The U.S. Coast Guard
READY FOR RESCUE CHALLENGE

These official Rules, Terms & Conditions apply to Phase I of The U.S. Coast Guard Ready for Rescue Challenge (“the Challenge”). Please read these Rules, Terms & Conditions carefully before submitting to the Challenge.

The U.S. Coast Guard Ready for Rescue Challenge will be conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) and the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (USCG). Luminary Labs, L.L.C. (Luminary Labs) has been contracted by DHS S&T and USCG to assist and support DHS S&T and USCG in organizing and managing Phase I of the Challenge. Activities conducted by Luminary Labs may also include providing technical assistance to potential Phase I entrants and Phase I winners.

Phase I
Phase I of the Challenge seeks concepts for novel and scalable solutions that help make people in the water easier to find. Solutions should be effective, affordable, and hold the potential for wide adoption by recreational boaters. Solutions may be a new or updated life jacket or personal floatation device (PFD), an attachment to a life jacket or PFD, or something boaters use in addition to wearing their life jacket or PFD. Solutions must work with at least one existing USCG detection method. A list of highlighted USCG detection methods can be found in the Additional Resources page. Solutions should not discourage recreational boaters from purchasing or wearing a life jacket or PFD. Note that solutions cannot include signal flares or other pyrotechnic devices.

At the conclusion of Phase I, up to five (5) monetary prize winners will receive the associated total monetary prize purse of $25,000. Phase I monetary prizes will be evenly distributed based on the review of the Phase I submissions by the judging panel. In addition to the monetary prize winners, non-monetary honorable mention award winners will be invited to participate in Phase II of the Challenge. Monetary prize winners will be required to participate in Phase II to be eligible for the Phase I monetary prize. Non-monetary honorable mention award winners will be invited, but not be required, to participate in Phase II.

Monetary prizes awarded in Phase I will be paid to the designated team lead directly by Luminary Labs through electronic funds transfer. Monetary prize winners are responsible for any applicable local, state, and federal taxes and reporting that may be required under applicable tax laws.

Please note that Phases II and III will be administered directly through DHS S&T and USCG and are not governed by these Rules, Terms & Conditions. Please see the government’s Challenge announcement for additional information and details or contact prizeauthority@hq.dhs.gov directly with inquiries about Phases II and III.

Eligibility
Eligibility to participate in this Challenge:

