RAISE YOUR VOICE - PLAYWRIGHT COMPETITION

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

1) There is no entry fee. It is free to enter!
2) Plays and Musicals submitted before August 7, 2020 are eligible for consideration.
3) This competition is open to anyone who holds legal residence in the United States of America and/or are U.S. Citizens.
4) A signed Acknowledgement of Official Rules.
5) Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry to the competition and to use all music, images, and content in the entry.
6) Limit: Each participate can submit as many complete entries as one desires.
7) Theme: Plays and musicals may (a) tell a story that centers around BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ people or (b) feature characters of color.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

A) Musical Submission Guidelines

1) On the cover page of your script, please include a working link to the musical demos for the songs in the musical so that we can review the songs.
2) Please include the sheet music in the document submitted with your script.
3) Scripts should be in 12-point Courier font, written in English, and formatted using industry-accepted standards, available through software such as Final Draft, Celtx, etc.
4) Please submit a synopsis of 250 words or less, which includes a plot summary; description of major characters, setting, and time period; and the most important conflicts in the story. Please also include a link to your music demos at the end of your synopsis.
5) New drafts, substitutions or corrected pages will not be accepted after initial submission of each submitted work. Producer will not be responsible for submissions that are incomplete, lost, unintelligible, misdirected, or damaged while in transit.

B) Play Submission Guidelines

1) Scripts should be in 12-point Courier font, written in English, and formatted using industry-accepted standards, available through software such as Final Draft, Celtx, etc.
2) Please submit a synopsis of 250 words or less, which includes a plot summary; description of major characters, setting, and time period; and the most important conflicts in the story.
3) New drafts, substitutions or corrected pages will not be accepted after initial submission of each submitted work. Producer will not be responsible for submissions that are incomplete, lost, unintelligible, misdirected, or damaged while in transit.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

A) Plays and musicals should be the original work and sole property of the Participant(s) submitting them. Plays and musical that are collaborative works of no more than two writer(s) will be accepted so long as (i) each writer of the team submits an application and e-signs these Official Rules; (ii) the names of both writers are included in each application with one writer identified as the primary contact; (iii) each writer satisfies all Eligibility Requirements set forth in Section A, above, and is otherwise in compliance with and agrees to these Official Rules.

B) Plays and musicals may be in any genre, but should be intended for a live stage production.

C) Plays and musicals should not have been previously optioned, sold, licensed or produced as a live stage production, theatrical motion picture, television or online program.

D) Plays and musicals should not include material that: (i) defames any individual or entity; (ii) invades the privacy or misappropriates publicity rights of any third party; (iii) infringes the copyright of any third party or is otherwise unlawful or infringing; or (iv) is harmful to users of the Site or could adversely impact the Competition, Site, other Participants.

E) Participant acknowledges that Sponsors and Competition Entities may have motion pictures, television programs, live stage productions and other creative materials in development or production that include ideas, concepts, plots, characters, settings, and themes similar to Participant’s Submitted work and that Participant will not be entitled to any compensation or right to negotiate with Sponsors because of any such similarities. Nothing in these Official Rules or related materials shall create an implied or express contract to compensate Participants for their scripts, except as specifically described in these Official Rules.

F) Producer reserves the right to notify any Participant of Producer’s interest in negotiating directly with Participant to develop and potentially produce a work based on the Play or Musical submitted. If Participant agrees to move forward with such negotiation, Participant’s submitted Play or Musical will not move forward in subsequent rounds of the Competition.

G) Producer recommends that Participants register their Play or Musicals with the U.S. Copyright Office. Participants should retain all rights in their works throughout the Competition, so that if the Participant wins the Competition, Participant can assign rights in and to the work to Producer for production of the winning work, free of any limitations, restrictions or third party obligations.

COMPETITION PROCESS:

1) Initial Submissions that do not conform to technical requirements in these Official Rules will be automatically disqualified.

