Cato Courses Scholarship Video Contest
Terms and Conditions
Overview
Cato Institute ("Sponsor") is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the mission, vision, and principles set forth at https://www.cato.org. One means through which Cato Institute pursues its mission is engaging students through its Cato Courses online education platform ("Cato Courses"). To promote its mission, Cato Courses is holding a scholarship video contest for eligible students (the "Contest"). The Contest, and all individuals’ participation therein, is subject to the Cato Courses Scholarship Video Contest Terms and Conditions ("Official Rules") set forth herein.
The additional information about the Contest contained on the Contest homepage - https://www.cato.courses/scholarship-submission - (the “Homepage”) is incorporated into these Official Rules by reference.
Eligibility
This Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 US states and Washington, D.C. (excluding Puerto Rico, Guam, US territories, possessions, protectorates and foreign US military bases). To qualify as a participant in the Contest (a "Participant"), the individual submitting an entry must satisfy the following:
A. Are at least age 16, and no older than 25, at the time of entry; and
B. If the Participant has not reached the age of majority in their state of residence at the time of entry, their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have agreed to their participation and these Official Rules on their behalf; and
C. Participant has completed at least five (5) Cato Courses (available at https://www.catocourses.org) prior to submitting an entry, and provide course completion certificates for each course as part of the submission; and
D. Employees, officers, directors, and agents of the Sponsor, or of any of their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, suppliers, or individuals subject to Section 4958 of the Internal Revenue Code ("Contest Entities"), and the immediate family members of each are not eligible to participate in the Contest. Immediate family members include a spouse, parent, child, sibling, or other individuals over whom the Contest Entities have guardianship, including stepparents, children, siblings, half siblings, and all their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside; and
E. The contest is void where prohibited and subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Anyone who does not meet these requirements will be disqualified, and the Participant deemed ineligible to participate in the Contest or submit an entry.
Agreement to Official Rules and Indemnity
Anyone who attempts to enter the Contest is considered a Participant and is covered by these Official Rules. By attempting to enter or participate in the Contest, each Participant, and in the case of a minor, the Participant’s parent(s)/legal guardian(s), agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor. Participant, or Participant’s parent(s)/legal representative(s) on Participant’s behalf, represents and warrants that the Participant meets the eligibility requirements. In addition, Participant, or Participant’s parent(s)/legal representative(s) on Participant’s behalf, agrees to accept the Sponsor’s decisions as final and binding as it relates to the conduct of this Contest, to indemnify the Released Parties for the Participant’s content and conduct in the Contest as described below, and to the use of the Participant’s information and video submission as described in these Official Rules.
Entry Period
The Contest begins at 12:00:01 a.m. Eastern Time ("ET") on June 29, 2026 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on September 30, 2026 (the "Entry Period"). ET means the time in New York, New York, on the date in question. Sponsor’s computer systems will be the official timekeeping devices for the Contest.
How to Enter
To be entered and have their video submission considered, each Participant must navigate to www.cato.courses/scholarship-submission and:
A. Timely and accurately complete all information requested on the submission form; and
B. As part of the submission process, provide course completion certificates of five (5) Cato Courses; and
C. Timely submit an originally-created, persuasive video of between two to three minutes (2:00–3:00) in length that discusses a concept from a Cato Course or that makes a case for libertarianism. All videos must be created in accordance with all requirements and guidance set forth on the Homepage, as may be updated from time to time.
D. Any entry or any part thereof that does not meet these requirements or otherwise violates any of the Official Rules or any applicable law or regulation, will be disqualified and the Participant deemed ineligible from participation and from submitting an entry.
LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER INDIVIDUAL.
Judging
A. All judging (including both selection of finalists and winners) shall be based on the criteria set forth on the Homepage. No individual that is related to or has any substantive connection with a Participant that submitted a valid entry in this Contest will serve as a judge.
B. Each submitted entry, once qualified, will initially be substantively judged on the criteria by a panel selected by the Sponsor (the “First Panel”). Entries with a score of at least 100 points shall be advanced as a finalist to the next round of judgment.
C. Every entry that is deemed a finalist will be advanced to a second panel of judges selected by the Sponsor (the “Second Panel”) for selection of winners. This Second Panel’s scores will determine the winners unless there is a tie, in which case the tie-breaking procedures will be used to select the winners.
