IFundWomen Fund Forward Awards 2022 Terms & Conditions

THE IFUNDWOMEN FUND FORWARD AWARDS 2022 PROGRAM (or the “Contest”) is sponsored and administered by IFundWomen Inc., a Delaware corporation (“IFW”). Entrants may enter the Contest beginning at 12:00 am Eastern Time (“ET”) on March 8, 2022 and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through 11:59 pm PT on June 30, 2022 (the “Entry Period”). 

Acceptance is dependent on the applicant meeting the judging & program criteria. 

The Contest is void in PR, Guam and where prohibited or restricted by law, is subject to applicable federal, state, and local statutes, rules, regulations, and other laws (each a “Law”) and is governed by these Official Rules. 

By entering the Contest, each entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and by the decisions of IFW, which shall be final and binding on all matters pertaining to the Contest. By entering the Contest, each entrant also agrees to comply with any and all applicable Laws in connection with his or her participation in the Contest. Entry in the Contest does not constitute entry into any other promotion, sweepstakes, or contest. 

The Contest is open to any natural person of any gender who meets all of the following eligibility requirements: 

1. The entrant is a legal resident of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia; 2. The entrant is at least the age of majority (18 years old in most U.S. states, 19 in NE and AL and 21 in MS) at the time of entry; 

3. The entrant’s business must be owned and operated based in the United States.; 

4. The entrant must have been in business on or before March 8, 2021; 

5. The entrant must own and operate a business that belongs to one of the seven (7) business categories as stated on the Contest application; 

6. The entrant must be willing to participate and present in a pitch competition prior to the final recipient announcement on or before November 16, 2022; 

7. If selected as a recipient of the Contest, the entrant must be willing to participate in various activities, as agreed upon between both recipients and IFW, throughout the year following their selection; 

8. The entrant must agree to maintain his or her behavior in accordance with all applicable laws and generally accepted social practices in connection with participation in any Contest activity; 

9. If selected as a recipient of the Contest, the entrant may not transfer the prize before accepting the award, and the entrant may not substitute a prize; and 

10. If selected as a recipient of the Contest, the entrant must be willing to execute such documentation as IFW may consider necessary or advisable in order to effect the Equity Investment (defined below), grant, transfer, reinforce or otherwise assure IFW’s rights as provided in these Official Rules, and otherwise facilitate the Contest’s compliance with Law, including but not limited to entity registration, formation and/or conversion documentation, amendments or revisions to entity governance documentation, investor agreements, IRS Form 1099-MISC, and where legally permissible, a declaration of eligibility, a liability release, and/or a publicity release and assignment of rights. Residents of Puerto Rico and Guam are not permitted to enter or win. IFW, their advertising and promotion agencies, the prize providers, any other company or organization involved with the design, sponsorship, or operation of the Contest, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (collectively, the “IFW Parties”), and immediate family members and household members of the IFW Parties, are NOT eligible to enter the Contest. "Immediate family members" shall mean a person’s spouse and a person’s and their spouse’s parents, stepparents, legal guardians, children, stepchildren, siblings, and stepsiblings, and each of their respective spouses. "Household members" shall mean those people who share the same residence, whether or not related. 

To enter the Contest, each entrant must complete and submit the “Contest entry form available on the Contest Site (https://ifundwomen.com/fund-forward-awards-2022), including completion of all of the elements in the Contest Entry Form (“Entry”). Only one Entry per person is permitted. The written portion of the Entry must not exceed 1,000 words in total length for answers to the questions (specific caps are included for the questions). You may include photos or videos, as requested also. By signing up for the Contest, entrants are agreeing to receive future electronic communication from IFW regarding the Contest. Entrants may opt-out at any time. The Contest, and all Contest material, is copyrighted ©2021 by IFW. All rights reserved. 

