The Google Gadget Awards Contest (the "Contest") is designed to promote the creation of new Google Gadgets. Prizes will be awarded to those individuals who submit the best entries as determined by the judges in accordance with these Official Rules. Entry in the Contest constitutes your acceptance of these Official Rules.

1. Eligibility: The Contest is open legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 16 years old at the time of entry. Entrants must also be enrolled as a part time or full time student at a university, college or vocational school and be the authorized account holder of an e-mail address ending in an edu extension.  Contest is void in Puerto Rico, and where prohibited by law. Employees and agents of Google Inc. (the "Sponsor"), its affiliates, subsidiaries, and any entity involved in the development, production, implementation or fulfillment of the Contest, and the immediate family members (defined as parents, children, siblings and spouse) and/or persons living in the same household as such individuals are not eligible to participate.


2. How To Enter: The Contest begins at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PT) on August 23, 2006 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on November 5, 2006 (the "Contest Period"). To enter, visit the Contest website at www.google.com/gadgetawards and follow the instructions to submit a new Google Gadget and designate the category or categories of Prizes for which the Gadget is submitted. All entries must be in English. Only eligible entries actually received by Sponsor before the end of the Contest Period will be considered. Proof of submission does not constitute proof of receipt.  Illegible, unintelligible, incomplete or garbled entries will be disqualified. All entries submitted must represent the original work of the entrant, may not have been previously published or sold, and may not contain any material which in the sole discretion of Sponsor is obscene, profane, or improper. If the same gadget is submitted multiple times by an entrant, only the last submission of that gadget within the Contest Period will be judged. If the same or substantially similar gadget, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion is submitted by multiple entrants, only the first submission of that Gadget within the Contest period will be judged. The submission of an entry is solely the responsibility of the entrant. Automated entries (including but not limited to entries submitted using any bot, script, macro or contest service), copies, third-party entries, facsimiles and/or mechanical reproductions are not permitted and will be disqualified.


3. Conduct: By entering the Contest, entrants agree to comply with and be bound by these Official Rules, which will be posted at the Contest website at http://www.google.com/intl/en/events/gadgetawards/rules.html throughout the Contest.  Failure to comply with the Official Rules may result in disqualification from the Contest. Entrants further agree to comply with and be bound by the decisions of the judges, which are final and binding in all respects. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entrant it finds to be: (1) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest; (2) violating the Official Rules; (3) violating the terms of service, conditions of use or general rules or guidelines of any Google property or service; or (4) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. Any false information provided within the context of the Contest by any entrant concerning identity, postal address, ownership of right or non-compliance with Official Rules may result in the immediate elimination of the entrant from the Contest. Sponsor further reserves the right to disqualify any entry that it believes in its sole and unfettered discretion infringes upon or violates the rights of any third party or otherwise does not comply with the Official Rules. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.


4. Prizes: A prize consisting of a trophy and recognition of winner by name on Google Gadget Awards Winners website will be awarded in each of seven categories:  (1) Best Desktop Gadget Overall; (2) Best Universal Gadget Overall; (3) Most Useful Gadget; (4) Most Intelligent Gadget; (5) Gadget Most Likely to Help User Get a Date; (6) Most Addictive Gadget; (7) Prettiest Gadget. ALL TAXES AND ANY APPLICABLE WITHOLDING AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNERS.  Any unclaimed prizes will not be awarded.  In addition, a trophy and recognition on the Google Gadget Awards Winners website will be awarded to the school from which the most semifinalist entries are received.


5. Judging and Selection of Winners: Up to five semifinalist entries for each of the Seven Prizes (e.g. Best Desktop Gadget Overall, Best Universal Gadget Overall, Most Useful, Most Intelligent, Most Likely to Help User Get a Date, Most Addictive and Prettiest) will be selected by a panel comprised of Google employees based on application of the judging critera set forth below and an algorithmic review of all Entries.  The semifinalist entries will then be judged by a panel of expert judges to select the winning Entries in the categories of Best Desktop Gadget Overall and Best Universal Gadget Overall.  An individual expert judge for each remaining category (e.g. Most Useful, Most Intelligent, Most Likely to Help User Get a Date, Most Addictive and Prettiest) will select the Winning Entry in that category.  The following judging criteria will be used in both the initial selection of semifinalist entries and final selection of winning entries: 1) use of Google technology; 2) visual appeal; 3) creativity; and 4) rate of adoption by users.  In addition, winners of the prizes in the Most Useful, Most Intelligent, Most Likely to Help User Get a Date, Most Addictive and Prettiest categories will be based on adherence to category theme. In the event fewer entries are received than prizes intended to be awarded, the remaining prizes will not be awarded. If no winning entries are received, no prize will be awarded. Decisions of judges are final and binding. The winners will be announced on or about December 5, 2006 and will be notified via e-mail.