Tie-Breaking Procedures
If after the Second Panel judging is complete, two (2) or more entries have received the same score based on application of the criteria, the tie will be broken from among the tied entries based on the entry with the highest cumulative score as judged by the First Panel and the Second Panel. If a tie remains, then the winner shall be the entry that earned the highest combined score from the First Panel and Second Panel in the “persuasiveness and clarity of argument” criterion. If after applying these tie-breaking procedures a tie remains, the tied entries will be judged by new panels of judges selected by the Sponsor (“Tie-breaking Panels”) until one (1) entry receives the highest score from a Tie-Breaking Panel.
Winner Notification and Announcement
After the conclusion of the Entry Period and all judging is completed, the Participants who submitted the entries earning the top five (5) highest scores, and their parents/legal guardians for minor Participants, will be notified via the contact information contained in the submission form at the time of entry that they have been selected as a Potential Winner. A Participant identified as a "Potential Winner," or in the case of a minor the Potential Winner’s parents/legal guardians on the Participant’s behalf, will be required to complete, sign, and return to Sponsor an affidavit and/or other documentation attesting to facts relating to that person’s identity, including Social Security number for tax reporting purposes, and eligibility to participate in the Contest and/or receive a Scholarship Prize, and a publicity and liability release.
Upon receiving written acceptance of the Scholarship Prize and satisfactory completion of the required documents in the time specified in the winner notification, the Potential Winner will be declared a "Winner" of the Scholarship Prize they qualified for. If a Participant identified as a Potential Winner fails to comply with these requirements within the time period specified in the winner’s notification communications, the Scholarship Prize will be forfeited. The Sponsor shall have no liability for a Participant’s failure to receive notices due to spam, junk email, disconnected or non-functioning phone number, other security settings, or for a Participant’s provision of incorrect or otherwise non-functioning contact information.
If the Potential Winner cannot be contacted within the time period specified in the winner notification, or is otherwise found to be ineligible by Sponsor, the Scholarship Prize will be forfeited, and the Potential Winner shall have no claim to any Scholarship Prize or other remuneration. Receipt of the Scholarship Prize offered in the Contest by a Participant identified as a Potential Winner is conditioned upon compliance with all federal, state, and local laws and/or regulations. Any violation of these Official Rules by a Participant identified as a Potential Winner will result in the Participant’s disqualification as a Winner, and all privileges as a Winner will be immediately terminated.
The winners of the Contest will be announced and contacted on or before October 26, 2026. A list of winners will be posted online at www.cato.courses/scholarship.
Scholarship Prizes
(a) The prizes (each a “Scholarship Prize”) in this Contest are as follows:
• One (1) first place prize of a scholarship of $10,000.00 USD.
• One (1) second place prize of a scholarship of $2,000.00 USD.
• Three (3) third place prizes of scholarships of $1,000.00 USD each.
(b) All Scholarship Prizes shall be paid in the form of a check mailed to the Winner or, if a minor, their parent or legal guardian. All Scholarship Prizes shall be issued within three (3) weeks of Winner’s complete submission of all required information and documentation. Failure to promptly comply with any requirement or these Official Rules shall be deemed a waiver by the Winner of the Scholarship Prize, and the Scholarship Prize may thereafter be rescinded or awarded to another Participant at the Sponsor’s sole discretion.
(c) Scholarship Prizes may only be awarded to eligible individuals that make qualified submissions. If, prior to issuance of the Scholarship Prize, a Winner or Potential Winner (1) is deemed ineligible, (2) has their entry or video disqualified, or (3) waives their Scholarship Prize, Sponsor shall be under no obligation to issue the Scholarship Prize to them and their claim to a Scholarship Prize shall be null and void. In such a case, Sponsor at its sole discretion may choose a replacement winner(s) or may choose not to issue the Scholarship Prize to another Participant.
Tax Liability and Limitations on Use
The Scholarship Prize may be taxable, depending on the tax laws of the Winner’s jurisdiction. Winners and their parents or legal guardians (as applicable) are solely responsible for payment of all applicable taxes resulting from earning and receiving a Scholarship Prize. In accepting the Scholarship Prize, the Winner and their parents or legal guardians (as applicable) agree to use the Scholarship Prize to support the Winner’s education and/or pay for the Winner’s education-related expenses. The Winners and their parents or legal guardian (as applicable) agree to defend (including but not limited to paying legal costs and attorneys’ fees), indemnify, and hold harmless to the fullest extent of the law the Released Parties (as defined below) from any claim or other legal action concerning the payment of taxes relating to the Scholarship Prize or for their use or misuse of a Scholarship Prize once received.