1. All Entries must be received by the end of the Entry Period. Entries will not be acknowledged or returned. Proof of transmission of an Entry does not constitute proof that it was received. Incomplete, unreadable, late, or unintelligible Entries are void and will be disqualified. 
2. Limit of one (1) Entry per person. 
3. In the event of a dispute as to the identity or eligibility of an entrant, the Entry will be deemed to be made by the "Authorized Account Holder" of the email address listed in the Entry, provided he/she is eligible according to these Official Rules. The "Authorized Account Holder" is defined as the natural person to whom the applicable service provider or other organization (such as a business or educational institution) has assigned the email address. An entrant may not use multiple email or social media accounts to enter, and if an entrant does so, all of such entrant’s Entries may be disqualified. 
4. Each Entry (including the Entry form and all other data, information, images, content, and other materials included in the Entry) must, and by submitting an Entry, you represent and warrant to IFW that such Entry does and will, comply with the following: 
   1. It must be entirely the original work of the entrant. 
   2. It must not contain any individual’s photograph, likeness, name, voice, or other element of persona and identity unless the entrant has obtained all releases and consents from such individual necessary to enter the Entry in the Contest (or the parent/legal guardian for any minor depicted), and to grant IFW’s rights in the Entry as provided in these Official Rules, prior to submission of the Entry in the Contest. 
   3. If a professional image or video is submitted, you are responsible for securing usage rights from the photographer or videographer to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the image by IFW, and their respective agents, in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known, prior to submission of the Entry in the Contest. 
   4. It must not infringe, misappropriate, or violate any intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other proprietary rights of any third party. 
   5. All information provided in the Entry must be true, accurate, and correct in all respects. 
   6. It must not be created or submitted through any script, macro, or other automatic method. 
   7. It must comply with these Official Rules and all applicable Laws. 
   8. It must be suitable for publication to a general audience and must not contain anything that:
      1. is illegal, abusive, tortious, defamatory, pornographic, sexually explicit, obscene, 
      2. is libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or otherwise objectionable; 
      3. promotes discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or age; 
      4. promotes violence or unsafe or illegal activity; 
      5. is threatening, harassing, or degrading; 
      6. serves to impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent affiliation with any person or entity; or 
      7.  disparages or injures the reputation or goodwill of IFW, the prize providers, or any of their respective officers, directors, employees, products, or services. 
   9. Entries that do not comply with these requirements (as determined by IFW in its sole discretion) are void and will be disqualified. Media must be of high resolution and no more than 10MB per file. Photos must be provided in PNG or JPG format, in videos in MP3 format. Entrants may be required to submit proof of compliance with these requirements, and failure to provide such proof on request may, in IFW sole discretion, disqualify an entrant’s Entry. 
5. Neither submission of an Entry nor any other participation in the Contest creates any confidential, fiduciary, agency, employment, or other relationship or contract between IFW and any entrant, and by submitting an Entry each entrant acknowledges that no such relationship or contract exists. 
6. By entering the Contest, each entrant represents and warrants to IFW that: 
   1. The entrant’s Entry meets all of the requirements set forth in these Official Rules, including this Section 7; 
   2. The entrant meets all the eligibility requirements for the Contest; and 
   3. The entrant has complied with these Official Rules and all applicable Laws in entering and participating in the Contest. 

1. Judging Period - All semifinalists, category honorees, and the grand prize winner will be determined on a rolling basis, following the end of the application window on September 20, 2021, and before November 19, 2021. 
2. Judges - Eligible Entries will be evaluated by IFW and judges selected by IFW. 
3. Judging Method and Criteria - The judges will make their decision by awarding point values from 0-20 (with 20 being the highest score) in each of the following categories: 
   1. Compelling story of entrepreneurship (20 points) 
   2. Strength of business impact, product-market fit & growth potential (20 points) 
   3. Compelling digital presence (20 points) 
   4. Compelling problem business is solving (20 points) 
   5. Quality of written materials (20 points) 
4.  In the event of a tie, the judges will award each tying Entry additional point values in the following category/ies: Quality of visual media (15 points)

In all cases, Potential Winners (as defined below) must meet the requirements of these Official Rules to officially qualify as the winners, subject to verification. 

Potential Winners will be announced publicly on or after November 19, 2021.

As outlined on https://ifundwomen.com/fund-forward-awards-2022 (the “Contest Site), prizing will be defined as follows: 

1. One (1) Grand prize winner will receive a $100,000 equity investment in their company (the “Equity Investment”), and one-year of educational resources & services from IFundWomen
2. Six (6) Business Category winners each receive a $5,000 cash grant, and one-year of educational resources & services from IFundWomen 

All details and other restrictions of the prize(s) not specified in these Official Rules will be determined by IFW in its sole discretion. The awarding of prizes is not intended to, and shall not be deemed to, create any employment or similar contract or relationship between IFW and any Potential Winner. No prize is exchangeable, assignable, or otherwise transferable, except at IFW’s sole and absolute discretion. IFW reserves the right to substitute for any prize one or more items or services of equal or greater value. The value of each prize may be taxable to each Potential Winner as income. An IRS Form 1099-MISC will be issued by IFW in the name of, and must promptly completed and returned by, each Potential Winner for the value of the prize(s) received. Each Potential Winner shall be solely responsible for all federal, state, and/or local taxes (including income, and withholding taxes), and the reporting consequences thereof, for any other fees or costs associated with the applicable prize(s), and for any other liabilities incurred in connection with any prize. 

Each potential winner (“Potential Winner”) will receive a notification from IFW (a “Prize Notification”) sent to the email address indicated by each Potential Winner in their applicable winning Entry. Each Potential Winner will have five (5) working days from the date of Prize Notification to respond in writing to the Prize Notification once it has been sent to the Potential Winner, and sixty (60) calendar days from the date Prize Notification to provide any requisite information necessary to verify their eligibility and/or to accept their prizes. IFW shall have no liability for any Prize Notification that is lost, intercepted, or not received by a Potential Winner for any reason. In order to claim a prize, each Potential Winner may be required to verify for IFW their permanent address and social security or taxpayer identification number, for purposes of compliance with tax regulations. Upon IFW’s request, each Potential Winner must also execute and return, where legally permissible, a declaration of eligibility, a liability release, and/or a publicity release and assignment of rights. If a Potential Winner is found to be ineligible, has not complied with these Official Rules, or declines the prize(s) for any reason prior to being awarded, such Potential Winner will be disqualified and forfeit his or her prize, and an alternate winner may be determined by IFW from the pool of remaining entrants based on the judging Criteria described in these Official Rules.IFW may successively attempt to contact up to five (5) Potential Winners in accordance with such procedure, and if there is still no confirmed winner of a prize after such attempts have been made, IFW may announce an alternate means for awarding that prize. The distribution of the prize(s) will be at the sole determination of IFW to the individuals deemed to have won the Contest by IFW in accordance with these Official Rules. 

Entry submission is subject to, and each entrant should read, the following privacy policy at https://ifundwomen.com/privacy (the “Privacy Policy”). By entering the Contest, each entrant agrees that IFW and its affiliates may send entrant marketing messages from which you may unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions provided therein. All personal information collected by or on behalf of IFW (including, without limitation, an entrant’s name, biographical data, and city and state/province of residence) may be used for the administration of the Contest and as stated in these Official Rules, and otherwise in compliance with the Privacy Policy and as permitted by Law. Except to the extent prohibited by Law, by acceptance of a prize, each Potential Winner grants to IFW and each of their respective designees the right to publicize such Potential Winner's name and address (city and state/province of residence), photo (if provided), complete Entry and prize information in connection with the Contest, in any media now known or hereafter devised, throughout the world, in perpetuity, without additional compensation or consideration, notification or permission. 

By submitting an Entry, each entrant irrevocably grants IFW and its designees the unconditional, irrevocable, royalty-free, freely transferable and sublicensable, unrestricted and perpetual right permission and license to use the Entry and any other data, information, images, content, or materials included in such Entry (collectively, the “Licensed Data”), in whole or in or part, and to modify, edit, combine with other materials and create derivative works from the Licensed Data, in any and all formats and media whether now known or hereafter devised, throughout the world for any and all purposes whatsoever, including, but not limited to, brand promotional purposes and related activities and in connection with or as part of IFW’s trade name, trademark, logo, or advertising, promotional, marketing, or sales materials. IFW is not obligated to use any Licensed Data but may do so in IFW’s sole discretion as set forth in these Official Rules, without further obligation or compensation. Each entrant waives all intellectual property rights, privacy/publicity rights or other legal or moral rights that might preclude IFW’s use of the Licensed Data or exercise of any rights granted to IFW with respect to the Licensed Data, and each entrant agrees not to sue or assert any claim against the IFW Parties with respect to such use(s). Nothing contained in these Official Rules shall be construed as giving any entrant any right, title or interest in, or any right to use, IFW’s trade name, trademark, logo, or advertising, promotional, marketing, or sales materials.

By entering the Contest, each entrant (i) agrees that neither the IFW Parties, nor any advertising or social media platform, such as Facebook or Twitter, on which the Contest is advertised or through which it is accessed, shall be responsible for, and (ii), to the maximum extent permitted by Law, releases and holds harmless the IFW Parties and each such advertising or social media platform from and against, in each case, any and all claims, injuries, damages, liabilities, costs, expenses, or losses of any kind (including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property) that may occur, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from: 

A. participation in the Contest; 

B. any breach or other violation by such entrant of these Official Rules or applicable Law; 

C. the acceptance, receipt, possession and/or use or misuse of any prize (or any portion of any prize); 

D. any incorrect, incomplete, garbled, or inaccurate information, or any failure to capture any information, whether caused by entrant, printing errors, human error, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; 

E. any damage to an entrant’s equipment (such as a computer system or mobile device) which is occasioned by accessing the Contest Site or participating in the Contest; 

F. miscommunications, or any failed, jumbled, delayed, or misdirected computer, telephone, cable, or other transmissions (including, without limitation, transmissions by email, social media (such as a private or direct messages, check-ins, tweets, and posts), and instant message); 

