Virginia Tech® home

Rules for CodeFest

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Void where prohibited by law. Subject to all federal, state, and local laws. During the event you will have the opportunity to engage with some of Marriott’s leaders in technology, including:

1.     Contest Period: The Code the Future of Travel with Marriott Contest (“Contest”) begins on October 18, 2024 at 6030 p.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on October 20, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. ET (the "Contest Period").  Sponsor’s computer is the official time keeping device for this Contest.

2.     Eligibility: You must pre-register for and attend the Marriott International and Virginia Tech CodeFest on at 5:30 p.m. ET on October 18, 2024 at the Blacksburg, Virginia campus (“CodeFest”) to enter.  Contest is open only to students who have pre-registered for CodeFest and a) are currently enrolled at the Virginia Tech Blacksburg campus and are in good academic standing, b) are 18 years or older at time of entry, c) are legal residents of the 50 US/DC or have legal authorization and documentation to prove such authorization to study in the U.S. for the entire period of the Contest (“Entrant”). To redeem the prizes, winners must be Marriott Bonvoy members (free enrollment will be available at time of registration). If registering via mobile device, normal phone/data and usage charges imposed by your phone service may apply. Standard data rates may apply if registering via mobile device. Employees, officers, and directors of Marriott International, Inc. (“Partner” ), Virginia Tech (with the exception of student employees), Don Jagoda Associates, and any of their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, representatives, consultants, contractors, legal counsel, advertising, public relations, promotional, fulfillment, and marketing agencies, web site providers, web masters, and members of their immediate families (spouses, parents, siblings and children, regardless of where they live) and those living in the same household (whether or not related) are not eligible to enter or win. Participation constitutes entrant's full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and to Sponsor's decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. Sponsor reserves the right to verify the eligibility of winners.

3.     Sponsor/Administrator: Marriott International, Inc., 7750 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814.

4.     How to Enter the Contest: At CodeFest, Marriott will ask students to respond to a Business Challenge (distributed at CodeFest) and create a “Project” (defined below) either individually or in a group of up to five (5) students as a team (each group, a “Team”, each individual student, a “Team Member”). Each Team must have at least one (1) but not more than five (5) Team Members, and each Team Member must meet all eligibility requirements above. A “Project” is defined as a coding solution to the Business Challenge provided at CodeFest. To be eligible, each Project must conform to the business theme of “Code for the Future of Travel with Marriott.”

To submit your Team’s Project, follow the instructions provided by the Marriott team members at CodeFest to submit a Project as described above to receive one (1) entry (“Entry”) into the Contest. Entries must be received by 4:00 p.m. ET on October 20, 2024.  Limit one (1) Entry per Entrant/Team and limit one (1) Team per Entrant. The student submitting the Project will be designated as the Entrant if solo and as the Team Captain (“Team Captain”) if part of a Team. No information regarding Entries, other than as otherwise set forth in these Official Rules, will be disclosed. Any attempt by any Entrant/Team to obtain more than the stated number of Entries by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods will void such Entries and that Entrant/Team may be disqualified. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Normal Internet access and usage charges imposed by your online service may apply.

Incomplete, corrupted, or untimely Entries are void and will be disqualified. Sponsor and its agencies are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, stolen or misdirected Entries; lost, interrupted, or unavailable network, server, or other connections; or miscommunications, computer or software malfunctions, telephone transmission problems, technical failures, garbled transmissions, damage to a user's computer equipment (software or hardware), or other errors or malfunctions of any kind, whether human, mechanical, electronic or otherwise. Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of an Entrant, the authorized account holder of the Entrant’s/Team Captain email address associated with their Marriott Bonvoy account will be deemed to be the Entrant/Team Captain. The "authorized account holder" is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, Internet service provider, or other organization (which may include an employer) responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address. Potential winners/winning Teams may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder.

Entries must be unique and must be submitted as instructed at CodeFest. All Entries must comply with the “Entry Requirements” set forth below.   

Entry Requirements/Grant of Rights:

  • Entry must be your or your Team’s original idea (modification of an original work is not an original idea). Entries must not copy or otherwise plagiarize from any source.
  • The Entry must not have been submitted previously in a giveaway or promotion of any kind or previously exhibited or displayed publicly through any means.
  • The Entry must not contain content that is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading.
  • Any Entry deemed inappropriate or unsuitable, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, will be disqualified.
  • The Entry must not contain any content that infringes or may infringe third party rights (except for Marriott marks), including, without limitation, any copyright, name, trademark, logo, trade dress, or other personal or proprietary right of any person living or deceased (including but not limited to rights of privacy or publicity or portrayal in a false light) or entity or make reference to any commercial/corporate advertising (including but not limited to corporate logos, brand names, charities, slogans, political, or religious statements), or be otherwise objectionable.   
  • Entries must not include music protected by a copyright (but including music that you own or have the rights to use is permitted).
  • The Entry must not include any representation of celebrities, athletes, musicians, or any other third-party (public or private), include any anti-social, political or religious groups, any commercial solicitation or promotional materials or name, address, phone number, or URL address. Entries must not contain advertisements, personal solicitations or commercial solicitations.
  • The Entry must not contain viruses, Trojan horses, worms, bots, spyware or any other computer code that is intended to damage, interfere with, or surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or information.
  • Entrants and all submitted Entries must be in keeping with Sponsor's image as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion, or Entry will be disqualified from the Contest. The Entry must not disparage persons or organizations associated with Sponsor.
  • By entering, each Entrant/Team Member warrants and represents that their Entry is original, has not been previously published or won any award, and the Entry complies with these Official Rules.
  • Each Entrant/Team may choose any programming language, framework, or technology stack for their Project.​
  • Each Entrant/Team may use open-source libraries, tools, APIs, or custom implementations.​
  • Each Entrant/Team may use any cloud provider or even their laptops for hosting (Cloud hosting is recommended).
  • Entrants/Teams MUST NOT connect to the Marriott network, use Marriott APIs, services, databases, or any Marriott infrastructure environment (public cloud or on-prem).​

5.     Determination of Winners: On or about October 21, 2024 through October 23, 2024, all eligible Entries will be judged by a panel of Sponsor representatives (“Judges”), based on the following judging criteria (“Judging Criteria”) to determine one (1) First Prize winning Entrant/Team, one (1) Second Prize winning Entrant/Team; and one (1) Third Prize winning Entrant/Team:

  • Hypothesis (30%): Validity, Originality and Articulation
  • Solution Framework/Modeling  (30%): Novelty, Practicality, and Creativity of Technical Architecture
  • Cyber Security Considerations (10%):  Security Standards and Practices
  • Demonstration (30%):  Working Code and Quality of Presentation and Pitch

Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may reach out to Entrants/Team Captains for any questions related to their Entry during the judging process and any answers provided may weigh on the Judges towards the Judging Criteria. In the event of a tie, tied Entries will be re-judged based 100-percent (100%) on the highest score in the demonstration category. Decisions of the Sponsor and Judges are final with respect to all matters relating to the Contest. By participating, Entrants/Teams agree to the decisions of the Judges/Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Under no circumstance will information regarding scores be shared with Entrants/Teams.

6.     Winner Notification: Potential winning Entrant/Team Members will be required to complete a Declaration of Eligibility, Liability & Publicity Release (where legal) & Assignment of Rights (“Declaration”) within forty-eight (48) hours of being notified in order to be confirmed a winner/winning Team. If a potential winner fails to return the required document within the required time period, or the prize notification is returned undeliverable, or in the event that a potential winning Entrant/Team is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor will award the applicable prize to an alternate Entrant/winning Team determined as outlined in section 5 from among all remaining eligible Entries received throughout the Contest Period. All members of a winning Team must return their Declarations in order for any Team Member to receive the prize. Potential Entrants/winning Teams are subject to verification by Sponsor/Judges. An Entrant/Team Member is not a winner of any prize unless and until Entrant's/Team Member’s eligibility has been verified and they have been notified that verification is complete. 

7.     Prizes and Approximate Retail Values (“ARVs”):  (1) First Prize (awarded to Entrant or each member of the First Prize winning Team): Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine (99,999) Marriott Bonvoy points, an Apple 10.9-inch iPad Wi‑Fi and an Apple Pencil (USB-C) (ARV: $1,700 per Entrant/First Prize Team Member); One (1) Second Prize (awarded to Entrant or each member of the Second Prize winning Team): Seventy-seven thousand seven hundred seventy-seven (77,777) Marriott Bonvoy points and a set of Quiet Comfort Headphones (ARV: $1,340 per Entrant/Second Prize Team Member); One (1) Third Prize (awarded to Entrant or each member of the Third Prize winning Team): Fifty-five thousand five hundred fifty-five (55,555) Marriott Bonvoy points and a portable speaker (ARV: $747 per Entrant/Third Prize Team Member).

