Rules, terms, and conditions

See the following rules, terms, and conditions for the Mission Daybreak grand challenge, which ran from May 2022 to February 2023.

Mission Daybreak (“the Challenge”) is a prize competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA” or “Sponsor”), under the authority of section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111–358), hereinafter referred to as “COMPETES Act.” The Challenge is administered by Capital Consulting Corporation on behalf of VA, with a principal place of business located at 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420. Luminary Labs, L.L.C., is supporting Challenge administration under subcontract with Capital Consulting Corporation (Capital Consulting Corporation and Luminary Labs, L.L.C. are herein collectively defined as the “Challenge Administrator” or “Administrator,” and all applicable rules, terms, and conditions apply equally to both entities).

By submitting an entry to the Challenge, you are agreeing to be bound by the following legal terms and conditions (“Official Rules”) which constitute a binding agreement between you as a Challenge entrant, (“you” or “entrant”), the Challenge Sponsor (“Sponsor”), and the Challenge administrator (“Administrator” defined below). The Official Rules also incorporate by reference the additional terms specified at missiondaybreak.net. These Official Rules supersede any other rules and terms and conditions.  

• Phase 1 submission period begins: May 25, 2022
• Phase 1 submissions due no later than: July 8, 2022 at 4:59 EDT
• Judging: July-August 2022
• Finalists announced: September 2022
• Phase 2 accelerator begins: September 2022
• Phase 2 submissions due no later than: October 28, 2022 at 4:59 EDT
• Phase 2 demonstration event: November 2022
• Winners announced: February 2023

Pursuant to the COMPETES Act, at the time of entry, the Official Representative (defined as the individual entrant in the case of individual submissions, or team lead designated on the Challenge submission form in the case of team submissions or submissions on behalf of entities), must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its territories. In the case of a private entity, the business shall be incorporated in and maintain a place of business in the United States or its territories. Any listed team members cannot be a resident or citizen of any U.S. embargoed countries.

To be eligible to win a prize under this Challenge, an individual, group, or entity:

1. Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the rules promulgated by the Sponsor;
2. Shall have complied with all the requirements set forth in these Official Rules;
3. In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States (Non-U.S. entities, non-U.S. citizens, and non-permanent residents can participate as a member of a team that otherwise satisfies the eligibility criteria, or they can participate on their own. However, non-U.S. citizens, non-permanent residents, and non-U.S. entities are not eligible to win a monetary prize [in whole or in part]. Their participation as part of a winning team, if applicable, may be recognized when the results are announced. Similarly, if participating on their own, they may be eligible to receive non-monetary recognition.);
4. May not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of their employment or a Federal employee working on application or submission materials during assigned duty hours. (Scope of employment is defined as activities of an employee that are in furtherance of duties that are owed to an employer and where the employer is, or could be, exercising some control, directly or indirectly, over the activities of the employee.) All non-VA Federal employees must consult with their agency Ethics Official to determine whether the Federal ethics rules will limit or prohibit the acceptance of a COMPETES Act prize);
5. May not be a current employee of VA, employee or contractor of the Challenge Administrator, Challenge reviewer or judge, other individual directly supporting the development or execution of the Challenge in any capacity, or an immediate family member (parent, stepparent, sibling, spouse, unmarried live-in partner, child, or stepchild) or person living in the same household (whether or not related) of any individual described in this paragraph. (The members of an individual’s household include any other person who shares the same residence as such individual for at least three months out of the year.);
6. May not be any other individual or entity associated with the development, evaluation, or administration of the Challenge or members of such persons’ immediate families (i.e., spouses, children, siblings, parents), and persons living in the same household as such persons, whether or not related;
7. A Federal grantee may not use Federal funds to develop submissions unless consistent with the purpose of their grant award;
8. A Federal contractor may not use Federal funds from a contract to develop COMPETES Act challenge applications or to fund efforts in support of a COMPETES Act challenge submission;
9. Shall not be deemed ineligible because the individual or entity used federal facilities or consulted with federal employees during the Challenge if the facilities and employees are made equitably available to all individuals and entities participating in the Challenge;
10. May not be a person or entity designated or sanctioned by the United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (see treasury.gov for additional information); nor a person or entity determined to be on the GSA Excluded Parties List (www.sam.gov);
11. May not be suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded from doing business with the Federal Government.

