Well-Being by Design Fellowship 2025: Terms and Conditions

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center
2025 WELL-BEING BY DESIGN
Professional Fellowship

Terms and Conditions

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY PRIOR TO SUBMISSION. OPEN ONLY TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE AGE 21 OR OVER, AND WHO ARE EITHER (1) UNITED STATES CITIZENS OR (2) A PERMANENT RESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

By submitting your “Application” (as further defined herein below) for the 2025 Well-being by Design Professional Fellowship (the “Program“), you agree that your participation will be governed by, and you shall abide by, all of the following terms and conditions (the “Terms and Conditions“) outlined herein below:

The Program is sponsored and administered by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center (“JGCC”), a not-for-profit organization affiliated with Sesame Workshop (“Sesame”), a not-for-profit educational corporation chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York.

1. WHO WE ARE: JGCC is an independent research and innovation organization affiliated with Sesame Workshop focused on advancing the potential of interactive digital media technologies in promoting educational opportunities for children. JGCC’s mission is to harness the power of media and technology to help all children thrive in the 21st century, and grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.
2. PROGRAM GOALS: The goal of the Program is to provide an interactive and collaborative professional development experience to mid-career designers and developers of interactive digital media in order to best support the well-being of all children and young people through creative experimentation and sharing. Participants (as defined in paragraph 9 below) are expected and encouraged to freely apply learnings and takeaways from the Program under real-world conditions.
3. ELIGIBILITY: The Program is open only to individuals (each a “Candidate(s)” and/or referred to herein as “you” or “yours”) who are 21 years of age or older as of the date of entry; and who (a) are citizens of the United States or (b) are a permanent resident of the United States; and (c) are mid-career (having spent at least 5 years in media or technology design/development); and (d) have submitted a completed Application (as further defined below) by the official deadline.
4. APPLICATIONS: Each Application must comprise the following. A submission which meets these following criteria will be referred to as an “Application“:
   • Your basic information (including name and age), up-to-date contact information (including an email address and phone numbers), job title and employer name. JGCC’s hopes this Program will help harness the power of media and technology to help all children thrive in the 21st century, and grow smarter, stronger, and kinder through exposure to diverse stories, perspectives and ideas. You may include additional information as individuals with diverse experiences and backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply;
   • Your resume;
   • A link to your online portfolio or examples of your work; and
   • A personal statement of: 250 words or fewer describing (i) why you are interested in learning more about designing interactive digital media for well-being and (ii) how you believe designing for the well-being of young users applies to your work; a statement of 100 words or fewer describing (iii) how you may apply learnings from the Program to your work and (iv) whether your team is ready and willing to implement changes based on your learnings from the Program; and a statement of 100 words or fewer describing (v) how you and/or your work advance in children’s media and (vi) whether your employer has committed to supporting your participation in the Program should you be selected.
5. The entry period for Application submissions begins at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on September 9, 2024 and ends at 11:59 p.m. EDT on October 11, 2024 (the “Entry Period“). Applications uploaded or submitted after the Entry Period ends will not be eligible or accepted. Proof of submission of your Application is not proof of receipt by JGCC of your Application. You must retain a copy of your Application as  JGCC will not return or retain any part of the Application. JGCC may delete Applications, in whole or in part, upon the conclusion of the selection process. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you hereby grant JGCC an unlimited, irrevocable, perpetual, sublicensable, royalty-free non-exclusive license to use any portion of the Application without any obligation or compensation to you.  JGCC is not responsible for, and each Candidate specifically releases JGCC and Sesame from, any claims or liability relating to, any loss or damage, in whole or in part, the Candidate’s Application. You agree and understand that JGCC may, at any time and in its sole and unfettered discretion, alter any rules, processes, or procedures relating to the Program, and JGCC may at any time terminate, postpone, modify, or suspend the Program for any reason. By virtue of your Application submission, you consent to be contacted in the future by JGCC, Sesame, or any of its affiliated companies, whether or not you are selected to participate in the Program.
