Contributor Program Contest Official Rules ("Official Rules")

1. 4.2.1. "Active Contribution", which consists of:
   1. 4.2.1.1. "Code" means a bug report, code enhancement, demo or project using Elastic, that meets the requirements of Appendix A Section 6 below.
   2. 4.2.1.2. "Organized Event" means organizing an event that focuses on Elastic's products and solutions, such as a meetup, hackathon, virtual event, or workshop.
   3. 4.2.1.3. "Presentation" means creating and presenting a presentation that focuses on Elastic's products and solutions at an event, such as a meetup, workshop, or conference.
   4. 4.2.1.4. "Technical Q&A" means answering a question posted on an Approved Channel that is validated on the Approved Channel. "Approved Channels" are stackoverflow.com and discuss.elastic.co.
   5. 4.2.1.5. "Translation" means a written translation of a technical blog post on Elastic's website at https://www.elastic.co/ or such other website designated by Elastic as eligible for translation.
   6. 4.2.1.6. "Video" means creating and making available a video or a video series, such as a tutorial or use case recording, that focus on Elastic's products and solutions.
   7. 4.2.1.7. "Written Content" means creating and making available written content in the form of an article, research paper, or blog post that focuses on Elastic's products and solutions.
2. 4.2.2. "Contribution Validation" means a Contributor's review of another Contributor's submission of a Qualifying Contribution as compliant or non-compliant with the requirements of the applicable Qualifying Contribution as further described in Appendix A.
3. 4.2.3. "Bonus Points" means activities described in Appendix A that earn the Contributor additional bonus points.

1. 6.1.1. "AMER Region" consists of North America, Latin America and the Caribbean.
2. 6.1.2. "APJ Region" consists of Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.
3. 6.1.3. "EMEA Region" consists of Europe, Western Asia, and Africa.

For a full list of countries by region, see the UN Statistics Division Geographic Regions list located at https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/. In these Official Rules, AMER Region, APJ Region, and EMEA Region are each individually referred to as a "Territory" and are collectively referred to as the "Territories". Participants must be at least eighteen (18) years old and the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence, whichever is older. No one outside the Territories is eligible to participate in this Contest. Officers, directors, and employees of Elastic and its affiliates, and each of their immediate family members and those residing with them or any other entity participating in the design, administration, or fulfillment of the Contest, are not eligible to participate or win. The Contest is open to individuals only, groups and organizations may not participate.

1. 7.1. Elastic may award prizes to up to the top ten (10) Contributors in each Territory based upon ranking in the GOLD, SILVER, or BRONZE tiers, each as described in the table below (collectively, the "Tiers"): based on (i) Points and (ii) Referrals as described in Appendix A of these Official Rules, (each a "Prize" and collectively, "Prizes"). There are a total of up to thirty (30) Prizes to be won (10 Prizes per Territory), as follows, and as further described below: two (2) GOLD Prizes, three (3) SILVER Prizes and five (5) BRONZE Prizes per Territory.

   TIER	Ranking	PRIZES
   GOLD	1st & 2nd highest Points earners in each Territory	- Swag - Elastic Cloud four (4) month extended trial - One-year standard Elastic training subscription, with: (i) access to a total of three (3) practice exams, consisting of one (1) practice exam for each of the following paths: Kibana, Observability and Elasticsearch; and (ii) access to a total of three (3) certification exam attempts, consisting of one (1) certification exam attempt for each of the following paths: Kibana, Observability and Elasticsearch (collectively, the “training subscription”)* - Elastic Gold Virtual Badge - Shout-Out during ElasticON events (Approximate retail value: $5,600.00 USD each)
   SILVER	3rd – 5th highest Points earners in each Territory	- Swag - Elastic Cloud four (4) month extended trial - One (1) certification exam attempt* - Elastic Silver Virtual Badge (Approximate retail value: $1,000.00 USD each)
   BRONZE	6th – 10th highest Points earners in each Territory	- Swag - Elastic Cloud thirty (30) day extended trial - One (1) certification exam attempt* - Elastic Bronze Virtual Badge (Approximate retail value: $450.00 USD each)

   * The training subscription term is one year, commencing upon the recipient's receipt of email notification from Elastic, containing relevant information and login instructions to the training portal. Access to courses and exams is permitted during the one-year term, with content accessible only once. Once the content has been accessed once, it is not re-accessible. Participants are required to complete, schedule and undertake both courses and exams before the expiration of the one-year training subscription. Failure to initiate and/or complete the learning journey within the required timeframe will result in the winner losing access to the training subscription or any of the components. Elastic will have no liability or responsibility to the winner to renew access, grant fresh access or otherwise replace this component (or its value) of the Prize or compensate the winner in any way for the loss of the training subscription. More information on the standard training can be found here:https://www.elastic.co/training/subscriptions

