SONY ELECTRONICS' ALPHA FEMALE PLUS 2023 GRANT PROGRAM

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. MUST BE AT LEAST 18 (AL and NE, 19) YEARS OF AGE AT TIME OF ENTRY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT ENHANCE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE AND/OR DO NOT AGREE TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES.  THIS GRANT PROGRAM IS INTENDED FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE UNITED STATES (EXCLUDING TERRITORIES) AND CANADA (EXCLUDING THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC) ONLY AND WILL BE GOVERNED BY APPLICABLE U.S. AND CANADIAN LAW.

1. THE GRANT PROGRAM: Open and offered to all who are at least 18 (AL and NE, 19) years of age at time of entry. Sony Electronics' Alpha Female Plus 2023 Grant Program ("Grant Program") consists of fifty-two (52) Cash Grants as set forth below. This Grant Program starts April 3, 2023 at 10:00:00 A.M., Pacific Time ("PT") and ends March 31, 2024 at 11:59:59 P.M. PT ("Participation Period"). ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 11:59:59 PM PT on March 31, 2024. Sponsor's computer is the official clock for this Grant Program. Void in Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, the Province of Quebec and where prohibited by law.

2. HOW TO ENTER – INTERNET ACCESS REQUIRED:

To enter this Grant Program the Entrant must complete the following steps:

• STEP 1: Entrant must be a member of the Sony Alpha Female Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SonyAlphaFemale

• STEP 2: Entrant must have an active PayPal account 

• STEP 3: Entrant must participate in a Weekly Contest, posted every Monday in the Facebook Group during the Participation Period.

The Weekly Contest requires that Entrant post a photo or short video (3 minutes or less) accompanied by a caption in the Facebook Group (collectively, "Submission") in response to a specific theme communicated by the Facebook Group administrator. The weekly theme will be communicated by the Facebook Group administrator at or about 10:00:00 AM PT on the Start Date for each Weekly Contest in Rule 4. 

3. SUBMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS: Submissions: (i) must be in the English language or accompanied with an English translation of the audio or visual text; (ii) must be the exclusive original work of the Entrant; (iii) may not be inappropriate, libelous or defamatory, pornographic, sexually explicit, unlawful or plagiarized, as determined by Sony in its sole discretion; (iv) must not be harassing, abusive, threatening, harmful, vulgar, profane, obscene, excessively violent, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable or offensive in any way, as determined by Sony in its sole discretion; (v) may not violate or encourage others to violate any applicable law, statute, ordinance or regulation; (vi) may not invade publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person's personal or property rights or any other third party rights; (vii) may not contain commercial or corporate advertising, other than those relating to Sony; (viii) may not include any website URLs, viruses, worms, corrupt files, Trojan horses, or other forms of corruptive code or content that may harm or compromise the proper conduct of this Grant Program or Sony; (ix) may not use any watermarks or distinguishing artist marks (such as signatures); and (x) if found to be in violation of these Grant Program Official Rules will be disqualified and therefore removed from this Grant Program. By submitting an entry, Entrant represents that (i) they have the unrestricted right to submit the entry; and (ii) the entry does not infringe upon any third party's proprietary or other rights. No damaged, incomplete, forged or appropriated entries will be accepted.

4. IMPORTANT DATES FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS GRANT PROGRAM: This Grant Program consists of fifty-two (52) Weekly Contests ("Weekly Contests").  Sponsor will select one (1) winner from all eligible entries received between the Start Date and End Date of each Weekly Contest. Each Weekly Contest starts and ends on the dates and times described in the table below. Other important dates for each Weekly Contest are also listed below. Entry is via Internet in the Facebook Group only.

5. SELECTION OF GRANT AWARD WINNERS: On or about the respective Judging Date and Weekly Winner Notification Date listed in the table above, Sony will select one (1) potential winner of each Weekly Contest based on the judging criteria set forth in Rule 6 from among all eligible entries received from the commencement of the Weekly Contest Start Date through the End Date of that respective Weekly Contest. The potential winner will be notified via Facebook messenger on or about the respective Weekly Winner Notification Dates listed in the table. 

