Mint.com’s Be Our Guest at TechCrunch50 Contest

Help us get the word out about our free, online personal finance service, and we may help you get into TechCrunch50 for free!

We’re giving away two passes to the September 8–10, 2008 TC50 event (worth $2,995 each). The contest is open now through midnight on August 31, 2008. Winners will be announced on September 2, 2008.  See below for full contest rules.

Contest FAQ

1. Who is the contest sponsor?
The Be Our Guest at TC50 contest is sponsored by Mint.com
2. Who is the contest open to?
The contest is open to people residing in the 50 United States that are 18 years of age or older. You do not need to be a Mint customer in order to enter the contest.
3. What are the contest dates?
The contest begins at 12 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on August 19, 2008. The contest ends at 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on August 31, 2008.
4. How do I submit an entry?
For the Most Referrals competition:  Log in to Mint.com, and refer friends to Mint using our Tell-a-Friend feature.  For the Best Story competition:  post a comment on the August 19, 2008 contest announcement blog post.  Please review the full contest rules before submitting an entry.

5. How will winners be chosen?

The Most Referrals competition winner will be the Mint user generating the largest number of new users from the invitations sent, as measured by Mint.com’s internal Tell-a-Friend tracking.

The Best Story winner will be chosen by Mint.com employees based on: originality, creativity, believability and relevance to our “How Mint has Helped Me” theme.  Two important rules:
1. Keep it clean. No obscene content or profanity.
2. Don’t make fun of other entrants. You can make as much fun of yourself as you like.

Please review full contest rules for more information.
6. What can I win?
The winner of the Most Referral and the Best Story competition will each win one three day pass to the TechCrunch50 conference to be held September 8-10, 2008 in San Francisco, CA.
7. How will winners be notified?
Contest winners will be notified by email on or around September 1, 2008. Please review the complete contest rules concerning notification.

Still have questions?

Please contact us at contest@mint.com.