Rights Granted by Participants
By participating in this Contest, Participant understands and agrees that the Sponsor and anyone acting on behalf of the Sponsor or its respective licensees, successors, and assigns, shall have the right, where permitted by law, to print, publish, broadcast, distribute, and use in any media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity and throughout the world, without limitation, their entry, video submission, name, portrait, picture, voice, likeness, image, statements about the Contest or Sponsor and its products or services, and biographical information for news, publicity, information, trade, advertising, public relations, promotional purposes, or any other use without any further compensation, notice, review, or consent. Participant grants herein any and all such license and consent and agrees to execute any document as Sponsor may reasonably believe is necessary to effectuate the same. Sponsor shall credit the Participant as the creator of the video submission.
Limitations of Liability/Releases
A. By participating in the Contest, the Participant and/or the parents of a minor participant hereby releases the Sponsor and the Contest Entities, including but not limited to Cato Institute, Cato Courses, and their current and past directors, officers, employees, and representatives (the “Released Parties”) and any of their representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers, and directors for and from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, tax liability, litigation, claim, or damage that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from (i) such Participant’s participation in the Contest, submission of an entry, the content of the entry, and/or his/her acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any Scholarship Prize or any portion thereof; (ii) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the Contest; (iii) electronic or human error in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries or announcement of Winners; (iv) technical errors of any kind, including but not limited to the malfunction of any computer, cable, network, hardware, software, or other mechanical equipment; (v) the unavailability or inaccessibility of any transmissions, telephone, Internet service or website, app, or platform; (vi) printing errors; (vii) lost, late, misdirected, or garbled submissions, videos, electronic communications, or mail, postage, or undeliverable mail.
B. For clarity, Released Parties are not responsible for: (i) electronic or digital transmissions or entries that are lost, late, stolen, incomplete, illegible, damaged, garbled, destroyed, or misdirected; (ii) any problems or technical malfunctions, errors, omissions, interruptions, deletions, defects, delays in operation of transmission, communication failures (including but not limited to failures or malfunctions of phone lines, telephone systems, or other communications systems), destruction of or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries or videos; (iii) failed or unavailable hardware, network, software, or other transmissions; (iv) damage to any individual’s computer; (v) causes beyond Released Parties’ reasonable control that jeopardize the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest; (vi) incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by Participants or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (vii) cheating or fraud by any individual; and/or (viii) the actions of any social media site or other non-Cato Institute controlled site, app, website, or other platform. By entering this Contest (or attempting to enter the Contest), the individual expressly waives any claim against Released Parties arising from any of these conditions.
General Conditions
A. BY ENTERING INTO OR ATTEMPTING TO ENTER THIS CONTEST, THE PARTICIPANT, OR IN THE CASE OF MINOR PARTICIPANTS, THE PARTICIPANTS’ PARENTS AND/OR LEGAL GUARDIANS, IRREVOCABLY GRANT TO THE SPONSOR AND CONTEST ENTITIES THE UNRESTRICTED, ABSOLUTE, PERPETUAL, PAYMENT- AND ROYALTY-FREE, WORLDWIDE RIGHT, AUTHORITY AND LICENSE TO USE THE PARTICIPANT’S NAME, CITY/STATE, PHOTOGRAPH, LIKENESS, VOICE, BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION, PRIZE WON, STATEMENTS, AND CONTEST ENTRY/VIDEO OR ANY PART THEREOF, AND, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY NOTES, PHOTOGRAPH, FILM, OR VIDEO OR AUDIO TAPE THAT MAY BE TAKEN OF THE PARTICIPANT OR OF SUCH MATERIALS, WITHOUT FURTHER COMPENSATION, CONSIDERATION, NOTICE OR PERMISSION, EXCEPT WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW, AND TO REPRODUCE, COPY, MODIFY, CREATE DERIVATIVE WORKS AND TRANSLATIONS OF, DISPLAY, PERFORM, EXHIBIT, DISTRIBUTE, TRANSMIT OR BROADCAST, PUBLICLY OR IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER MATERIALS, IN ANY MEDIA OR EMBODIMENT NOW KNOWN OR HEREAFTER DEVELOPED, (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY FORMAT OF ANY COMPUTER-BASED, INTERNET-BASED, ELECTRONIC, MAGNETIC, DIGITAL, LASER OR OPTICAL-BASED MEDIA), FOR ANY LAWFUL PURPOSE INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IN CONNECTION WITH SPONSOR’S ADVERTISING, PROMOTION, PUBLICITY, TRADE, SWEEPSTAKES OR CONTEST PROMOTIONS, ACTIVITIES, OR MATERIALS AND ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT SPONSOR OR SPONSOR ENTITIES SHALL BE THE SOLE OWNER OF THE SAME. IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, THE PARTICIPANT, OR IN THE CASE OF MINOR PARTICIPANTS, THE PARTICIPANTS’ PARENTS AND/OR LEGAL GUARDIANS, HEREBY RELEASE THE RELEASED PARTIES FROM ALL LIABILITY. THE PARTICIPANT, OR IN THE CASE OF MINOR PARTICIPANTS, THE PARTICIPANTS’ PARENTS AND/OR LEGAL GUARDIANS, FURTHER AGREE TO EXECUTE ANY DOCUMENT AS SPONSOR MAY REASONABLY BELIEVE IS NECESSARY TO EFFECTUATE THE RIGHTS GRANTED HEREIN, AND TO COOPERATE WITH SPONSOR OR CONTEST ENTITIES IN PROVIDING ANY OF THE FOREGOING INFORMATION OR MATERIALS UPON REQUEST.
