Questions? Get in touch gandhischolars@sdias.org

Introduction

The San Diego Indian American Society ("Sponsor") is soliciting your cooperation once again this year to request participation from the top graduating seniors of your high school for the 2014 Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Scholarships.

This is the thirtieth year for the scholarship program. The scholarships were established in 1984 to celebrate contributions of Mahatma Gandhi for world peace through non-violence. They are awarded to a minimum of ten San Diego county high school graduates every year. They will be honored with a Congressional Certificate of Achievement and cash awards. The SDIA Society has decided to offer scholarship awards of $40,000 for the 2014 competition. The Award ceremony is to be organized in the summer of 2014. It will feature talks by selected award winners and invited dignitaries.

The criteria for selection include:

  1. (1) Academic excellence
  2. (2) Community involvement
  3. (3) Statement of purpose for college
  4. (4) An original essay on "nonviolent means for conflict resolution"
  5. (5) Recommendations by teachers and
  6. (6) Financial need and educational background of parents.

Winners will be selected from the pool of nominees from participating high schools, by a review committee made up of recognized leaders in the field of education, business, social organizations and past scholarship winners.

We invite you to nominate two of your graduating seniors with a grade point average of at least 3.8. The selection is open to all irrespective of his or her national origin. Your nomination package should include the completed application by the student and the counselor along with the supporting materials.

Summary
* of How to Enter and Judging Criteria

*Review each of the sections below for a more detailed description of the important terms, requirements, and restrictions applicable to the Competition.

The Submission must include:

Section I: About the Student

  1. (1) Full Name, Address, City, Zip, Telephone Number
  2. (2) Parents Name(s)
  3. (3) Parents 2012 Adjusted Gross Income divided by members in the household
  4. (4) Educational Background of Parents (High School, College, Professional Degree)
  5. (5) Weighted GPA w/o PE 10th thru 12th (enclose copy of transcript)
  6. (6) SAT score (best from same test date; enclose score copy)
  7. (7) Essay on Non-Violence (not to exceed 2 pages, double spaced)
  8. (8) Personal Statement (past achievements, future plans, not to exceed 1 page)
  9. (9) A list of honors and community service (not to exceed 1 page)

Section II: School Information

  1. (1) Name of High School, Address, City, Zip
  2. (2) Name of Counselor, Email, Telephone Number

Priority in scoring will go to:

  1. (1) Academic excellence
  2. (2) Community involvement
  3. (3) Statement of purpose for college
  4. (4) An original essay on "nonviolent means for conflict resolution"
  5. (5) Recommendations by teachers and
  6. (6) Financial need and educational background of parents.

Public Display of Submissions

Submissions will be publicly posted on http://gandhischolars.ucsd.edu upon approval. Submissions will only display; Applicant's full name, high school, high school city, embedded view of applicant's - Essay on non-violence, personal statement and list of honors/community service.

The deadline for Submissions is May 08, 2103.

1.
Can I Participate

The scholarship is open to all seniors of San Diego County High Schools irrespective of national origin.

2.
Where Do I Enter?

3.
How Do I Enter?

A. Register for the Contest:

During the Submission Period, you must register at http://gandhischolars.ucsd.edu. Registration is free. After you register you must verify your email address via the registration email sent to the email entered in the registration form. Registered Participants will then be able to enter a Submission.

B. Submission Requirements:

The Submission must include:

Section I: About the Student

  1. (1) Full Name, Address, City, Zip, Telephone Number
  2. (2) Parents Name(s)
  3. (3) Parents 2012 Adjusted Gross Income divided by members in the household
  4. (4) Educational Background of Parents (High School, College, Professional Degree)
  5. (5) Weighted GPA w/o PE 10th thru 12th (enclose copy of transcript)
  6. (6) SAT score (best from same test date; enclose score copy)
  7. (7) Essay on Non-Violence (not to exceed 2 pages, double spaced)
  8. (8) Personal Statement (past achievements, future plans, not to exceed 1 page)
  9. (9) A list of honors and community service (not to exceed 1 page)

Section II: School Information

  1. (1) Name of High School, Address, City, Zip
  2. (2) Name of Counselor, Email, Telephone Number

Priority in scoring will go to:

  1. (1) Academic excellence
  2. (2) Community involvement
  3. (3) Statement of purpose for college
  4. (4) An original essay on "nonviolent means for conflict resolution"
  5. (5) Recommendations by teachers and
  6. (6) Financial need and educational background of parents.

Public Display of Submissions

Submissions will be publicly posted on http://gandhischolars.ucsd.edu upon approval. Submissions will only display; Applicant's full name, high school, high school city, embedded view of applicant's - Essay on non-violence, personal statement and list of honors/community service.

The deadline for Submissions is May 08, 2103. After the deadline, the Submission cannot be modified in any way. Peer reviewers will submit reviews to the judging panel who will then evaluate the Submissions using the criteria set forth above during the Review Period. Based on these criteria and the peer reviews, the judging panel will select scholarship awardees.

C. Submission Rights for Entrants:

SDIAS will not acquire any intellectual property rights in any applicant's proposal as a mere result of a Submission.