6. APPLICATION REVIEW: JGCC intends to review all Applications received during the Entry Period as follows:
   Phase One: Anticipated to take place between October 15, 2024 and October 31, 2024, JGCC expects to screen all Applications to ensure that they are complete and all basic eligibility requirements have been met.
   Phase Two: Anticipated to take place between November 1, 2024 and November 15, 2024, JGCC staff expect to review the Applications and select which Applications will proceed to the next phase.
   Phase Three: Anticipated to take place between November 18, 2024 and November 22, 2024, representatives from JGCC expect to interview the remaining Applications, and choose approximately 8 Applications to move on to participate in the Program.
7. INVITATION TO JOIN PROGRAM: JGCC expects to notify the final selected Candidates and invite them to join the Program during the week of December 2, 2024, which date may be changed in JGCC’s sole discretion. Once JGCC has completed its review period, it will notify the selected Candidates by phone or email, using the contact information contained in the Applications. JGCC may in its sole discretion announce the names (with or without your corresponding likeness) of the selected Candidates on its website or in other forms of communication. JGCC reserves the right to conduct a background check on any selected Candidate in accordance with applicable law. Each selected Candidate consents to the same and shall provide whatever additional information, permission and/or documentation is required or requested by JGCC in connection with the same. Should JGCC be unable to reach any of the potential selected Candidate(s), then JGCC, in its sole discretion, may choose another Candidate as a replacement. For the avoidance of doubt, a Candidate whose Application has been selected by JGCC to join the Program may hereafter be alternately referred to as a “Participant(s)”.
8. THE PROGRAM: Participants will participate in approximately seven (7) two-hour (2:00) sessions held remotely through video or voice conference on designing interactive digital media that supports the well-being of children. Additionally, we will hold up to two days of meetings in person in NYC at the beginning of the fellowship (collectively, the “Sessions”). Participants will be reimbursed up to One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500) for travel and approved documented expenses in connection with the in-person Sessions. All other costs associated with Participant’s participation in the Program and attendance at the Sessions will be the responsibility of each Participant. The Sessions themselves will be offered to the Participants free of charge.
9. FUTURE AGREEMENTS: Candidates acknowledge and agree that no obligation of any kind is assumed by, or may be implied against, JGCC or Sesame. In the event that a Candidate is selected to join the Program, prior to the commencement of the Program and in consideration of and as a precondition to your participation in the Program, you may (in JGCC’s sole discretion) be required to enter into further written agreement(s) with JGCC and/or complete (or have completed) additional related documentation.
10. PARTICIPANT PERSONAL RELEASE: By becoming a Participant, each Participant grants to JGCC, Sesame and their respective designees, the irrevocable, royalty-free right to use the Participant’s name, likeness and biographical information without further notice or consideration, in perpetuity, throughout the world, in all media and formats now known or hereafter invented, in connection with the promotion of the Program. You shall have no right of approval, no claim to compensation (unless specified herein), and no claim (including, without limitation, claims based upon invasion of privacy, defamation, or right of publicity) arising out of any use, alteration, distortion, or illusionary effect or use in any composite form or otherwise of my voice, picture, image, or likeness. During the Program, JGCC may, in its sole discretion, choose to record the Sessions in any manner (the “Recordings”) and JGCC and Sesame may use the Recordings in any manner in full reliance on this Paragraph 9.
11. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: Unless provided otherwise, any non-public information provided by Sesame or JGCC to you is confidential to Sesame and JGCC (“Confidential Information”). Confidential Information shall include, but shall not be limited to, any documents and materials provided by Sesame or JGCC. You agree not to disclose any Confidential Information to others (including but not limited to posting on any web sites or posting to any social media platforms, regardless of the method of access to such sites or platforms), use for your own benefit or otherwise appropriate such Confidential Information in any way, without JGCC’s prior written consent. You further agree that you will use the Confidential Information solely in connection with its purpose, and you will take all reasonable measures to maintain the confidentiality of the Confidential Information.
12. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES: Each Candidate represents and warrants that:
    the information contained in the Application is true;
    the Application, in whole or part, does not infringe upon or violate any rights of any third party, under any country’s law, including without limitation any trademark, copyright, right of publicity, trade secret, patent and/or other intellectual property right;
    • the Candidate has obtained consent and approval from their employer to participate in the Program;
    • the Candidate has the exclusive, unconditional right, and authority to submit the Application for consideration;
    • the Candidate has the legal right to participate in the Program and no other third party is required to authorize Candidate’s participation in the Program; and
    • the Candidate is aware of and will comply with the Sesame and JGCC policies (the “Policies”), including the policies located at sesameworkshop.org/policies and may change or be supplemented from time to time at Sesame’s sole discretion.
13. DISPUTES: These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and interpreted under the laws of the State of New York without regard to conflicts of laws’ provisions. The Participant hereby agrees that any and all disputes claims, causes of action or controversies arising out of or in connection with the Program or these Terms and Conditions shall be resolved exclusively by a state or federal court located in New York, New York. By entering, each Candidate irrevocably waives any right to seek and/or obtain rescission and/or equitable and/or injunctive relief.
14. RELEASE OF CLAIMS AGAINST SESAME: By submitting an Application each Candidate hereby releases JGCC and Sesame from and against the full amount of any and all claims, liabilities, actions, suits, proceedings, assessments, judgements, decrees, losses, fees, damages, settlement funds, and associated costs and expenses including attorney’s fees arising from or in connection with the Candidate’s participation in the Application process and/or the Program, if applicable; any use by Sesame or JGCC of materials or information provided by Participant; and/or the exercise by JGCC or Sesame of any rights granted to it herein, including without limitation claims based on the rights of privacy, false light, defamation, copyright, patent and/or trademark infringement relating to the such materials or information and claims for injury, loss or damage of any kind resulting from the Candidate’s participation in the Application process or participation in the Program, if possible.
15. NO ENDORSEMENT: Nothing in these Terms and Conditions grants any Candidate or Participant a right or license to use any copyrights, names, logos, trademarks, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights of JGCC, Sesame, any of their associated companies, any of their respective sponsors, or any government agency, or any of their respective employees or contractors.  For the avoidance of doubt, neither JGCC nor Sesame endorses any product, service, campaign, or third party organization by virtue of your Application or participation in the Program.
16. INDEMNITY: By making an Application, each Candidate agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend JGCC, Sesame, and their parent company, affiliates, subsidiaries, successors, assigns, licensees, and each of their respective trustees, officers, employees and agents from and against the full amount of all claims, liabilities, actions, suits, proceedings, assessments, judgments, decrees, losses, fees, damages, settlement funds, and associated costs and expenses including attorney’s fees arising from or in connection with the submission of Candidate’s Application and/or Candidate’s participation in the Program, and/or the exercise by JGCC or Sesame of any rights granted to it herein, including without limitation claims based on rights of privacy, rights of publicity, false light, plagiarism, defamation, copyright, patent and/or trademark infringement relating to the Participant’s Submission. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event of any claim by a third party affecting or relating to the Submission, Sesame and JGCC shall have, in addition to any other rights available to it, at law or in equity, the right to immediately revoke an invitation to participate in the Program.
