2024 Spring Commencement Grad Cap Contest

Enter the Spring 2024 UC Davis Grad Cap contest to show off your creativity and get the chance to win awesome prizes!

A view of a row of students sitting in a row wearing commencement regalia with their backs to the camera.

Official Contest Rules and Details

No purchase or payment is necessary to enter. Internet access and a valid email account are required to enter.

Contest Timing

Entry Period: Begins on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 and ends on Monday, June 17, 2024, at 1 p.m. PDT

Voting Period: Begins on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at 1 p.m. PDT and ends on Friday, June 21, 2024 at 3 p.m. PDT

Winner Announcement: Winning entries will be posted the afternoon of Friday, June 21, 2024 on the UC Davis Facebook page and the UC Davis Instagram accounts.

How To Enter

To enter, you must fill out this entry form using your ucdavis.edu email. Your completed entry must contain the following:

  • First name
  • Last name
  • UC Davis email address
  • Mailing address
  • Major OR program and degree awarded
  • Graduation Year
  • Up to 75-word description of your graduation cap
  • A clear, close-up photo of your decorated cap
     
  • Photos submitted for contest entry must meet the two requirements for photo file type and photo file naming convention: 
    • Photo file submitted for contest entry MUST USE the following file naming convention: "Last Name_First Name_GradCap24.jpg"
      • File name examples:
        • Doe_Jane_GradCap24.png
        • Rock_Gun_GradCap24.jpg
        • Rock_Gun_GradCap24.jpeg
      • Photo file submitted for contest entry MUST USE either a .jpeg (JPG) or .png (PNG) file format and/or extension - no other file types or formats will be accepted. Entries that do not meet the two aforementioned requirements - (1) file type/format, and, (2) file naming convention - are ineligible submissions and will not be entered in this contest or be eligible to win any prizes. 
    • Participants may enter only one grad cap photo file. The design must be your original work and must not infringe the intellectual property, privacy, publicity rights, ownership, or any other legal or moral rights of any third party. Grad cap photos and videos containing content that is not protected by the First Amendment, will not be considered. UC Davis discourages submissions that are offensive, derogatory, or hateful, or submissions that display illegal behavior, or the consumption of drugs or alcohol. 

Eligibility

This offer is open to all registered UC Davis undergraduate, graduate, post-doc, or professional school students who are age 18 or older and who are part of the graduating Spring class of 2024 and are participating in a UC Davis-organized commencement ceremony held in May or June of 2024.  Employees of the UC Davis Strategic Communications Department and any and all other companies associated with the Contest (collectively, the “Promotion Entities”), and each of their immediate family members and/or people living in the same household, are not eligible to participate. Eligibility rules are subject to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. All entries submitted become the property of UC Davis. By participating in this contest, you grant UC Davis permission to use your entire submitted photo/video/design files and content for design, marketing, advertising, and communications purposes. Odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Inquiries about contest odds, entrants, winners and other related matters may be directed to the Strategic Communications Office at socialmedia@ucdavis.edu. This information will remain available two years after the contest closes.

Voting

All eligible entries will be uploaded to a photo album on the UC Davis Facebook page on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, where the UC Davis Facebook community will vote on entries. A vote consists of any Facebook reactions (“like”, “love”, “haha”, “wow”, “sad “ and/or “angry”). Voting runs from when the album is uploaded on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 and ends on Friday, June 21, 2024 at 3 p.m. PDT.

Winner Selection

The Grad Cap entrant with the most votes will be deemed as the grand prize winner. The contest entrantsC as listed in the prizing section below. An “Editor’s Choice” winner will be awarded at the discretion of the social media team within the Strategic Communications Department. All of the winners will be selected and notified during the afternoon of Friday, June 21, 2024. Winners will be notified through their UC Davis email and will have until Friday, July 29, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. PDT to respond to the notification. In the event that a winner does not respond by Friday, July 29, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. PDT, the contest administrator will choose the next highest voted entry to win.

Prizes

  • First Place Winner: Prizes of an approximate retail value of $350.00. Prizes may include (subject to availability): $200 Amazon gift card, $100 Bookstore gift card, $50 Kyle Cavan gift card.
  • Second Place Winner: Prizes of an approximate retail value of $250.00. Prizes may include (subject to availability): $100 Amazon gift card, $100 Bookstore gift card, $50 Kyle Cavan gift card. 
  • Third Place Winner: Prizes of an approximate retail value of $150.00. Prizes may include (subject to availability): $50 Amazon gift card, $50 Bookstore gift card, $50 Kyle Cavan gift card.
  • “Editor’s Choice” Winner: Prizes of an approximate retail value of $150.00. Prizes may include (subject to availability): $50 Amazon gift card, $50 Bookstore gift card, $50 Kyle Cavan gift card.

 

UC Davis may cancel this contest in the event of technical problems or electronic attacks affecting the administration of the contest. Any contest entrant found to intentionally interfere with the operation of the contest, or whose designs are found not to be original, will be disqualified. By your participation in this contest, you agree to release UC Davis from any liability related to the contest or your participation in the contest. By entering, you agree that the images and description submitted to this contest may be used by UC Davis for future content purposes. UC Davis is not responsible for lost, damaged, delayed, or misdirected prizes. Prize(s) may not be redeemed for cash.

Through your participation in this contest, you are providing your information to UC Davis and not to Facebook. You acknowledge that this contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. By your participation in this Contest, you agree to release UC Davis and Facebook from any liability related to the contest.

Information provided will not be retained, sold, or used in any way other than specifically set for in these rules. 

 

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