2. 7.2. The nature of swag Prizes referred to above will be determined by Elastic in its sole discretion. All values are expressed in U.S. dollars. Prizes may not be exactly as described, illustrated or displayed.
3. 7.3. No substitution, assignment, sale, exchange, transfer, or cash redemption of any Prize by Contestant is permitted, except by Elastic in its sole discretion. Elastic reserves the right to substitute one Prize with another of comparable or greater value or add additional Prizes for any reason. Each Prize winner is responsible for all taxes (including income and withholding taxes, if any) and fees associated with the receipt and/or use of each Prize they win. Each winner of a Prize must follow all of the applicable Prize redemption instructions.
4. 7.4. Prize award is subject to eligibility verification. Prior to receiving any Prizes, winners may be required to complete, sign, have notarized (if applicable), and return, without alteration and in the form presented by Elastic, (i) an affidavit of eligibility (including successful completion of any jurisdiction-specific requirements) and liability/publicity release (unless prohibited by law), (ii) applicable tax documentation for their jurisdiction, (iii) any agreements or documentation required for Elastic's use of a Submission or Qualifying Contribution; and (iv) any agreement or terms of use applicable to the Prizes (including, but not limited to, Complimentary Online Training Subscription Agreement) by the date specified by Elastic. In the event of non-compliance with those of the applicable foregoing requirements or in the event a potential Prize winner cannot accept, is unwilling to accept or fails to claim the applicable Prize (as awarded) in accordance with these Official Rules for any reason, then, in Elastic's sole and absolute discretion, the Prize may be forfeited and/or awarded to an alternate winner of Elastic's choosing, or Elastic may elect not to award that Prize.
5. 8. Contest Winner Selection and Notification.
   1. 8.1. For each Contest Period there may be up to a maximum of ten (10) Prize winners in each Territory, subject to Elastic's tie-breaking and verification procedures.
   2. 8.2. Prize winners of Prizes will be determined based solely upon the number of Points earned by a Contributor, provided that if there are fewer than ten (10) Contributors in a Territory, winners of Prizes in each Tier will be decided in Elastic's sole discretion.
   3. 8.3. For each Contest Period, there shall be only one Prize for each Prize-winning Contributor. Odds of winning Prizes depend respectively on the number of Qualified Contributions submitted and the number of Points earned during the Contest Period.
   4. 8.4. Unless otherwise set out herein, Prizes are only valid for collection within twelve (12) months from the date that the winners are announced. Training subscriptions are subject to timelines and restrictions set out in Section 7.1 above. Winners for each Contest Period will be announced on or about the date set forth for that Contest Period at https://contributor-program.app.elstc.co/. Elastic will contact each winner by email with information on how to collect the Prize. If (i) a winner does not respond within the time provided in that email or cannot be reached after a reasonable attempt has been made, (ii) any prize notification or Contest-related communications are rejected, faulty, or returned as undeliverable, or (iii) the winner cannot attend or participate in any portion of the Prize, then in each case that winner may be disqualified and Elastic may select an alternate winner in Elastic's sole discretion. Elastic shall have no responsibility or liability towards a potential winner. Elastic is not obligated to pursue any alternate winners; in which case, some Prizes may go unawarded.
   5. 8.5. In the event of a tie between Contributors, Elastic will consider the following factors in the following order and determine the Prize winner in its sole discretion: (i) the Contributor that achieved the winning score earlier, (ii) the total number of Qualifying Contributions with the highest Point value; and (iii) the total number of Qualifying Contributions.
   6. 8.6. By claiming a Prize, Prize claimant consents to the use of their name, likeness, voice, image, video, photograph, place of residence and / or GitHub profile, without further compensation, in any publicity or marketing activities carried out by Elastic, in perpetuity and in any media worldwide.
6. 9. General Rules.
   1. 9.1. By registering for this Contest, you agree to abide by these Official Rules, Elastic's Community Code of Conduct and any decision Elastic makes regarding the Contest, which Elastic shall make in its sole discretion. All decisions made by Elastic, including but not limited to any decision relating to validation, whether a Submission is a Qualifying Contributor, or the Prizes, are made in its sole and absolute discretion and are binding and final in all respects. At any time, including but not limited to during the Contest Period, Elastic reserves the right to restrict participation, disqualify, and/or prosecute to the fullest extent permitted by law any entrant or winner who, in Elastic's reasonable suspicion (as determined by Elastic in its sole and absolute discretion): (i) tampers with or impairs Elastic's website, the registration process, or the administration, security, fairness, or proper play of this Contest, (ii) damages or attempts to damage or cause an interruption of any online service, website, or the Contest, (iii) enters or participates in the Contest in a suspicious manner, (iv) intentionally registers more than a single Contributor account, or attempts to participate using multiple names, identities or email addresses, (v) provides false, untruthful, incomplete, inaccurate or misleading information, (v) attempts to tamper with, or enter, participate in or win the Contest by illegal, deceptive, abusive, unfair or fraudulent means, by using any GenAI Tools, or in any manner that is disruptive or inconsistent with the letter and spirit of these Official Rules, (vi) violates these Official Rules and / or Elastic's Community Code of Conduct, or (vii) acts in an unsportsmanlike, disruptive, obnoxious, inappropriate, threatening, illegal, abusive, threatening, or harassing manner. If disqualified, such person forfeits any and all rights to a Prize and any Prize previously awarded to them must be returned immediately upon request from Elastic, without limiting Elastic's other rights and remedies both in law and at equity. The disqualified entrant will have no claim against Elastic in respect of the Contest or the Prize which they might otherwise have won. If an entrant or winner is disqualified, Elastic reserves the right, acting in its sole and absolute discretion, to terminate such person's eligibility to participate in this Contest and any future contests, programs, events, sweepstakes or any other promotions conducted by Elastic.
