#VizRisk Rules

The 2019 #VizRisk CHALLENGE – OFFICIAL RULES

No purchase or payment necessary to enter or win. Making a purchase does not increase your chances of winning. The 2019 #VizRisk Challenge (the “Challenge”) is sponsored by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) (“Sponsor”), with support from Mapbox and the Data Visualization Society (the “Partners”).

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE:

• The Challenge is open to anyone (developers, designers, statisticians, economists, researchers, data journalists, data scientists, community activists, graphic and interface designers, university students and PhD students, etc.) who is interested in creating a data visualization, subject to the restrictions listed below.
• Entries may be submitted by individuals or teams, however each entry is required to have a lead author who will be the Sponsor’s primary point of contact. In the event that a team entry wins a category prize or the grand prize, the lead author will receive the prize(s).
• Employees of Sponsor or Partners and their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies and any other entity involved in the development or administration of this Challenge may enter the Challenge but are not eligible to win the Challenge.
• Subject to these Official Rules, the Challenge is open to participants who are at least 18 years old as of the date of entry.
• This Challenge welcomes submissions from around the world. However, this Challenge is void where prohibited or restricted by law, including but not limited to jurisdictions with laws that would require registration, disclosure, filing, trust account, or posting of a bond, or any other requirements, that are not satisfied by these terms and conditions.
• The Challenge materials and Slack workspace in english, but submissions in other languages will be accepted.

ENTRY PERIOD:

The Contest begins at 12:00am EDT on May 15, 2019 and ends at 11:59pm EDT on July 15, 2019 (“Entry Period”).

CHALLENGE TIMELINE:

• 15 May 2019 — Challenge is launched on the Understanding Risk website. Sign-up links for the challenge mailing list and Slack workspace are opened.
• 22 May 2019 — Supporting webinar: Creating map-based data visualizations. Register
• 29 May 2019 — Supporting webinar: Analyzing and communicating risk data. Register
• 4 June 2019 — Supporting event: Building and mentoring event in San Francisco, California, USA (with live video link and support on Slack for remote participants). Register
• 5 June 2019 — Supporting event: Building and mentoring event in Washington D.C., USA (with live video link and support on Slack for remote participants). Register
• 15 July 2019 — Deadline for Challenge submissions (11:59pm EDT)
• 22 July 2019 — Notification of preselected submissions, via email, with signed certificate of completion.
• 15 August 2019 — Notification of category winners and grand prize winner, via email and public announcement.
• 15 September 2019 — Deadline for winners to claim their prize(s) and award certificates.
• 15 August 2019 – 15 May 2020 — Winners showcased in Sponsor and Partners communications.
• 18-22 May 2020 — Winners showcased at UR2020 conference in Singapore.

HOW TO ENTER:

• No purchase or payment is necessary to participate in the Challenge. (If you have account-related questions or concerns regarding use of Mapbox Studio or Mapbox basemaps for the purposes of this contest, please contact community@mapbox.com.)
• During the Entry Period, enter the Challenge by following the instructions on the contest website (http://understandrisk.org/vizrisk), completing all steps and submitting through the official submission form (http://bit.ly/VizRiskSubmit).
• If you have technical difficulties or questions regarding submitting your entry, please email vizrisk@gmail.com.
• An entrant must complete the following fields in order to qualify as one entry into the Challenge (see Challenge description for details):
  • Part 1 (data analysis) completed (link to social post)
  • Part 2 (map design) completed (link to social post)
  • Part 3 (interaction design) completed (link to social post)
  • Part 4 (blog post) completed (link to blog post)
  • Final data visualization completed (link to live, publicly accessible visualization)
  • Final data visualization source shared (link to open repository / copy-able code snippets or template / or documentation of how to recreate the visualization) (these may be included in the blog post)
  • The submission uses at least two sources of risk data (hazard, exposure, vulnerability) [Note: Submission are not required to use one of the provided datasets or locations (Monrovia, Nepal, or the Caribbean).]
  • The submission must use a map as a component of the data visualization, and that map must use a Mapbox basemap.
    • The boundaries, colors, denomination, and other information shown in Partners’ basemap to not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.
    • No purchase is required to use Mapbox basemaps. However you do need to create a Mapbox account in order to access Mapbox Studio and/or a Mapbox access token. If you have questions or concerns regarding use of Mapbox Studio or Mapbox basemaps for the purposes of this contest, please contact community@mapbox.com.
• You may submit multiple entries.
• The Challenge materials and Slack workspace in english, but submissions in other languages will be accepted.
• Each entry is required to have a lead author who will be the Sponsor’s primary point of contact. In the event that a team entry wins a category prize or the grand prize, the lead author will receive the prize(s).
• Any late, lost, misdirected, incorrect or incomplete entries will be disqualified, and Sponsor, Partners and their agents will not be responsible for such entries.

