No purchase or membership necessary to enter or win. Project Polar Bear is open to residents of Canada and the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico and other protectorates) who are between the ages of 14 and 18 who form a team of 2 or 3 teens with an adult advisor.

Teens who are 13 but will turn 14 by December 31, 2009 are eligible to participate in Project Polar Bear.

Teens who are 18 when they start the Project Polar Bear challenge but who will turn 19 during the year 2009 are eligible to participate as long as they are 18 at the time of registration for the challenge.

To be eligible to win a prize, entries must be completed and received by Polar Bears International in the format designated on the PBI Web site and in the application. Teams must be registered for the Contest by the registration deadline of 11:59, Pacific Time July 31, 2009. Updates to the contestants Web pages and the Project Polar Bear Success Reports must be completed by deadline of 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time December 31, 2009.

Members of zoo-sponsored teen programs and/or their staff are eligible to participate in this program. All applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply.

All applicable federal, state, provincial, and local laws and regulations apply.

Limit one entry per team. Teen participants cannot be a member of more than one team. Adult advisors can supervise more than one team.

Polar Bears International (hereinafter PBI) and any of their partners in this contest will not be responsible for: (a) any late, lost, misrouted, garbled, or distorted or damaged transmissions or entries; (b) any Contest related disruptions, injuries, losses, or damages caused by events beyond the control of PBI or its partners; (c) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Contest (d) telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, internet, or other computer- or communications-related malfunctions or failures; (d) If a communications failure, etc. occurs on around the deadline date for entries, it is at the discretion of PBI and its partners to determine what if any the extended deadline will be.

The Contest period is from 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time June 1, 2009 through 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on December 31, 2009 (the "deadline"). All entries must be completed by the deadline to be eligible to win a prize. Teams must be registered on the PBI Web site by the registration deadline of 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on July 31, 2009.

During registration, each team will be asked to identify from a drop down list the Arctic Ambassador Center (AAC) that is nearest them (within a 50 mile radius). If that Arctic Ambassador Center is hosting a regional contest, the team will automatically be entered into that AAC's contest. During registration, each team will be asked to indicate if they are members of a Roots and Shoots Club. This is for classification and tracking purposes. If a Roots and Shoots Team is also within the 50-mile radius of an AAC hosting a regional contest, they will be entered into that regional contest. Teams that are not located within a 50-mile radius of any of the AAC's will be entered in the At-Large contest for determination of semi-finalists.

Judging Criteria - Each of the categories will be judged based on the following:
Quality of work on Web page/ Success report - 25%
Impact of the project - 25%
Data collection and reporting - 15% (determined by how clearly and accurately did the team define their measurement tools and report the data)
Effort and teamwork - 10% (determined by the nature of the project, size and scope, and how the teamwork is depicted in the Web page updates and Success Report)
Creativity - 25%

Semi-finalists: Each participating Arctic Ambassador Center will determine one team as the runner-up and one team as the overall regional winner from their area (defined as a 50 mile radius surrounding the zoo). These overall regional winners and "at-large" winner will be the semi-finalists. The number of At-Large semi-finalists will be at the discretion of the PBI judges.

The PBI and partners judges will review all the semi-finalists and a finalist will be chosen in each Category from that pool. Those semi-finalists who do not advance to the finalist level will receive a prize package from PBI including products and a one-year membership in the organization.

Finalists: The members of the 4 teams chosen as finalists and their adult leader will be awarded with round trip airfare from the major airport nearest their home to San Diego, CA and three nights accommodations and most meals, while in San Diego to attend the Awards Ceremony during a 3-day weekend period in April 2010 (actual dates will be determined and posted before the end of the registration period, July 31, 2009). Each team of finalists will be recognized at an Awards Ceremony at the San Diego Zoo. The Grand Prize winner will be announced at that ceremony.

Grand Prize: A trip for the team and adult advisor to see bears in the wild near the Western Hudson Bay. The Grand Prize team will participate in a VIP tour of the San Diego Zoo including a behind the scenes stop at Polar Bear Plunge; admission to Sea World San Diego and other special animal encounters at each park. The Grand Prize team will also be filmed in order to be featured in a PBI video short. The teen team members will also be given a monetary award of $500 (USD) each.

Second Prize: The Second Prize team will enjoy admission to and a Wild Arctic Interaction at Sea World San Diego, as well as a VIP tour of the San Diego Zoo, including a behind the scenes visit at Polar Bear Plunge.

Finalists: The other two teams of finalists will enjoy a VIP tour of the San Diego Zoo, including a behind the scenes stop at Polar Bear Plunge. They will also receive admission to Sea World San Diego and other special experiences while at each park. Each team will be awarded a prize package of PBI merchandise.

All prizes are awarded without warranty of any kind, express or implied (including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose).

Prizes are not transferable. No substitutions or exchanges (including for cash) will be permitted except that PBI reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value for any prize.