   2. 9.2. Elastic's failure or decision to not enforce any provision in these Official Rules will not constitute a waiver of that or any other provision. In the event there is an alleged or actual ambiguity, discrepancy, or inconsistency between disclosures or other statements contained in any Contest-related materials and/or these Official Rules (including any alleged discrepancy or inconsistency in these Official Rules), it will be resolved in Elastic's sole discretion.
   3. 9.3. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules will otherwise remain in effect and will be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.
   4. 9.4. Elastic reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, modify, or suspend the Contest or modify these Official Rules without prior notice or obligation, for any reason whatsoever, including but not limited to if Contest is incapable of running as planned, and in such a case, Elastic may elect not to award the Prizes at all or may award the Prizes in its sole discretion as deemed fair and appropriate by Elastic.
   5. 9.5. In the event of a dispute concerning who participated, the Contributor will be declared to be the person who is the registered account holder of the e-mail address for the registered user account, but only if that person meets all other eligibility criteria.
   6. 9.6. A ranking of Contributors organized according to Points awarded and/or other published criteria forming part of the Official Rules, as is made available by Elastic in its discretion, shall be publicly available online to the world at large ("Leaderboard"). As a condition of entering the Contest, Contributors must complete an accurate profile within their own user account providing all information that is required by Elastic ("Profile"). Contributors may also provide, as part of their account profile and/or Elastic may independently obtain and add additional information regarding individual Contributors such as name, username, photograph, voice, prize information, biographical information, quotes attributable to a Contributor, and any other indicia of persona (regardless of whether modified in Elastic's sole discretion) provided that any photograph used must be inoffensive and only of the Contributor providing it and no other likeness may be used, (collectively "Additional Information"). Each Contributor understands and agrees that for such period as Elastic may decide, in its sole discretion: (i) their Profile; (ii) all Qualifying Contributions; (iii) the number of Points earned; (iv) places on the Leaderboard; (v) Additional Information and (vi) full details related to any Prizes awarded to such Contributor (collectively "Contributor Information") shall be publicly available to the world at large at https://contributor-program.app.elstc.co/ without any requirement for viewers to login, in each case including for advertising, trade, promotional, and publicity purposes.
   7. 9.7. Each Contributor hereby grants Elastic the irrevocable, perpetual, sublicensable, free of charge, royalty-free, worldwide right and permission to use, publish, post, translate, modify, edit, combine, disassemble, distribute, make available by wire or wireless means, publicly perform, and/or display in any medium now known or hereafter discovered, all Contributor Information in each case for advertising, trade, promotional, and publicity purposes without further compensation of any kind and without any further notice. Each Contributor hereby waives any right to inspect or approve any such use and releases Elastic from any and all liability related to such uses. Each Contributor agrees and understands that information on websites, such as Contributor Information, can be viewed throughout the world and that some overseas countries may provide lower levels of protection to the rights of individuals compared to other countries.
   8. 9.8. Each Contributor hereby represents and warrants that: (i) they are of legal age in the place where this consent is given at the date of first providing their Profile and that they have all necessary right, authority, capacity and competence to hereby grant this release, grant any rights or licenses set out herein and to consent to the use of all of their Contributor Information as provided herein.
   9. 9.9. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between the terms and conditions of these Official Rules, and disclosures or other statements contained in any Program-related materials, the terms and conditions of these Official Rules shall prevail, govern and control.
7. 10. Intellectual Property.
   1. 10.1. Except as expressly set forth in this section, participating in this Contest does not grant you any rights in or to Elastic's intellectual property rights. Elastic retains all right, title, and interest in and to Elastic Technology.
   2. 10.2. Subject to and in accordance with the terms and conditions of these Official Rules, in the event you create and submit a Translation, Elastic grants you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable right to prepare a Translation and make such Translation available on a website that does not have a paywall during the Contest Period for the sole purpose of participating in this Contest. You agree to assign and hereby assign to Elastic all rights, title, and interest in and to the Translation, including, without limitation, all copyright, moral rights (to the extent permitted by applicable intellectual property law) and any other any intellectual and/or other proprietary rights therein. Upon request from Elastic, you shall cooperate with Elastic and promptly execute or cause to be executed and all applications, assignments, consents, releases, or other instruments, and shall take all further actions, in each case that Elastic deems reasonably appropriate or necessary to permit and assist Elastic, at Elastic's expense, in obtaining, perfecting, and enforcing the full benefits, enjoyment, rights, and title throughout the world in the Translation.
8. 11. Disclaimer, Release and Limit of Liability.