Entrant may enter multiple entries per Weekly Contest and may enter multiple Weekly Contests during the Participation Period, subject to the following:

An Entrant can only win once within thirteen (13) consecutive Weekly Contests and no more than a total of four (4) times over the Participation Period.

6. JUDGING CRITERIA: All eligible entries for each Weekly Contest will be judged by Sony, in its sole discretion, based on the following criteria:

• Relevance to Theme – 30%

• Creativity/Storytelling within the Photo/Video – 30%

• Technical Mastery of the Photo/Video – 30%

• Photo/Video Caption/Written Story – 10%

In the event of a tie of the total of the judging criteria score, the judges will re-evaluate the tied entries according to the above criteria until the tie is broken.

7. GRANT AWARDS AND APPROXIMATE RETAIL VALUES ("ARV"): TOTAL OF FORTY-EIGHT (48) GRANT AWARDS: There will be forty-eight (48) Grant winners and each will receive $500 (payable in U.S. Dollars via PayPal and excluding any PayPal transaction fees).

ARV of each Grant for each Weekly Period winner is: $500 USD. 

Total ARV Grant Program during the Participation Period is: $26,000 USD.

All federal, state, provincial and local taxes and fees associated with the Grant receipt and/or use, if any, are solely the responsibility of winner. Canadian residents may also be subject to withholding taxes and are responsible for the reporting and payment of any income tax. The ARV represents Sponsor's good faith determination. That determination is final and binding and cannot be appealed. Actual value of the Grant may vary. PayPal services may include or charge transaction fees.

IMPORTANT: If a potential winner is found to be ineligible, is not in compliance with these Grant Program Official Rules, does not respond to Facebook message(s) within three (3) days, is disqualified or forfeits the Grant for any reason, declines to accept the Grant, or if the Grant notification or Grant is returned as undeliverable, Sponsor reserves the right to award the Grant to an alternate Entrant who will also be selected per the judging criteria from all remaining non-winning entries received during the respective Weekly Contest. If after a good-faith attempt Sponsor is unable to award or deliver a Grant, the Grant will not be awarded. Weekly Contest winner is responsible for providing the correct @username, email or mobile number associated with their PayPal account in order to receive the Grant.  Weekly Contest winner fully releases, indemnifies, defends and holds harmless Sponsor with regard to the PayPal platform, including without limitation to inaccurate, erroneous, etc. PayPal account information provided to Sponsor.

Potential winners will each be required to sign and return within three (3) days of notification or attempted notification of being a potential winner, an Affidavit of Eligibility/Compliance & Publicity/Liability Release (where permitted by law), or the Grant will be forfeited in its entirety and, time allowing, an alternate potential winner(s) will be selected.

8. ELIGIBILITY: This Grant Program is open to all persons who are at least 18 (AL and NE, 19) years of age as of the date of entry except officers, directors, and employees (and members of their household and of their immediate families, i.e., parents, children, stepchildren, spouse, siblings, "step" of each and persons residing in the same household of such immediate family members) of Sony, it parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, sales representatives, distributors, advertising/Grant/web design agencies and/or their affiliates, assigns or representatives; and all other persons or entities associated with the development, administration, Grant, execution of, or supply to this Grant Program (hereinafter referred to collectively as "Sony & Others").

9. RELEASE: By acceptance of a Grant, the winner releases Sony & Others from and against any and all liability and claims or causes of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property with respect to all aspects of this Grant Program, including those arising out of participation in this Grant Program, any Grant Program related activity whether sponsored by Sony & Others or third parties, or the acceptance or possession or use/misuse of a Grant or any component of a Grant.

With regard to Entrants and winners in California, winner agrees that all rights granted under Section 1542 of the California Civil Code, ARE HEREBY EXPRESSLY WAIVED. Section 1542 of the California Civil Code reads as follows: A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS THAT THE CREDITOR OR RELEASING PARTY DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE AND THAT, IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER, WOULD HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR OR RELEASED PARTY. 

10. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY/INTERNET: Sony & Others are not responsible for interrupted or unavailable network server or other connections, miscommunications, satellite, failed telephone or computer transmissions, computer equipment, software, viruses or bugs, servers or providers, or other connections, availability or accessibility or jumbled, scrambled or misdirected entries or transmissions, or for phone, electrical, network, computer hardware or software or program malfunctions, failures or difficulties or for other errors, omissions, interruptions, or deletions of any kind whether human, typographical, mechanical or electronic, network or for any damage to any person's computer related to participating in this Grant Program. Sony & Others are not responsible for illegible, unintelligible, late, lost or stolen entries or incorrect or inaccurate entry information, whether caused by Internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Grant Program or by any technical, typographical or human errors which may occur in the processing of any entries in this Grant Program. Any Entrant who attempts to interfere with the proper play of this Grant Program will be disqualified from participation in this Grant Program. Persons found tampering with or abusing any aspect of this Grant Program, as solely determined by Sony, will be disqualified and may be subject to prosecution. If in the judgment of Sony, this Grant Program is compromised by viruses, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes beyond the control of Sony, which corrupt the administration, security, fairness or proper play of this Grant Program, Sony reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to discontinue, modify, suspend or terminate this Grant Program and proceed in a manner it deems fair and reasonable, including the selection of winners from among eligible entries received prior to such discontinuation, modification, suspension or termination. Any personally identifiable information collected during an Entrant's participation in this Grant Program will be collected by Sony and used by Sony and its agents solely for purposes of the proper administration and fulfillment of this Grant Program as described in these Grant Program Official Rules or as stated in Sony's Privacy Policy at http://products.sel.sony.com/SEL/legal/privacy.html (for residents of U.S.) and https://corporate.sony.ca/view/privacy.htm (for residents of Canada).

In the event of a dispute over the identity of an online entrant, entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the Facebook account holder submitted at time of entry. Any attempt by any person to obtain more than the stated number of permitted entries by using multiple/different Facebook accounts and/or handles, names, usernames, user IDs, or any other methods will void that person's entries and that person will be disqualified. "Authorized Account Holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to the Facebook account by Facebook, on-line service provider, or other organization/entity that is responsible for assigning accounts on Facebook. By participating, entrant fully and unconditionally agrees to and accepts these Grant Program Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Grant Program.

The Grant Program is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Facebook or PayPal.

ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS GRANT PROGRAM IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SONY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

SONY MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NONINFRINGEMENT.

11. DISPUTES: Issues concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Grant Program Official Rules shall be governed by: (i) the laws, with regard to Entrants in the United States, of the State of Delaware, without regard to conflict of laws principles; and (ii) the laws, with regard to Entrants in Canada, of Ontario, Canada, without regard to conflict of laws principles.

Should a dispute or claim arise related to this Grant Program ("Dispute"), Entrant and Sony agree that the Dispute shall be resolved exclusively through binding arbitration. ENTRANT UNDERSTANDS AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT BY AGREEING TO ARBITRATION, ENTRANT IS GIVING UP THE RIGHT TO LITIGATE (OR PARTICIPATE IN LITIGATION AS A PARTY OR CLASS MEMBER) ANY DISPUTES IN COURT. ENTRANT ALSO AGREES THAT ANY DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEEDING WILL ONLY CONSIDER ENTRANT'S INDIVIDUAL CLAIMS, AND SONY AND ENTRANT AGREE NOT TO HAVE ANY DISPUTE HEARD AS A CLASS ACTION, REPRESENTATIVE ACTION, CONSOLIDATED ACTION, OR PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTION.

Arbitration Instructions with regard to United States Entrants. To begin arbitration, either Entrant or Sony must make a written demand to the other for arbitration. The arbitration will take place before a single arbitrator. The arbitration will be administered in keeping with the Expedited Procedures of the Commercial Arbitration Rules and the Supplementary Proceedings for Consumer-Related disputes ("Rules") of the American Arbitration Association ("AAA"), when applicable and in effect when the claim is filed. Entrant may get a copy of AAA's Rules by contacting AAA at (800) 778-7879 or visiting www.adr.org. The filing fees to begin and carry out arbitration will be shared between Entrant and Sony, but in no event shall Entrant fees ever exceed the amount allowable by the special rules for Consumers Disputes provided for by AAA, at which point Sony will cover all additional administrative fees and expenses. This does not prohibit the arbitrator from giving the winning party their fees, including reasonable outside attorney's fees, and expenses of the arbitration when appropriate pursuant to the Rules. Unless Entrant and Sony agree differently, the arbitration will take place in the county and state where Entrant lives, and applicable U.S. federal or Delaware state law shall govern the substance of any Dispute during the arbitration. However, the U.S. Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 1, et seq., will govern the arbitration itself and not any state or other law on arbitration. The arbitrator's decision will be binding and final, except for a limited right of appeal under the U.S. Federal Arbitration Act. Any judgments or awards shall be limited to actual incurred out-of-pocket expenses (excluding attorneys' fees) associated with participation in this Grant Program and shall not include any indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages.