4.
How Will My Submission Be Displayed and How Do I See The Other Submissions?

Submissions will be publicly posted on http://gandhischolars.ucsd.edu upon approval.

Submissions will only display; Applicant's full name, high school, high school city, embedded view of applicant's - Essay on non-violence, personal statement and list of honors/community service.

All Participants will have the ability to view Submissions posted on the website throughout the Competition. Non-Participants interested in the Competition are also encouraged to register on http://gandhischolars.ucsd.edu. Registration will be required in order to receive updates on the Competition and vote for a applicant. Registered visitors will be able to vote for a Submission only once.

5.
How And When Will Public Voting Take Place?

The Public vote option will appear on each individual applicant's submission page. Public vote totals may be displayed on the competition website, on a real-time basis. The public vote portion of the competetion serves only to highlight the applicant's accomplishments to the community and the panel of judges. There are no prizes associated with the public vote segment.

6.
How Will The Winners Be Selected And What Are The Judging Criteria?

Submissions will be reviewed by a judging panel selected by the Sponsor at their sole discretion. The judging panel is identified on http://gandhischolars.ucsd.edu. The judging panel will judge the Submissions on the criteria identified below to select potential winners of the scholarship.

The criteria for selection include:

  1. (1) Academic excellence
  2. (2) Community involvement
  3. (3) Statement of purpose for college
  4. (4) An original essay on "nonviolent means for conflict resolution"
  5. (5) Recommendations by teachers and
  6. (6) Financial need and educational background of parents.

    7. 7.
    How Will The Winners Be Notified?

    If a potential winner of any prize cannot be contacted, such potential winner forfeits such prize. In the event that a potential winner of a Competition prize is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor may award the applicable prize to an alternate winner who had the highest score remaining of the eligible entries. If a winner is considered to be a minor in his or her state of residence, at Sponsor's sole option, the prize will either be awarded to the minor winner's parent or legal guardian on behalf of the winner, or the minor's parent or guardian will be required to ratify and sign the affidavit of eligibility, and liability/publicity release on behalf of the minor.

    8.
    What Can I Win?

    (From $1,000 and above; $40,000 of Total Awards) and United States Congressional Certificate of Achievement.

    For all Prizes: Winners are responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. No transfer or substitution of a prize is permitted except by Sponsor.

    What Else Should I Know?

    Entry Conditions and Release

    By entering, you agree to the following conditions and release:

    (1) Each Participant agrees to comply with and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and/or the Competition judges which are binding and final in all matters relating to this Competition.

    (2) Each Participant also agrees to release and hold harmless the Sponsor and its respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliated companies, the prize suppliers and any other organizations responsible for sponsoring, fulfilling, administering, advertising or promoting the Competition, and all of their respective past and present officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the "Released Parties") from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability. These claims, expenses, and liability include, but are not limited to, negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, including but not limited to invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, property damage, or death or personal injury arising out of or relating to a Participant's entry, creation of an entry or submission of an entry, participation in the Competition, acceptance or use or misuse of prize (including any travel or activity related thereto) and/or the broadcast, transmission, performance, exploitation or use of entry.

    (3) Each Participant also agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Sponsor from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to a Participant's participation in the Competition and/or Participant's acceptance, use or misuse of prize.

    Publicity

    Except where prohibited, participation in the Competition constitutes winners' consent to Sponsor's and its agents' use of winner's name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration.

    General Conditions

    Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Competition, or any part of it, in their sole discretion. Possible reasons for cancellation or suspension of the competition include but are not limited to a low number of entries during the Submission Period, poor quality of entries overall, or any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Sponsor's reasonable control.

    Sponsor reserves the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any individual or Competitor it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Competition or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules.

    Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition could constitute a violation of criminal and/or civil laws, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

    Sponsor are not responsible for, nor are they required to count, incomplete, late, misdirected, damaged, unlawful or illicit votes, including those secured through payment, votes achieved through automated means or by registering more than one e-mail account and name, using another Participant's e-mail account and name, as well as those lost for technical reasons or otherwise.

    Limitations of Liability

    The Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Competition; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Competition; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Competition or the processing of entries; or (5) 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 Competition or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.

    If for any reason an entrant's Submission is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant's sole remedy is to provide another Submission within 48 hours of being notified that the Submission was erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded.

    Disputes

    Entrant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Competition, or any prizes awarded, other than those concerning the administration of the Competition or the determination of winners, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (2) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Competition, or any prizes awarded, shall be resolved exclusively by a court of competent jurisdiction located in San Diego County; (3) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Competition, but in no event attorneys' fees; and (4) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain an award for anything other than actual out of pocket expenses (exclusive of attorney's fees), and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, including any potential rights to have actual damages multiplied or otherwise increased.

    SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Competition, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of California or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of California.

    Privacy

    The Sponsor collects personal information from you when you enter the Competition. The information collected will not be shared with anyone without prior written approval from the participant.

    Competition Results

    Sponsor

    Sponsor: San Diego Indian American Society, 8727 Verlane Drive, CA 92119.