   1. 11.1. NOTHING IN THESE OFFICIAL RULES LIMITS, EXCLUDES, OR MODIFIES OR PURPORTS TO LIMIT, EXCLUDE, OR MODIFY ANY STATUTORY CONSUMER GUARANTEES OR ANY IMPLIED CONDITION OR WARRANTY THE EXCLUSION OF WHICH WOULD CONTRAVENE ANY STATUTE OR CAUSE ANY PART OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES TO BE VOID ("STATUTORY GUARANTEES"). EXCEPT FOR ANY STATUTORY GUARANTEES, ELASTIC MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS, CONDITIONS, GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING ANY PRIZE OR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST AND EACH WINNER AGREES THAT THE PRIZE IS PROVIDED AS-IS. BY PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST, AND TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EACH ENTRANT AGREES TO RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS ELASTIC AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, SUPPLIERS, DISTRIBUTORS, ADVERTISING/PROMOTION AGENCIES, AND PRIZE SUPPLIERS, AND EACH OF THEIR RESPECTIVE PARENT COMPANIES AND EACH SUCH COMPANY'S OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS (COLLECTIVELY, THE "RELEASED PARTIES") FROM AND AGAINST ANY LOSS, DAMAGE, CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PERSONAL INJURY, DEATH, OR DAMAGE TO OR LOSS OF PROPERTY, ARISING OUT OF PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONTEST OR RECEIPT OR USE OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE.
   2. 11.2. THE RELEASED PARTIES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR: (i) ANY LOST, LATE, INCORRECT, INCOMPLETE, INCOMPATIBLE, OR MISDIRECTED CONTRIBUTIONS, INFORMATION, CORRESPONDENCE, OR MATERIALS, WHETHER CAUSED BY ENTRANTS, PRINTING ERRORS, OR BY ANY OF THE EQUIPMENT OR PROGRAMMING ASSOCIATED WITH OR UTILIZED IN THE CONTEST; (ii) TECHNICAL FAILURES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO MALFUNCTIONS, INTERRUPTIONS, DELAYS, OR DISCONNECTIONS IN PHONE OR CABLE LINES, NETWORK CONNECTIONS, ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, COMPUTER HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE, OR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS; (iii) UNAUTHORIZED HUMAN INTERVENTION IN ANY PART OF THE REGISTRATION PROCESS OR THE CONTEST; (iv) TECHNICAL OR HUMAN ERROR WHICH MAY OCCUR IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CONTEST OR THE PROCESSING OF CONTRIBUTIONS; (v) ANY VIRUSES OR TECHNICAL OR MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS; (vi) ANY INJURY OR DAMAGE TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY WHICH MAY BE CAUSED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, FROM ENTRANT'S PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST OR RECEIPT OR USE OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE; AND (vii) ANY CHANGES OR UNAVAILABILITY OF THE CONTEST WEBSITE THAT MAY INTERFERE WITH THE CONTEST OR ABILITY OF THE ENTRANT TO TIMELY PARTICIPATE, RECEIVE NOTICES, OR COMMUNICATE WITH ELASTIC, IN WHICH CASE ELASTIC, IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION, MAY TERMINATE OR MODIFY THE CONTEST.
   3. 11.3. If for any reason your registration and/or Contribution(s) are confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, your sole remedy is another registration or Contribution(s) in the Contest. Unless otherwise specified, no more than the stated number and types of prizes will be awarded and in no event will Elastic be liable for more than the stated number of Prizes in these Official Rules. In event that production, technical, programming, or any other reasons cause more than stated number of prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be available and/or claimed, Elastic reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes by selecting the winner in its sole discretion among all legitimate, unawarded, eligible prize claims.
   4. 11.4. Without limiting any other provision in these Official Rules, Elastic is not responsible, or liable for failure to operate the Contest or supply the prizes or any part thereof in the event that any of the Contest activities or Elastic's operations or activities are affected by a force majeure event, as determined by the Elastic in its sole discretion, including, without limitation, by reason of any acts of God, any action, regulation, order, or request by any governmental or quasi- governmental entity, equipment failure, threatened terrorist acts, terrorist acts, air raid, blackout, act of public enemy, earthquake, war (declared or undeclared), fire, flood, epidemic, pandemic, explosion, unusually severe weather, hurricane, embargo, labor dispute or strike (whether legal or illegal), labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down, civil disturbance, insurrection, riot, or any law, rule, regulation, order, or other action adopted or taken by any governmental, federal, state, provincial, or local government authority, or any other cause, whether or not specifically mentioned above.
9. 12. Privacy and Use of Personal Information. Elastic collects personal information from individuals when they enter this Contest. Elastic reserves the right to use any information collected in accordance with its privacy policy, which may be found at https://www.elastic.co/legal/privacy-statement.
10. 13. GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTES. THESE OFFICIAL RULES, THE CONTEST AND ALL ISSUES AND QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY, INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEABILITY OF THE CONTEST OR THE OFFICIAL RULES ARE GOVERNED BY, AND WILL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY CHOICE OF LAW OR CONFLICT OF LAW RULES OR PROVISIONS THAT WOULD CAUSE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF ANY OTHER JURISDICTION. THE FORUM AND VENUE FOR ANY DISPUTE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES SHALL BE IN THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA. EACH ENTRANT ACCEPTS AND SUBMITS TO THE PERSONAL JURISDICTION OF THOSE COURTS WITH RESPECT TO ANY LEGAL ACTIONS, SUITS, OR PROCEEDINGS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS CONTEST. EXCEPT WHERE PROHIBITED, AS A CONDITION OF PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONTEST, YOU AGREE THAT ANY AND ALL DISPUTES THAT CANNOT BE RESOLVED BETWEEN YOU AND ELASTIC ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS CONTEST MUST BE RESOLVED INDIVIDUALLY, WITHOUT RESORT TO ANY FORM OF CLASS ACTION. THE REMEDY FOR ANY CLAIM SHALL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL DAMAGES, AND IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY PARTY BE ENTITLED TO RECOVER DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING ATTORNEY'S FEES OR OTHER SUCH RELATED COSTS OF BRINGING A CLAIM, OR TO RESCIND THIS AGREEMENT OR SEEK INJUNCTIVE OR ANY OTHER EQUITABLE RELIEF.
11. 14. Winners List. Individuals may request the name of winner(s) by submitting an e-mail to: contributors@elastic.co.

