Home |
How it all Works
Winery Website Challenge Nomination Rules
The winning winery will receive both the completed new design and the ecommerce website, and free hosting and maintenance services for one year from launch date. The website will be designed and built by Sonoma State student teams during the 2010 Spring semester, under the guidance and tutelage of Sonoma State faculty and eWinery Solutions management.Anyone (including wineries) may go to the website and nominate a winery for consideration. Each person submitting a nomination will be required to write a brief summary of why this winery should be nominated. The nominated winery will then be contacted to make a formal submission for the contest. Wineries must be located within Sonoma County to be considered.
All requests for winery nominations will be placed on a blog on this site. Once a winery has made a formal submission to enter, a new blog entry for that winery will be created. Click here to access the nominations page.
A winery's formal submission will consist of an essay of no more than 500 words, plus, if desired, a short video or other means of communication as to why they believe they should be the chosen one. These submissions will be posted publicly on this site and anyone will be able to comment on them.
The finalists will be judged and the winning winery selected by a contest panel made up of Sonoma State faculty and advisors. eWinery Solutions will not be part of the winery judging or panel selection process. Decision criteria in selecting a winner will include: size of winery and existing marketing model, wine mix and price points, state of existing winery website, strength of essay, video or other application elements if submitted, and an interview with principals that will be held for the final 3 finalists. The final deliberations may be videotaped and shown publicly.
The two runners up in the contest will receive a student group written evaluation of the winery’s existing website which will offer recommendations for a marketing strategy and website improvements. Once a winning winery is selected and notified, that winery will be required to designate one key winery staff member to act as project manager for the duration of the project. The winery's project manager together with eWinery Solutions' project manager will work jointly to create a project plan for design creation, design and content implementation, product listings and website launch.
eWinery Solutions and eWinery Solutions' business partners will collaborate with Sonoma State on creation and implementation of project plan, curriculum input, and work flow with winery staff to ensure project plan is completed on time, and in synch with curriculum.
Competing teams of students will work to create designs and marketing promotional strategies, with the winning team being selected to lead the implementation of the final website, with all students participating. Regular meetings will be required between the winery project manager and students, and eWinery and its business partners will participate as required.
Launch of the winning winery's new website is scheduled for late Spring, 2010.
In the Fall of 2010, the winning winery website and marketing plan will be assigned to a Sonoma State MBA student for a case study to track the effectiveness of the program designed by the students, and implemented by the winery, in terms of generating additional sales and customer data.
Decisions of the judges will be final. Entries remain the property of Sonoma State University and eWinery Solutions.
And now, the necessary fine print:
The Winery Website Challenge sponsors, Sonoma State Univesity and eWinery Solutions, are not responsible for failed, partial or garbled computer transmissions, or for technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to electronic malfunction or damage of any network, hardware or software. If for any reason this Challenge (in whole or in part) is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, fire, flood, storm or other natural cataclysm, riot, strike, civil commotion, governmental regulation or any other causes beyond Sponsor’s control that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Challenge, Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify any individual or entity that tampers with the entry process, and to terminate, modify or suspend the Challenge. In such event, Sponsors reserve the right to conduct the Challenge and award the prize by means of a random drawing comprised of all eligible entries received prior to and/or after (as appropriate) the action taken by Sponsors or otherwise award the prize in a manner which is fair, appropriate and consistent with these Official Rules, as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion. Notice of termination/modification/suspension of this Challenge will be posted on the website. No responsibility is assumed for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or loss, destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries; or any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or electronic entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation in or downloading any materials from this Challenge.
Entrants further agree not to knowingly damage or cause interruption of the Challenge and/or prevent others from participating in the Challenge. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DAMAGE ANY ONLINE SERVICE OR WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CHALLENGE VIOLATES CRIMINAL OR CIVIL LAWS. IF SUCH AN ATTEMPT IS MADE, SPONSORS MAY DISQUALIFY ANY ENTRANT MAKING SUCH ATTEMPT AND SEEK DAMAGES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW.