1.  An individual or entity shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the rules promulgated by the DHS S&T, USCG (Competition Sponsors), and Luminary Labs in accordance with the description provided on the Challenge website, www.readyforrescuechallenge.com.
2. The Challenge is open to all individuals (non-felons) over the age of 18, United States Citizens or legal permanent residents at the time of entry and to all validly formed legal U.S. entities whose primary place of business is in the U.S. that have not declared or been declared in bankruptcy. Eligibility is subject to verification by the DHS S&T and USCG before monetary prizes are awarded.
3.  Officers, directors, advisory board members, employees, and support contractors of DHS S&T Borders and Maritime Division, USCG RDC, USCG Challenge advisors/mentors, Luminary Labs and its contractors (with the express exception of Luminary Labs’ authorized solver community), and judges are ineligible to compete in this Challenge. Likewise, members of their immediate family (spouses, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, parents, step-parents), and persons living in the same household, whether or not related, are not eligible to participate in any portion of this Challenge. Note: The members of an individual’s household include any other person who shares the same residence as such individual for at least three months out of the year.
4. Entrants are not eligible to receive any monetary or non-monetary prize in the Challenge if they are a resident or entity designated by the United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. See Treasury.gov’s resource center for additional information.
5. Entrants shall have complied with all of the requirements on the official Challenge website.
6. Individuals and entities, otherwise eligible to win a monetary or non-monetary prize, may form and submit a team entry; however, each team member must be clearly identified on the team’s submission form for the team to be eligible. Failure to follow this procedure as outlined on the Challenge website will disqualify the contest submission. Team winnings, as determined by the Challenge sponsor, will be distributed to the designated team lead for further distribution to team members. In the event a dispute regarding the identity of the entrant who actually submitted the entry cannot be resolved to DHS S&T’s and USCG’s satisfaction, the affected entry will be deemed ineligible.
7. Entrants to this Challenge must agree to be bound by the rules of the Challenge, agree that the Phase I winner selection decisions for the Challenge are final and binding, and acknowledge that their submission may be the subject of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and that they are responsible for identifying and marking all business confidential and proprietary information in their submission.
8. Individuals and individual team leads selected as monetary prize winners must submit all required taxpayer identification and bank account information required to complete an electronic payment of the monetary prize. Failure to provide Luminary Labs or the government required documents for electronic payment within 30 days of notification by Luminary Labs or the government will result in a disqualification of the winning entry.
9. Participants in the Challenge agree, as a condition for winning a monetary or non-monetary prize, to complete and submit all required winner verification documents to Luminary Labs within 30 days of notification. Failure to return all required verification documents per return instructions by the date specified in the notification may be a basis for disqualification of the winning entry.
10. Contestants to the Challenge must agree and consent, as a condition for receiving a monetary or non-monetary prize, to the use of their name, entity, city and state, likeness or image, comments, and a short synopsis of their winning solution as a part of DHS S&T’s and USCG’s promotion of this Prize Competition.
11. Entrants will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs from and against all third-party claims, actions, or proceedings of any kind and from any and all damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses relating to, or arising from, the entrant’s submission or any breach or alleged breach of any of the representations, warranties, and covenants of the entrant hereunder.
12. Contestants must own or have access at their own expense to a computer, an Internet connection, and any other electronic devices, documentation, software, or other items that entrants may deem necessary to create and enter a submission.
13. The following entrants (including any individuals participating as part of a team or entity) are not eligible regardless of whether they meet the criteria set forth above:
    • Any Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of his or her employment or otherwise be prohibited by Federal law. Scope of employment is defined as activities of an employee that are in furtherance of duties that are owed to an employer and where the employer is, or could be, exercising some control, directly or indirectly, over the activities of the employee. Employees should consult their agency ethics officials. Note: Federal ethical conduct rules may restrict or prohibit federal employees from engaging in certain outside activities; any federal employee not excluded under the prior paragraph seeking to participate in this Challenge outside the scope of employment should consult his/her agency’s ethics official prior to developing a submission
    • Any individual or entity that used DHS or USCG Federal facilities or relied upon significant consultation with DHS or USCG Federal employees to develop a submission, unless the facilities and employees were made available to all entrants in this Challenge on an equal basis
    • Any individual or entity that used Federal funds to develop a submission, unless such use is consistent with the grant award, or other applicable Federal funds awarding document. If a grantee using Federal funds enters and wins this Challenge, the monetary prize must be treated as program income for purposes of the original grant in accordance with applicable Office of Management and Budget Circulars. Federal contractors may not use Federal funds from a contract to develop a submission for the Challenge
14. An individual or entity shall not be deemed ineligible under these eligibility rules because the individual or entity used Federal facilities or consulted with Federal employees during a Challenge if the facilities and employees are made available to all individuals and entities participating in the Challenge on an equitable basis.
15. Use of Marks: Except as expressly set forth in the Challenge Rules, Terms & Conditions, entrants shall not use the names, trademarks, service marks, logos, insignias, trade dress, or any other designation of source or origin subject to legal protection, copyrighted material or similar intellectual property (“Marks”) of the organizers or other Challenge partners, sponsors, or collaborators in any way without such party’s prior written permission in each instance, which such party may grant or withhold at its sole and absolute discretion.
16. If the submission includes the work of any third party (such as third-party content or open source code), the entrant must be able to provide, upon the request of DHS S&T, USCG, and/or Luminary Labs, documentation of all appropriate licenses and releases for such third-party works. If the entrant cannot provide documentation of all required licenses and releases, DHS S&T and USCG reserve the right to disqualify the applicable submission, or direct the entrant to secure the licenses and releases for DHS S&T’s and USCG’s benefit within three (3) days of notification of the missing documentation and allow the applicable submission to remain in the Challenge. In addition, DHS S&T and USCG reserve all rights to pursue an entrant for claims based on damages incurred by the entrant’s failure to obtain such licenses and releases.
17. By participating in the Challenge, each entrant represents, warrants, and covenants as follows: The entrants are the sole authors, creators, and owners of the submission; the entrant’s submission:
    • Is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation claim
    • Does not, and will not, violate or infringe upon the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other legal rights of any third party
    • Does not, and will not, contain any harmful computer code (sometimes referred to as “malware,” “viruses,” or “worms”)
    • The submission and entrant’s use of the submission does not, and will not, violate any applicable laws or regulations of the United States
18. An individual or entity that is determined to be on the GSA Excluded Parties List is ineligible to receive a monetary or non-monetary prize award and will not be selected as a Challenge winner. To search the list, go to sam.gov, click “Search Records”, then click “Advanced Search – Exclusions”.

