Save Sam’s Job and Win Great Prizes

Sam is an IT Project Manager who has purchased a large batch of Windows 7 Enterprise licenses without consulting her bosses. They don’t want to move from XP and now her job’s at threat! She needs your help as an IT Professional to convince the board that Windows 7 is worth deploying.

In return there are loads of great prizes available! A free limited edition mug is available for everyone who takes part, and each fortnight the video judged to be the best will be rewarded with one of our fantastic prizes. We have TV’s, a Windows Phone, Slate and Desktop touch devices to give away as well as loads more, so make sure you keep checking back on the blog to discover how you can get your hands on one. But wait… there’s more! The video with the most views at the end of the competition will be awarded a 3D TV and a 3D camcorder to help the winner progress to the silver screen!

Details of where to enter will be available soon, in the meantime here’s the T&C’s as always and a quick guide to entering once the all important details have been published.

Update 19/09 - Ease of Use

Acer Aspire ICONIA TAB W500 this fortnight. Enter here.

This period's entries can be found here.

Update 03/10 - Compatibility

Enter here to win this fortnight’s prize - a Full HD TV, Blu-ray Home Cinema System & Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray.

Click here for this period's entries and winner.

Update 18/10 - Security

This fortnight's prize is a Lenovo B320 Multi-Touch All-In-One PC, enter here now!

This period's winners can be found here!

Update 31/10 - Deployment

The prize this fortnight is a 4TB Seagate Network Attached Storage (NAS) Solution and Sonos System in return for the best Deployment tips.

This period's winner is here!

Update 14/11 - Manageability

Win a shiny new Intel Core i3 Dell Laptop by answering this fortnight's question.

Find out who won the laptop over here.

Update 28/11 - Value

The final fortnightly prize is a HTC Titan Windows Phone, more information here!

Here's the final winners!

Terms & Conditions

1. ELIGIBILITY: This competition is open to any person resident in the UK who is 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Employees of Microsoft or its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising or promotion agencies are not eligible, nor are members of these employees’ families (defined as parents, children, siblings, spouse and life partners).

2. TO ENTER: Entry into this competition is by response to the question(s) posed by Microsoft on the TechNet UK Blog. Full listings of the correct response links can be found on the TechNet Blog here. The entry method is as follows:

- Video
To enter, visit YouTube and register for a free account, if you don’t already have one. Then visit the TechNet UK Blog and navigate to the blog post which contains the relevant Entry Period’s question. The post will contain a link to a YouTube video to which you should post your video as a response.

Maximum one video entry per person, per Entry Period. Only the entrant’s first response will be accepted, multiple answers will not increase the entrant’s chances of winning. All Entries must be posted as specified in the instructions for the Entry Period and received by the close of the Entry Period. All Entries must comply with the YouTube’s Terms and Conditions.

Incomplete, damaged, defaced or illegible entries may be deemed invalid at the sole discretion of Microsoft. Entry constitutes full and unconditional acceptance of these Terms and Conditions. Microsoft reserve the right to disqualify anyone in breach of these Terms and Conditions.

3. TIMING: This competition runs from 09.00:00 am BST on 19 September 2011 until 09.00:00 am BST on 12 December 2011 (inclusive) (The “Competition Period”). The competition consists of six (6) “Entry Periods”:

- Entry Period 1 (19 September 2011 – 03 October 2011)
- Entry Period 2 (03 October 2011 – 17 October 2011)
- Entry Period 3 (17 October 2011 – 31 October 2011)
- Entry Period 4 (31 October 2011 – 14 November 2011)
- Entry Period 5 (14 November 2011 – 28 November 2011)
- Entry Period 6 (28 November 2011 – 12 December 2011)

Completed entries for each Period must reach Microsoft no later than 09:00:00 am BST on the closing date of the respective Entry Period.

4. USE OF DATA: Personal data which you provide when you enter this competition shall be used for the purposes of this competition only.

5. SELECTION OF WINNERS: The competition winners for each Entry Period will be determined by a panel of 3 judges within five (5) working days of the close of the Entry Period. The panel of judges will include at least one independent member.

