Rules, Terms & Conditions

Challenge Description

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called upon data innovators from a wide variety of fields— from data science, to civic tech, to epidemiology— to develop concepts for novel uses of existing data that will identify signals and achieve timelier alerts for biothreats in our cities and communities. Successful concepts will explore connections between multiple readily accessible data sources, to develop real-time insights that can improve public safety responses to emerging biothreats.

The deadline for Stage 1 (see Stage 1 below) submissions was 4:59 PM ET on Monday, December 4, 2017.

These Official Rules, Terms & Conditions apply to the Hidden Signals Challenge. Please read these Rules, Terms & Conditions carefully before submitting to the Hidden Signals Challenge.  

The Hidden Signals Challenge (the Challenge) will be conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Luminary Labs, L.L.C. (Luminary Labs) has been contracted by DHS to assist and support DHS in organizing and managing this competition. Activities conducted by Luminary Labs may also include providing technical assistance to potential entrants, entrants, and Finalists.

Stage 1

Stage 1 sought concepts for novel uses of existing data that would identify signals and achieve timelier alerts for biothreats in our cities and communities. At the conclusion of Stage 1, five (5) Finalists received the associated cash prizes, and accepted an invitation to Stage 2 of the Challenge.

Stage 2 

Stage 1 sought concepts for novel uses of existing data that would identify signals and achieve timelier alerts for biothreats in our cities and communities. At the conclusion of Stage 1, five (5) Finalists received the associated cash prizes, and accepted an invitation to Stage 2 of the Challenge.

Virtual Accelerator Description

The Virtual Accelerator begins on the date Finalists are announced and concludes on the deadline for Stage 2 submissions. During the Virtual Accelerator, Finalists will:

  • Have access to subject matter experts (“SMEs”) who will act as mentors throughout the Virtual Accelerator, helping the Finalists to iterate and improve their submissions.
  • Receive guidance through interactive sessions with DHS, external SMEs, and Luminary Labs staff, focusing on topics that are relevant to system designs.
  • Have the option to participate in interactive activities designed to enhance engagement with the subject matter.

Finalists will be required to submit a detailed system design at the conclusion of Stage 2.

Eligibility

Pursuant to the AMERICA Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) ACT of 2007 (P.L. 110-69):

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 Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate (Challenge Sponsor) before Cash Prizes are awarded.

Officers, directors, advisory board members, employees, and support contractors of the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Health Affairs, Luminary Labs and its contractors (with the express exception of Luminary Lab’s 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 Competition. 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. See the Challenge.gov (https://www.challenge.gov) public notice for full set of exclusions and eligibility requirements.

You are not eligible to receive any Cash Prize in the Challenge if you are a resident designated by the United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (see http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/SDN-List/Pages/default.aspx for additional information).

To be eligible to win a cash prize under this Challenge, an individual or entity:

(1) Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the rules promulgated by the Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate (Challenge Sponsor) in accordance with the description provided on the Challenge Website.

(2) Shall have complied with all of the requirements on the official Challenge Website.

(3) Pursuant to the America COMPETES Act of 2010, monetary and non-monetary awards for this Challenge may only be given to an individual that is a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States or an entity that is incorporated in and whose primary place of business is in the United States, subject to verification by the Challenge Sponsor before prizes are awarded; an individual or private entity must be the registered entrant to be eligible to win a prize.

(4) Entities selected as a Challenge Cash Prize Winner (Finalist) must register or be previously registered in the System for Awards Management (http://www.sam.gov) in order to receive a cash prize. Registration in the System for Awards Management is not a prerequisite for submitting an entry to this Prize Challenge. Failure to register in the System for Awards Management within 30 days of notification by Luminary Labs, Inc. will result in a disqualification of the winning entry. An individual or entity that is determined to be on the Excluded Parties List (www.sam.gov) is ineligible to receive a cash prize and will not be selected as a Finalist.

(5) Individuals and entities, otherwise eligible to win a prize, may form and submit a team entry, and teams are strongly encouraged. Each team member must be clearly identified on the team’s submission form for the team to be eligible. 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 satisfaction, the affected entry will be deemed ineligible.

(6) Entrants to this Challenge must: agree to be bound by the rules of the Challenge, agree that the decision of the judges for this 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.

(7) Individuals and Individual Team Leads selected as a Finalist must submit all required taxpayer identification and bank account information required to complete an electronic payment of the cash prize.  Failure to provide the government required documents for electronic payment within 30 days of notification by Luminary Labs, Inc. will result in a disqualification of the winning entry.

(8) Entrants in this Challenge agree, as a condition for winning a cash prize, to complete and submit all required winner verification documents to Luminary Labs, Inc. within 30 days of notification. Failure to return all required verification documents by the date specified in the notification may be a basis for disqualification of the winning entry.

(9) Contestants to this Prize Competition must agree and consent, as a condition for receiving a cash 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 the Department of Homeland Security’s promotion of this Prize Competition.

(10) Entrants will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless DHS 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.

(11) Entrants 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.

