Student Poster Contest Submission Form

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
HOW TO ENTER:
To enter the contest, participants must complete the Student Poster Contest application form and submit their posters at thermofisher.com/7stepscontest. Participants are encouraged to submit posters on research projects relevant to the Protein Research in Cancer theme. Posters submitted to the “3rd Annual 7 Steps of Protein Virtual Event—Student Poster Contest” (the “Contest”) should address research questions rather than product descriptions or usage. Submissions relating to diagnostic use or any non-research use will not be considered. All posters must reflect the original thoughts of the author(s), have no prior ownership or copyright restrictions and the participant must retain the right to authorize Thermo Fisher Scientific (the “Sponsor”) to publish the poster on their web site, the LabRoots web site and in print format. Participants are welcome to present a poster previously presented in a professional science meeting, but must disclose both the venue, and the date of the presentation at the time of their submission. By submitting your poster, you represent that you are not prohibited by employment, law, regulation, or the policies or practices of your institution or employer from participating.
Guidelines for Poster:

• It is recommended that you use the provided template to create your poster.
• All posters should include: Title of the poster, contributing authors and their affiliation, Abstract, Introduction, Methods and Materials, Results (including figures or tables), Conclusions and References. For work that has any grant or specific funding associated with it, please also include the funding agency and project number.
• All posters should be submitted in PowerPoint or PDF format and should not exceed 5 megabytes in file size.
• All posters and applications must be submitted in the English language.

ELIGIBILITY: Participants must be at least 21 years old and enrolled as a graduate student or in a post-doctoral research position in the US (excluding Puerto Rico) or Canada (excluding Quebec). The person submitting the poster is the applicant (“Applicant”) and is entering on behalf of their employer, who will be the recipient of the prize (“Prize Recipient”). The Applicant warrants that they have obtained any necessary permission to submit a poster to this Contest and authorization from their employer or responsible supervisor. An Applicant may submit only one poster.
Healthcare Professionals may not participate in this Contest. The term Healthcare Professionals includes clinical or non-clinical physicians (including MDs and MDs/Ph.D.s), and physician assistants, nurses, technicians, research coordinators, administrators and purchasing personnel and entities (including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing facilities, home health agencies, clinics and group purchasing organizations, managed care organizations, physician group practices, medical directors for health insurance organizations) and their employees and representatives who are involved in the actual provision of health care services.
US federal and state government employees may not participate in this contest.
Void where prohibited, licensed, or restricted by federal, state, provincial, or local laws, regulations, or agency/institutional policy. Determination of eligibility is at Sponsor’s sole discretion.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: The Contest begins April 15, 2018. Submissions must be received by Sponsor no later than June 15, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. US Pacific Time to be included in the Contest.
SELECTION OF FINALISTS, NOTIFICATION AND PRIZE RECIPIENTS’ OBLIGATIONS: All eligible submissions will be reviewed by a panel comprised of five research scientists affiliated with the Sponsor. Using the criteria described below, they will select five (5) posters to be finalists in the Contest:

• Overall Content (constitutes -60% of total scoring): This includes originality, significance or impact of project on protein research in cancer, clear and sound approaches, data clearly support the results and conclusion.
• Overall Visual (constitutes 40% of total scoring): This includes organization of experiments and visual materials such as graphs, tables and figures; accuracy of spelling, grammar and use of scientific terminology.

The five finalists will be notified of their selection via email by Friday, July 13, 2018.  Finalists and their authorized institutional representative will be required to sign a Permission to Publish document, and an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability/Assignment of Rights/Publicity Release. Each document must be signed and returned to the Sponsor within 10 calendar days of notification attempt. If the Applicant fails to return these documents by the deadline, the prize will be forfeited and an alternate finalist may be determined, based on the criteria set forth above.
The five finalists will work with a marketing representative from Sponsor to convert their posters to the required PowerPoint format for the presentation. Finalists are required to pre-record their poster presentation in a session with the Virtual Event Vendor (LabRoots) between August 6 and August 30, 2018 and they are also required to participate in the Questions and Answers portion of their poster session on the day of the LIVE Event which will occur on Tuesday, September 18, 2018. The exact time of the finalist’s pre-recording session and live poster session will be determined and they will be notified of the timing no later than July 25, 2018. Finalists that do not pre-record their session and/or do not participate in the live session will be eliminated from the Contest and their prize will be forfeited.
Based on the following criteria, three (3) of the finalists will be selected as winners (each a “Winner”) and will receive notification of their status via email by September 24, 2018. Criteria for judging the three Winners will be based on:

• Overall Content (constitutes 40% of total scoring): This includes originality, significance or impact of project on protein research in cancer, clear and sound approaches, data clearly support the results and conclusion.
• Overall Visual (constitutes 30% of total scoring): This includes organization of experiments and visual materials such as graphs, tables and figures; accuracy of spelling, grammar and use of scientific terminology.
• Overall Oral (constitutes 30% of total scoring): This includes the ability to clearly explain experimental rationale, data collection and analyses; responses to questions with references to relevant scientific concepts.