By submitting an entry, you agree that the content included in your entries and any other information provided by you or collected by Sponsor or Partners in connection with the Challenge may be used by Sponsor or Partners in accordance with Partner’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and may be shared with Partner’s affiliated business entities.

You hereby confirm that: the entry is your original creation; the entry was not copied (in whole or in part) from any other work; you have obtained a binding written release from (and signed by) every other person or copyright holder who (or whose work is) shown in the entry, as necessary to grant Sponsor the rights provided herein; the entry does not infringe or violate any copyright right, trademark right, publicity right, privacy right or other proprietary right of any person or entity (including without limitation, any property owner); and Sponsor will not be obligated to pay any compensation to, or permit any participation by, any third party in connection with the use, publication, distribution or exploitation of any entry.

Sponsor expressly reserves the right to disqualify any entries that it believes in good faith are generated by an automated means or scripts. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means are void.

CLARIFICATIONS:

Participants may request any clarification on the competition up to 5 working days before the deadline of the submission.

Requests for clarification should be submitted in writing to the following email address: vizrisk@gmail.com.

Challenge communications will be conducted in English, but organizers will attempt to accommodate questions in other languages.

PRIZES:

Grand prize (one winner): In addition to the category finalist prize, the grand prize winner will receive:

• One registration ticket for UR2020 in Singapore (May 18 – 22, 2020);
• Hotel accommodation in Singapore for four nights during the main conference of UR2020: May 18 – 20, 2020 (approximate value of US$900);
• Up to a value of US$2,000.00 towards travel costs to attend UR2020 in Singapore (May 18 – 22, 2020) (e.g. airfare, boat fare, ground transportation); and
• Certificate of Grand Prize award signed by Understanding Risk.  

Category finalists (nine winners):  

• Submission showcased at UR2020 in Singapore (May 18 – 22, 2020);
• Spotlight posts on the Understanding Risk and Mapbox websites and social media accounts;
• US$500.00 coupon for Mapbox services for one individual’s Mapbox PAYG account (Enterprise accounts excluded);
• Custom swag packages prepared by the Sponsor and Partners (no monetary value);
• Certificate of award signed by Understanding Risk  

All complete submissions (no maximum):

• Certificate of completion signed by Understanding Risk; and
• Inclusion in the roster of Risk Visualizers (optional)

Decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding with respect to all matters related to the Challenge. In no event shall the Sponsor be obligated to award any prizes other than the Prizes specified in these Official Rules.

The Prizes are non-transferable and no substitutions (including, without limitation, for cash) are permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value for any Prize if such Prize should become unavailable for any reason. Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state and local taxes on the value of the Prizes, and any related shipping and handling charges.

The Prizes are designed for entries by a single author. In the event that a team entry wins a category prize or the grand prize, the lead author will receive the prize(s), to distribute as they so choose. The Sponsor or Partners will not intervene in any disputes regarding prize distribution between team members.

EVALUATION PROCESS:

There are three phases of evaluation for submissions: Preselection, category winners, and grand prize winner.

Phase 1 — Preselection

Preselection will take place after the submission deadline.

Submissions will be screened by the challenge administration team for completeness and relevance requirements (see details below). All submission authors will be notified if they are selected to advance to the jury review. Multiple submissions by the same author are permitted. Team submissions are permitted (however, please note that if a team submission wins, only the lead author is eligible to collect the grand prize).

Authors of all preselected submissions will receive a certificate of participation in the 2019 #VizRisk Challenge.

Preselection requirements

• Completeness of required components of the 2019 #VizRisk Challenge.
  • Part 1 (data analysis) completed (link to social post)
  • Part 2 (map design) completed (link to social post)
  • Part 3 (interaction design) completed (link to social post)
  • Part 4 (blog post) completed (link to blog post)
  • Final data visualization published (link to live, publicly accessible visualization)
  • Final data visualization source shared* (link to open repository / copy-able code snippets or template / or documentation of how to recreate the visualization) (*these may be included in the blog post)
• Relevance to the 2019 #VizRisk Challenge.
  • Relevance to the VizRisk challenge theme (communication of natural hazard risk data).
  • The submission uses at least two sources of risk data (hazard, exposure, vulnerability) [Note: Submission are not required to use one of the provided datasets or locations (Monrovia, Nepal, or the Caribbean) but the thematic focus of the submission should be natural hazard risk.]
  • The submission uses a map as a component of the data visualization, and that map must use a Mapbox style as the background base map (vector and raster tile styles accepted)*.

Phase 2 — Selection of category winners

The preselected submissions will be sent to a nine-person jury composed of:

• Representatives of the Understanding Risk (UR) Community
• Representatives of Mapbox
• Representatives of the Data Visualization Society
• Representative from partners in Monrovia, Liberia
• Representative from partners in Nepal
• Representative from partners in the Caribbean

There are nine categories. All submissions will be considered for each category (if applicable).

Category winners will receive the prize package described in the ‘prizes’ section of these challenge details and a certificate of participation in the 2019 #VizRisk Challenge. Each category winner will also be entered into the grand prize evaluation. The category winners and grand prize winner will be announced at the same time.

Categories

• Best data analysis: Submission with the highest score on Part 1 (Data analysis).
• Best visual design: Submission with the highest score on Part 2 (Map design).
• Best interaction design: Submission with the highest score on Part 3 (Interaction design).
• Best write-up: Submission with the highest score on Part 4 (Blog post).
• Best city-scale dataviz: Highest overall scoring submission that visualizes data at the scale of an individual city (e.g. Monrovia).
• Best national-scale dataviz: Highest overall scoring submission that visualizes data at the scale of an individual country (e.g. Nepal).
• Best regional-scale dataviz: Highest overall scoring submission that visualizes data at the scale of a region that spans several countries (e.g. Caribbean).
• Best submission from World Bank countries: Highest overall scoring submission submitted by an author from a World Bank-designated “Low-Income”, “Low-Middle-Income” or “Upper-Middle-Income” economy (see list at https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups).
• Best beginner submission: Highest overall scoring submission submitted by an author with less than a year’s experience in data visualization.

To determine the winner of each category, the preselected submissions will be evaluated against the following criteria, out of a maximum possible total of 100 points.  In the event of a tie in a category, the jury will decide the winner via a majority vote. The decisions of the jury are final and binding.

Each submission may only win one category – if a submission qualifies as the winner for multiple categories, the jury will decide which category to award it and disqualify it from winning other categories; however, the submission will keep its score for consideration in the grand prize evaluation. If an individual submits multiple submissions to the Challenge, the individual may win multiple categories for different submissions.

Phase 3 – Grand prize

The category winners will be considered for the grand prize for best overall risk communication, with the winner determined by the jury described above. The decisions of the jury are final and binding.

The grand prize winner shall be determined by the highest combined score from the following criteria (out of a maximum of 60 points):

• Originality (20 points)
• Ingenuity (20 points)
• Efficacy (20 points)

In the event of a tie, the jury will collectively decide the winner via a majority vote.

The grand prize winner will receive the prize package described in the ‘prizes’ section of these challenge details and a certificate of participation in the 2019 #VizRisk Challenge. The grand prize winner will be announced at the same time as the category winners.

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*The boundaries, colors, denomination, and other information shown in the Partners’ basemap do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.

The Challenge will be conducted under the supervision of the Sponsor. The decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all matters relating to this Challenge. Winners will be notified by email; provided, however, that Sponsor reserves the right to determine an alternate method of notification. Winners must claim their Prize within 30 days after the date of notification of such Prize. A Challenge winner’s failure to respond to the Prize notification within the specified 30 days will be considered such Challenge winner’s forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner may be selected from the pool of eligible entries. If an entrant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may also be selected from the pool of eligible entries.

GENERAL CONDITIONS AND RELEASES:

The Sponsor reserves the right to terminate the Challenge without any obligation to participants.

By entering the Challenge or accepting a Prize, you agree to conform to all federal, state and local laws and regulations. When applicable, the winner may be required to execute and return (and winning may be conditioned upon the winner executing and returning) to Sponsor, within ten (10) business days, an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and Publicity Release drafted by Sponsor to be eligible for the Prize or an alternate winner will be selected. Winners may be required at Sponsor’s sole discretion to complete relevant tax forms as a condition to the delivery of the applicable prize. Winner may also be required to furnish proof of identity, address and birth date in order to receive a Prize.

Unless prohibited by applicable law, your acceptance of a Prize constitutes your permission to use your name, photograph, likeness, voice, and testimonials in all media, in perpetuity, in any manner Sponsor deems appropriate for publicity purposes without any compensation to such entrant or any review or approval rights, notifications, or permissions; and constitutes your consent to disclose your personally identifiable information to third parties (including, without limitation, placing the winner’s name on a winner’s list).

An entrant or winner may be disqualified from the Challenge if he or she fails to comply with each provision of these Official Rules, as determined in the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Participation in the Challenge is at entrant’s own risk. Sponsor shall not be liable for: (1) failed, returned or misdirected notifications based on inaccurate information provided by the winner in connection with an entry; (2) entries and responses to winner notifications which are lost, late, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible, postage-due, misdirected, damaged or otherwise not received by the intended recipient in whole or in part or for computer or technical error of any kind; (3) any electronic miscommunications or failures, technical hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit an entrant’s ability to participate in the Challenge; (4) any technical malfunctions of the telephone network, computer on-line system, computer equipment, software, program malfunctions or other failures, delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human, mechanical or technical in nature, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person’s computer or mobile device related to or resulting from downloading any application or otherwise in connection with this Challenge; or (5) any warranty with respect to any Prize or any component thereof. The prizes are awarded “as is” and sponsor does not make any, and hereby disclaims any and all, representations or warranties of any kind regarding the prizes.

You also agree that as a condition of participating in the Challenge, you shall release Mapbox, Inc. from any and all liability arising out of or relating to your entry, creation of an entry or submission of an entry, participation in the Challenge, acceptance, use, or misuse of the prize or the broadcast, exploitation, or use of an entry.

Notwithstanding anything else herein or otherwise, sponsor and/or its vendors shall not be liable or obligated with respect to any subject matter of this agreement or under contract, negligence, strict liability or other legal or equitable theory for (a) any special, incidental, consequential, or exemplary damages (including, without limitation, loss of revenue, goodwill, or anticipated profits), (b) data loss or cost of procurement of substitute goods or services, and/or © any matter beyond such parties’ reasonable control.

By entering the Challenge, you agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, Partners, and their respective parents, subsidiaries and affiliated entities, directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives from any damage, injury, death, loss, claim, action, demand, or other liability (collectively, “Claims”) that may arise from your acceptance, possession and/or use of any Prize or your participation in this Challenge, or from any misuse or malfunction of any Prize awarded, regardless of whether such Claims, or knowledge of the facts constituting such Claims, exist at the time of entry or arise at any time thereafter. Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with this Challenge may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Sponsor reserves the right to modify these Official Rules in any way or at any time. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend this Challenge should viruses, bugs or other causes beyond their control corrupt the administration, security or proper operation of the Challenge. In the event of cancellation or suspension, Sponsor shall promptly post a notice on Sponsor’s website to such effect. If any provision of these rules is held to be illegal or unenforceable, such provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that these rules otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable.