mutilated, illegible or misdirected entries or for typographical errors in the Individual Student Entry (Primary and Secondary) Forms or School or School District (Grades 5-8) Entry Form or rules. Entries are void if they are in whole or in part illegible, incomplete, or damaged.

No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win this contest. A purchase does not improve your chance of winning. Void where prohibited by law.

About No Name-Calling Week
Coordinated by GLSEN in collaboration with over 40 national education organizational partners, No Name-Calling Week is an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities.

For more information about No Name-Calling Week, click here:

History of No Name-Calling Week

National partners

Sample resources (including lesson plans)

Media inquiries can be sent to press@nonamecallingweek.org