Arbitration Instructions with regard to Canadian Entrants. Entrant agrees to seek to resolve the dispute or controversy with regard to the Grant Program through mediation with Canadian Arbitration Association before pursuing any other proceedings. Nothing herein shall preclude Entrant or Sponsor from seeking injunctive relief in the event that either of them perceives that, without such injunctive relief, serious harm may be done to the party. Either party to the dispute may serve notice on the other of its desire to resolve a particular dispute by mediation. The mediator shall be appointed by agreement between the parties or, if the parties cannot agree within five (5) days after receipt of the notice of intention to mediate, the mediator will be appointed by Canadian Arbitration Association. The mediation will be held at Toronto, Canada. The parties agree to attempt to resolve their dispute at mediation. The costs of the mediator shall be shared equally by the parties. If the dispute has not been resolved within thirty (30) days of the notice of desire to mediate, any party may terminate the mediation and proceed to arbitration as set out below.

Subject to the mediation provisions set out above, if any dispute or controversy occurs between the parties relating in any way to this Grant Program, the dispute will be resolved by arbitration at Canadian Arbitration Association pursuant to the general Canadian Arbitration Association Rules for Arbitration. Any party may serve notice of its desire to refer a dispute to arbitration. The arbitration shall be conducted by a single arbitrator. The arbitration shall be held in Toronto, Canada. The arbitration shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of the Arbitration Act (applicable to the Entrant's province of residence). The decision arrived at by the arbitrator shall be final and binding and no appeal shall lie therefrom. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. The costs of the arbitrator shall be divided equally between the parties.

12. GENERAL: By participating in the Grant Program, Entrants agree to these Grant Program Official Rules and the decisions of Sony, which are final and binding in all matters and all respects relating to this Grant Program. This Grant Program is void in Puerto Rico and Quebec and wherever else prohibited by law.

Residents of Canada, please note: By entering the Grant Program, Entrant grants their consent to transfer their personal data to the United States for purposes of administration of the Grant Program and consent for their personal information to be transmitted, stored and processed in jurisdictions outside of Canada that may not have the same protections as Canada. By entering the Grant Program, Entrant agrees that their personal information may be used for the following purposes and have the following consequences: (A) to contact Entrants regarding the Grant Program; (B) to publish an Entrant's name in a Winners List, if they should win; and (C) if an Entrant elects to receive additional information, to send additional information to that Entrant. Entrants have the right to access, withdraw and correct their personal data. Entrants may request such action by sending a message to Sony Electronics' Alpha Female Plus 2023 Grant Program Official Rules, 16535 VIA ESPRILLO, SAN DIEGO, CA, U.S.A. For further information see Sony Electronics Inc. Privacy Policy available online at https://products.sel.sony.com/SEL/legal/privacy.html for residents of the U.S. and https://corporate.sony.ca/view/privacy.htm for residents of Canada.

Acceptance of a Grant constitutes the winner's consent to the use of their name, biographical information, photograph, likeness, Submissions, and/or Deliverables for advertising and publicity purposes as determined by Sony or its designees without further compensation, except where prohibited by law. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. 

13. WINNERS LIST: For the name of the winners, no later than July 31, 2024, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Sony Electronics' Alpha Female Plus 2022 Grant Program Winners List, 16535 Via Esprillo, San Diego, CA 92127.

Sponsor: Sony Electronics Inc. ("Sony"), 16535 Via Esprillo, San Diego, CA 92127.

Sony Electronics' Alpha Female Plus 2023 Grant Program Official Rules may not be reprinted or republished in whole or in part without the prior written permission of Sony Electronics Inc.

Copyright 2023 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved.