Israel@75 International Student Competition Terms & Conditions

The purpose of the Israel@75 International Student Competition sponsored by the Center for Israel Education (CIE) is to encourage deep, age-appropriate thinking and learning about the State of Israel as it approaches the 75th anniversary of independence and to recognize and reward creativity and active engagement with such matters as Israel, Zionism and Jewish peoplehood. The rules of the contest, as laid out in the following terms and conditions, represent CIE’s good-faith effort to an open, fair and fun competition for all eligible students.   

No purchase is necessary to enter the contest, and no fee is required to enter. A student may submit only one entry. Intentionally submitting multiple entries will result in disqualification. 

To qualify for prize consideration, an entrant must submit a visual project meeting the challenge of the entrant’s age category, and a completed entry form, available through the contest web page, israeled.org/israel-at-75/contest. The entry form requires the student’s name, birthdate, age category, home address, email address (or that of a parent or guardian) and phone number (or that of a parent or guardian); the name, email address and phone number of a parent or guardian granting permission for the student to enter the contest; the contact information for an adult at a school or other organization the student is representing in the contest; and an English-language written explanation of the project.

The complete contest entry must be submitted through israeled.org/israel-at-75/contest by 11:59 p.m. ET on February 15, 2023. Contest winners will be announced on or about April 20, 2023, although it is the intention of the Center for Israel Education to notify winners before the public announcement.   

The Israel@75 International Student Competition is open to any student in Grades 3 to 12, without any limitation based on location or type of school, as long as the student can write in English. The immediate family members of employees, contractors and board members of the Center for Israel Education may submit entries in the contest but are not eligible for prize consideration. In the event that any other organizations become CIE’s partners or sponsors in this contest, the same restriction applies.

For any student requiring special accommodations because of a physical disability, a parent or guardian should contact Center for Israel Education representative Debbie Sasson at debbie.sasson@israeled.org to arrange a discussion about possible solutions. CIE wishes to be as inclusive as possible for students interested in participating in the Israel@75 Competition but can make no promises about finding acceptable accommodations.

CIE will make an initial assessment of all entries in each of the three age groups to create a list of finalists, which then will be submitted to an outside panel of expert judges. For each of the three age groups, the judges will select first place, second place, third place, and up to seven honorable mentions, creating a list of as many as 10 entrants from each category whom CIE will recognize publicly. First prize is a $250 gift card. Second prize is a $150 gift card. Third prize is a $75 gift card. Those winners and all honorable mentions will receive certificates, as will the organizations they represent.

For third- to fifth-graders, who are asked to create an Israel@75 stamp, the submission will be judged based on the content, creativity, and artistic quality of the stamp and the thought that went into its creation, as reflected both in the image and the paragraph describing and explaining the work.

For sixth- to eighth-graders, who are asked to create a Zionist poster, the submission will be judged based on the content, creativity, and artistic quality of the poster and its effectiveness at conveying the idea or addressing the problem that’s the subject, as explained in the written description.

For ninth- to 12th-graders, who are asked to create a museum exhibit documenting 75 years of change, the submission will be judged on the content, creativity, and artistic quality of the representation and its effectiveness at telling the story of the process being shown, as explained in the accompanying 500-word essay. The clarity and depth of thought in the essay also will be a consideration. 

The submission of a student entry represents the agreement of the parent or guardian listed on the entry form to provide the Center for Israel Education and its designees a royalty-free, perpetual, no-fee, nonexclusive license to publicize the name, age, location, and school or other organization of the contestant and to exploit, edit, publish, use, adapt, modify, create derivative works from, or otherwise dispose of the creative and/or written elements of the entry online, in print, on video, or in any other medium now or hereafter for advertising, promotional, or other purposes throughout the world with creative credit but without compensation, notification, or additional permission, except as prohibited by law.

CIE will not reveal such personally identifiable information as phone numbers, home addresses, or email addresses for contestants or their parents or guardians. It is not the intention of CIE to publicly reveal the names of any contestants other than those who are prize winners, are recognized for honorable mentions, or whose work is somehow used as discussed in the preceding paragraph. 

In the event of a dispute over the identity of a contest entrant or over who created an entry or over its originality amid any accusations of plagiarism or other impropriety, CIE will be the final arbiter to resolve the questions.

By participating in the competition, each entrant and the named parent or guardian promises, to the best of their knowledge, that the submission is an original work created by the entrant; that the elements of the work are the creation of the entrant, are in the public domain or covered by licenses such as Creative Commons allowing their use, are used with the express permission of the rights holders, or are protected from copyright claims through educational fair use, derivative use, modification, or other exceptions to U.S. copyright protections. CIE is not qualified to provide legal advice but is willing to engage in good-faith discussions about any intellectual property concerns raised by potential entrants and/or their parents or guardians. Contact Michael Jacobs at michael@israeled.org.

CIE encourages entrants to make use of the wide array of photos, videos, documents, and other resources that exist in the public domain or are freely available through the use and attribution of Creative Commons and similar licenses. Refer to the main contest page for some of the many sources of materials. Entrants are expected to cite their sources for information and multimedia elements in the proper place on the entry form and to include relevant licenses as necessary. In general, it is better for students to over-cite and over-credit rather than intentionally or accidentally fail to provide proper credit.

By submitting an entry, the entrant and the named parent or guardian agree to release CIE and its employees, contractors and board members, as well as those of any organizations that join CIE in sponsoring the competition, from any and all claims and liabilities arising from or in connection with participation in this contest, including, without limitation, claims for injury, loss, or damage and claims based on privacy, publicity, false light, defamation, copyright, and/or trademark infringement based on the submission or subsequent use of the submission. California residents agree to waive California Civil Code Section 1542, which states: “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.”

For any questions about the contest or its terms and conditions, contact Debbie Sasson at debbie.sasson@israeled.org