NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

COMMON TERMS USED IN THESE RULES:

These are the official rules that govern how the Microsoft Tech Student Kinect sweepstakes promotion will operate.  This promotion will be simply referred to as the “Sweepstakes” throughout the rest of these rules. In these rules, “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to Microsoft Corporation, the sponsor of the Sweepstakes. “You” refers to an eligible Sweepstakes entrant. 

WHAT ARE THE START AND END DATES?

This Sweepstakes starts at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on December 9, 2011, and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on January 15, 2012 (“Entry Period”).  Entries must be received within the Entry Period to be eligible.

CAN I ENTER?

You are eligible to enter this Sweepstakes if you meet the following requirements at time of entry:

• You are a legal resident of the 50 United States and District of Columbia, and are 14 years of age or older.

• If you are 14 of age or older, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, you should ask your parent’s or legal guardian’s permission prior to submitting an entry into this Sweepstakes; and

• You are actively enrolled as a student at an accredited educational institution that grants high-school (or equivalent) degrees located in the 50 United States (including the District of Columbia); and

• You are NOT an employee of Microsoft Corporation or an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary; and

• You are NOT involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Sweepstakes; and

• You are NOT an immediate family (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft subsidiary, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Sweepstakes.

This Sweepstakes is void outside of the geographic area described above and wherever else prohibited by law.

HOW DO I ENTER?

You can enter the Sweepstakes through the “Suggestion Box” (the “application”) on Facebook. You can also find the application on the Suggestion Box Tab on the Microsoft Tech Student Page on Facebook. During the Entry Period, visit http://www.facebook.com/MicrosoftTechStudent?sk=app_131954976885766 and follow the links and instructions to register for the promotion and submit an idea for a game/app that uses Kinect. You will advance to the application authorization page where you will be required to authorize the Sponsor to pull your profile information and other content that the application will require to work in order to participate in the Sweepstakes. The quality of your entry will not have any bearing on whether or not you win. However, by completeing the required questions, you will receive one (1) entry into the random drawing.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to the Sponsor and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for administering the Promotion and to contact you if you are a winner.

We will only accept one (1) entry per Facebook account.

We are not responsible for entries that we do not receive for any reason, or for entries that we receive but are not decipherable for any reason.

We will automatically disqualify:

• Any incomplete or illegible entry; and
• Any entries we feel are inappropriate or disparaging; and
• Any entries that we receive from you that are in excess of the entry limit described above.

WINNER SELECTION AND PRIZES

On or around the close of the Entry Period, we will randomly select winners of the prizes designated below. 

Three (3) Grand Prizes.  A 4GBXbox 360 with Kinect.  Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $299.00 each.

The total Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of all prizes: $897.00

We will only award one (1) prize per person during the Entry Period. Only three (3) alternate drawings will be held after which the applicable prize will remain un-awarded

If you are a potential winner, we will notify you by sending a message to the e-mail address, the phone number, or mailing address (if any) provided at time of entry within seven (7) days following the random drawing.  If the notification that we send is returned as undeliverable, or you are otherwise unreachable for any reason, we may award the prize to an alternate, randomly selected winner. 

If there is a dispute as to who is the potential winner, we will consider the potential winner to be the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter the Sweepstakes . If you are a potential winner, we may require you to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability/Publicity Release and a W-9 tax form or W-8 BEN tax form within 10 days of notification.  If you are a potential winner and you are 14 or older, but are considered a minor in your place of legal residence, we may require your parent or legal guardian to sign all required forms on your behalf.  If you do not complete the required forms as instructed and/or return the required forms within the time period listed on the winner notification message, we may disqualify you and select an alternate, randomly selected winner.

If you are confirmed as a  winner of this Sweepstakes:

• You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services.  However, if for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value; and

• You may not designate someone else as the winner.  If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, we will award it to an alternate potential winner; and

• If you accept a prize, you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize; and

• If you are otherwise eligible for this Sweepstakes, but are considered a minor in your place of residence, we may award the prize to your parent/legal guardian on your behalf; and

• Unless otherwise noted, all prizes are subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and / or terms and conditions. 

WHAT ARE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING?

Your odds of winning this Sweepstakes depend on the number of eligible entries we receive.

WHAT OTHER CONDITIONS ARE YOU AGREEING TO BY ENTERING THIS SWEEPSTAKES?

By entering this Sweepstakes you agree:

• To abide by these Official Rules; and

• To release and hold harmless Microsoft,and its respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Sweepstakes or any prize won; and

• That Microsoft’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this Sweepstakes; and

• That by accepting a prize, Microsoft may use of your proper name and state of residence online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this Sweepstakes, without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law.

WHAT LAWS GOVERN THE WAY THIS SWEEPSTAKES IS EXECUTED AND ADMINISTRATED?

This Sweepstakes will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Sweepstakes.  

WHAT IF SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENS AND THE SWEEPSTAKES CAN’T RUN AS PLANNED?

If cheating, a virus, bug, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and / or integrity of this Sweepstakes, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this Sweepstakes.  This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the Sweepstakes, we reserve the right to randomly select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Sweepstakes.

If you attempt to compromise the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Sweepstakes by hacking or by cheating or committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law.  Further, we may ban you from participating in any of our future Sweepstakes, so please play fairly.

HOW CAN YOU FIND OUT WHO WON?

If you send an email to skills@microsoft.com within 30 days of January 15, 2012, we will provide you with a list of winners that receive a prize worth $25.00 or more.

WHO IS SPONSORING THIS SWEEPSTAKES?

Microsoft  Corporation

One Microsoft Way

Redmond, WA 98052

Written by Megan Benjamin

Ah, the sweet smell of stress is in the air! Finals are coming up. You know it; we know it, but you needn’t worry! Here are five tips to keep you sane while you bang out those papers, study your heart out, and ace those final exams!

1.)  Start early. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you don’t have enough time to learn the material you need to learn, read the pages you need to read, or memorize the formulas you should’ve known in October. We won’t fault you for not staying on top of everything all semester long (a kid’s gotta have some fun too, right?), but instead of waiting until the absolute last minute, start now! Make some few flash cards; solve a few extra problems, read a few extra pages RIGHT NOW. (Seriously.) It’ll help with the stress later.

2.)  Get your papers out of the way first (if you have any). Research papers can be time consuming and exhausting. Make the time to get them out of the way early so you can have a little mental break before you have to study for your final exams.

3.)  Find a study buddy. Studying alone might be more your style, but studying with a friend (especially for last minute preparations) is way more fun and helps you learn the material better. Make sure you pick a study buddy who can get down to business and focus. Studying with a buddy not only helps you learn the material, but it also gives you an opportunity to teach or explain it to someone else. If you can teach it, you have learned it!

4.)  Write it out. Studying for a big math exam? Work through some practice problems. Trying to ace español? Flashcards are great for vocabulario. Big scary bio test? Write key terms, definitions, and concepts into a giant study sheet. Highlight the stuff you find most important. Research shows that repeatedly writing or even typing key terms or study materials will help you remember the things you need to know for your finals!

5.)  Sleep! You might be able to get away with pulling an all nighter to bang out a paper, but staying up all night to study for a big test will hurt you big time on game day. Your brain can absorb much more and function on a much higher level when you are well rested. Try your best to get at least eight hours of sleep each night for at least a week before your final exams. Feel like you don’t have enough time to sleep? You do. Go to bed early, and wake up early. It’ll help maximize your study time.

Good luck! Remember to stay focused and rested (and caffeinated if all else fails)!