The maximum total ARV of all prizes is $18,935. The ARV of any electronics prize listed is subject to price fluctuations in the consumer marketplace based on, among other things, any gap in time between the date the ARV is estimated for purposes of these Official Rules, and the date the prize is awarded or redeemed.  If the actual purchase price of a prize is less than the ARV stated herein, the prize winner will NOT be entitled to a check, cash or other form of payment for the price difference. Limit one (1) prize per Entrant/Team Member. Prizes will be awarded only to those Entrants/winning Team Members who provide a valid Marriott Bonvoy number registered in their own name.  Marriott Bonvoy Points will be posted to the appropriate accounts within four (4) to six (6) weeks after winner confirmation. For details about Marriott Bonvoy™, please visit marriottbonvoy.com.

Prize Restrictions: Prizes cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer. Prizes cannot be substituted, assigned, transferred, or redeemed for cash; however, Sponsor reserves the right to make equivalent prize substitutions at its sole discretion if any advertised prize (or portion of a prize) becomes unavailable. Winners are responsible for any loss of prize or portion of prize after it has been delivered. Sponsor will not replace any lost or stolen prizes. Any and all applicable federal, state, and local taxes and all fees and expenses related to acceptance and use of prizes not specifically stated herein are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. Winners will be issued a 1099 tax form for the actual retail value of the complete prize. Each Winning Team/Winning Team Member agrees and hereby grants Sponsor the unrestricted, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully-paid right and license (and right to sublicense through multiple tiers) to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, publicly display, perform, translate, create derivative works from, distribute and otherwise disclose to third parties their Entry, in whole or in part, for any purpose and in any media now known or hereafter developed to the extent permitted by law (Entry License). If requested, Winning Team/Winning Team Member agrees to sign documentation requested by Sponsor or its designees to document the non-exclusive rights they are granting to use the Entry or any portion thereof or the Sponsor’s right of first refusal to obtain exclusive rights to the Entry. Granting a non-exclusive license to Sponsor does not restrict the Entrant/Team Member from using the Entry and licensing it to other parties.

8.     General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Sponsor's reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion and in the event of cancellation, winners will be determined as outlined in Rule #6 above from among all eligible Entries received prior to cancellation. Sponsor, Judges, and their agencies are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, stolen or misdirected Entries; lost, interrupted, or unavailable network, server, or other connections, garbled transmissions or miscommunications, telephone transmission problems; computer or software malfunctions or damage to a user's computer equipment (software or hardware); technical failures; or other errors or malfunctions of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, or otherwise. Proof of sending or submission of Entry will not be deemed proof of receipt by Sponsor. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

WARNING: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT/TEAM MEMBER OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONTEST OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAW, AND, SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PROSECUTE AND SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be attempting to tamper with or undermine the Entry/judging process, and/or the legitimate operation of the Contest; to violate the Official Rules; or to act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, void any suspect Entries and (a) modify the Contest or suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules; or (b) applicable Entrant/Teams will be determined as outlined in Rule #6 above from among all eligible Entries received up to time of impairment.

9.     Release and Limitations of Liability: By participating in this Contest, Entrants and Team Members agree that Sponsor, and their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, franchisees, representatives, consultants, contractors, legal counsel, advertising, public relations, promotional, fulfillment and marketing agencies, website providers, web masters, and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (the "Released Parties") are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Contest; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest or the processing of Entries; or (5) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from Entrant's/Team Members’ participation in the Contest or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONTEST, ENTRANTS/TEAM MEMBERS AGREE THAT THE RELEASED PARTIES WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR, AND SHALL BE HELD HARMLESS BY ENTRANTS AGAINST, ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY INJURIES, LOSSES OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND TO PERSONS, INCLUDING PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH, OR PROPERTY RESULTING IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, MISUSE, OR USE OF ANY PRIZE, ENTRY, OR PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONTEST OR IN ANY PROMOTION RELATED ACTIVITY, OR ANY CLAIMS BASED ON PUBLICITY RIGHTS, DEFAMATION OR INVASION OF PRIVACY, OR MERCHANDISE DELIVERY. THE RELEASED PARTIES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IF ANY PRIZE CANNOT BE AWARDED DUE TO CANCELLATIONS, DELAYS, OR INTERRUPTIONS DUE TO ACTS OF GOD, ACTS OF WAR, NATURAL DISASTERS, PANDEMICS, WEATHER, OR TERRORISM.

BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONTEST, ENTRANTS/TEAM MEMBERS AGREE THAT THE RELEASED PARTIES WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY INJURIES, DAMAGES, OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES TO PERSONS, INCLUDING DEATH, OR TO PROPERTY ARISING OUT OF ACCESS TO AND USE OF ANY WEBSITE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONTEST OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM ANY SUCH SITE.

WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING REGARDING THIS CONTEST, INCLUDING ALL PRIZES, ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY. CHECK LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

10.  Publicity. EXCEPT WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW, WINNERS GRANT TO SPONSOR (WHICH GRANT WILL BE CONFIRMED IN WRITING ON REQUEST OF SPONSOR), AND THOSE ACTING PURSUANT TO THEIR AUTHORITY, THE RIGHT AND PERMISSION TO PRINT, PUBLISH, BROADCAST, AND USE, WORLDWIDE IN ANY MEDIA NOW KNOWN OR HEREAFTER DEVELOPED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WORLD WIDE WEB, AT ANY TIME OR TIMES, EACH WINNER'S/WINNING TEAM’S NAME, PORTRAIT, PICTURE, VOICE, LIKENESS, ENTRY, AND BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION FOR ADVERTISING, TRADE, AND PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES (INCLUDING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS OR HER NAME ON TELEVISION OR RADIO BROADCAST) WITHOUT ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATION, COMPENSATION, PERMISSION, OR NOTIFICATION.

11.  Nature of Relationship/Waiver of Equitable Relief: Each Entrant/Team Member understands and acknowledges that Sponsor has wide access to ideas, designs, and other materials, and that new ideas are constantly being submitted to it or being developed by their own employees.  Each Entrant/Team Member also acknowledges that many ideas may be competitive with, similar or identical to the Entry and/or each other.  Each Entrant/Team Member acknowledges and agrees that such Entrant/Team Member will not be entitled to any compensation as a result of Sponsor's use of any such similar or identical material. Each Entrant/Team Member acknowledges and agrees that the Sponsor does not now and shall not have in the future any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of the copyright in and to the Entry.  Finally, each Entrant/Team Member acknowledges that, with respect to any claim by Entrant/Team Member relating to or arising out of Sponsor actual or alleged exploitation or use of any Entry or other material submitted in connection with the Contest, the damage, if any, thereby caused to the applicable Entrant/Team Member will not be irreparable or otherwise sufficient to entitle such Entrant/Team Member to seek injunctive or other equitable relief or in any way enjoin the production, distribution, exhibition or other exploitation of the Entry or any material based on or allegedly based on the Entry, and the Entrant/Team Member's rights and remedies in any such event shall be strictly limited to the right to recover damages, if any, in an action at law.

12.  Disputes: Except where prohibited, Entrants/Team Members agree that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the District of Maryland or the appropriate State Court located in Maryland in the United States; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, but in no event attorneys' fees; and (3) under no circumstances will Entrants/Team Members be permitted to obtain awards for, and they hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Maryland, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Maryland or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Maryland.

13.  Privacy: Information collected from Entrants/Team Members/Team Captains is subject to the Sponsor's Privacy Policy, which can be found at www.marriott.com/privacy.  Entrants/Team Members/Team Captains should be aware that Sponsor may be collecting non-public, personally-identifiable information about them in connection with the operation of the Contest.

14.  Official Rules and Winners List: For a copy of the Official Rules, visit https://pamplin.vt.edu/codefest/rules.html . After the conclusion of the Contest, a list of winning Entrants/Teams will be emailed to all Entrants at the Virginia Tech email address provided during registration. Winners List will be sent after all prizes have been awarded.

Marriott International, Inc. shall not be liable for technical, pictorial, typographical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.  Copyright ©2024 Marriott International. Marriott® and other trademarks and/or logos used herein are trademarks/logos of Marriott International, Inc. or other owners in the United States and/or other countries. All rights reserved. THIS CONTEST IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED OR ASSOCIATED WITH APPLE.