Mint.com “Be Our Guest at TC50” Contest Rules
1. INTRODUCTION
This document describes the official rules of the Mint “Be Our Guest at TC50” Contest organized by the Mint Software, Inc. (“Mint” or the “Sponsor”). The objectives of this contest (the “Contest”) are to 1) encourage and incent Mint.com users to introduce others to the Mint.com personal finance service, and 2) to collect and share stories developed by creative people from around the United States and to use them to educate, entertain, and inform viewers and readers. The Contest entries may be used by Mint in its marketing efforts, both online and offline.
2. DEFINITIONS
“Work” means a written story as a copyrightable work of authorship created by the Entrant for this Contest. “Entrant” means the individual or organization that offers the Work under the terms of this Contest.
3. ACCEPTANCE
Participation constitutes Entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these official rules. By participating in the Contest, the Entrant is representing and warranting that he/she has read and understood, and agrees to be bound by, these rules. Including the guides and rules referred to herein, these official rules constitute the entire agreement between the Entrant and the Sponsor in relation to the Contest. They govern the Entrant’s participation and supersede any prior agreements between Entrant and the Sponsor and relating to the contest.
4. ELIGIBILITY
NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTEST. The Contest is open only to individuals who are 18 years of age or older as of the date of entry, are legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia and who have an email account as of the date of entry. Employees of Mint and its parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, franchises, distributors, advertising agencies, and families, and persons living in the same household as such employees, are not eligible to participate. The Contest is subject to all national, federal, state and local laws and regulations. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, U.S. MILITARY INSTALLATIONS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES, COUNTRIES OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES AND VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
5. SEVERABILITY
When any provision of the Contest is found to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the intentions of the parties as reflected in the provision, and that the other provisions of the Contest remain in full force and effect.
6. CONTEST PERIOD
The contest begins at 12:00:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on August 19, 2008 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on August 31, 2008 (“Contest Period”).
7. HOW TO ENTER
To enter the Most Referrals competition, the Entrant must log in to his/her Mint.com account and use the Tell-a-Friend feature to send introductory emails to others.  Only new users generated from emails sent from Mint.com’s Tell-a-Friend feature will be credited toward the Entrant’s total number of referrals.
To enter the Best Story competition, the Entrant must submit their story as a comment on the August 19, 2008 Contest Announcement Blog post.  Stories submitted should be relevant to the competition’s theme:  “How Mint has Helped Me”.  The Work must not mention the full personal name and/or contact information of any individual that is named in the story. Works submitted will not be returned or acknowledged. Proof of sending will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor.
Individuals may enter both the Most Referrals competition and the Best Story competition.  Entrant may submit multiple story entries as long as each entry: (1) materially differs, in Mint’s sole discretion, from the Entrant’s other entries, and (2) is from a different email address. Each Entrant must be the named and authorized account holder of the email address submitted in connection with that Entrant’s Work. In the event of a dispute over the identity of an online Entrant, the Work will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the email account of the email address submitted at the time of entry. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Sponsor has the right (though not the obligation) to, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, reject or remove from Sponsor’s websites, servers and computer systems any Work that, in Sponsor’s reasonable opinion, violates these official rules or any applicable Sponsor policy or is in any way harmful or objectionable.
8. JUDGING AND SELECTION OF A WINNER
The judging of the Most Referrals competition will be solely based on the number of new users generated.  The Entrant generating the highest number of new users, based on Mint.com’s Tell-a-Friend tracking reports, by 11:59:59pm on August 31, 2008 will be judged to be the winner.
The judging of the Best Story competition will be based on the following three criteria: (a) Originality in telling the story (25%), (b) Creativity in telling the story (25%), and (c) Appropriateness to the “How Mint has Helped Me” Subject Matter (50%). The Entrant whose text story earns the highest overall score will be judged to be the winner. In the event of a tie, the winners will be re-judged based solely on the Originality/Creativity criterion.
Winner selection will be conducted by the employees of Mint Software. The decisions of the judges are final and binding on all matters relating to the Contest.
9. PRIZES
There will be 1 Prize awarded for the Most Referrals winner and 1 Prize awarded for the Best Story winner (for a total of 2 Prize Winners).  The prize awarded will be a admission pass to the TechCrunch50 conference to be held September 8-10, 2008.  Total ARV of all prizes: maximum of $5,990.
There will be no substitution of prize; including, without limitation, cash substitutions. The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.
Winners will be notified by email on or about September 2, 2008 and will be given instructions on how to claim the prize. If a winner cannot be notified within 2 days after his or her selection, or in the event of non-compliance with any of these requirements, the prize will be forfeited, and the Entrant having generated the next highest number of new users or next highest score on their story will be deemed the winner. In the event of a dispute concerning the identity of the person submitting an entry online, the entry will be deemed to be submitted by the person in whose name the email account is registered. Winners may be required to provide evidence of identity in connection with claiming the prize.
The winners are solely responsible for paying all income tax and any other federal, state or local taxes, if any, on the value of the prize.
10. ENTRANT REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES; INDEMNIFICATION
By participating in the Contest, the Entrant warrants and represents in connection with the Work submitted that: (a) the use of the Work, as described below, will not infringe the proprietary rights, including without limitation the intellectual property rights, of any third party; (b) the use of the Work, as described below, will be in compliance with any third-party licenses pertaining to the Work; (c) the Work is not obscene or libelous, and does not violate the right of privacy or publicity of any third party; (d) the Entrant has accurately categorized and described the type and nature of the Work on the entry page; (e) the Work has not been previously published or submitted in any other contest or competition and/or to any media; (f) the Work is an original work; (g) the Entrant will not upload, post or transmit any materials that contain any computer viruses, Easter eggs, worms, Trojan horses or other harmful components or programming routines to the Mint site; (h) the Work and its use as described below will not violate any federal, state or local laws or ordinances. By participating in the Contest, Entrant agrees to hold harmless Sponsor, its officers, directors, employees, divisions, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies, from any claim by any third party relating to any rights in any Work submitted.
11. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
By participating in the Contest, Entrant hereby assigns and transfers to Sponsor all right, title, and interest to the Work. Sponsor shall have all rights to copy, edit, broadcast, publish, and use, in whole or in part, any Work, and any other intellectual property protected or protectable materials submitted by Entrant, in any manner and in any format now known or later developed without further compensation during and after the contest period, except where prohibited by law. Mint shall be the exclusive owner of all copyright and other rights in and to all tangible works incorporating any or all of the Work, and will be able to perpetually use and license to third parties such tangible works for Mint’s business purposes. Entrant understands and agrees that Mint will not pay Entrant in connection with the Work or Mint’s use or commercial exploitation thereof. Entrant hereby grants to Mint an irrevocable, non-exclusive, fully paid-up, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to use and to authorize others to use, all or part of my name, gender, age, voice, image, likeness and any biographical facts which may have been provided by me in any material derived there from, all of the foregoing for Mint’s business purposes.
12. AUTHORIZATION TO USE YOUR NAME
Acceptance of a prize constitutes consent and agreement to use all or part of the winner’s name, photo and Work and likeness for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes, without further compensation during and after the Contest Period, except where prohibited by law.
13. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
By participating in the Contest, the Entrant agrees to be bound by these official rules, including all eligibility requirements and all decisions of the Sponsor and Entrant agrees to release Sponsor, its affiliates, and their directors, officers, employees and agents from any and all liability arising out of Entrant’s participation in this Contest with respect to the awarding, receipt, use and/or misuse of any prize, including without limitation, personal injury, death, and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy.
THE SPONSOR MAKES NO WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION, OR GUARANTEE OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, RELATING TO THE CONTEST AND/OR THE PRIZES. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING HEREIN TO THE CONTRARY, BY PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST, THE ENTRANT AGREES THAT IN NO EVENT WILL SPONSOR OR ANY SPONSOR ENTITY BE LIABLE TO ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, REGARDLESS OF THE BASIS OR NATURE OF THE CLAIM, RELATING IN ANY MANNER TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES, THE CONTEST OR ENTRANT’S PARTICIPATION THEREIN, EVEN IF SPONSOR OR A SPONSOR ENTITY WERE EXPRESSLY ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THE ENTRANT FURTHER AGREES THAT IN NO EVENT WILL THE LIABILITY OF SPONSOR OR ANY SPONSOR ENTITY RELATING IN ANY MANNER TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES, THE CONTEST OR ENTRANT’S PARTICIPATION THEREIN EXCEED THE GREATER OF $1 OR AMOUNTS PAID BY ENTRANT IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CERTAIN INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO ENTRANT.
By participating in the Contest, the Entrant agrees that the Sponsor is not responsible, and will in no event be held liable, for any: (a) lost, late, illegible, misdirected, damaged, incomplete, stolen or garbled entries; (b) error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of entry materials or for technical network, telephone equipment, electronic, computer hardware or software malfunctions of any kind or inaccurate transmission of or failure to receive entry information by Sponsor on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any web site or any combination thereof; (c) communication disruption or other disruptions related to Internet traffic, virus, bug, worm, or non-authorized intervention; or (d) damage caused by a computer virus or otherwise resulting to any computer from Entrant’s access of the Contest website. If such malfunction, error, disruption, or other damage occurs or impairs the administration, security, fairness, or integrity of the Contest, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, suspend, modify or terminate the Contest by posting a notice at http://blog-mint-com-prelaunch.go-vip.net/blog/ . If the Contest is terminated before the scheduled end of the Contest Period, Sponsor will determine the winner from all eligible entries received as of the termination date. Persons found tampering with or abusing any aspect of the Contest, or whom the Sponsor believes to be causing any malfunction, error, disruption, or damage will be disqualified. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any unauthorized entries, including, without limitation, multiple entries from the same e-mail address, mass entries, or any entries made through robotic, automatic, mechanical, programmed or similar entry duplication method and to disqualify any individual using such a method.
14. PRIVACY
Information collected from entrants is subject to Mint Software’s security and privacy policy available at http://www.mint.com/privacy.html.
15. TRADEMARK INFORMATION
The names Mint and Mint Software, Inc., as well as the Mint logo (“Mint Marks”), are all registered or common law trademarks of Mint. Mint hereby grants Entrant a non-exclusive, non-sub licensable, non-distributable license to use the Mint Marks for the sole purpose of preparing the Work. Mint reserves all right title and interest in and to the Mint Marks. All goodwill resulting from Entrants’ use of the Mint Marks shall inure to the benefit of Mint.
16. LITIGATION
The interpretation and enforcement of these official rules will be governed by the laws of the State of California, USA. The Entrant and the Sponsor agree to submit all disputes arising out of or relating to these official rules or the Contest to, and hereby waive any objection to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of, the state and federal courts located in Santa Clara County, California. These official rules will be void where any provision thereof would be found invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction. If Entrant is a resident of such a jurisdiction, Entrant may not participate in the Contest.
17. NAME OF WINNER
Winners will be announced on http://blog-mint-com-prelaunch.go-vip.net/blog/ on or around September 2, 2008. For a written winners list, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope after September 2, 2008 to: Contest Winner List at Mint Software, 280 Hope Street, Mountain View, California, 94041. Vermont residents may omit return postage.
18. WAIVER
No waiver by a party of a breach of any provision of these official rules or failure by a party to exercise any right under these official rules will operate or be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach of that right or as a waiver of any other right.