17. NO LIMITATION ON EXPLOITATION OF MATERIALS: Each Candidate acknowledges that Sesame engages, has engaged, and will in the future engage in the development, preparation, production, acquisition and dissemination of creative content (the “Content“), including without limitation Content that is similar or identical to ideas and concepts included in Applications provided hereunder. Each Candidate also acknowledges that other persons, including both third parties and employees of Sesame, may previously have originated and/or submitted Content that is similar or identical to ideas and concepts included in a Candidate’s Application. Each Candidate agrees that it will not be entitled to any compensation because of the use by Sesame of any such similar or identical material and/or Content. Without limitation of the foregoing, Sesame may use, without any payment or other obligation whatsoever to any Candidate, any idea or concept contained in any materials provided by you that (a) is similar or identical to, or contains significant elements encompassed in, a concept that is under consideration or in development by Sesame before or at the time of the Candidate’s entry, (b) is not unique, novel, original, and concrete so as to be entitled to protection under applicable laws, (c) has been made public by anyone at the time of its submission to Sesame or otherwise is in the public domain, (d) would be freely usable by a third person if it had not been provided as part of an Application or the subject of any agreement, (e) is not protected by United States copyright law, or (f) is similar or identical to, or contains significant elements encompassed in, an idea, concept or material that is independently created by Sesame or any third party. By submitting an Application, each Candidate agrees that Sesame’s development, preparation, production, acquisition, dissemination and/or exploitation of Content and related materials similar or identical to anything contained in the Candidate’s Application or containing features, ideas, material and/or elements similar to or identical with those contained in the Candidate’s Application shall not entitle the Candidate to any compensation or other right or remedy whatsoever. As an inducement to Sesame to accept the Candidate’s Application in connection with the Program, each Candidate hereby waives, on behalf of themselves and their employer, any claim or right of action against Sesame, its associated entities, or its successors in connection with Sesame’s use of any Content (or any portions thereof) whether or not such Content is similar or identical to anything contained in the Candidate’s Application or contains any features, ideas, material and/or elements that are similar or identical to those contained in the Candidate’s Application. Acceptance by Sesame of an Application is not an admission by Sesame of the novelty or originality of the Application in whole or part.
18. GENERAL TERMS: All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Sesame and JGCC reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who violates these Terms and Conditions, law, or Policies, tampers with the entry process and/or acts in any way that would, in any way, discredit or harry the reputation of Sesame or JGCC, and/or to cancel, modify or suspend this Program for any reason in its sole discretion. Without limitation of the foregoing, Sesame and JGCC reserves the right to terminate, modify or suspend this Program due to any of the following reasons: act of God; unavoidable accident; epidemic; fire; blackout; act of public enemy; war, riot or civil commotion; enactment, rule, order or act of government or governmental instrumentality or tribunal; strike, lockout or other labor dispute; inclement weather; failure of technical facilities; failure of essential production, or technical personnel to appear or be available; or other cause beyond its control. Each of JGCC and Sesame is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, incomplete, damaged, mutilated, misdirected, misdelivered, or delayed entries, or for technical or human errors or failures of any kind in connection with the submission, transmission, processing or judging of entries, including without limitation any malfunctions or failures of computer hardware, computer software, networks or telephone equipment or any technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or any combination thereof. Any attempt by a Candidate to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Program is in violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made; Each of JGCC and Sesame reserves the right to seek damages from any such Candidate to the fullest extent of the law. Each of JGCC and Sesame is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the Program, or in any related announcement.
19. ENTIRE AGREEMENT: These Terms and Conditions set forth the entire agreement and understanding between JGCC, Sesame and Candidate concerning the subject matter hereof and merges and supersedes all prior discussions, agreements, and understandings of any kind between Candidate, JGCC and Sesame. Clicking “I agree to these terms and conditions” Application hereunder below shall constitute your understanding, acceptance of and agreement with the Terms and Conditions set forth above. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, JGCC and reserves the right, in their sole discretion, at any future time to terminate, modify or suspend the Program for any reason, in their sole discretion. Candidate shall be deemed an independent contractor, and nothing contained herein shall constitute this arrangement to be employment, a joint venture, or a partnership. Sesame’s or JGCC’s failure to enforce any terms of these Terms and Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of any provision contained herein. The titles of paragraphs of these Terms and Conditions are for convenience only and shall not be given any legal effect. The word “including” is used in these Terms and Conditions to mean “including but not limited to.” The invalidity of any provision herein shall not affect the validity of the remainder. You acknowledge that these Terms and Conditions, in particular, paragraphs 9-18 shall survive termination or expiration of these Terms and Conditions and shall be binding upon you and your heirs and/or successors.
20. If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding regarding the Application, please click “I agree to these terms and conditions” on this Application and proceed to the next step in order to attach and upload your submission and complete the Application.