(12) 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 (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 Federal facilities or relied upon significant consultation with DHS Federal employees to develop a submission, unless the facilities and employees were made available to all entrants in this Challenge on an equal basis; and
  • 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 prize monies 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 this Challenge.

(13) Per 15 U.S.C. 3719(h), 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 competition if the facilities and employees are made available to all individuals and entities participating in the Challenge on an equitable basis.

(14) 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.

(15) 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 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 reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify the applicable submission, or direct the entrant to secure the licenses and releases for DHS’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 reserves all rights to pursue an entrant for claims based on damages incurred by the entrant’s failure to obtain such licenses and releases.

(16) 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: (a) Is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation claim; (b) 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; (c) 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.

(17) An individual or entity that is determined to be on the GSA Excluded Parties List (www.sam.gov) is ineligible to receive a cash prize award and will not be selected as a Challenge Winner.

(18) All entry information submitted on the Challenge website and all materials, including any copy of the submission, becomes property of DHS and will not be acknowledged or returned by Luminary Labs or DHS. However, entrants retain ownership of their concepts, including any software, research, or other intellectual property (IP) that they develop in connection therewith, subject to the license granted to DHS 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 and Luminary Labs shall have no liability for any submission that is lost, intercepted, or not received by DHS and/or Luminary Labs. DHS and Luminary Labs assume no liability or responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, theft, destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, submissions.

Entrants must comply with and abide by these Official Rules, Terms & Conditions and the decisions of DHS, which shall be final and binding in all respects.

Entrants are not required to obtain liability insurance or demonstrate financial responsibility in order to participate in the Challenge.

Prizes

Five (5) Finalists were selected by the judges according to official Stage 1 Challenge criteria and received $20,000 in cash prizes each. Up to two (2) Winners will be selected by the judges according to the official Stage 2 Challenge criteria and will be awarded up to $200,000 in cash prizes. If any potential Finalist is found to be ineligible, has not complied with these Official Rules, Terms & Conditions, or declines the cash prize for any reason prior to award, an alternate Finalist may be selected. If any potential Winner is found to be ineligible, has not complied with the Official Rules, Terms & Conditions, or declines the cash prize for any reason prior to award, an alternate Winner may be selected.

Following the completion of Stage 1, Finalists from Stage 1 advanced to Stage 2, where they will compete for an additional $200,000 in cash prizes. The Stage 2 cash prize of $200,000 will be distributed to the Winner(s) based on the review of the Stage 2 submissions by the judges. As part of their acceptance of the associated Stage 1 cash prize, Finalists agree to participate in Stage 2 activities, which will include the further development of concepts into detailed system designs, with guidance from a panel of expert mentors. At the end of Stage 2, Finalists will be required to submit these detailed system designs, which will describe how concepts from Stage 1 are to be implemented in practice.

Cash prizes awarded under this Challenge will be paid to the Team Lead directly by DHS through electronic funds transfer. Finalists and Winner(s) will be responsible for any applicable local, State, and Federal taxes and reporting that may be required under applicable tax laws. 

Finalist and Winner Selection Criteria

The judges used the Finalist selection criteria to select five (5) Finalists from the pool of eligible entries in Stage 1, which were submitted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for final approval. Judges will use the Winner selection criteria to select the Winner(s) from the pool of Finalists at the conclusion of Stage 2, which will also be submitted to DHS for final approval.

Stage 1 Finalist Selection Criteria

When evaluating Stage 1 entries, judges will assign each submission one to five points in each of the criteria categories below (for a total of up to 30 points):

  • Originality. Presents a novel approach to the problem, and offers creative solutions and unique hypotheses.
  • Impact. Has the potential to significantly advance current city-level practices and resources for identifying biothreat signals, and simultaneously complements existing resources.
  • Feasibility. Demonstrates significant potential to rapidly detect patterns with a high degree of confidence, ideally within a day of exposure and no longer than ten days from exposure, and uses technically sound methods that are backed by credible supporting evidence.
  • Sustainability. Makes use of freely available and/or low-cost data sources that are readily accessible to city-level operators and DHS on a consistent and long-term basis.
  • Scalability. Has the ability or potential to expand to other geographic areas, or signals indicative of biothreat incidents or other scenarios of concern for homeland security.
  • Team. Demonstrates an appropriate level of experience, commitment, and ability to move from concept to system design within the timeline of the Challenge.

Stage 2 Winner Selection Criteria

When evaluating Stage 2 entries, judges will assign each submission one to five points in each of the criteria categories below (for a total of up to 30 points):

  • Empathy. Extent to which the system demonstrates an understanding of and is clearly designed to support a city-level and / or national-level end-user’s needs, workflow and decision-making process, both day-to-day and in the instance of a public safety emergency.
  • Impact. Submission details how the system will measurably advance current city-level and / or national-level practices, as well as how the system will integrate with and complement existing systems and technologies.
  • Feasibility. Submission demonstrates a reasonable path for implementation, and a clear method for validating data-driven signals with a high degree of confidence, backed by credible supporting evidence.
  • Sustainability. Extent to which the submission illustrates a plan for DHS to maintain consistent long-term access to the system, and adequately addresses potential constraints and potential unintended consequences of the system.
  • Scalability. Offers a plan as to how the system will expand to other geographic areas, to different signal types indicative of biothreat incidents, or to other scenarios of concern for public safety.
  • Team. Demonstrates commitment and an ability to further advance the system design into a prototype and / or operable system, and also demonstrates significant evolution and improvement of the initial concept over the course of the Virtual Accelerator.