Individuals, if otherwise eligible under the Official Rules, who are currently receiving VA and/or other Federal funding (e.g., through grants, cooperative agreements, OT awards) are eligible to compete, but may not use Federal funds towards participating in the Challenge. Previous VA challenge entrants and entrants in other current VA challenges are eligible to compete. Federal contractors may not use federal funds from a contract to develop Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of a Challenge submission. 

This Challenge is void where prohibited by law and no fee or purchase is required to participate. 

For submissions to be eligible for review, recognition and award, contestants must meet the following requirements: 

• Register on the Luminary Lightbox Challenge platform managed by the Administrator;
• Complete all required fields and enter a submission as defined on the Challenge website prior to the Phase 1 submission deadline of July 8, 2022 at 4:59 EDT;
• Comply with all requirements set forth on the Challenge website and these Official Rules;
• No VA logo—Submission(s) and contestant (s) must not use VA’s logo or official seal and must not claim VA endorsement. 
• Each submission must be original, the work of the contestant, and must not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other rights of any person or entity. 
• It is an express condition of submission and eligibility that each contestant warrants and represents that the contestant’s submission is solely owned by the contestant, that the submission is wholly original with the contestant, and that no other party has any ownership rights or ownership interests in the submission. The contestant must disclose if they are subject to any obligation to assign intellectual property rights to parties other than the contest contestant, if the contestant is licensing or, through any other legal instrument, utilizing intellectual property of another party. 
• Each contestant further represents and warrants to VA that the submission, and any use thereof by VA shall not: (i) be defamatory or libelous in any manner toward any person, (ii) constitute or result in any misappropriation or other violation of any person’s publicity rights or right of privacy, or (iii) infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any intellectual property rights, privacy rights or any other rights of any person or entity. 
• Ensure all submitted content is in English.

Individuals and entities otherwise eligible to win a monetary or non-monetary prize (as defined in “Eligibility Requirements” within these Official Rules) may form a team and enter a submission on the team’s behalf. All submissions must indicate an individual designated Official Representative, defined as the entrant in the case of individual entries, or designated team lead in the case of team entries and submissions on behalf of entities. In addition to meeting the requirements set forth in “Eligibility Requirements,” the Official Representative must be age 18 or older. The Official Representative for an individual or team entry not affiliated with an entity must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its territories. For entries submitted on behalf of an entity, the Official Representative’s entity shall be incorporated in and maintain a place of business in the United States or its territories. Each team member contributing to a submission must be clearly identified on the team’s submission form for the team and submission to be deemed eligible. Listed team members may not be a resident or citizen of any U.S. embargoed countries. 

Challenge submissions can be from an individual, a team or a group of teams who submit a solution to the Challenge. If a team of individuals, a corporation, or an organization is selected as a prize winner, VA will award a single dollar amount to the Official Representative or said Representative’s entity. The Official Representative is solely responsible for allocating any prize amount among team members as they deem appropriate. VA will not arbitrate, intervene, advise on, or resolve any matters between entrant team members or entities. It will be up to the winning team(s) to reallocate the prize money among its team members if they deem it appropriate.

Failure to follow the submission requirements and procedures outlined in these Official Rules and the Challenge website will disqualify the contest submission. In the event a dispute regarding the identity of the entrant who actually submitted the entry cannot be resolved to VA or the Administrator’s satisfaction, the affected entry will be disqualified.

Submissions will not be accepted, evaluated, or considered for award if they contain any matter that, in the sole discretion of VA, is indecent, obscene, defamatory, libelous, in bad taste, demonstrates a lack of respect for public morals or conduct, promotes discrimination in any form, or which adversely affects the reputation of VA.VA shall have the right to remove any content from the Challenge website and other platforms in its sole discretion at any time and for any reason, including, but not limited to, any online comment or posting related to the Challenge. 

If VA, in its sole discretion, finds any submission to be unacceptable (e.g., entrant is not responsive, or the completeness or quality of submission material prevents evaluation), then such submission shall be deemed disqualified.

The prize Challenge winners will be paid prizes directly from the Administrator. Prior to payment, winners will be required to verify eligibility. The verification process includes providing the full legal name, tax identification number or social security number, routing number and banking account to which the prize money can be deposited directly. 

All cash prizes awarded to entrants by the Administrator are subject to tax liabilities, and no withholding will be assessed by the Administrator on behalf of the entrant claiming a cash prize. 