Monetary Prizes
The total monetary prize purse for Phase I of the Challenge is $25,000. The judging panel will select up to five (5) monetary prize winners. The $25,000 Phase I monetary prize purse will be distributed evenly among each of the monetary prize winners.

In addition to the monetary prize awards, DHS S&T and USCG will provide travel allowances for the designated team lead of monetary prize-winning teams to travel to the USCG Research and Development Center in New London, CT. The purpose of this travel allowance is for the Phase I winners to participate in a “Piranha Pool” pitch competition as a part of Phase II of the challenge.

If any potential prize winner is found to be ineligible, has not complied with these official Rules, Terms & Conditions, or declines the monetary prize for any reason prior to award, (an) alternate winner(s) may be selected.

Monetary prizes awarded under Phase I will be paid to the designated team lead directly by Luminary Labs through electronic funds transfer. Monetary prize winner(s) will be responsible for any applicable local, State, and Federal taxes and reporting that may be required under applicable tax laws.

Phase I Winner Selection Criteria
The judges will use the Phase I selection criteria to select up to five (5) monetary prize winners and additional non-monetary honorable mention award winners from the pool of eligible entries in Phase I, which will be submitted to DHS S&T and USCG for final approval.

When evaluating Phase I entries, judges will assign each submission one to five points in each of the criteria outlined on the Selection Criteria page and below. Submissions will receive a total of up to 25 points from each judge.

1. Effectiveness. Extent to which the solution demonstrates potential to improve detectability of people in the water by existing Coast Guard detection methods during search and rescue missions.
2. Accessibility. Potential for a broad set of boaters to purchase the solution. Does not require extensive companion purchases and is cost-effective from the consumer perspective.
3. User experience. Likelihood that the targeted market for the solution would use the solution while boating. Extent to which the solution addresses common barriers to use that limit existing solutions, such as comfort, style, convenience, or ease of use.
4. Feasibility. Extent to which the proposed solution is viable can be reasonably developed into a prototype for additional testing alongside USCG assets in Phase II and III by August 1, 2019, and has the potential to be manufactured at scale.
5. Entrant Potential. Extent to which the entrant or entrant team demonstrates the appropriate level of experience, commitment, and ability to move from concept to prototype.

The selection criteria are to be applied in the sole discretion of DHS S&T, USCG, and the individual judges and are subject to modification by DHS S&T and USCG. By participating in the Challenge, each entrant acknowledges and agrees that such evaluations may differ from person to person and agrees to be bound by and not challenge the final decisions of DHS S&T and USCG.

The judging scores will not be posted. Feedback will not be provided to entrants that are not selected as Phase I winners.

How to Enter Phase I

Go to the Challenge website and complete all required fields of the Challenge submission form before the close of open submissions on Monday, October 15, 2018, at 4:59 PM ET. Each entrant must complete all of the required fields in the Challenge submission form in accordance with these official Rules, Terms & Conditions. All submissions must be entered electronically.

All entrants are required to provide consent to these official Rules, Terms & Conditions upon submitting an entry. Submissions must be received during the open submissions period of the Challenge to be eligible. Open submissions officially begin on Wednesday, September 5, 2018. The open submissions period is currently scheduled to close on Monday, October 15, 2018, at 4:59 PM ET. Luminary Labs is the official timekeeper for the Challenge. Once submitted, a submission may not be altered during open submissions. DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs reserve the right to disqualify any submission that DHS S&T, USCG, or Luminary Labs deem inappropriate.

Individuals and entities, otherwise eligible to win a monetary prize, may form and submit a team entry. Each team member must be clearly identified on the team’s submission form for the team to be eligible. Team winnings will be distributed to the designated team lead for further distribution to team members. In the event that a dispute regarding the identity of the entrant who actually submitted the entry cannot be resolved to DHS S&T’s and USCG’s satisfaction, the affected entry will be deemed ineligible.