The judges will evaluate the entries based on the following criteria ("Criteria"):
- The clarity and relevance of the response to the question;
- The likelihood that the advice given would ‘Save Samantha’s Job’;
- The creativity shown through the response.

The winners will be notified within ten (10) working days of the close of the Entry Period. Entrants submitting written responses will be contacted through the forum messaging system, entrants submitting video entries will be contacted through the YouTube messaging system. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, through no fault of Microsoft, within 5 days after the first attempt, an alternative winner will be selected. The winner may be required to become involved in further publicity or advertising, including but not limited to the use of winning video answers in Microsoft publications.

6. PRIZES: The first 200 responses across the Competition Period that meet the entry criteria will be awarded one complimentary mug, a maximum of one mug per person.

Prizes may consist of more than one item, where more than one item is shown below for one Entry Period below they are combined and treated as a single prize. Six (6) best video prizes are available during the Competition Period in the following categories:
- Entry Period 1 (19 September 2011 – 03 October 2011)
– Best video answer – Acer Aspire ICONIA TAB W500 (AMD-C50 Dual Core Processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB HDD, Windows 7 Home Premium) (ERP £425)
- Entry Period 2 (03 October 2011 – 17 October 2011)
– Best video answer – Sony 32” LCD TV (ERP £330) + Samsung 3D BluRay 2.1 Channel Home Cinema System (ERP £150) + Star Wars: The Complete Saga on BluRay (ERP £60)
- Entry Period 3 (17 October 2011 – 31 October 2011)
– Best video answer – Lenovo IdeaCentre B320 21.5” Multi-touch All-in-one Desktop PC (Core i3-2100 3.1GHz, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 7 Home Premium) (ERP £500)
- Entry Period 4 (31 October 2011 – 14 November 2011)
– Best video answer – Seagate 4TB Network Attached Storage (NAS) (ERP £235) + Sonos Play:5 (ERP £340) + Sonos Bridge (ERP £40)
- Entry Period 5 (14 November 2011 – 28 November 2011)
– Best video answer –Dell Inspiron Q15R Switch Laptop (Core™ i3-2310M, 4GB RAM, 640GB HDD, Windows 7 Home Premium) (ERP £480)
- Entry Period 6 (28 November 2011 – 12 December 2011)
– Best video answer – Windows Phone 7 HTC TITAN (ERP £490)

All video responses that meet the entry criteria will be entered into the competition for best video answer for the relevant Entry Period. Maximum of one best video prize per person during the duration of the competition.

Additionally all video responses that meet the entry criteria, including those awarded best video prizes, will be entered into the competition to win a Samsung 32” LED 3D TV (ERP £500) + Panasonic SD90 Full HD 3D Ready Camcorder (ERP £360) + Panasonic CLT1 3D Conversion Lens (ERP £200) for the most views achieved across the Competition Period. The number of views achieved will be taken as displayed by the YouTube view counter at the time of judging.

Prizes as stated and non-transferable. No cash or other alternatives available. Microsoft reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value. The prizes will be sent by 21 December 2011. If no entries are received for any particular Entry Period or the received entries are not deemed to meet the judging criteria, the prize will be retained by Microsoft. Prizes may be considered a taxable benefit and winners will be directly responsible for accounting for any tax liability arising on their prize.

7. WINNERS LIST: The winner consents to their first name and surname being made publicly available. The winner’s surnames will be available for a period of 30 days after the end of the Entry Period by emailing Alex Guy at t-alexgu@microsoft.com.

8. OTHER: No correspondence will be entered into regarding either this competition or these Terms and Conditions. In the unlikely event of a dispute, Microsoft’s decision shall be final. Microsoft reserves the right to amend, modify, cancel or withdraw this competition at any time without notice.

9. Microsoft cannot guarantee the performance of any third party and shall not be liable for any act or default by a third party. Participants in this promotion agree that Microsoft will have no liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses, costs, damage or disappointment of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly from acceptance, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in this promotion. Nothing in this clause shall limit Microsoft’s liability in respect of death or personal injury arising out of its own negligence or arising out of fraud.

Promoter: Microsoft Limited, Microsoft Campus, Thames Valley Park, Reading, RG6 1WG, England