If finalists are unavailable to attend the Awards event on the determined date, the trip will be forfeited and no substitute trip will be provided, with the following exception: If finalist team members are unable to attend the Awards event and that team is awarded the Second Prize (a Wild Arctic Interaction at Sea World San Diego) arrangements will be made for that team member or team to travel to San Diego on a date mutually agreed upon by PBI agents and the team members to participate in the Sea World San Diego Wild Arctic Interaction. This two-night, three-day trip will include, round trip airfare, travel to and from hotel and San Diego Zoo and Sea World San Diego, hotel stay for two nights (double occupancy) for the team members and adult advisor only. All dates and travel arrangements are at the final discretion of PBI. If any team or team member does not agree to the final terms of this consolation trip, the trip will be forfeited and no substitution nor cash prize will be awarded.

The projects of the winning teams will be kept on the PBI website (www.polarbearsinternational.org) at least through December 2009. The content of the team web pages will become the property of PBI who can us it without compensation or remuneration to the teams. Team members will have the right to reference their pages on the PBI Web site if needed for scholarship applications, college applications, or any other opportunity that a participant applies for that requires evidence of prior work and/or awards.

To enter:
Each team of 2 or 3 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 and an adult leader must register your team including names, addresses, and ages on the PBI Web site (www.polarbearsinternational.org) by June 1, 2009. Once the team is verified, the team will be assigned a password protected Web page associated with the PBI Web site that they will be able to update regularly.

Registered teams then develop a project in one of the following categories:

1. Power Down - Devise and implement a community-based program that results in a reduction in fossil fuel generated electricity. Project must include a measurement tool to measure the amount of reduction in energy consumption.
2. Make it Better or Do it Better - Bring about an innovative change to an existing policy, process, or product that results in reduction of CO2 emissions, or reduced consumption of resources. Project must include a measurement tool to measure the changes in CO2 emissions, waste generation, consumption of resources or whatever the team chooses to change.
3. Buy Recycled - In this category, we want you to find ways to increase the use and purchase of recycled materials by manufacturers and consumers, so we can close the loop. Create a project that supports products that use recycled materials. Project must contain a measurement tool to measure the number of people you impacted and the amount of recycled material products they purchased as result, and/ or the resulting reduction of use of raw materials from these changes in purchasing behavior.
4. Increase the Green to Suck of the CO2 - Plan and implement a "community greening" project, meaning your project will result in an increase in the number of trees and other carbon dioxide absorbing plants in your community. Project must include a measuring tool to capture the increase in the amount of biomass (trees and plants) and a measuring tool to calculate estimated CO2 reduction as a result of your efforts.

Outline your project on the Web page provided at PolarBearsInternational.org (click on the Project Polar Bear logo). Update your Web page regularly. Keep track of your actions and progress on your Project Polar Bear Web page. Take before, during and after data and pictures; make a video; record audio interviews with people, any way you see fit to capture the essence of what you are doing. Complete the Project Polar Bear Success Report on your Web page on PolarBearsInternational.org website and submit it by the deadline of December 31, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

Regional judging will begin on or after January 2, 2010. Regional winners, runners-up and at-large winner will be determined by February 2, 2010. Notification dates will vary in each regional contest but will be completed by February 15, 2010. Finalists will be determined by March 1, 2010. Finalists will be notified by email and telephone by March 8, 2010.

By entering the Contest, you release PBI, any of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agencies (collectively, the "Released Parties") from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the Contest or delivery, misdelivery, acceptance, possession, use of or inability to use any prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory.

Except where prohibited by law, entry into the Contest constitutes permission to use winners' name, address, likeness and/or prize information, without limitation, for promotional purposes without further permission or compensation. As a condition of being awarded any prize, except where prohibited by law, winners may be required to execute a consent to the use of their name, address, likeness and/or prize information, without limitation, for promotional purposes without further permission or compensation.

As a condition of being awarded any prize, winners will be required to execute and deliver to PBI a signed affidavit of eligibility and acceptance of these Official Rules and release of liability.

For a copy of these rules or the winners list, send a self-addressed, business-size envelope after June 1, 2009 for the rules or April 30, 2010 for the winners list and before April 1, 2011 to:

Polar Bears International, ATTN: Project Polar Bear Contest PO Box 66142 Baton Rouge, LA 70896-6142

Residents of VT may omit return postage.

The Contest and all accompanying materials are copyright © 2009 by PBI. All rights reserved.

The Contest and these Official Rules will be governed, construed and interpreted under the laws of the state of California. Entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of PBI, which are final and binding in all respects. PBI reserves the right to change these Official Rules at any time, in its sole discretion, and to suspend or cancel the Contest or any entrant's participation in the Contest should viruses, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond PBI's control affect the administration, security or proper play of the Contest or PBI otherwise becomes (as determined in its sole discretion) incapable of running the Contest as planned. Entrants who violate these Official Rules, tamper with the operation of the Contest or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to PBI, the Contest or any other entrant (in each case as determined in PBI's sole discretion) are subject to disqualification from entry into the Contest.

If you have any questions about these Official Rules or the Contest, please e-mail them to ppb@polarbearsinternational.org or write Polar Bears International, ATTN: Project Polar Bear Contest, PO Box 66142 Baton Rouge, LA 70896-6142