All entry information submitted on the Challenge website and all materials, including any copy of the submission, becomes the property of DHS S&T and USCG and will not be acknowledged or returned by Luminary Labs, DHS S&T, or USCG. However, entrants retain ownership of their concepts, including any software, designs, research, or other intellectual property (IP) that they develop in connection therewith, subject to the license granted to DHS S&T and USCG to use submissions as set forth in the Intellectual Property of Submissions section below.

Proof of submission is not considered proof of delivery to or receipt of such entry. Furthermore, DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs shall have no liability for any submission that is lost, intercepted, or not received by DHS S&T, USCG, and/or Luminary Labs. DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs assume no liability or responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, theft, destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, submissions.

Open submissions close on Monday, October 15, 2018 at 4:59 PM ET. Entrants should submit at least one hour before the deadline to ensure the completed submission is received. Entrants who submit an application after the deadline date because of a technical problem with the Challenge website system must immediately contact hello@readyforrescuechallenge.com, and provide an explanation of the technical problem experienced on the Challenge website system. DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs will accept your application if DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Challenge website system and that the technical problem affected your ability to submit an application by Monday, October 15, 2018 at 4:59 PM ET. DHS S&T, USCG, and/or Luminary Labs will contact you when a determination is made on whether the application will be accepted.

Note: These extensions apply only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the Challenge website system. DHS S&T and USCG will not grant an entrant an extension if the entrant failed to submit an application in the system by the application deadline date and time, or if the technical problem experienced is unrelated to the Challenge website system.

Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact prizeauthority@hq.dhs.gov. Entrants who use a TDD or a TTY may call the FRS, toll-free, at 1-800-877-8339. If DHS S&T and USCG provide an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the entry submission process, the entry remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice.

Submission License
Each entrant retains title to, and full ownership of, its submission. The entrant expressly reserves all intellectual property rights not expressly granted under this agreement. By participating in the Challenge, each entrant hereby irrevocably grants a license to DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs to store, access and modify submissions in perpetuity that may be reproduced or distributed in the future. Please refer to the Intellectual Property of Submissions section below for further information regarding rights to submissions.

Publicity Release
By participating in the Challenge, each entrant hereby irrevocably grants to DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs the right to use such entrant’s name, likeness, image, and biographical information in any and all media for advertising and promotional purposes relating to the Challenge, and otherwise, as stated above in the Submission License section.

Disqualification
DHS S&T and USCG reserve the right in their discretion to disqualify any entrant who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Challenge, Challenge website, or other Challenge-related websites; to be acting in violation of these official Rules, Terms & Conditions; or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Challenge; or to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person; and DHS S&T and USCG reserve the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Links to Third-Party Websites
The Challenge website may contain links to third-party websites that are not owned or controlled by DHS S&T, USCG, or Luminary Labs. DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs do not endorse or assume any responsibility for any such third-party sites. If you access a third-party website from the Challenge website, you do so at your own risk and expressly relieve DHS S&T, USCG, and/or Luminary Labs from any and all liability arising from the use of any third-party website content.

Notice to Phase I Winner(s)
Attempts to notify Phase I monetary prize winner(s) and Phase I non-monetary honorable mention award winner(s) will be made using the email address associated with the team lead’s Luminary Lightbox account. DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs are not responsible for email or other communication problems of any kind.

If, despite reasonable efforts, a potential Phase I winner does not respond within three (3) days of the first notification attempt regarding selection as a Phase I winner (or a shorter time as exigencies may require), or if the notification is returned as undeliverable to such entrant, that entrant may forfeit the entrant’s Phase I winner status and any associated prizes, and an alternate Phase I winner may be selected.

If any potential Phase I winner is found to be ineligible, has not complied with these official Rules, Terms & Conditions, or declines the applicable prize for any reason prior to award, such potential Phase I winner will be disqualified, and an alternate Phase I winner may be selected.