Appendix A

Qualifying Contributions

The following activities are considered "Qualifying Contributions" if such activities meet the requirements described below, do not violate Elastic's Community Code of Conduct and each Submission must be reviewed and approved in accordance with the process detailed in Section 4.4 of the Official Rules prior to the issuance of Points.

Active Contributions:

1. 1. Organized Event.
   1. 1.1. Requirements:The Organized Event must: (i) be focused on Elastic's products and solutions; (ii) be one (1) hour or longer in duration, (iii) be open to the public, (iv) be attended by a minimum of ten (10) attendees, and (v) for any event other than a conference, provide free admission to such event. To submit an Organized Event as a Qualifying Contribution, Contributor must submit a valid URL link to the event page featuring the Organized Event that includes a description of the Organized Event, the date and time of the event, and Contributor's full name. Six (6) Points per Organized Event.
2. 2. Presentation.
   1. 2.1. Requirements: The Presentation must: (i) focus on Elastic's products and solutions; (ii) be Contributor's original work; (iii) be a minimum of seven (7) minutes in duration; (iv) be open to the public, (v) be attended by a minimum of ten (10) attendees, and (vi) for any event other than a conference, provide free admission to such event. To submit a Presentation as Qualifying Contribution, Contributor must submit a valid URL link to the event page featuring the Presentation that includes both the date and time of the Presentation, the title of the presentation and the Contributor's full name. If Elastic concludes, in its sole discretion, that the Contributor plagiarized someone else's work or used any GenAI Tools, the Contributor will be disqualified from the Contest. Ten (10) Points per Presentation. An additional one (1) Point for sharing with the Elasticsearch community a pdf of the Presentation online, at a publicly accessible website, without charge or requirement of compensation of any kind.
3. 3. Written Content.
   1. 3.1. Requirements: The Written Content must (i) focus on Elastic's products and solutions, (ii) be Contributor's original work, written entirely and solely by the Contributor, without any use of or reliance on GenAI Tools, (iii) be published on a website that does not have a paywall (however, required registration or login to the website without a paywall is permitted); (iv) include an original example, created by the Contributor, that demonstrates how the topic of the Written Content could be used; and (v) be a minimum of five hundred (500) words (roughly equivalent to one-page of text, single spaced)). To submit Written Content as a Qualifying Contribution, Contributor must submit a valid URL link to the website featuring the Written Content that includes the publication date and the Contributor's full name. If Elastic concludes, in its sole discretion, that the Contributor plagiarized someone else's work or used GenAI Tools in any way, the Contributor will be disqualified from the Contest. Six (6) Points per Written Content. An additional one (1) Point for sharing within the Contributor's social media network, a copy of the Written Content, without charge or requirement of compensation of any kind.
4. 4. Video.
   1. 4.1. Requirements: The Video must: (i) focus on Elastic's products and solutions, (ii) be Contributor's original work, (iii) be made available on a website that does not have a paywall (however, required registration or login to the website without a paywall is permitted); and (iv) be a minimum of five (5) minutes in length. To submit Video as a Qualifying Contribution, Contributor must submit a link to the website featuring the Video that includes the publication date and the Contributor's full name, in each case, either in the Video or in the description of the Video. If Contributor submits a video series, each video series will count as one (1) Qualifying Contribution only, and the URL for each Video in the video series must be included in the submission. A "video series" means a connected set of short videos about substantially the same topic, each less than five (5) minutes in length, for example, if Contributor submits ten (1) one-minute videos about the same topic, these videos will be counted as a single video series. Elastic will determine, in its sole and absolute discretion, whether a Submission qualifies as a "Video" or as one video in a "video series". If Elastic concludes that the Contributor plagiarized someone else's work or used GenAI Tools in any way, the Contributor will be disqualified from the Contest. Videos may not be, or include, advertisements for individuals or third party products or services. Eight (8) Points per Video or Video series.
