Rules and Regulations
Effective June 1st, 2019 at 12:01 am ET
Deadline: September 30th, 2019 at 11:59 pm ET
Section I – General Rules
From Wednesday, June 1st, 2019 through Friday, August 23, 2019 (the “Contest Period”), the Harvest English Institute will conduct an essay and video contest worldwide (the “Contest”). To enter, eligible candidates must submit an essay and video by e-mail. (Please see Section III Submission Guidelines.) We will not accept or consider entries that are mailed in. Contestants agree to accept and be bound by the decisions of the Harvest English Institute; whose decisions are final with respect to all matters of the Contest.
Only one entry per contestant is permitted. Entries that are incomplete, are submitted late, do not answer all required requisites, contain information other than as requested, or otherwise do not comply with these Rules and Regulations will not be accepted. By entering the Scholarship Contest, entrants agree that the Harvest English Institute will own and administer 100% of the copyright in all entries submitted, with the perpetual right to use such entries and that said entries are solely the work of the entrant for whom they are submitting the entry. The Harvest English Institute may edit for grammar, modify for style only, and distribute the submitted entries with no additional notification or permission of the entrant. Entries will only be used to further the educational mission and goals of the Harvest English Institute.
Section II – Eligibility
The Contest is open to worldwide candidates, excluding candidates who live in the US and current students of the Harvest English Institute. Candidates must be at least 16 years of age as of the end of the Contest Period and reside in countries where the US maintains diplomatic alliances and are allowed to travel to the United States.
Section III – Submission Guidelines
The candidates must write an essay on the following theme and submit it by email to harvest20th@harvest.net by August 1st, 2019 at 11:59 pm ET.
- Essay theme: How American culture influenced the world in the last century (maximum 500 words)
Only one essay per contestant will be accepted.
On September 1st, 2019, the Harvest English Institute will post on all its channels (website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) the 20 best essays and the candidates will have to submit a video on the following theme by email (harvest20th@harvest.net) by September 30th, 2019 at 11:59 pm ET.
- Video: Why English is so important to your life (1-2 minutes)
Only video per contestant will be accepted.
Section IV – Judging and Timing
The judges selected by the Harvest English Institute will review and select 20 finalists from all the eligible entries (essays) received. Then, the judges will select the 4 (four) winners from all the eligible entries (videos) received. Entries will be evaluated based upon the following criteria: adherence to the submission guidelines, originality, organization, writing style, and depth of analysis.
The 4 (four) winners will be revealed on November 7th, 2019 at the Harvest International Festival at 8 p.m. (New York – EST time.). Winners will receive an email with their scholarship certificate and their names will be posted on all of our channels (website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.)
The Harvest English Institute reserves the right in their sole administration of the Contest to disqualify any individual they find or believe to: (i) be tampering with the entry process or the administration of the Contest, (ii) be acting in violation of these Rules and Regulations, or (iii) plagiarizing content in any way.
The selection of the judges is within the sole and absolute discretion of the Harvest English Institute. The judges who are selected by the Harvest English Institute will not have a direct connection to the contestant who has submitted the entry or be in a position to affect the objectivity and impartiality of any judge with respect to a submission.
Section V – Awards
The scholarship includes 16 weeks of classes, tuition for 16 weeks, and books for the course. The winners are responsible for their travel arrangements, housing, food, transportation, and health insurance. If winners need an F-1 visa, they will be responsible for providing documentation according to the US federal law for the issuance of the I-20 form as well as visa interview arrangements and fees. Registration and SEVIS fee are included in the scholarship. This scholarship has no monetary value and cannot be redeemed in cash or exchanged for other services. This scholarship is non-transferable.
The 4 scholarship-winners will be revealed on November 7th, 2019 at the Harvest International Festival at 8 p.m. (New York – EST time.). They will receive an email with their scholarship certificate. The scholarship must be claimed within 180 days of the award date. The last day to claim the scholarship is Sunday, December 22th, 2019 at 11:59 pm ET.
All scholarship-winners are solely responsible for understanding and complying with any and all federal, state, and local laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances that may apply to them and the activities they may engage in.
All scholarship-winners are required to abide by all school policies and codes of conduct.
Section VI – Privacy Statement
Upon submission of an entry, the submission (essays and videos) becomes the property of the Harvest English Institute. By entering the Contest, entrants grant the right, unless prohibited by law, to use their names, cities and states of residence, pictures, and likenesses without compensation, for the express purpose of advertising and publicity of the Harvest English Institute and the Contest in any and all media, now or after. Entrants also grant the Harvest English Institute permission to use their name and entry to further its educational mission as stated here.
Section VII – Availability Disclaimer
The administration of the Contest, including, without limitation, determining the eligibility of a contestant or entry, selecting of a judge, evaluating any submitted entry, and awarding of the scholarships, is within the sole and absolute discretion of the Harvest English Institute. No student or teacher, or person or organization related thereto, has a right to appeal, contest, dispute, or otherwise challenge any aspect of the administration of the Contest, and any decision of the Harvest English Institute is final in all respects.
No responsibility is assumed for incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized by this Contest or by any human error which may occur in the processing of entries into this Contest. The Harvest English Institute is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, or delayed entries or any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of players on account of technical problems, or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof.
If, for any reason, 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 beyond the control of the Harvest English Institute, which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this contest or for any reason the Harvest English Institute deems it necessary, the Harvest English Institute reserves the right to cancel, modify, or delay the Contest.
Section VIII – Nondiscrimination Policy
The Harvest English Institute does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in administering the Contest. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all contestants.