2) Each Initial Submission that satisfies all the requirements in these Rules will be reviewed by a team of diverse judges assembled by the participating theater and ranked based on the following criteria (“Criteria”) on a scale from 1 (poor) to 10 (outstanding), with each evaluator assigning a number score for each of the listed criteria that will be added together to arrive at a total score for the Submission:

a) Originality/Creativity b) Structure c) Plot d) Pacing e) Character Development f) Diversity g) Music (if applicable) h) Lyrics (if applicable)

3) Each participating theater will choose one (1) winner each. Please note that it is possible that your project could be chosen by more than one participating theater.

PRIZE/WINNER’S OBLIGATIONS:

A) Each participating theater will choose one (1) winner. Each winning play and musicals will be awarded a $200 award from Inclusion Media Group and another $200 award from Hosting Theatre. Please note that it is possible that your project could be chosen by more than one participating theater. In the event that this happens, you will receive the GRAND PRIZE listed above from each participating theater.

B) Each participating theater commits to the following:
1) A commitment from hosting theatre to do an online reading of the show.
2) A commitment from the hosting theatre to have a diverse production team (director, music director, etc).
3) A commitment to consider the show for future placement in an upcoming season.
4) If the reading is put on as a benefit, the hosting theatre commits to pay the winner 10% of the proceeds from the reading.

C) The Prize will be awarded subject to the condition that the Winner is and remains in compliance with the Official Rules at all times during the Competition and through the development and production of the Project. The Prize cannot be substituted, shared, assigned, transferred, or exchanged. If the Winner is found to be ineligible or in violation of the representations and warranties in these Official Rules, Winner will forfeit her/his/their entitlement to the Prize.

D) If the Winner engages in (1) criminal conduct; (2) behavior (or makes statements), including, without limitation, on social media platforms that is obnoxious, inappropriate, threatening, or illegal, or reflects unfavorably on Winner and Sponsors in a significant and material way; (3) behavior that is intended to abuse, threaten, or harass any other person, Producer reserves the right to terminate Participant’s right to receive the Prize. In either case, Sponsors will determine in Sponsors’ sole discretion whether to award the Prize to the Participant in second place, or another alternate if such second place winner is disqualified.

E) Winner is solely responsible for all federal, state, and/or local taxes that may be come due as a result of Winner’s receipt of the Prize and another compensation received during the Competition (e.g., Scene Budget, etc.). An IRS Form 1099 may be issued in the name of the Winner for the value of the Prize and for any other compensation or funds provided to Winner in connection with the Competition and Project.

F) If any Participant is a member of a collective bargaining organization, such Participant is solely responsible for determining whether Participant’s participation in the Competition and Project complies with Participant’s obligations under collective bargaining agreements. Sponsors reserve the right to address any union or guild issues arising from this Competition in its absolute discretion, including disqualifying any Finalist or Winner who would otherwise cause Producer to violate a union or guild agreement.

APPLICANT AGREES TO THE FOLLOWING:

1) Consent to use Name and Likeness: Except where legally prohibited, each Participant grants permission to Producer, Sponsors, Competition Entities, and their respective agents, representatives and designees to use Participant’s name, address, photograph, voice, likeness, and Prize information for advertising, promotional or other purposes in all forms of media, now known or developed later, worldwide, without further compensation, notice or permission.

2) Representations and Warranties: By entering the Competition, Participant represents and warrants that: (a) except for elements that are in the public domain, all elements of the submitted work are wholly original and are not a copy of imitation of other material; (b) Participant has the right to grant all rights granted to Producer in these Official Rules and Producer may exercise such rights without obligation or liability to any third party; (c) the submitted work will not defame nor infringe the rights of any third party, including, without limitation, copyright, privacy rights, false light; (d) the submitted work is not the subject of any threatened litigation or dispute that could give rise to a litigation; (e) Participant has not previously optioned, sold or otherwise transferred rights to the submitted work to any third party; (f) Participant has satisfied all Eligibility Requirements in these Rules at the time of entry into the Competition and will notify Producer if circumstances change which would make Participant ineligible.

3) No Obligation to Use: There is no guarantee that that the Winning Play or Musical will be produced. Moreover, Sponsors reserve the right not to produce, release, or otherwise exhibit, distribute or exploit the Winning Submitted Work.