G. for any technical malfunctions, failures, delays, difficulties, or other errors of any kind or nature; 

H. any Entry, email, prize package, or other material or correspondence that has been tampered with or that is stolen, misdirected, incomplete, lost, late, non-conforming, ineligible, or damaged; 

I. any failure of any postal or delivery service; 

J. any use of the entrant’s personal information and Entries as permitted under these Official Rules; or 

K. any other events beyond IFW’s reasonable control. 

NEITHER IFW NOR ANY OTHER IFW PARTY, SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE CHALLENGE, ANY PRIZE, OR THESE OFFICIAL RULES, HOWSOEVER CAUSED, WHETHER ARISING IN TORT, CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH IFW PARTY WAS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, AND ALL SUCH DAMAGES ARE HEREBY DISCLAIMED AND EXCLUDED. ALL PRIZES ARE GIVEN AWAY “AS IS.” THE IFW PARTIES DO NOT MAKE AND HEREBY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT) WITH REGARD TO THE CONTEST OR ANY PRIZE. 

By entering into the Contest, each entrant agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold the IFW and the IFW Parties harmless for all damages (e.g., indirect, incidental, punitive, special, disgorgement, consequential, lost profits), costs (e.g., attorney fees, expert fees, accountant fees, filing fees, fines, settlement payments, annuity payments), and expenses arising from any claim, demand, cause of action, a lawsuit based on law or equity of any kind, or any other similar type of action by a third-party related to: the Contest; your Entry in the Contest; your participation in the Contest; the prize(s) with respect to the Contest; use or misuse of such prize(s); your actions/omissions in connection with the Contest; or IFW or the IFW Parties’ use or exploitation of the materials and information submitted in connection with your Entry in the Contest (e.g., an allegation that such use of your Entry violated a third party’s intellectual property right, confidentiality right, privacy right, or contract right, or lacked the third party’s authorization). Each entrant must secure the written consent of IFW and the IFW Parties before settling or otherwise resolving an indemnified action. 

IFW reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who IFW finds, in its sole discretion, to be tampering with the participation process or the operation of the Contest or the Contest Site, to be acting in violation of these Official Rules, to be acting in an unsportsman-like or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest, or to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, and IFW reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by Law. 

IFW shall have the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest, at its sole discretion, at any time for any reason, including without limitation as a result of natural disaster, equipment failure, civil disturbance, fraud, financial, or administrative difficulties, technical problems (such as a computer virus/ bug), unauthorized intervention that corrupts the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, or other causes not within the control of IFW. In addition, if, in the exclusive judgment of IFW, the Contest (or any portion thereof) becomes compromised in any way, IFW reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel the Contest, to void any Entries submitted fraudulently, and/or to select Potential Winners from among all non-suspect eligible Entries received prior to the act that compromised the Contest. Should the Contest ever be terminated prior to the ultimate winner(s)’ selection, and/or confirmation of eligibility, IFW will post a notice on the Contest Site and will make alternate arrangements to award the prizes based on the judging criteria. IFW reserves the right to make changes in these Official Rules and repost on the Contest Site. Any such changes will become effective upon notice via online posting at the Contest Site or other means of wide dissemination. 

The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein. IFW’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. 

Except where prohibited, each entrant agrees that: (i) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with these Official Rules, this Contest, or any prize shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the state and/or federal courts located in New Jersey and hereby waives any objection to such courts, whether on the basis of venue, personal jurisdiction, inconvenience of the form, or otherwise; (ii) any and all claims made by entrant, and any and all judgments and awards in favor of entrant, shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, but in no event attorneys' fees; and (iii) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, 

indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All disputes concerning the Contest, the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of each entrant and IFW in connection with these Official Rules or the Contest shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the Laws of the State of New Jersey and applicable United States federal Law, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules that would cause the application of the Laws of any other jurisdiction.

Nothing contained in these Official Rules or in any of the Contest materials should be construed as an endorsement by IFW of any third party, product, or service. Prize suppliers (other than IFW) are not administrators or sponsors of the Contest. 

The Contest may be advertised on or accessed through one or more social media platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter. However, the Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with, any such platforms. Entrants agree to comply with all terms and policies governing such platforms in connection with the Contest. 

The sponsor and administrator of the Contest is IFundWomen Inc., a Delaware corporation, 41 Watchung Plaza #524, Montclair, NJ 07042. To request the name(s) of the Contest winner(s), mail your request (and a self-addressed stamped envelope) to IFW at the preceding address. Your request must clearly identify the contest or promotion for which the winner list is being requested. Requests for winner lists must be received by IFW at the address above no later than thirty (30) days after winner(s) have been selected; allow six to eight weeks for processing of requests.