GovMadness 2011 Tournament Rules and Instructions

GovMadness is an exciting, interactive tournament that pits agencies and cities against one another in a friendly, head-to-head, single-elimination competition of awesomeness.  It’s fun and easy- all you have to do is select who you think will win each of the 63 tournament “games” taking place between March 17 and April 4. Similar to other NCAA tournament bracket competitions, you receive points for each match-up that you correctly predict. However, since this is GovMadness, there is a twist! The outcome of each match-up will be decided by you. With our GovMadness voting system, you decide who wins and who loses. Following the same schedule as the NCAA Tournament, voting is available for each match-up until the specified closing date. Winners of each match-up are determined by the total amount of votes received before the close of each round. Get your votes in early before time runs out! The more people who play, the better your “teams” will do!

 

Need some additional explanation? Just follow these 5 simple steps to help you get started:

 

1. Sign Up! Creating a GovLoop account is fast, easy, and secure! While you don’t have to be a GovLoop member to play, you do have to have an account to qualify to win prizes. Plus you get free access to tons of awesome tools and information created specifically for govies! So what are you waiting for? Just click on the “join now” button to the right to get started.

 

2. Create! Download and then complete our GovMadness 2011 bracket. You have until March 17 to make your predictions.

 

3. Submit! Once you have completed your bracket, choose from two methods of submission. You may (1) submit your predictions with our online bracket submission tool, or (2) fill your bracket out by hand, scan it into your computer and then email it to us at stephen@govloop.com.

 

4. Vote! The power to determine who wins and who loses is in your hands! When voting, all you need to consider is the question, “which agency or city is more awesome?” Then cast your vote accordingly to advance your favorites to the next round. Not sure how to define awesomeness? Check out some examples here. So spread the word! Tell your coworkers and friends! And remember, the more people you get involved, the more likely your selections will win as advancements are made based on which “team” has the most votes at the end of each round.  Voting begins on March 17, and will take place during the following dates, coinciding with the NCAA Tournament:
a. Round 1- March 17-18
b. Round 2- March 21-22
c. Sweet Sixteen- March 24-25
d. Elite Eight- March 28-29
e. Final Four- March 31-April 1
f.  Championship- April 4

 

5. Win! Prizes will be given to the National Champions (the agency or city who wins the championship game), as well as the individual(s) who score the highest amount of points during the tournament. In order to qualify to win you must be a registered GovLoop member, and submit a completed bracket prior to the starting date of the tournament (March 17, 2011).

To the Agency or City that wins – GovLoop will do an awesome feature on you! Also you’ll get the inaugural GovMadness trophy which is currently being designed but I can promise it’ll be cool enough that you’ll want to display it. Also bragging rights- which city or agency doesn’t want to be able to say they are certifiably awesome!

To the individual who scores the most points picking the bracket – You’ll get completely swagged out with GovLoop gear as well as score a $25 Starbucks gift card and even some hardware of your own to proudly display on your desk at the office.

For a complete breakdown of the point system, check out the score chart here.