VanEck Bitcoin Swag Contest Terms and Conditions

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. The VanEck Bitcoin Swag Contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored by Van Eck Associates Corporation (“VanEck”).

The Contest will consider design entries that portray the importance and timeliness of crypto disruption of the traditional finance system and fiat currency, in addition to the negative effects of stimulative central bank policies. VanEck will award the three top entries as further described in these Entry Terms.

CONTEST BEGINS October 26, 2021, AT 10:00 A.M. EST AND ENDS November 9, 2021, AT 5:00 P.M. EST (THE “CONTEST PERIOD”); HOWEVER, SPONSOR, VANECK, RESERVES THE RIGHT TO END THE CONTEST AT ANY TIME. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

By submitting a design for the contest (the “Entry”), the participant agrees that VanEck will have the exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, licensable, transferable and unrestricted right to use Entry in whole or in part, commercially or noncommercially, in any media, in perpetuity, worldwide, including but not limited to, the right to use Entry in connection with products and merchandise, to publish and display Entry for advertising and publicity, and to edit and make derivative works, all without additional notification, review, approval or compensation to anyone, including the Participant. Additionally, the Participant agrees that VanEck may post the Entry (including the Participant’s name), or any portion thereof, on the website and/or its webpages on third-party sites, and/or use in any media. In addition to the foregoing, by participating in the Contest, each Participant acknowledges and agrees that they may not use their Entry for commercial purposes in any form or fashion without the prior written consent of VanEck.

ENTRY TERMS

Entry must meet all of the following requirements or it will be disqualified:

• Participants are solely responsible for the entry they submit for the Contest.
• Entry must be original (solely created by the Participant) and unpublished.
• Entry may not contain any confidential information.
• Entry must not violate third-party rights including, but not limited to copyrights, including music copyrights, trademark, and right of publicity. Entry must not use any third-party trademarks, company names or logos.
• Entry must not include unsuitable content; obscenity; disparagement; defamation; libel threats; pornography; harassment; racial, ethnic, or sexual slurs; other offensive conduct or material, or otherwise include inappropriate or unlawful content, as determined by VanEck’s sole discretion.
• Entry must not include or contain advertising or solicitations of business.
• All Participants in the Contest must be (i) legal U.S. residents and (ii) eighteen (18) years or older at the time of entry.
• Participants agrees to provide proof of any and all permissions, consents, or rights required under these Rules or eligibility at any time at the request of the VanEck. Failure to do so will result in disqualification of the Participant and the Participant’s Entry.
• Participant may not be an Associated Person with a FINRA registered broker-dealer or personnel of a U.S. Registered Investment Adviser.

How to enter

No purchase or payment is necessary to participate in the Contest. During the Contest Period, Participants may enter the Contest by designing a meme or image related to the financial markets and tweeting the design with (i) the following hashtag: #VanEckSwag and (ii) tags @VanEck_us and @janvaneck3. Participants may only submit one (1) Entry in the Contest.

If a Participant does not have a Twitter account, Participant can visit www.twitter.com or use the Twitter mobile application to create one; creating a Twitter account is free. By submitting information and creating a Twitter account, Participant will be required to agree to the Twitter Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. VanEck does not have any involvement with Twitter, Twitter’s Terms of Service or Privacy Policy, and is not responsible for its practices. Participants are encouraged to review Twitter’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

By submitting an Entry, Participant agrees that any content and any other information provided by Participant or collected by VanEck in connection with the Contest may be used by VanEck in accordance with VanEck’s Privacy Policy and may be shared with VanEck’s affiliated business entities.

VanEck expressly reserves the right to disqualify any Entry that it believes in good faith is generated by automated means or scripts. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means are void.

