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Mr. Bill's Mystery Quiz Competition Rules
Because of the nature of the revamped Mr. Bill Mystery Quiz, certain rules are necessary and these are delineated here.
1. The Mr. Bill Mystery Quiz is presented as a feature of the website of CFO as a service to its membership and to other interested persons. CFO and its Quiz Master are responsible for the content of the quiz and all answers and results should be considered final.
2. Answers are due no later than midnight (current Mountain Time) on the Sunday following the placement of the current quiz on the Colorado Field Ornithologists' website, unless specifically stated otherwise on that website. Answers MUST be submitted directly from the website using the "Click to answer" link on the quiz page AND be accompanied by the name (or names) of person(s) responding, else they will be discarded, even if correct.
3. By responding with an answer to the Mr. Bill Mystery Quiz, respondents give permission to use their names in the text for that quiz's answer provided by the Quiz Master and in any other venue associated with the Mr. Bill Mystery Quiz as seen fit by CFO or any of its agents (e.g., CFO Webmaster or CFO Quiz Master). The Quiz Master will only present names of those respondents that provided the correct identification of the quiz bird. Should the quiz present more than one species, the names of those responding with at least the majority of the correct species identifications will be listed in the text for the answer.
4. All answers, to be considered correct for the purposes of the competition, MUST be presented in the form of a full species name (no forms, no subspecies, etc.) and in the exact current nomenclature (including hyphens and spacing) delineated by the American Ornithologists' Union and as presented by the American Birding Association (ABA). ALL species currently accepted by the ABA as having occured in the ABA area are suitable subjects for the quiz. Hybrids of accepted species are also considered fair game and those names should be written in typical format with the full names of each of the parental species (e.g., Herring Gull x Great Black-backed Gull), though the precise format will not be considered important for answers to be counted as correct (though take the first Rule #4 sentence to heart). Should an individual quiz present multiple species, only those persons responding with all correct identifications AND with no incorrect identifications will get credit for a correct answer for purposes of the competition. Respondents are encouraged to guess on details of age and/or sex and/or subspecies of the quiz bird and to expostulate on how one arrived at the conclusion presented. However, each person should be sure not to confuse those issues with her/his submitted answer. All respondents submitting an answer indicating the correct species will be acknowledged in the text of the answer provided, usually on the Monday following the placement of the quiz on the CFO website. By responding to the quiz, respondents give permission for the Quiz Master to incorporate some or all of the details provided by respondents. The accepted list of North American bird names can be accessed on the ABA website. Adobe Reader is necessary to open this page and is free of charge.
5. CFO will be presenting five prizes in the calendar year; four quarterly prizes and an annual grand prize. The quarterly prizes will be awarded at the end of each quarter following the final quiz of that quarter. A quarter is defined as no more than thirteen consecutive weeks starting on the first Monday of the calendar year.
6. The winner of any quarterly prize will be the one person correctly identifying the highest number of the quarter's quizzes. In the case of a tie, the first tie-breaker will be the most individual species correctly identified during the quarter (accounting for quizzes with multiple species being considered). The second tie breaker will be the number of incorrect answers provided during the quarter, with the fewer, the better. Should, after the second tie-breaker there still be a tie, the Quiz Master will randomly select one winner among those tied. The prize for each quarterly winner will be provided by the CFO at the discretion of its Board of Directors. Currently, CFO is offering a $25 gift certificate redeemable for membership, for merchandise advertised on the CFO website or for a gift certificate to The Nature Mall, a CFO affiliate. Prizes are subject to change without notice.
7. The winner of the annual prize will be the one person correctly identifying the highest number of the year's quizzes. In the case of a tie, the first tie-breaker will be the fewest number of incorrect answers provided during the year. Should, after the first tie-breaker, there still be a tie, the Quiz Master will randomly select one winner among those tied for the highest number of correct responses in the year. It is not necessary to win a quarterly prize to be elligible for the annual prize. The prize for each annual winner will be provided by the CFO at the discretion of its Board of Directors. Currently, CFO is offering a $100 gift certificate redeemable for membership, merchandise advertised on the CFO website, or for a gift certificate to The Nature Mall, a CFO affiliate. Prizes are subject to change without notice.
8. Winners of prizes will be contacted only via e-mail, so be sure to provide a valid e-mail address with each answer.
9. No person may who was a member of the Board of Directors of CFO during a particular time period of consideration (quarter or year) is elligible for a prize.
10. No person may win more than one quarterly prize per calendar year. Should someone that won a previous quarterly prize be the leader in number of correct guesses in a subsequent quarter in the same year, then the person with the next highest number of correct responses will be awarded that quarter's prize. However, all respondents are elligible for the annual prize, except as delineated in rule 8, above.
11. Winners have 30 days from the date of notification to claim their prizes.
12. Any unclaimed prizes will not be re-awarded.
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