5. 5. Translation.
   1. 5.1. Requirements: The Translation must: (i) translate Elastic's original blog post (found on the Elastic website at https://www.elastic.co/blog/) to a language other than any languages in which the original Elastic blog post was written; (ii) be made available on a website that does not have a paywall (however, required registration or login to the website without a paywall is permitted); (iii) be Contributor's original translation, made without use of or reliance on any GenAI Tools, (iv) use technical terms consistently; and (iv) include in the Translation a link to Elastic's original blog post on https://www.elastic.co/blog/. To submit a Translation as a Qualifying Contribution, the Translation must be in writing and Contributor must: (a) submit a link to the website featuring the Translation that includes the publication date and the Contributor's full name and (b) submit a link to the original content on Elastic's website. If Elastic concludes that the Contributor plagiarized someone else's work or used an electronic translation tool (e.g., Google Translate), the Contributor will be disqualified from the Contest. Two (2) Points per Translation.
6. 6. Code. There are four ways to earn points for Qualifying Contributions related to Code, as set forth in this Section 6:
   1. 6.1. GitHub Issues. Requirements: For bug reports in Elastic Repos, (i) The issue must be created in the Elastic GitHub organization for code in that repository; (ii) The issue must be a valid bug report that isn't marked as invalid or a duplicate; (iii) Feature requests are not accepted in this category; (iv) The date the issue was published must be within the current Contest Period; (v) The Contributor must be the author of the issue. Two (2) Points per GitHub Issue bug report.
   2. 6.2. Submissions to non-Elastic repos – Projects. Requirements: (i) The project must use one or more technologies of the Elastic Stack; (ii) It must be a default branch; (iii) The code must be publicly available via a non-gated URL and a valid link to the project must be submitted; (iv) The project must be complete - unfinished projects shall not be accepted; (v) The date the code was published must be within the current Contest Period; (vi) The Contributor must be the original author of the project. Six (6) Points per Project.
   3. 6.3. Submissions to non-Elastic repos – Demos. Requirements: (i) the Qualifying Contribution must be a step-by-step demonstration about Elastic technology; (ii) The demo must be done with one or more technologies of the Elastic Stack; (iii) The demo must provide a complete set of steps that allow users to experience the Elastic technology in the use case created; (iv) Instructions must be clearly written in the README file; (v) The demo must use up-to-date versions of Elastic; (vi) The code must be publicly available via a non-gated URL; (vii) The date the code was published must be included in the valid link; (viii) the date the demo was published must be within the current Contest Period; and (ix) The Contributor must be the original author of the demo. Six (6) Points per Demo.
   4. 6.4. Code Enhancement Pull Requests: Requirements: (i) Contributors must follow the pull request rules of the repository and submit it once it has been merged; (ii) The pull request must be done at an Elastic repo by using the right template on GitHub; (iii) Submissions must not be for a topic for which someone else, at the time of Submission, has already created an issue (so please check the applicable issues list for that), duplicates will not be accepted; (iv) The date the pull request was done must be included in the valid link; and (v) the date the code was merged must be within the current Contest Period Eight (8) Points per Code Enhancement Pull Request.
7. 7. Technical Q&A.
   1. 7.1. Requirements: For Technical Q&A, the Contributor must answer a posted question about Elastic products or services on an Approved Channel. The question must be focused on Elastic products or solutions and the answer must be helpful and relevant to the community. Contributor must answer a new question, duplicate answers or answers to questions which already have an answer will not be accepted. Such answers must be validated within the Approved Channel by either (i) the individual that posted the original question in the Approved Channel or (ii) a moderator of the Approved Channel. To submit a Technical Q&A as a Qualifying Contribution, Contributor must (i) submit a link to the validated Technical Q&A. Contributor must create a specific link directly to their answer; and (ii) ensure their full name or user name appears on their profile on the Approved Channel.Two (2) Points per approved Technical Q&A.