B. These Official Rules constitute a binding agreement between Participants (and as applicable, their parents or legal guardians) and the Sponsor. No individuals may participate in the Contest if they or (if applicable) their parents or legal guardians do not agree to these Official Rules in their entirety. These Official Rules represent the entire agreement between the Sponsor and all Participants in the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to verify the eligibility of each individual, to modify these Official Rules at any time, or suspend or cancel this Contest, at any time without notice, to the greatest extent permitted by law. This Contest is subject to and governed by the laws of Washington, D.C. Any individual participating in or attempting to participate in this Contest (whether or not they are deemed eligible to do so) agrees that any dispute arising out of or relating to the Contest, their entry or video, and these Official Rules, if such dispute cannot be resolved between the parties, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively before a court in Washington, D.C. having jurisdiction, and agrees to submit to the jurisdiction and venue thereof. The prevailing party in any dispute may recover its reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees. THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sponsor is the sole owner of all intellectual property, including any copyrights and trademarks, associated with Cato Courses, Sponsor, and/or this Contest (including all information contained in an entry or video). In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between these Official Rules and the Homepage or any other documentation, the documents shall be interpreted to give effect to the intent of the Sponsor in holding this Contest. If conflict or inconsistency cannot be eliminated, the terms of these Official Rules shall prevail and control.
C. If for any reason this Contest cannot be executed as planned, including but not limited to infection by virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, malfeasance by judges, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor that corrupt or affect the security, administration, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, or if this Contest is compromised or becomes corrupted in any way, electronically or otherwise, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend or terminate this Contest and no Scholarship Prizes shall be awarded. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY PERSON OR ENTITY TO DELIBERATELY CORRUPT OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY THE PARTICIPANT AND VOID THEIR ENTRY AND VIDEO AND PROSECUTE AND SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL OR ENTITY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
D. All trademarks, brand names, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights used as part of the Contest are the property of their respective owners. "Cato Institute" is a registered trademark of Sponsor. The terms/brands "Cato Courses" and associated logos are owned wholly by Sponsor.
E. All determinations and decisions, including as to eligibility, made by the Sponsor in connection with the operation of this Contest shall be final.
F. The Sponsor-owned, licenses, or created material contained in this Contest or in Cato Courses is intended for informational/educational purposes only and should not be construed as any professional advice or recommendation from the Sponsor or any Contest Entities. The material is provided “AS IS” and Sponsor and the Contest Entities disclaim any representations or warranties of any kind thereto, either express or implied, including without limitation any warranties concerning non-infringement of third-party rights or the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the information contained therein. Participants are wholly and solely responsible for ensuring that any entries and all parts thereof comply with any applicable federal, state, or local laws, regulations, or rules, and neither Sponsor nor the Contest Entities make any warranty or representation concerning the same. Neither Sponsor nor any Contest Entities accept any liability for any loss or damage arising out of the use or reliance upon any information contained in Cato Courses or any Contest materials. All rights in Cato Courses and any Contest material are expressly reserved by Sponsor or other applicable licensor(s). Any Contest materials and Cato Courses may not be sold, re-sold, or used for commercial purposes, and must be used in accordance with the terms of any license associated with the materials at the time of use.
Contact Information
For any questions or further information regarding the Contest, please contact generalcounsel@cato.org. Sponsor’s address is 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001, c/o General Counsel.