4) Privacy: By entering this Competition, Participant consents to the use of information submitted in connection with the Competition in accordance with the Site’s Privacy Policy, and as described in these Official Rules.

5) Indemnification: Participant will indemnify and hold harmless the Released Parties (defined below) from any third party claims arising from Participant’s failure to comply with the Eligibility Requirements and/or breach of the representations, warranties, and covenants in these Official Rules.

6) Compliance with Rules: All determinations by Producer shall be in Producer's sole and absolute discretion and shall be final and binding on all Participants. By entering the Competition, each Participant agrees to be bound by these Rules and to accept all decisions regarding the Competition as binding, final and not subject to challenge, review or appeal.

7) Rule Modification: Producer may, in its sole discretion, amend, delete, suspend, change, supersede and/or otherwise modify or replace these Rules prior to or during development or production, whether in writing or orally, and Participants shall be bound thereby.

8) Governing Law: All disputes concerning the interpretation, validity and enforcement of these Rules or the rights and obligations of Participants, Producer, Network or the Released Parties in connection with the Competition will be resolved in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Nevada, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions that would cause the application of any other laws.

9) Limitations of Liability: The Released Parties are not responsible for: (a) any injury or damage to persons or property that may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from Participant’s participation in the Competition or the Project; (b) technical failures of any kind; (c) technical or human error that may occur in the administration of the Competition or processing of submissions; (d) incorrect information, whether caused by Participants, printing errors or any equipment used in the Competition; or (e) any inability of the Winner to accept or use any prize for any reason.
BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS COMPETITION, ENTRANT AGREES THAT SPONSORS, COMPETITION ENTITIES AND THEIR PARENT COMPANY, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES, REPRESENTATIVES, CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS, LEGAL COUNSEL, ADVERTISING, PUBLIC RELATIONS, PROMOTIONAL, FULFILLMENT AND MARKETING, WEBSITE PROVIDERS, WEB MASTERS, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES, AND AGENTS (THE “RELEASED PARTIES”) WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR, AND SHALL BE HELD HARMLESS BY ENTRANTS AGAINST, ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY INJURIES, LOSSES OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND TO PERSONS, INCLUDING PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH, OR PROPERTY RESULTING IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM OR PARTICIPATION IN THIS COMPETITION OR ANY COMPETITION RELATED ACTIVITY, OR ANY CLAIMS BASED ON PUBLICITY RIGHTS, DEFAMATION OR INVASION OF PRIVACY. THE RELEASED PARTIES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IF ANY PRIZE CANNOT BE AWARDED DUE TO CANCELLATIONS, DELAYS, OR INTERRUPTIONS DUE TO ACTS OF GOD, ACTS OF WAR, NATURAL DISASTERS, WEATHER, OR TERRORISM. BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS COMPETITION, ENTRANT AGREES THAT THE RELEASED PARTIES WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY INJURIES, DAMAGES, OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES TO PERSONS, INCLUDING DEATH, OR TO PROPERTY ARISING OUT OF ACCESS TO AND USE OF ANY WEBSITE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS COMPETITION OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM SUCH SITE.

10) No Rescission or Injunctive Relief: All rights granted to Producer under these Official Rules are irrevocably vested at the time of submission. To the maximum extent permitted by law, no breach by Producer of these Official Rules will entitle Participants to equitable relief, whether injunctive or otherwise; and Participant explicitly waives the right to seek or obtain any form of equitable relief, including the right to enjoin the development, production, exploitation and/or marketing of the Winning Submitted Work. Participants’ sole remedy for any breach of these Official Rules or any other dispute related to this Competition shall be an action at law for solely for compensatory damages. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Participant expressly waives all rights to seek incidental, consequential, special, punitive damages, or lost profits.

11) Waiver: Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

12) Severability: Should any provision in these Official Rules be deemed void, invalid, illegal, unenforceable or inoperative, such invalid, illegal, unenforceable or inoperative section or provision shall not affect any other section or provision hereof, and the remainder of these Official Rules shall be effective as though such void, invalid, illegal, unenforceable or inoperative section or provision had not been contained herein.

