VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. VALID IN THE 50 UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ONLY. A SUBMISSION INTO THIS CHALLENGE CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES.

The PILOT Innovation Challenge (the “Challenge”) hosted and administered by the National Association of Broadcasters (“NAB”) is seeking entries as described below for the Challenge:

The Challenge recognizes NAB Show exhibitors within the PropelME zone that are poised to help broadcasters rise to some of the key challenges and opportunities they are likely to face over the next 2-3 years.

Any PropelME exhibitor with a product or solution that is relevant to broadcasters is eligible to be considered for the Innovation Challenge award, which includes a travel stipend and additional opportunities for recognition and networking with broadcasters as outlined below.

AGREEMENT: In order to participate in the Challenge, the individual or organization wishing to participate (“You,” whether or not capitalized, or “Participant”) must agree to these Rules. Therefore, please read these Rules prior to entering. Your entering constitutes agreement to these Rules. These Rules form a binding legal agreement between you and NAB with respect to the Challenge. This Agreement governs, among other things, any materials, information, works of authorship, software code, algorithms, designs, audiovisual works, visual assets, video, voice-overs, diagrams, tools, data, and deliverables that Participant submits or provides to NAB, or that a winning Participant agrees or proposes to create or develop, with respect to the Challenge, in connection with the submission  phase (as described in the “Submissions” paragraph and subsequent paragraphs below) (“Submissions”).

ELIGIBILITY: Participation is open to individuals, teams of individuals, companies, academic institutions and non-profit organizations which are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least the age of 18 at the time of Submission and who have reserved space for the 2025 NAB Show in the PropelME zone. Challenge judges and employees of NAB, and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, agents and their immediate families and people living in their households, are not eligible to participate. NAB, at its sole discretion, shall determine eligibility of any individual or entity, and may disqualify any Participant at any time for any reason. In the event of a conflict or potential conflict between Submissions, NAB, in its sole discretion, may choose to reject or disqualify one or more Submissions.

If an idea Submission is made on behalf of a group of individuals, a company, or any other type of organization (a “Team”), the person making the Submission on behalf of the Team (the “Captain”) must: (a) disclose as part of the initial Submission the name of the company or organization, if any, and the names of all individuals participating in the Submission (“Team Members”); (b) certify that the Captain has the right to act on behalf of the Team (be it an entity or a group of individuals) and all Team Members; (c) agree to these Rules on behalf of the Team and all Team Members, and (d) be a legal resident or citizen of the United States or hold a lawfully issued student visa, work permit, or other documentation entitling the Captain to work or receive compensation for work in the United States.

SUBMISSIONS: Between January 22, 2025 and 5 PM Eastern Time February 21, 2025 (the “Challenge Term”), you must submit your application online at www.nabpilot.org/challenge (the “Challenge Website”). Submissions will be accepted only via the Challenge Website. All Submissions must be in English. You must provide a valid email address, and phone number which will be the means to communicate with you. All sections of the Submission forms must be completed and submitted to create a valid submission into the Challenge.

Submission Form Requirements: All Challenge Participants must clearly and concisely complete all sections of the Submission form:

SUBMISSION QUESTIONS

  1. Contact information
    1. Applicant Name
    2. E-mail Address
    3. Entity Name
    4. Entity Location (City)
    5. Physical address
    6. Phone number
  2. Proposal Title
  3. Summarize your product/solution in a few sentences. (280 characters)

PROPOSAL DETAILS

  1. Describe the overall design of the product, prototype, or solution you would like to have considered for the Challenge. Include how users will interface with your system. Include any tools, software, platforms, algorithms, data, application programming interfaces (“APIs”) etc. that you will use and how you will use them. (3,000 characters)
  2. How will your startup help broadcasters? (500 characters)
  3. Include links to visual assets, video, voice-overs, diagrams, examples or anything else that might help illustrate your proposal.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  1. Do you own the intellectual property rights in the subject matter of your proposal? That is, patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, trade secrets or rights of publicity?

Submissions may not contain advertisements, commercial endorsements, or any material that is indecent, obscene, hateful, discriminatory, defamatory, slanderous, libelous, unlawful or otherwise inappropriate as determined by NAB in its absolute discretion. Any inappropriate Submissions or material may be disqualified by NAB in its sole discretion.

CHALLENGE PERIOD/JUDGING:

The dates are subject to change.

The decisions of the judges will be final in all instances.

On or about February 24, 2025 judging will begin and will continue until approximately March 23, 2025. The winner(s) will be selected and announced publicly on or about March 24, 2025.

Judging will be based on the following criteria:

  • Readiness – How close is the product or prototype to being able to be put into use by broadcasters? If submission requires further development before commercial deployment, is there a clear roadmap for when and how that development will occur? (1/3)
  • Relevance – How well does the proposal meet the challenge question and the needs of the broadcasting industry? (1/3)
  • Viability – How likely will this be implemented and used by broadcasters? (1/3)

NAB accepts no responsibility for Submissions lost, delayed, damaged, defaced, or mislaid, howsoever caused.