WINNERS

Entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges (that may include representatives of VanEck) after the entry period has closed on November 9, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. EST. The judges will evaluate the design entries to determine, in their sole discretion, how well they portray the importance and timeliness of crypto disruption of the traditional finance system and fiat currency, in addition to the negative effects of stimulative central bank policies. The spirit of the design should be considered meme-worthy, trivial and fun. Criteria for judging will include, but not necessarily be limited to, originality and creativity.

The judges’ decisions are final and may not be appealed, contested or disputed.

PRIZES:

Three (3) winners will be selected from all Entries received during the Contest Period and the following prizes will be awarded.

One (1) Grand prize: $1,000, shirt, hat, mug

Two (2) Runner-up: a shirt, hat, mug

The prizes are non-transferable, non-negotiable and non-divisible, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by VanEck. $1,000 prize may be awarded in a form or method determined in VanEck’s sole discretion.

GENERAL:

This Contest is subject to the laws of the State of New York and the United States. The prizes will be awarded and/or delivered only to addresses within the United States. Except as determined by VanEck in its sole discretion, no substitution of prize will be offered, no transfer of prize to a third party will be permitted, and non-cash prizes may not be redeemed for cash value. Winner will be solely responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes on prizes. If applicable, winner may receive an IRS Form 1099 for the retail value of the prize. All other expenses on the receipt and use of the prize not specifically mentioned herein are solely the responsibility of the winner. Any portion of a prize not accepted by winner will be forfeited.

CONDUCT:

By entering this Contest, Participants agree to be bound by these official rules and the decisions of the judges that shall be final and binding in all respects. The official rules will be posted on the website throughout the Contest Period. Failure to comply with these official rules may result in disqualification. VanEck reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the contest or the website; or to be acting in any manner deemed by VanEck to be in violation of the official rules; or to be acting in any manner deemed by VanEck to be unsportsmanlike or disruptive, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A USER OR PARTICIPANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, VANECK RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY:

VanEck assumes no responsibility or liability for any reason whatsoever, including: (a) any incorrect or inaccurate entry information, or for any faulty or failed electronic data transmissions; (b) any unauthorized access to, or theft, destruction or alteration of entries at any point in the operation of this contest; (c) any technical malfunction, failure, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or communications line failure, regardless of cause, with regard to any equipment, systems, networks, lines, satellites, servers, computers or providers utilized in any aspect of the operation of the contest; (d) inaccessibility or unavailability of the Internet or the website or any combination thereof; (e) any injury or damage to Participant’s or to any other person's computer or electronic device that may be related to or resulting from any attempt to participate in the Contest or download of any materials in the Contest. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned for reasons that may include without limitation, infection by computer virus, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes that may corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, then VanEck reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest in whole or in part.

PRIZE WINNER NOTIFICATION:

The three winners will be notified by email or social media within 10 business days of November 9, 2021 with instructions as to how to claim the prize(s). Any failure to follow such instructions will result in prize forfeiture, and an alternate winner may be selected. Prize winner may be required to sign and return additional documents as required by VanEck. Failure to return any required documents within seven (7) days may result in prize forfeiture, and an alternate winner may be selected.

If it is not possible to award winner because of circumstances beyond VanEck’s control, including, but not limited to Acts of God, government restrictions (including the denial or cancellation of any export or other necessary license), wars, insurrections and/or any other cause beyond the reasonable control of the party whose performance is affected, VanEck, in its discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance for any or all of the prizes offered herein or not to award prizes.

WINNER LIABILITY RELEASE:

All Participants, as a condition of entry into the Contest, agree to release VanEck and its affiliates from and against any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages, or losses to persons or property that may be sustained in connection with accessing the website, submitting an entry or otherwise participating in any aspect of the contest, the receipt, ownership or use of any prize awarded, or while preparing for, participating in, or traveling to or from any prize-related activity or any typographical or other error in these official rules or the announcement of offering of any prize. The winner shall bear all risk of loss or damage to their prize after it has been delivered. VanEck makes no representations or warranties of any kind concerning the appearance, safety or performance of any prize.