Intellectual Property (IP) of Submissions
As part of their acceptance of the Phase I monetary prize or non-monetary honorable mention award, each Phase I winner hereby grants to DHS S&T, USCG, and its designees a worldwide, non-exclusive, sub-licensable, transferable, fully paid-up, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right to use, reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works, publicly perform, publicly display, digitally perform, make, have made, distribute and import their Phase I submission and other data submitted, in any media now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose whatsoever, commercial or otherwise, without further approval by or payment to the Phase I winner, and represents that he/she/it has the unrestricted right to grant that license. Furthermore, the Phase I winner hereby grants the government and its designees a worldwide, non-exclusive, sub-licensable, transferable, fully paid-up, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, unlimited rights to the government or its designees to apply or utilize the submission, modified submission, or derivative work with other data not owned by the Phase I winner and that all resulting data output is available to the government for unlimited use.

Please refer to the Submission License section above for further information regarding rights to submissions.

Dates and Deadlines
DHS S&T and USCG reserve the right to modify any dates or deadlines set forth in these official Rules, Terms & Conditions or otherwise governing the Challenge.

Challenge Termination
DHS S&T and USCG reserve the right to suspend, postpone, cease, terminate or otherwise modify this Challenge, or any entrant’s participation in the Challenge, at any time at DHS S&T’s and USCG’s discretion.

General Liability Release
By participating in the Challenge, each entrant hereby agrees that:

DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs shall not be responsible or liable for any losses, damages, or injuries of any kind (including death) resulting from participation in the Challenge or any Challenge-related activity, or from an entrant’s acceptance, receipt, possession, use, or misuse of any monetary prize

The entrant will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs from and against all third-party claims, actions, or proceedings of any kind and from any and all damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses relating to, or arising from, the entrant’s participation in the Challenge

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs are not responsible for incomplete, illegible, misdirected, misprinted, late, lost, postage-due, damaged, or stolen entries or prize notifications; or for lost, interrupted, inaccessible, or unavailable networks, servers, satellites, Internet Service Providers, websites, or other connections; or for miscommunications, failed, jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected computer, telephone, cable transmissions or other communications; or for any technical malfunctions, failures, difficulties, or other errors of any kind or nature; or for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of information, or the failure to capture any information.

These official Rules, Terms & Conditions cannot be modified except by DHS S&T or USCG in their absolute discretion. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these official Rules, Terms & Conditions shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these official Rules, Terms & Conditions shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.

Exercise
The failure of DHS S&T and USCG to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these official Rules, Terms & Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

Governing Law
All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these official Rules, Terms & Conditions shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, U.S. Federal law as applied in the Federal courts of the District of Columbia if a complaint is filed by any party against DHS S&T, and the laws of the State of New York as applied in the New York state courts in New York City if a complaint is filed by any party against Luminary Labs.

Privacy Policy
By participating in the Challenge, each entrant hereby agrees that occasionally, DHS S&T, USCG, and Luminary Labs may also use the entrant’s information to contact the entrant about Federal Challenge and innovation related activities, and acknowledges that the entrant has read and accepted the Privacy Policy here.

Additional Terms That Are Part of the Rules, Terms & Conditions
Please review the Luminary Lightbox Terms of Service at http://www.LuminaryLightbox.com/terms for additional rules that apply to your participation in the Challenge and more generally your use of the Challenge Website. Such Terms of Service are incorporated by reference into these official Rules, Terms & Conditions. If there is a conflict between the Terms of Service and these official Rules, Terms & Conditions, the latter terms shall control with respect to this Challenge only.

Participation in the Challenge constitutes the entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these official Rules, Terms & Conditions. By entering, an entrant agrees that all decisions related to the Challenge that are made pursuant to these official Rules, Terms & Conditions are final and binding and that all such decisions are at the sole discretion of DHS S&T, USCG, and/or Luminary Labs.

Luminary Labs collects personal information from entrants to the Challenge. The information collected is subject to the Privacy Policy located here.

Phase I Winner List, Official Rules, and Contact
To obtain a list of Phase I winners (after the conclusion of the Challenge) or a copy of these official Rules, Terms & Conditions, send a self-addressed envelope with the proper postage affixed to Luminary Labs, 30 West 22nd St., Floor 6, New York City, NY, 10010. Please specify “Phase I Winner List” or “Rules, Terms & Conditions” and the name of the specific Challenge in your request.