About the Contest

Welcome to the 2012 WHERE Challenge! The Challenge is a national contest endorsed by the Canadian Earth sciences community that asks students aged 9 - 14 years to discover the answers to these questions: What on Earth is in your stuff and WHERE on Earth does it come from? There are thousands of dollars in regional and national prizes to be won and you can enter as a group, an individual or a school. All you have to do is use your imagination and dig up some interesting facts about your stuff. The 2012 WHERE Challenge runs from September 6, 2011 to March 1, 2012.

Pick a favourite object in your home, school or playground, identify one or more non-renewable Earth resources* needed to make that object and tell us WHERE on Earth those resources come from. You may be surprised by how many come from Canada. Your story can be told through an essay, a poem, a song or a play, a painting or a poster, an audio, video or multimedia presentation or anything else you can dream up. The more original, the better.

Winning entries may be used as promotional tools to demonstrate how non-renewable Earth resources are essential to our everyday lives. So think hard, dream big and good luck!

*Non-renewable Earth resources are substances which occur naturally within the Earth and must be mined, quarried or pumped out from underground. These resources are found in limited quantities and are consumed more quickly than natural processes can replace them.

Some examples of non-renewable Earth resources include:

• Fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas (used to make plastic)
• Minerals such as iron ore (used to make steel)
• Rocks such as limestone (used to make cement)
• Minerals such as quartz sand (used to make glass).

Many non-renewable Earth resources are recyclable (e.g. glass and aluminum pop cans) but only a small proportion of what is produced is recycled.

The following are NOT considered non-renewable Earth resources:

• Trees and plants (used to make lumber, fabric and paper)
• Water
• Food: fruit and cereals; meat from animals
• Geothermal energy
• Wind energy

 

 

Contest Instructions

Get ready to turn your imagination loose and develop a creative message to answer the WHERE Challenge: What on Earth is in your stuff and WHERE on Earth does it come from? You may submit an individual entry or enter with a group, youth organization (scouts, guides, 4H, etc) or classroom.

Here's how to get started:

1. Select an everyday object at home or school;

2. Identify one or more non-renewable Earth resources* needed to make that object (such as copper, iron, or silicon);

3. Tell us WHERE on Earth those non-renewable resources were discovered and produced. Were any of them discovered here in Canada?

Now you're ready to create a story to explain why non-renewable Earth resources are so important in our daily lives. Your story can be told through an essay, a poem, a song or a play, a painting or a poster, an audio, video or multimedia presentation or anything else you can dream up! Remember, your entry may be used as a promotional tool to demonstrate how non-renewable Earth resources are essential to our everyday lives.

*Non-renewable resources are substances which occur naturally within the Earth and must be mined, quarried or pumped out from underground. These resources are found in limited quantities and are consumed more quickly than natural processes can replace them.

Some examples of non-renewable Earth resources include:

• Fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas (used to make plastic)
• Minerals such as iron ore (used to make steel)
• Rocks such as limestone (used to make cement)
• Minerals such as quartz sand (used to make glass).

Many non-renewable Earth resources are recyclable (e.g. glass and aluminum pop cans) but only a small proportion of what is produced is recycled.

The following are NOT considered non-renewable Earth resources:

• Trees and plants (used to make lumber, fabric and paper)
• Water
• Food: fruit and cereals; meat from animals
• Geothermal energy
• Wind energy

4. Entry guidelines are as follows:

All essays or poems must be less than 800 words.

A painting or poster must be 11" x 17" or smaller and submitted at a resolution not less than 150 dpi.

A song or audio presentation must be two minutes or less.

A video or multimedia presentation must be two minutes or less.

To submit a video to the WHERE Challenge, simply access YouTube, find the WHERE Challenge Commercial and 'post a video response'. You will be prompted to either create a YouTube account or login if you already have one and upload your video. Finally, head over to the Entry Form and make sure you post the link to your YouTube video when you fill out a form.

