5. Prize Claim & Payout
5.1A Bracket Entry’s appearance on the Site as a “perfect” or “best” bracket at the close of the Tournament does not by itself entitle the associated Entrant to any Prize. All potential Prize recipients are subject to verification by Sponsor and to the requirements of this Section 5.
5.2Sponsor will attempt to notify each potential Prize recipient by email at the address on file for the relevant Account within thirty (30) days after the conclusion of the Tournament. It is each Entrant’s responsibility to ensure that the email address on file for the Account is current and capable of receiving messages from Sponsor and from Sponsor’s legal counsel.
5.3Each potential Prize recipient must, within fourteen (14) days of the date of Sponsor’s notification (or such longer period as Sponsor may specify in writing), complete, sign, notarize where requested, and return to Sponsor:
- an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release in the form provided by Sponsor;
- a completed IRS Form W-9 (for U.S. persons) or applicable Form W-8 (for non-U.S. persons), and any equivalent form required by the tax authority of the recipient’s jurisdiction of residence;
- reasonable proof of identity, age, residency, and (where requested) source of funds;
- a Solana wallet address controlled solely by the Prize recipient and capable of receiving the Prize on the Solana mainnet, together with a signed message proving control of the address; and
- such additional information as Sponsor may reasonably request to comply with applicable law (including without limitation anti-money-laundering and sanctions-screening obligations).
5.4Failure to return all required documents within the specified period shall result in forfeiture of the Prize. Sponsor is under no obligation to award a forfeited Prize to any other Entrant, except that, in the case of a forfeited Grand Prize, Sponsor may in its discretion proceed to award the Secondary Prize under Section 4B.
5.5The information provided by the potential Prize recipient must be accurate and consistent with the information on file for the relevant Account. Material inconsistencies (including without limitation inconsistencies in legal name, date of birth, or country of residence) shall be grounds for disqualification.
5.6Prizes shall be paid in SOL (or, at Sponsor’s election under Section 4A.3, in U.S. dollars) within sixty (60) days after Sponsor’s receipt of all required documentation under Section 5.3, subject to (a) any delay reasonably necessary to comply with applicable law, (b) any delay reasonably necessary to acquire SOL or U.S. dollars in sufficient quantity, and (c) any Force Majeure Event. The right to receive a Prize is personal to the verified Prize recipient and may not be transferred, assigned, or pledged to any other person.
5.7Each Prize recipient is solely responsible for all federal, state, local, and foreign taxes (including without limitation income tax, capital-gains tax, value-added tax, and any reporting obligations) arising from the receipt of any Prize. Sponsor may withhold from any Prize any amount it reasonably determines is required to be withheld under applicable law and shall report the value of any Prize to applicable taxing authorities as required by law (including without limitation by issuing an IRS Form 1099-MISC or equivalent foreign form). Each Prize recipient shall furnish such tax-identification information as Sponsor may reasonably request, and failure to do so shall result in forfeiture.
5.8All blockchain network fees (“gas”) associated with the receipt and any subsequent disposition of a Prize paid in SOL shall be borne by the Prize recipient. Sponsor’s obligation to deliver a Prize paid in SOL shall be deemed satisfied upon broadcast and confirmation of the relevant transaction on the Solana mainnet to the wallet address provided by the Prize recipient under Section 5.3.
5.9Sponsor shall have no obligation to deliver a Prize to any Solana wallet address that, in Sponsor’s reasonable judgment, (a) is a smart-contract address rather than a self-custodial address, (b) is owned or controlled by a sanctioned person or jurisdiction, (c) is associated with prior fraud, theft, or money-laundering activity, or (d) cannot demonstrably be controlled by the Prize recipient.
5.10All costs and expenses associated with Prize acceptance and use that are not specifically borne by Sponsor under these Rules are the sole responsibility of the Prize recipient.