Contribution Validation:

8. Contributions may earn one (1) Point for every five (5) Contribution Validations. Contributors must successfully complete five (5) Contribution Validations to earn one (1) Point. For the avoidance of doubt, there will be no partial points awarded in the event a Contributor does fewer than five (5) Contribution Validations.

1. 8.1. Requirements: For a Contributor to earn a Point for a Contribution Validation, the reviewing Contributor must either (i) accurately validate another Contributor's Submission as compliant with the requirements of this Contest or (ii) accurately flag another Contributor's Submission as non-compliant with the requirements of this Contest, the accuracy of each as determined in Elastic's sole and absolute discretion. For a Submission to be flagged as non-compliant, the Contributor must accurately, as validated in Elastic's and absolute sole discretion, describe the non-compliance based upon at least one of the following reasons: (a) plagiarism; (b) an invalid or non-existent URL link to the Submission; (c) Written Content that is shorter than five hundred (500) words; (iv) Video that is shorter than five (5) minutes or a video series that is shorter than five (5) minutes total; (v) Code that is not made to the Elastic GitHub repo at https://github.com/elastic; (vi) a Translation or content that is not of an Elastic blog post at https://www.elastic.co/blog/; (vii) a violation of Elastic's Community Code of Conduct; or (viii) Technical Q&A was not validated in the Approved Channel prior to submission. In the event Elastic, in its sole and absolute discretion, determines that a reviewing Contributor's validation or invalidation of another Contributor's Submission was inaccurate, Elastic may deduct the awarded point from the reviewing Contributor. One (1) Point per accepted Contribution Validation. To be eligible to win a Prize, Contributors must submit at least one (1) Active Contribution. Contributors who submit only Contribution Validations will not be eligible to win a Prize.

Bonus Points:

9. Bonus Points may be awarded as follows.

1. 9.1. Requirements: To earn Bonus Points, the Contributor must complete one of the following:
   1. 9.1.1. Elastic Solutions. Contributor make at least three (3) Submissions for Elastic Solutions (which consists of Security, Observability, or Search), other than Elastic Stack. Submissions for the Elastic Stack will not be accepted. Contributor does not have to make a Submission for each Solution, for example, Contributor could make two Submissions for Security and one for Observability. All three Submissions must be validated before you receive the points. Six (6) Points per group of three Submissions;
   2. 9.1.2. Five Contribution Types.Contributor must complete at least one (1) Submission under at least five (5) distinct categories of Qualifying Contributions (namely, Presentation, Code, Video, Organized Event, Translation, Written Content and Technical Q&A). The five (5) Qualifying Contributions must be validated before you receive the points. Contributor must make a Qualifying Contribution in five (5) separate categories. Six (6) Points per group of five Submissions.
   3. 9.1.3. Successful Referral. Any Contributor may refer a non-contributor to the Contest by entering the non-contributors email address in the "Refer Contributor" tab on the portal. Contributor represents and warrants that they have consent and authority to input the non-contributors personal information. Contributor may not refer the same person more than once, and Contributor cannot refer themselves, nor create additional email addresses for the purpose of making a referral. When creating a profile for the Program, the referred person must use the same email address that Contributor used to refer them in order for Contributor to be eligible to receive points. In the event that a non-contributor is referred by a Contributor and such non-contributor subsequently submits a Qualifying Contribution during the Contest Period in which they were referred, then they shall be deemed a "Successful Referral" and the Contributor who referred them shall be deemed a "Qualifying Referrer". Six points shall be awarded once to a Qualifying Referrer for the first Qualifying Contribution submitted by a Successful Referral of theirs. No further points will be awarded to the Contributor for any subsequent Qualifying Contributions submitted by that Successful Referral.