13) Suspension / Termination: Sponsors have the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Competition, if an event beyond Sponsors’ control prevents Sponsors from continuing with the Competition (e.g., fire, flood, labor dispute, war, terrorist threat) (each, a “force majeure event”). Additionally, Sponsors reserve the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Competition, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Sponsors’ reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Competition, as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion. WARNING: ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPETITION OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE COMPETITION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAW, AND, SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO PROSECUTE AND SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. Sponsors reserve the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be attempting to tamper with or undermine the entry process, any website associated with the Competition, and/or the legitimate operation of the Competition; to violate the Official Rules; or to act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person. If, for any reason, the Competition is not capable of running as planned, Sponsors may, in their sole discretion, void any suspect entries and (a) modify the Competition or suspend the Competition to address the impairment and then resume the Competition in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules; or (b) terminate the Competition altogether and not award the Prize, or select the Winner based on the non-suspect work submitted as of the effective termination date.

14) Release: To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Participant, on behalf of Participant and Participant’s heirs, next of kin, spouse or spousal equivalent, guardians, legal representatives, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, (collectively “Releasing Parties”), irrevocably and unconditionally agree not to sue and release the Released Parties from all claims, damages, liabilities, costs, expenses of any kind (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees) (collectively, “Claims”) using any legal theory (including, without limitation, intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress, violation of privacy or publicity rights, defamation, false light, breach of implied or express contract, copyright infringement, etc.) arising from participation in the Competition, including, without limitation, the application of the Criteria, selection process, these Official Rules, references to Participant’s Submitted Work, production of a project similar to Participant’s Submitted Work, or the exhibition or use of any other materials submitted by Participant to Sponsors. WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, SPONSORS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY PERSONAL INJURIES, DEATH, PROPERTY DAMAGE, OR OTHER DAMAGES OR EXPENSES RESULTING FROM OR ARISING OUT OF PARTICIPANT’S PARTICIPATION.

15) Arbitration: IF ARBITRATION IS CHOSEN BY ANY PARTY WITH RESPECT TO A CLAIM, NEITHER PARTY WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO LITIGATE THAT CLAIM IN COURT OR HAVE A JURY TRIAL ON THAT CLAIM. FURTHER, NEITHER SPONSORS NOR PARTICIPANT WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY ON BEHALF OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC OR OTHER PERSONS SIMILARLY SITUATED, OR AS A MEMBER OF ANY CLASS OF CLAIMANTS PERTAINING TO ANY CLAIM SUBJECT TO ARBITRATION. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH BELOW, THE ARBITRATOR’S DECISION WILL BE FINAL AND BINDING. NOTE THAT OTHER RIGHTS THAT PARTICIPANT WOULD HAVE IF PARTICIPANT WENT TO COURT ALSO MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN ARBITRATION. The arbitrator’s authority to resolve disputes is limited to dispute between Sponsors and Participants alone, and the arbitrator’s authority to make awards is limited to awards to Sponsors and Participants alone. Furthermore, claims brought by either party against the other may not be joined or consolidated in arbitration with claims brought by or against any third party, unless agreed to in writing by all parties. No arbitration award or decision will have any preclusive effect as to issues or claims in any dispute with anyone who is not a named party to the arbitration. Notwithstanding any other provision in these Official Rules and without waiving either party’s right to appeal such decision, should any portion of this provision be deemed invalid or unenforceable, then the entire provision (other than this sentence) shall not apply. Judgements on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. This clause shall not preclude parties from seeking provisional remedies in aid of arbitration from a court of appropriate jurisdiction. If arbitration is chosen, the arbitrator selected will be familiar with the entertainment industry. Each party will bear its own costs, including attorneys’ fees. Failure to appear at any arbitration hearing entitles the arbitrator to continue with the proceeding with only one party.
PLEASE READ THESE RULES CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY AND THEN SIGN THE STATEMENT AT THE END OF THE RULES ACKNOWLEDGING YOUR RECEIPT, REVIEW, UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE OF THEM. ONCE THESE RULES HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED, THEY WILL CREATE A BINDING CONTRACT.