Submissions under consideration for awards will be judged by a qualified panel of VA and, potentially, non-VA experts who will judge the submissions using the evaluation criteria specified on the Challenge website and recommend winners to VA award approving officials. Depending on the volume of submissions received, a separate group of technical reviewers may conduct an initial evaluation of eligible submissions and determine a subset for judge evaluation. Judges will not (A) have personal or financial interests in, or be an employee, officer, director, trustee, general partner, contractor, consultant or agent of, or be seeking or negotiating employment with, any entity that is a registered entrant in the Challenge; (B) have a familial or financial relationship with an individual who is a registered entrant; (C) have a spouse or minor child who has a personal or financial interest in a registered entrant; (D) have a spouse who is an employee, officer, director, trustee, general partner, contractor, consultant or agent of any entity that is a registered entrant; or (E) be serving as a judge, evaluator, or other such official as part of the Challenge.

The decisions of the judging panel for the Challenge will be announced in accordance with the dates noted in the “Summary of Important Dates” section of these rules. VA reserves the right to change those dates at any time. VA will not make entrants’ evaluation results available to entrants or the public unless required by applicable federal law.

ALL CHALLENGE WINNERS WILL BE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION OF IDENTITY, QUALIFICATIONS AND ROLE IN THE CREATION OF THE SUBMISSION BY VA AND/OR THE ADMINISTRATOR.

Winning a prize is contingent upon compliance with all Official Rules and fulfilling all requirements contained therein. Potential winners will be notified by email, telephone, or mail after the date of winner approval by VA. Each potential winner of a monetary award will be required to sign and return to VA or the Administrator within 10 calendar days of the date the notice is sent, an ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Enrollment Form (OMB NO. 1510-0056) and a Entrant Eligibility Verification form in order to claim the prize. Prize recipients (as applicable) may also be required to provide their full legal name, tax identification number or social security number, routing number and banking account to which prize money can be deposited directly. All cash prizes awarded to entrants by VA are subject to applicable local, state, and Federal tax liabilities and reporting, and no withholding will be assessed by VA on behalf of the entrant claiming a cash prize.

Participants in this competition must agree, as a condition for being named a Phase 1 finalist and winning a monetary prize, to fully participate in all required Phase 2 activities, including but not limited to (1) completing and submitting a Phase 2 submission by 4:59 p.m. EDT on October 28, 2022, and (2) attending and fully participating in the live Demo Day event. These requirements to not apply to Phase 1 promise award winners.

In the sole discretion of VA, a potential winner will be deemed ineligible to win if: (i) the person/entity cannot be contacted; (ii) the person/entity fails to sign and return an ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Enrollment Form (OMB NO. 1510-0056) and a Entrant Eligibility Verification form within the required time period; (iii) the prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable; or (iv) the submission or person/entity is disqualified for any other reason. If a potential, or announced winner, is found to be ineligible or is disqualified for any reason, VA, in its sole discretion, may award the prize to another entrant. 

For both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Mission Daybreak, all entry information submitted on the Challenge website and all materials, including any copy of the submission, becomes the property of VA and will not be acknowledged or returned by Administrator or VA; however, entrants retain ownership of their concepts, including any software, designs, research, or other intellectual property (“IP”) that they develop in connection therewith, subject to the license granted to VA to use submissions as set forth herein.

By participating in the Challenge, each entrant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) irrevocably grants to VA and/or the Administrator, and their affiliates, agents and representatives, the right to the use of name, likeness, image, biographical information, award and award information (if an award winner), company or institution name (if the entry is from a company or institution), and non-protected submission content (including any created works), in connection with the Challenge, in any media or format, in any and all locations worldwide, and without any payment to or further approval by the entrant. By participating in the Challenge, each entrant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) further grants to the VA an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free non exclusive worldwide license to reproduce, publish, post, link to, share, and display publicly the submission title, headline, executive summary, and other non-protected submission content on the web or elsewhere, in perpetuity. Entrants must clearly delineate any IP and/or confidential commercial information contained in a submission that the entrant wishes to protect as proprietary data. 

For uses beyond the consent that you grant herein, you agree that VA and/or the Administrator use of your personal data will be governed by the VA Privacy Principles. You agree that nothing in the Official Rules grants you the right or license to use of any patent, copyright, or other intellectual property of VA and/or the Administrator, including without limitation VA’s and/or the Administrator’s’ trademarks or service marks. Your submission grants, without limitation, to VA and/or the Administrator the right to include your company name (if your entry is from a company) as a contestant on the Challenge website and in materials related to VA’s promotion of the Challenge. 