PRIZES

Based on the quality of submissions, NAB may award up to three teams with a travel stipend of $2500 each to offset transportation and lodging expenses associated with exhibiting at the April 2025 NAB Show. Winners may also be given an opportunity to deliver a presentation on their solution, participate in networking events, and/or write guest blog posts for the PILOT blog at the sole discretion of PILOT.  Winners are solely responsible for the payment of any taxes that may arise as a result of acceptance of a recognition award. Each award will be in the form of a single payment to  Participant (person or company/organization), regardless whether Participant is an individual, group of individuals, company or other form of organization. All Team awards will be made in the name of the Captain. Awards cannot be transferred or substituted. NAB reserves the right to alter/increase/decrease award amounts and the number of rewards.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF WINNERS

Winner(s) will be required to submit a written summary of progress and activities regarding their submission as directed by the NAB by April 1, 2025.

In addition, two representatives from the winning team are expected to attend the NAB Show in April 2025 to demonstrate their submission.

LEGAL RIGHTS IN YOUR SUBMISSION:

Participant Certification of Rights in Submission:

By entering a Submission, you represent and warrant that: (i) you are able to comply with these terms and conditions and bind your organization to the agreements and obligations contained herein and your Submission is not subject to any conflicting obligations that would prevent or interfere with your compliance with these terms and conditions; (ii) your Submission is your original work and does not make unauthorized use of or violate in any way any rights of any 3rd party, including but not limited to copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or rights of publicity or privacy; and (iii) no one else’s permission is required for you to make your Submission in this Challenge or to use your idea as contemplated under these terms and conditions. Without limiting the foregoing, you represent and warrant that you have complied with any requirements of your employer, if any, to allow your participation in the Challenge, including but not limited to making your Submission and accepting any recognition award you may receive.

TAXES: TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ALL TAXES IMPOSED ON PRIZE MONEY ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER(S). Winner(s) are responsible for ensuring that they comply with all the applicable tax laws and filing requirements.

GENERAL CONDITIONS: Except as otherwise required by law, Participant agrees that the Challenge and its operation is to be construed under the laws of the District of Columbia. Notwithstanding the jurisdiction of any other court, Participant expressly submits and consents in advance to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for all claims or disputes pertaining directly or indirectly to the Challenge.

PRIVACY: Participants agree that personal data submitted with the Submission, including name, mailing address, phone number, and email address may be collected, processed, stored and otherwise used by NAB and its affiliates only for the purposes of conducting and administering the Challenge. By entering the Challenge, Participants agree to the transmission, processing, disclosing and storage of this personal data by NAB and its affiliates.

PUBLICITY: By entering the Challenge, Participants agree to participate in any media or promotional activity resulting from the Challenge as reasonably requested by NAB at NAB’s expense and agree and consent to use of their name, image, voice, appearance, persona and/or likeness by NAB. NAB shall contact Participants in advance of any NAB request for interviews.

The Submission may also be used for press and media purposes (including events and activities related to this Challenge). NAB reserve the right to publish the name, image, voice, appearance, persona and likeness of Participants on the Challenge Website or through other media for publicity purposes.

WARRANTY AND INDEMNITY: Participant warrants that their Submissions are their own original work and, as such, they are the sole and exclusive owner and rights holder of the submitted Submission and that they have the right to submit the Submission in the Challenge and grant all rights thereto. Participant agrees not to submit any Submission that: (a) infringes any third-party proprietary rights, intellectual property rights, industrial property rights, personal or moral rights or any other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, trade names, industrial designs, patent, trade secret, privacy, publicity, or confidentiality obligations; or (b) otherwise violates applicable state, federal, or local law.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Participant agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless NAB from and against any and all claims, actions, suits, or proceedings, as well as any and all losses, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or accruing from: (i) any claim or suit alleging that any Submission or other material uploaded or otherwise provided by Participant infringes any copyright, trademark, trade secret, trade dress, patent, or other intellectual property right of any person or defames any person or violates their rights of publicity or privacy; (ii) breach of any warranty set forth herein; (iii) any misrepresentation made by Participant in connection with the Challenge; (iv) any non-compliance by Participant with these Rules; (v) claims brought by persons or entities other than the parties to these Rules arising from or related to Participant’s involvement with the Challenge; (vi) acceptance, possession, misuse, or use of any prize or participation in any Challenge-related activity or participation in the Challenge; (vii) any malfunction or other problem with the Challenge Website in relation to the Submission and participation in the Challenge by Participant; (ix) any error in the collection, processing, or retention of Submission or voting information in relation to the Submission and participation in the Challenge by Participant and in the voting process; or (x) and, any typographical or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any prize or winners in relation to the Submission and participation in the Challenge.

INTERNET AND DISCLAIMER: NAB is not responsible for any malfunction of the entire Challenge Website or any late, lost, damaged, misdirected, incomplete, illegible, undeliverable, or destroyed Submission or votes due to system errors, failed, incomplete, or garbled computer or other telecommunication transmission malfunctions, hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, typographical or system/human errors and failures, technical malfunction(s) of any telephone network or lines, cable connections, satellite transmissions, servers or providers, or computer equipment, traffic congestion on the Internet or at the Challenge Website, or any combination thereof, including other telecommunication, cable, digital, or satellite malfunctions which may limit the ability to participate. NAB is not responsible for the policies, actions, or inactions of others, which might prevent anyone from entering, participating, and/or claiming a prize in this Challenge. NAB’s failure to enforce any term of these Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that or any other provision. NAB reserves the right to disqualify those who violate the rules or interfere with this Challenge in any manner.

RIGHT TO CANCEL OR MODIFY: If for any reason the Challenge is not capable of running as planned, including but not limited to, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Challenge, NAB reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Challenge.