Applicants and Prize Recipients acknowledge and agree that they will provide any resulting data (the “Results”) to Sponsor for use by Sponsor, in its sole discretion, on websites of Sponsor and/or its affiliates or otherwise. Acceptance of the prize constitutes permission to use an Applicant’s name, biographical information, likeness and institution information without further compensation, except where prohibited by law and as otherwise provided herein. No information regarding judging or selection will be disclosed.
CONTEST CANCELLATION: There must be a minimum of ten (10) eligible entries received by the Sponsor by the Contest deadline in order for the submissions to proceed to the stage where they will be reviewed by the panel of judges. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel the Contest if the specified minimum number of entries has not been met. The judges’ decisions are final on all matters.
PRIZE: The Winners will receive a product credit for Thermo Fisher Scientific selected protein biology products in the amount of $1,000 USD for the first place winner, $800 USD for the second place winner, and $500 USD for the third place winner (or equivalent in Canadian dollars) (the “Prize”). Limit one Prize per Prize Recipient. The Prize must be used in a single purchase order no later than June 30, 2019. No cash or other substitutions are permitted, except by the Sponsor, which reserves the right to substitute the prize with one of equal or greater value. No refunds or credits are allowed.  The prize is not transferable.  All taxes on the prize and reporting thereof are the sole responsibility of the Prize Recipient.  The Prize Recipient will be required to execute and return a Deed of Donation and Acceptance, within 14 calendar days of notification attempt. If the Prize Recipient fails to return the document by the deadline, the prize will be forfeited. TAXES, INCLUDING SALES, FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL TAX, IF ANY, RELATED TO THE PRIZE ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRIZE RECIPIENT AND SPONSOR WILL, IF APPLICABLE, ISSUE A 1099-MISC TO THE PRIZE RECIPIENT. No responsibility or liability is assumed for damages, losses or injury resulting from acceptance or use of any PRIZE.
By entering the Contest, each participant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects.

PUBLICITY: Sponsorwill publish the name of the Winners.  The Winner consents to the use by Sponsor of Winner’s name and image in Sponsor’s press releases, announcements, or other marketing literature.

INDEMNITY; DISCLAIMERS: To the full extent allowed by law, participants and each Winner release, indemnify and hold harmless the Sponsor and its affiliates, directors, officers and employees from all liability for any damages, injury or losses to any person (including death and bodily injury) or property of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of the prize or participation in any promotion-related activity or participation in this promotion.  The Sponsor has not made any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, with respect to any prize, including, without limitation, to such prize’s quality or fitness for a particular purpose.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE SPONSOR BE LIABLE, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, WARRANTY, OR UNDER ANY STATUTE OR ON ANY OTHER BASIS FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, MULTIPLE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SUSTAINED BY ANY WINNER OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY ARISING OUT OF THE SPONSOR'S PERFORMANCE OR FAILURE TO PERFORM ITS OBLIGATIONS RELATING TO THE AWARD OF THE PRIZE OR PERFORMANCE OF SERVICES, THE POSSESSION OR USE OF ANY PRODUCT, OR THE PERFORMANCE BY THE SPONSOR OF ANY SERVICES, WHETHER OR NOT FORESEEABLE AND WHETHER OR NOT THE SPONSOR IS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF DATA, DOWNTIME, OR FOR LOSS OF REVENUE, PROFITS, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS OR OTHER FINANCIAL LOSS.

MISCELLANEOUS: The promotion is sponsored by Life Technologies Corporation, an affiliate of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., 5781 Van Allen Way, Carlsbad, California 92008, USA.  To obtain the name of the Winners, send a request with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Jessie Ou, Thermo Fisher Scientific, 3747 N. Meridian Rd., Rockford, IL 61105, USA.  If required pursuant to local law or internal rules, participant also represents and warrants that his/her employer or institution has approved the participation in the Contest.  Employees of Sponsor and its affiliates, as well as their immediate family members and household members, are not eligible.  All entries and their content become the property of the Sponsor and will not be returned. This Contest shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of the State of California without reference to its choice-of-law doctrines.  By entering the Contest, you are agreeing to receive further information from the Sponsor in accordance with the Sponsor’s privacy policy, which can be found here. 

This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to Sponsor and not to Facebook. You may view the Sponsor’s privacy policy here.