By participating in the Challenge, each entrant (whether an individual, group of individuals, or entity) warrants that he or she is the sole author or owner of, or has the right to use, any copyrightable works that the submission comprises; that the works are wholly original with the entrant (or is an improved version of an existing work that the entrant has sufficient rights to use and improve); that the submission does not infringe any copyright or any other rights of any third party of which entrant is aware; and that there are no legal obstacles to providing the above-referenced nonexclusive licenses of the entrant’s rights to the Federal government. If the submission includes any third party works (such as third party content or open source code), the entrant must be able to provide, upon request, documentation of all appropriate licenses and releases for use of such third party works. If the entrant cannot provide documentation of all required licenses and releases, VA reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify the submission. Each entrant also warrants that the work is free of security threats and/or malware.

Entrants are free to discuss their submissions and their ideas or technologies that it contains with other parties, are encouraged to share ideas/technologies publicly, are encouraged to collaborate or combine with other teams to strengthen their solutions, and are free to contract with any third parties. Entrants should be aware that any agreement signed or obligation undertaken in regard to their participation in the Challenge that conflicts with the Official Rules may result in disqualification of the entrant’s submission.

The intent of the Challenge is to encourage people to suggest their ideas, uses and approaches to VA and/or the Administrator for use by VA and/or the Administrator without compensation. Participation in the Challenge and acceptance of the award does not create an obligation on VA’s and/or the Administrator’s part to enter into any business relationship or to sign any commercial agreement in the future. You are free to discuss your entry with other parties and you are free to contract with any third party provided you do not sign any agreement or undertake any obligations that conflict with any agreement that you have entered into or subsequently enter into with VA regarding your entry. Any such third-party agreement does not obligate VA, and that contestant/participant is not authorized to obligate or represent that VA is so obligated.

By entering the Challenge, you acknowledge and agree that VA and/or the Administrator will have access to and use of any personal data provided in connection with your entry for purposes as described in these Official Rules and as governed by VA Privacy Policy posted on the VA website https://www.oprm.va.gov/privacy/privacy_principles.aspx  You further agree that VA and/or the Administrator may share this data in connection with your entry with designated third parties for purposes as described in these Official Rules.

Since VA and/or the Administrator do not wish to receive or hold any submitted materials “in confidence,” it is agreed that, with respect to your entry, no confidential relationship or obligation of secrecy is established between VA and/or the Administrator and you, the company you represent or represented when submitting your entry, or the owner of any part of your entry or the subject matter thereof. Your entry will not be considered confidential or have any restrictions on its use. 

By submitting an entry, you represent and warrant that all information in your entry and all information that you submit via the Challenge website is true and complete, that the official representative has the right and authority to submit the entry and disclose the information therein on his/her own behalf or on behalf of the persons and entities that are specified within the entry, and that the entry (both the information and materials submitted in the entry and the underlying ideas, information, technology and all materials contained in or described in the entry): (a) is the original work of the contestant(s) and representative of contestant(s) capability, or is submitted by permission with full and proper credit given within the entry; (b) does not contain confidential information or trade secrets (yours or anyone else’s); (c) does not violate or infringe upon the patent rights, industrial design rights, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, rights of privacy, publicity, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights of any person or entity; (d) does not contain malicious code, such as viruses, malware, timebombs, cancelbots, worms, Trojan horses or other potentially harmful programs; (e) does not and will not violate any applicable law, statute, ordinance, rule, or regulation or any agreement with a third party; (f) does not trigger any obligation to any third party; and (g) does not contain any information (i) that contestant(s) have, or, to contestant’s(s’) knowledge, has otherwise been, provided by to any resident or citizen of any U.S. embargoed countries or to anyone on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Denied Persons List or Entity List; and (ii) will not directly or indirectly violate any applicable U.S. import or export laws, including, without limitation, the International Traffic In Arms Regulations (ITAR) under 22 CFR §§ 120-130, or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) under 15 CFR §§ 730-774. A breach of any warranty set out above will result in the corresponding entry being invalidated. In addition, each contestant (jointly and severally where an entry is submitted by more than one person and/or entity) agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless VA and/or the Administrator against all loss, damages and costs (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and costs) incurred by VA and/or the Administrator arising from breach of any such warranty. 

