Young Cooks Recipe Challenge Official Rules

Eligibility: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. This Contest is sponsored by Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE).  Contest is void where prohibited by law or otherwise regulated.

This Contest is open to legal U.S. residents residing in one of the 50 United States or District of Columbia. Contestants must fall into one of four categories:

• Individuals in 1^st-5^th grade
• Individuals in 6^th-12 grade
• Teams in 1^st-5^th grade
• Teams in 6^th-12^th grade

A responsible adult (age 18+) must be the one to submit the entry, handle all communication regarding the entry, and be responsible for equitably handling any prizes won. The responsible adult (hereby referred to as “Adult”) can be a parent, guardian, teacher, scout or group leader. If the Adult is not a parent/guardian, then the Adult is responsible for getting permission from a parent or guardian and providing all relevant information to PFSE upon request.  All Adults, parents or guardians must grant permission for their child/children to enter the Contest and agree to all the Terms of the Contest.

How to Enter: Contest begins at 12:01 am Eastern Time on March 22, 2021 and ends at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on May 3, 2021 (the “Deadline Date”). All entries must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the Deadline Date. To enter visit the Entry Form Page and follow the instructions.  All entries must include the Adult’s full name, address, city, state, zip/postal code, telephone number, email address (if you have one), the first and last names of minor entrants, hometown (city and state), and their age(s) and grade level. Entries submitted in geographic areas in which the entry is not permissible will be disqualified. If entries do not contain all necessary information, entrant will be disqualified. Please be certain to follow all directions. 

Eligible persons may only submit two entries per person, team, or household.

Temporary and permanent staff members of the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE), its board members, Young Cooks Recipe Challenge judges, or donor or partners in direct contact with PFSE and their families are not eligible.

Sponsor is the official timekeeper for this Contest.  In the event the Contest is entered via a mobile device, Message and Data charges may apply. All recipes must be the original work of entrant and not previously published. You may use other recipes for inspiration, but you must make your own unique ingredient and cooking instruction changes in order for the recipe to be considered. All recipes will be checked for originality using Copyscape. 

Each submitted recipe must not infringe the copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other intellectual property rights of any person or entity.  All entries become the physical property of Sponsor and will not be returned.  By submitting a recipe for this Contest, you grant Sponsor, its affiliates, partners and licensees unrestricted use of the submitted entry which includes the right to publish your recipe and any other information provided worldwide in all print and electronic media (now or hereafter existing) without time limitation, and the right to include your name and hometown (e.g., city and state) in connection therewith. Sponsor reserves the right to edit, modify, translate, reproduce and distribute the submitted material in any medium and in any manner as it deems appropriate. Sponsor tests selected recipes and reserves the right to alter them as it deems appropriate. Sponsor may contact you via phone or email regarding your submission.

Judging: All qualifying entries will be judged in the first round with the top entries from each category moving on to the Grand prize round. Judges will choose the Grand Prize Winner. All qualifying entries will be judged based on the following criteria:

Taste: 25 points

1. Does this recipe taste great from first bite to last?
2. Will both kids and adults like it?
3. Would you make it again based on taste alone?
4. Does it have a delicious flavor combination?
5. Did it make your mouth happy?

Visual Appeal: 25 points 

1. Does this recipe look nice on a plate or in a baking dish?
2. Do your eyes make you want to eat it?
3. Do your eyes make you want to eat this before you even smell or taste it?
4. Would you post a picture of this on social media (Instagram, Facebook, etc.)?
5. Is it pretty enough to make for company?

Creativity: 25 points  

1. Does this recipe use common ingredients in an unusual way?
2. Did this recipe have something that made it different from others like it?
3. Were the ingredients easy to find?
4. Did you have fun making this recipe?
5. Did you read the recipe and think “oh, this sounds interesting”?

Following Directions & Using the Safe Recipe Style Guide: 25 points

1. Does this include at least two of the following? Fruit, vegetable, whole grain or healthy protein.
2. Is the ingredients list complete and in the order you use them?
3. Are the instructions easy to follow?
4. Would you eat this for lunch?
5. Does the recipe include all the necessary food safety prompts as suggested by the Safe Recipe Style Guide?

Qualifying entries will be judged using the criteria stated above. In the event of a tie, the highest scoring entry in the Creativity Category will be the winner. All judging will be accomplished by a panel of judges chosen by PFSE. Decision of the judges is final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest.