Please note that all entries MUST be submitted in digital format.

 

 

How to Submit

Electronic Submission

Fill out the entry form and upload your files accordingly (if multiple files, please upload a .zip file). Electronic submission is the best method if your entry is an essay (story or research paper), an audio presentation (song or music) or imagery (painting, poster, illustration, digital painting).

Submitting Video

If your entry is a video, upload your video to YouTube as a 'video response' to the WHERE Challenge commercial and include the link on your entry form.

Snail Mail

If you'd prefer to mail in your entry, please note that you MUST submit your entry in the form of a CD. You may send your entry to:

WHERE Challenge
Attention: Laura Clinton
Mining Matters
904-1200 Eglinton Avenue East
Toronto ON M3C 1H9
Tel: 416-863-6463 ext 324
Fax: 416-863-9900
Email: lclinton@pdac.ca

Don't forget, you can submit your entry until midnight, March 1, 2012. Also, remember to fill out all categories on the entry form before you submit your entry. All entries will become the property of Mining Matters, which retains the right to reprint, publish or display the entries in any format.

Please note that none of the entries will be returned.

 

 

Rules & Regulations

The following are the rules and conditions applicable to this WHERE Challenge Contest (the "Contest Rules").

ELIGIBILITY

1. To be eligible for the WHERE Challenge contest (the "Contest"), a participant must be a legal resident of Canada between the ages of 9 and 14 years during the Contest submission period of September 6, 2011 to March 1, 2012. ("Contest Period").
2. For the purpose of these Contest Rules, "Immediate Family" means husband, wife, spouse, mother, father, brother, sister, son and daughter, whether or not they reside in the same household.
3. An Immediate Family member of any advertising and promotional agencies or judges associated with the Contest, but not of the Sponsor, as hereinafter defined, is not eligible to participate in the Contest.
4. Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Mining Matters ("PDAC Mining Matters") may at any time require proof of identity and/or eligibility to participate in the Contest. Failure to provide such proof within a reasonable period of time may result in disqualification. All personal and other information requested by and supplied to PDAC Mining Matters for the purpose of this Contest must be truthful, complete, accurate and in no way misleading.
5. PDAC Mining Matters may disqualify any entry or entrant in its sole discretion, should any entry or entrant at any stage supply untruthful, incomplete, inaccurate or misleading personal details and/or information.

SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES

6. All entries must be submitted in a digital format.
7. All entries must be submitted between 6:00 a.m. MST/MDT September 6, 2011 and 12:00 a.m. (midnight) MST/MDT March 1, 2012. Late entries will not be considered.
8. Entries will be declared invalid if they illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, mutilated, forged, garbled or mechanically or electronically reproduced.

OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES

9. All entries submitted become the sole property of PDAC Mining Matters and none will be returned for any reason.

PRIZES

10. The odds of being selected as a potential winner are dependent upon the number of eligible entries received. Before being declared a winner, potential winners shall be required to comply with these Contest Rules.

CONTEST AWARD

11. On or before April 16, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario, all regional and national grand prize winners will be selected by the judges from all eligible entries received. The judges, at their absolute discretion, shall select the winners based upon which entries best meet the contest criteria. All decisions of the judges will be final and binding and may not be challenged in any way.
12. The selected potential winners will be notified by telephone no later than April 24, 2012 and must respond within two (2) business days of notification. Upon notification, the selected potential winners must respond by telephone to the contact number provided in the notification, and the selected potential winners' response must be received within two (2) business days of such notification. If the selected potential winners do not respond in accordance with these Contest Rules, he/she will be disqualified and will not receive a prize and another potential winner will be selected. If after three such attempts PDAC Mining Matters has not identified a winner, PDAC Mining Matters reserves the right to award the prize (or its cash equivalent) to a charity of its choice. PDAC Mining Matters the Sponsors are not responsible for the failure for any reason whatsoever of a selected potential winner to receive notification or for PDAC Mining Matters to receive a selected potential winner's response.

RELEASE AND INDEMNITY

13. By entering the Contest, the entrant releases and holds Releasees, as defined in paragraph 17(a) below, harmless from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to the entrant, Releasees or any other person, including personal injury, death, or property damage, resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, participation in this Contest, any breach of these Contest Rules, or in any prize-related activity. The entrant agrees to fully indemnify Releasees from any and all claims by third parties relating to the Contest, without limitation.
14. PDAC Mining Matters and the Sponsor assume no responsibility or liability for lost, late, misdirected or incomplete entries, notifications, responses, replies or any release. Entrant assumes liability for injuries caused or claimed to be caused by participating in the Contest, or by the acceptance, possession, use of, or failure to receive any prize. PDAC Mining Matters and the Sponsor assume no responsibility or liability in the event that the Contest cannot be conducted as planned for any reason, including those reasons beyond the control of PDAC Mining Matters or the Sponsors, such as infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or corruption of the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest.
15. By entering this Contest, entrant agrees to be bound by these Contest Rules, as posted on the WHERE Challenge website (www.earthsciencescanada.com) during the Contest Period. Entrant further agrees to be bound by the decisions of the judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects. PDAC Mining Matters reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant found to be: (a) violating the Contest Rules; (b) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest; (c) violating the terms of service, conditions or use and/or general rules or guidelines of any canada.com property or service; and/or (d) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE CONTEST WEBSITE OR ANY RELATED WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.
16. Entrant grants PDAC Mining Matters and the Sponsors the right to: (a) use his or her personal information for the purpose of PDAC Mining Matters administering the Contest; (b) use his or her name, photograph, likeness, voice, prize information and/or biographical information for publicity and promotional purposes without further compensation unless prohibited by law; and (c) use his or her name and his or her respective city and province of residence in connection with the Contest Website, other related websites and/or any other media now known or hereafter devised. Personal information will not be provided to any third party other than as provided for in these Contest Rules. PDAC Mining Matters, the Sponsors and any of their third party agents will use personal information only for purposes related to this Contest and are required to protect all personal information.
17. Each winner will be required to execute a legal agreement and release ("Release") that:
    1. confirms that winner's (i) eligibility for the Contest and compliance with these Contest Rules; (ii) acceptance of the prize as offered; (iii) release of PDAC Mining Matters, the Sponsors and their parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliated and related operations and their employees, directors, officers, suppliers, agents, sponsors and administrators (collectively, the "Releasees") from any and all liability for any loss, harm, damages, cost or expense arising out of participation in this Contest, participation in any Contest-related activity or the acceptance, use, or misuse of any prize, including without limitation costs, injuries, losses related to personal injuries, death, damage to, loss or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation, or portrayal in a false light, or from any and all claims of third parties arising therefrom; and
    2. grants the Sponsors the unrestricted right, at the Sponsor's discretion, to publish without any further compensation to the winner the entry submitted, name, picture, portrait, likeness, audio and/or video recording, interview and voice and any website dissemination or broadcast thereof of that entrant for advertising and promotional purposes. The executed Release must be returned within two (2) business days of the verification as a winner or the selected potential winner will be disqualified and the prize forfeited.
18. All intellectual property, including but not limited to trade-marks, trade names, logos, designs, promotional materials, web pages, source code, drawings, illustrations, logos, slogans and representations are owned by PDAC Mining Matters and/or its affiliates. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized copying or use of any copyrighted material or intellectual property without the express written consent of its owner is strictly prohibited.
19. PDAC Mining Matters reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, amend, modify or terminate all or any portion of this Contest at any time for any reason without prior notice.
20. These are official Contest Rules. This Contest is subject to applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations. These Contest Rules are subject to change without notice in order to comply with any applicable federal, provincial or municipal laws or the policy of any other entity having jurisdiction over PDAC Mining Matters or the Sponsors.