All Challenge phases and participation are subject to all applicable U.S. federal laws, state and local laws and regulations. Participation constitutes each contestant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and administrative decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Challenge. Eligibility for a prize award is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. This notice is not an obligation of funds; the final award of prizes is contingent upon the availability of appropriations. 

Entrants are responsible for checking applicable laws and regulations in their jurisdiction(s) before participating in the prize Challenge to ensure that their participation is legal. VA shall not, by virtue of conducting the Challenge be responsible for compliance by contestants in Challenge with Federal law including licensing, export control, and nonproliferation laws, and related regulations. Individuals entering on behalf of or representing a company, institution or other legal entity are responsible for confirming that their entry does not violate any policies of that company, institution or legal entity. 

You must agree that these terms and the relationship between you and the Sponsor and/or the Administrator shall be governed and construed under U.S. federal laws without regard to choice of law provisions. You acknowledge and agree that all aspects and content of your entry, including all information, developments, inventions, and works of authorship, shall be treated as if made in the United States of America and U.S. laws relating to patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, inventions, assignments, and innovation compensation shall supersede the relevant laws of any country in which the entry may have been conceived, developed, or reduced to practice. For contestants not eligible per eligibility requirements to win a cash award, you expressly acknowledge that participation in the Challenge is free and voluntary. By entering this Challenge, you accept U.S. federal law as governing law, the specific terms, conditions and policies outlined in the Official Rules, and consent to having your entry data, including all provided personal information, transferred to, processed in, and stored in the United States of America pursuant to Privacy Statement. 

VA is solely responsible for administrative decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Challenge. 

In the event of a dispute as to any registration, the authorized account holder of the email address used to register will be deemed to be the contestant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person or legal entity assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address. Contestants and potential winners may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. 

The winners of these prizes (collectively, “Winners”) will be featured on the VA website, newsletters, social media, and other outreach materials. 

Except where prohibited, participation in the Challenge constitutes each winner’s consent to VA, its agents’, and any Challenge co-sponsors’ use of each winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions, and/or hometown and state information for promotional purposes through any form of media, worldwide, without further permission, payment or consideration. 

By participating in the Challenge, you agree to release, indemnify and hold harmless, the Sponsor and/or the Administrator and their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotions agencies, and each of their respective agents, representatives, officers, directors, shareholders, and employees (collectively, “Sponsor Entities” and/or “Administrator Entities”) from and against any injuries, losses, damages, claims, actions and any liability of any kind (including attorneys’ fees) resulting from or arising out of your participation in, association with, or submission to the Challenge (including any claims alleging that your entry infringes, misappropriates, or violates any third party’s patent, copyright, trade secret, trademark or other intellectual property or proprietary rights). The Sponsor and/or the Administrator are not responsible for any technical failures related to communication or submission failures, such as unavailable networks or server connections; other failures related to hardware, software, viruses, or incomplete, late or misdirected entries. Any compromise to the fair, proper and legal conduct of the Challenge may result in the disqualification of an entry, the termination of the Challenge, or other remedial or legal action at the sole discretion of the Sponsor and/or the Administrator. The Sponsor and/or the Administrator reserve the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Challenge in the event that the Challenge is not capable of running as planned and the Sponsor and/or the Administrator may choose to judge only valid entries received prior to cancelation or termination or to cancel the Challenge in its entirety. By entering the CHALLENGE, contestants agree that the Sponsor and/or the Administrator, their promotion partners, related companies, agencies, advertisers and their respective employees or officers (collectively, “Releases”) shall not be liable for any claims, injuries, costs or losses of any kind resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the awarding, delivery, acceptance, use, misuse, possession, loss or misdirection of any award or participation in the Challenge or in any activity or travel related thereto. 

The Sponsor and/or the Administrator, in their sole discretion, reserve the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Challenge website or otherwise violating these Official Rules. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person submitting an entry, the entry will be deemed to be submitted by the person in whose name the applicable e-mail account is registered. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and acknowledge that all decisions of the Sponsor and/or the Administrator, and their respective agents and representatives are final and binding in all respects. 

You acknowledge that multiple entrants may submit entries that contain ideas, designs, concepts, approaches, or technologies similar to your entry and that the Sponsor, and/or its respective subsidiaries and business partners may already be investigating or developing technical solutions or have business activities that are related to or similar to those disclosed in your entry. You acknowledge and agree that Sponsor’s actions with respect to another entry or one of its own solutions, investigations, or business activities, even if similar to your entry, shall not create any liability, of any kind, by Sponsor to you or others. For the avoidance of doubt, you acknowledge that Sponsor is not obligated to take any action whatsoever regarding your entry.  

The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. If any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules shall otherwise remain in effect and be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision was not contained herein.  

All claims arising from or related to these Official Rules and the Challenge shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, and, except as expressly provided in these Official Rules, in no event include attorneys’ fees, and under no circumstances will any entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant waives all rights to claim, any punitive, incidental, special, consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses and each entrant waives all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. ENTRANTS, BY ENTERING, SPECIFICALLY AND KNOWINGLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY. ENTRANTS UNDERSTAND THAT EACH ENTRANT IS WAIVING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO CLAIMS THAT ARE AT THIS TIME UNKNOWN OR UNSUSPECTED, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUCH WAIVER, ENTRANT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT ENTRANT HAS READ AND UNDERSTANDS, AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY WAIVES, THE BENEFITS OF SECTION 1542 OF THE CIVIL CODE OF CALIFORNIA, AND ANY SIMILAR LAW OF ANY STATE, COUNTRY OR TERRITORY, WHICH PROVIDES AS FOLLOWS: “A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR.”  

All materials submitted to VA as part of a submission become official records and cannot be returned. Any confidential commercial information contained in a submission must be designated at the time of submission. VA agrees to hold all such information so designated as confidential. Prior to a release of confidential commercial information pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request, submitters will be notified in accordance with 38 C.F.R. § 1.558. 

Contestants should keep in mind that VA considers universal accessibility to information a priority for all individuals, including individuals with disabilities. VA is strongly committed to meeting its compliance obligations under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, to ensure the accessibility of its programs and activities to individuals with disabilities. This obligation includes acquiring accessible electronic and information technology. When evaluating submissions for this Challenge, the extent to which a submission complies with the requirements for accessible technology required by Section 508 will be considered. 

Please review the Terms of Service for the Challenge platform, Luminary Lightbox, at https://www.luminarylightbox.com/terms-and-conditions for additional rules that apply to participation in the Challenge and more generally use of the Challenge website. Pursuant to the publicity releases noted in the Official Rules, The Administrator may collect personal information from entrants via the Challenge platform, which is subject to the Privacy Policy located at https://www.luminarylightbox.com/privacy-policy. Such terms and policies are incorporated by reference into these Official Rules. If there is a conflict between the Terms of Service or Luminary Lightbox Privacy Policy and these Official Rules, the latter terms shall control with respect to the Challenge only.

Individuals with disabilities who need accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the submission process should contact the Administrator via <hello@missiondaybreak.net> at least one week prior to the submission deadline. Entrants who use a TDD or a TTY may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339. If an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability is provided in connection with the submission process, the submission remains subject to all other requirements and limitations set forth in these Official Rules.

The challenge website may contain links to third-party websites that are not owned or controlled by VA or the Administrator. VA and the Administrator do not endorse or assume any responsibility for any such third-party sites. A user who accesses a third-party website from the Challenge website does so at the user’s own risk and expressly relieves VA and/or the Administrator from any and all liability arising from use of any third-party website content.

To obtain a list of winners (after the conclusion of the Challenge) or a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed envelope with the proper postage affixed to the Administrator at 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420. Please specify “Winner List” or “Official Rules” and the name of the Challenge in your request.

The Challenge shall be performed in accordance with the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, Pub. Law 111-358, title I, § 105(a), Jan. 4, 2011, codified at 15 U.S.C. § 3719 and amended by the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2016 (Pub. L. No. 114-329) (hereinafter “America COMPETES Act”). 

VA reserves the right to cancel, suspend, and/or modify the Challenge, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures, or any other factor beyond VA’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the CHALLENGE, as determined by VA in its sole discretion. 

VA reserves the right in its sole discretion to extend or modify the dates of the Challenge, and to change the terms set forth herein governing any Phases taking place after the effective date of any such change. By entering, you agree to the terms set forth herein and to all decisions of VA and/or all respective agents, which are final and binding in all respects. 

ALL DECISIONS BY VA ARE FINAL AND BINDING IN ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THE CHALLENGE.

This is an interagency initiative coordinated by the VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Administration at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

America COMPETES Act

FY2021- FY2022

Software and Apps, Research Reports, Analytics, Visualization, Algorithms. Updates could be made to this challenge type by the agency at a future date.