Winners and Prizes: One finalist will be chosen from each of the four categories and those finalists will compete for the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize winner will receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card and the three remaining category finalists will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card. In the case of a team or group, the total prize awarded is $100 or $50. The Adult who submitted the entry bears all responsibility for prize acceptance and its equitable distribution. The Grand Prize winner, three remaining finalists and any other entries chosen by PFSE will be featured in The Healthy Lunch – A cookbook for Young Cooks. PFSE reserves the right to make any changes to the cookbook it deems necessary, including the name.

A total of four (4) winners will be selected (three category finalists and one Grand Prize winner). The total ARV of all prizes is $250. The winner of the Grand Prize in this Contest will be ineligible to win the Grand Prize in any other PFSE recipe contest for one year following the close of this Contest, but they may enter such contests for which they are otherwise eligible and may win other prizes in such contests. Each winner agrees that the publishing rights granted above will be exclusive to Sponsor, its parent company, affiliates, partners and licensees for use in any magazine and/or cookbook in any media (now or hereafter existing) for a period of one year after the date a prize is awarded; following such period, such publishing rights shall continue on a non-exclusive basis. Each prize is not transferable and cannot be substituted or assigned by the winner, unless prohibited by law. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a similar prize of equal or greater value in the event that the stated prize cannot be awarded for any reason. All taxes, if any, are the Adults’ responsibility. Sponsor will not be responsible for any loss, liability or damage arising out of the winners’ acceptance or use of the prize(s). All prizes are guaranteed to be awarded, assuming a sufficient number of qualifying entries is received and meet the minimum judging criteria.

Selection of Winners: Winners will be determined and notified on or about June 7, 2021, by regular mail and/or email. Winners will be announced as part of an online event for World Food Safety Day on June 7, 2021.  Any winner may be required to execute a Statement of Eligibility and Release and Payment Authorization within 30 days of prize notification attempt or winner will be disqualified and prize may be awarded to an alternate winner.  All required documentation must be signed by parent or legal guardian and provided to PFSE upon request by the responsible Adult. Parent or legal guardian agrees to assume all responsibility of prize including, but not limited to, risks, liability or applicable taxes. Return of prize or prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate winner may be selected. Entry and/or acceptance of prize(s) constitutes permission for the Sponsor and its agencies (if any) to use the winner’s name, hometown (e.g., city and state) and/or likeness for advertising and trade purposes without further compensation or authorization, worldwide and in perpetuity, in any and all forms of media, now known and hereafter devised, unless prohibited by law.

Conditions: By entering, participants agree to be bound by these complete Official Rules. Sponsor is not liable for any malfunctions or failures of any telephone network or lines, computer internet system, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant’s or any other person’s computer, mobile or any other device and/or its contents related to or resulting from participation or downloading/uploading any materials relating to this Contest, or other technical difficulties or failures or other errors of any kind.  Sponsor reserves the right to terminate or modify the Contest at any time for any reason.  In such a circumstance, all winners will be selected based on entries received to date of termination.  Sponsor also reserves the right to modify this Contest in the event an insufficient number of entries are received and/or an insufficient number of entries meet the minimum judging criteria. In the event that two similar entries are received, only the entry judged to best meet criteria as set by Sponsor will be included in the final judging.  Entrants agree to indemnify Sponsor, its affiliated and subsidiary companies from and against any and all claims and liabilities arising out of or in connection with this Contest. In the event of any dispute regarding the identity of an entrant who submitted an online entry, the authorized account holder of the email address used for the entry at the time of entry will be deemed the entrant.  “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g. business, educational institute) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Any potential winner may be requested to provide Sponsor with proof that such winner is the authorized account holder of the email address associated with the winning entry. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the operation of the website or the entry process.

No Recourse to Judicial or Other Procedures/Severability: To the extent permitted by law, the rights to litigate, to seek injunctive relief or to make any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or in connection with this Contest are hereby excluded, and any entrant expressly waives any and all such rights. In the event that a court of competent jurisdiction finds the foregoing waiver unenforceable, entrants hereby consent to the jurisdiction and venue residing exclusively within the federal or the County of Arlington, Commonwealth of Virginia, U.S.A. and agree that 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. Entrants agree that these Official Rules are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, U.S.A., without reference to principles of conflicts of law. If any provision(s) of these Official Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect.

Anticipated Number of Entrants: The total number of contestants anticipated is 100.

Consumer Information and Winner List: To view a list of winners, check the website at fightbac.org after June 7, 2021.