6. General Conditions: This Contest is governed by the laws of the State of California, United States. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. By submitting an entry into this Contest, an entrant agrees to be bound by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Contest. Return of any prize/prize notification may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Any potential winner who cannot be contacted within fifteen (15) days of attempted first notification will forfeit his or her prize. Potential prize winners may be required to sign, notarize and return an Affidavit or Declaration of Eligibility and a Liability/Publicity Release, and provide any additional information that may be required by the Sponsor within thirty (30) days following the date of first attempted notification.  In the event a prize is won by a minor, the required documentation must be signed by the winner’s parent or legal guardian, in whose name the prize will be awarded.  Failure to comply within this time period may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. The intellectual and industrial property rights to the Contest submission, if any, will remain with the entrants, except that these terms do not supersede any other assignment or grant of rights according to other separate agreements between entrants and other parties.  Entrants who submit Gadgets for the Google Personalized Homepage agree to be bound by the Google Gadgets API Terms and Conditions, located at  http://www.google.com/apis/homepage/terms.html or such successor URL as Google determines.  Entrants who submit Gadgets for Google Desktop agree to be bound by the Google Desktop API Terms and Conditions, located at http://desktop.google.com/apiterms.html or such successor URL as Google determines.  As a condition of entry, entrants agree that Sponsor shall have the right to use, copy, reproduce, publish, modify and make available the entry to the public via Sponsor's websites for any purpose, including but not limited to advertising and promotion of the Contest using the entry itself and/or screenshots, animations and video clips.  Acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for, and winners consent to, Sponsor and its agencies to use a winner's name,  likeness and entry for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law. Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the Contest or in the announcement of the prize. Entrants certify that their entry is original and that they are the sole and exclusive creator, owner and rights holder of the submitted entry and that they have the right to submit the entry in the Contest. Each entrant agrees not to submit any entry that (1) infringes any third-party proprietary, intellectual property, industrial property, personal rights or other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or confidentiality obligation; or (2) otherwise violates applicable law


7. No Recourse to Judicial or Other Procedures: To the extent permitted by law, the rights to litigate, to seek injunctive relief or to any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or in connection with this Contest are hereby excluded, and any entrant expressly waives any and all such rights. Entrants agree that these Official Rules are governed by the laws of the State of California, United States.


8. Privacy: By entering the Contest, the entrant agrees to Sponsor's use of personal information as described in Google's Privacy Policy. Entrants further agree that data received by Google as part of this contest may be processed, stored, shared with contest judges and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the Contest and any other purposes outlined in these Official Rules. Google will collect additional information from Contest winners, and may use this data in distributing prizes and/or to verify eligibility to participate in the Contest.  Names and schools of Contest winners will be publicized.  If the required data is not provided, entrant will be ineligible to participate in the Contest.


9. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, EACH ENTRANT INDEMNIFIES AND AGREES TO KEEP INDEMNIFIED THE SPONSOR AT ALL TIMES FROM AND AGAINST ANY LIABILITY, CLAIMS, DEMANDS, LOSSES, DAMAGES, COSTS AND EXPENSES RESULTING FROM ANY ACT, DEFAULT OR OMISSION OF THE ENTRANT AND/OR A BREACH OF ANY WARRANTY SET FORTH HEREIN. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, EACH ENTRANT INDEMNIFIES AND AGREES TO KEEP INDEMNIFIED THE SPONSOR AT ALL TIMES FROM AND AGAINST ANY LIABILITY, ACTIONS, CLAIMS, DEMANDS, LOSSES, DAMAGES, COSTS AND EXPENSES FOR OR IN RESPECT OF WHICH THE SPONSOR WILL OR MAY BECOME LIABLE BY REASON OF OR RELATED OR INCIDENTAL TO ANY ACT, DEFAULT OR OMISSION BY AN ENTRANT UNDER THESE OFFICIAL RULES INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION RESULTING FROM OR IN RELATION TO ANY BREACH, NON-OBSERVANCE, ACT OR OMISSION WHETHER NEGLIGENT OR OTHERWISE, PURSUANT TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES BY AN ENTRANT. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ENTRANTS AGREE TO HOLD SPONSOR, ITS RESPECTIVE DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND ASSIGNS HARMLESS FOR ANY INJURY OR DAMAGE CAUSED OR CLAIMED TO BE CAUSED BY PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST AND/OR USE OR ACCEPTANCE OF ANY PRIZE WON.


10. Internet: Sponsor is not responsible for electronic transmission errors resulting in omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission. Sponsor is not responsible for theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of entry materials, or for technical, network, telephone equipment, electronic, computer, hardware or software malfunctions or limitations of any kind. Sponsor is not responsible for inaccurate transmissions of or failure to receive entry information by Sponsor on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or any combination thereof. If for any reason the Internet portion of the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest.


11. Severability: If any provision(s) of these Official Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect.


12. Winners List: The names of the prize winners will be available on the http://www.google.com/intl/en/events/gadgetawards/winners.html on or about December 5, 2006 for a period of 30 days or more.


13. Sponsor: The Sponsor of the Contest is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94303.