1. 10.1. There are four tasks that can be completed any time of the year during the Contest Period. The swag reward for completing a task can be claimed only once per Entry Period. There is a limit of one swag prize per Entry Period (as defined below), with a total limit of three (3) swag reward tasks during the Contest Period, regardless of how many tasks are completed. To be eligible for the swag rewards, you must complete the task as described. The swag rewards are non-transferable and you must complete the associated task as described to receive that specific swag reward. Swag rewards are subject to availability and are available only while supplies last. All tasks are subject to the Contributor Program Rules. There are three entry periods during the Contest Period, as follows: the first entry period is from May 6th, 2024, until July 12, 2024; the second entry period is from July 13, 2024, until October 18, 2024; and the third entry period is from October 19, 2024, until January 17, 2024 (each, an "Entry Period"). Each task must be completed during an applicable Entry Period to be eligible for a swag reward. Elastic will determine, in its sole discretion, participant eligibility for a swag prize. To complete each task, you must tag the official Elastic account, which is @elastic on X and @elastic on LinkedIn.
   1. 10.1.1. Task A: Present a talk about Elastic at a meetup (in person or virtual); the meetup must take place during the applicable Entry Period, and a minimum of attendees is required (10 attendees for in-person; 15 attendees for virtual). You must also post an event summary on LinkedIn or Twitter, share the event or talk link, and tag Elastic. After the meetup has concluded, you may request your 40oz Hydro Flask thermal bottle or other similar bottle by sending a request to contributors@elastic.co and including the following information: a link to the event, the total number of attendees, a screenshot of the event summary being shared on LinkedIn or Twitter, and your full mailing address. The item will be shipped to you for free.
   2. 10.1.2. Task B: Record a video tutorial about Elastic technology (share a how-to, best practices, a demo, or a use case), upload the video to YouTube, share the link on social media (LinkedIn or Twitter), and tag Elastic. You may claim a Bluetooth speaker by sending a request to contributors@elastic.co and including the following information: a link to the video, a screenshot of what you shared on LinkedIn or Twitter, and your full mailing address. The item will be shipped to you for free.
   3. 10.1.3. Task C: Submit a talk to an open CFP (call for papers) at a technical conference; the conference must take place during the applicable Entry Period. After you present your talk, share the news on social media (Twitter or LinkedIn), and tag Elastic, you can claim a North Face laptop bag by sending a request to contributors@elastic.co and including the following information: a link to your talk at the conference, a screenshot of what you shared on LinkedIn or X, and your full mailing address. The item will be shipped to you for free.
   4. 10.1.4. Task D: During the applicable Entry Period, have an article approved and published on Elastic Blog. You must submit your article to contributors@elastic.co, which will be reviewed by the Elastic team. We reserve the right to accept or reject an article for any reason, acting in our sole and absolute discretion. Your article may not be accepted for any number of reasons, and you may not be notified of why we did not accept your article. If your article is accepted, we reserve the right to make any edits or modifications to the text; however, we will resubmit the article to you for final approval before publication. If / when the Elastic team approves the final version of your article, it will be published on the Elastic blog (an “Accepted Blog”). Once it's published on the Elastic blog, you can share it within your social networks. You may submit only one article per Entry Period, and you may have only one Accepted Blog during the Contest Period. Once you share the link on social media (X or LinkedIn) and tag Elastic, you can claim an Elastic cap and a shirt by sending a request to contributors@elastic.co and including the following information: a link to the article, a screenshot of what you shared on LinkedIn or X, your shirt size, and your complete mailing address. The items will be shipped to you for free.
      1. 10.1.4.1. Writing guidelines
         Length: 500–1,000 words
         Language: English
         Conversational tone and voice: Use a conversational tone to engage a technical audience and make concepts approachable. Write in first person, from your perspective.
         Clarity, simplicity, and plain language: Use clear, concise language to explain complex topics. Avoid unnecessary verbosity.
         Technical, but not alienating: Aim to provide in-depth technical insight, while ensuring that content remains accessible to readers with varying levels of expertise.
         Focus on practical applications: Ensure you cover a real-world problem and articulate a solution in a step-by-step way, with simple wayfinding and code samples. Consider adding an image or diagrams to improve readability.
         Topic ideas:
         How to do something using Elastic
         Interesting use cases for Elastic or something you've built with Elastic
         Answers to common questions from the community
         How a new Elastic feature has changed how you work
         Other notes:
         Do not use ChatGPT or any other generative technology to write your blog post — all submissions must be original content.
         Include a personal bio with your submission (to be included at the end of the blog) under 500 characters, written in third person;
         Ideas on what to include: Job title and/or description of your role, work history, notable accomplishments, or time being a part of the Elastic community