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

The selection criteria are to be applied in the sole discretion of DHS, the individual review panelists and judges, and are subject to modification by DHS. By participating in the Challenge, each entrant into the Challenge 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.

The judging scores will not be posted. Feedback will not be provided to entrants that are not selected as Finalists or Winner(s).

How to Enter Stage 1

NOTE: Stage 1 submissions are now closed.

To enter:

Go to the Challenge website and complete all required fields of the Challenge submission form before the close of open submissions on Monday, December 4, 2017 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 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 after publication of the Challenge.gov post announcing the Challenge. Open submissions will last from Challenge launch through the close of open submissions, currently scheduled for Monday, December 4, 2017 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 reserves the right to disqualify any submission that DHS deems inappropriate.

Individuals and entities, otherwise eligible to win a prize, may form and submit a team entry, and teams are strongly encouraged. Each team member must be clearly identified on the team’s submission form for the team to be eligible. 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 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 and will not be acknowledged or returned by Luminary Labs or DHS. However, entrants retain ownership of their concepts, including any software, research, or other intellectual property (IP) that they develop in connection therewith, subject to the license granted to DHS 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 and Luminary Labs shall have no liability for any submission that is lost, intercepted, or not received by DHS and/or Luminary Labs. DHS 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, December 4, 2017 at 4:59 PM ET. Entrants should submit at least one hour before the deadline to ensure the completed submission is received. If you submit an application after the deadline date because you experienced a technical problem with the Challenge website system, you must immediately contact hello@hiddensignalschallenge.com, and provide an explanation of the technical problem experienced on the Challenge website system. DHS will accept your application if DHS 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, December 4, 2017 at 4:59 PM ET. DHS and/or Luminary Labs will contact you after 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 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: DHS S&T InnoPrize, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Science & Technology Directorate, Washington, DC 20528, or by email: prizeauthority@hq.dhs.gov. If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339. If DHS provides 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.

Representations, Warranties, and Indemnification

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.

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 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 reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify the applicable submission, or direct the entrant to secure the licenses and releases for DHS’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 reserves all rights to pursue an entrant for claims based on damages incurred by the entrant’s failure to obtain such licenses and releases.

Entrants will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless DHS 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.

DHS reserves the right to disqualify any submission that DHS, in its discretion, deems to violate these Official Rules, Terms & Conditions. 

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 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 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 reserves the right in its sole 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 reserves 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 Luminary Labs or DHS. Luminary Labs and DHS 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 Luminary Labs and/or DHS from any and all liability arising from use of any third-party website content.

Notice to Finalists and Winner(s)

Attempts to notify Finalists and Winner(s) will be made using the email address associated with the Team Lead’s Luminary Lightbox account. DHS and Luminary Labs are not responsible for email or other communication problems of any kind.

If, despite reasonable efforts, a potential Finalist does not respond within three (3) days of the first notification attempt regarding selection as a Finalist (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 Finalist status and associated cash prizes, and an alternate Finalist may be selected.

If, despite reasonable efforts, a potential Winner does not respond within three (3) days of the first notification attempt (or a shorter time as exigencies may require), or if the notification of prize or the prize itself is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to such participant, that participant may forfeit the participant’s Winner status and associated prizes, and an alternate Winner may be selected.

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

Intellectual Property (IP) of Submissions

As part of their acceptance of the Stage 1 cash prize, each Finalist hereby grants to DHS 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 Stage 1 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 Finalist, and represents that he/she/it has the unrestricted right to grant that license. Furthermore, the Finalist 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 Finalist and that all resulting data output is available to the government for unlimited use.

As part of their acceptance of the Stage 2 cash prize, the Winner(s) hereby grant(s) to DHS 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 Stage 2 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 Finalist, and represents that he/she/it has the unrestricted right to grant that license. Furthermore, the Finalist 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 Finalist 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 reserves the right to modify any dates or deadlines set forth in these Official Rules, Terms & Conditions or otherwise governing the Challenge.

Challenge Termination

DHS reserves 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 discretion. 

General Liability Release

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

  • DHS 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 cash prize;
  • The entrant will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless DHS 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 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 in its sole and 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 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, 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 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 at: www.hiddensignalschallenge.com/privacy-policy.

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 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: http://www.LuminaryLightbox.com/privacy.

Winner List, Finalist List, Official Rules, and Contact

To obtain a list of Finalists and Winner(s) (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 “Winner List,” “Finalist List” or “Official Rules, Terms & Conditions” and the name of the specific Challenge in your request.