Rules

THE SI COLLEGE BASKETBALL BRACKET CHALLENGE CONTEST OFFICIAL RULES

BY PARTICIPATING IN THE SI COLLEGE BASKETBALL BRACKET CHALLENGE (“CONTEST”), YOU AGREE TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES (“RULES”), WHICH ARE A CONTRACT, SO READ THEM CAREFULLY BEFORE ENTERING OR TAKING ANY ACTION IN RELATION TO THE CONTEST. THIS CONTEST IS INTENDED FOR LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE FIFTY (50) UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND RESTRICTIONS APPLY. DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE AT THE TIME OF ENTRY. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR FOR A CHANCE TO WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. 

1. Eligibility: The Contest is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 or older. Employees of Sportority Inc. ("Sponsor"), and it’s parents, affiliates, licensors, licensees, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, and each of their officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents and representatives (collectively with the Sponsor, the “Released Parties”), and members of their immediate family (spouse, parent, children and siblings and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and persons living in the same household, whether or not related, are not eligible to participate in this Contest. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws. Your Entry and participation in the Contest constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to these Rules and decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects relating to this Contest.

2. Entry Period: The Contest will take place between March 15, 2026 and April 6, 2026. Entry for the Contest opens at 7:00pm Eastern Time on March 15, 2026 and closes at 12:00pm Eastern Time on March 19, 2026 for entrants completing a Men’s Bracket and 12:00pm Eastern Time on March 20, 2026 for entrants completing a Women’s Bracket (collectively, with the “Entry Period”).   

3. How to Enter: 

   1. To enter the Contest for the Men’s 2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament (“Men’s Tournament”), the Women’s 2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament (“Women’s Tournament” and collectively with the Men’s Tournament the “Tournaments”) or both Tournaments, during the applicable Entry Period you must (each, an “Entry”):

Step 1: Visit  https://www.si.com/college-basketball/bracket-challenge (“Website”) and follow the on-screen instructions to complete and submit the entry form with all information required by Sponsor. 

Step 2: Create and submit at least one (1) Tournament bracket (each, a “Bracket”) and select a winner for each game in all six (6) rounds of the applicable Tournament. Each Entry may contain a maximum of one (1) Men’s Tournament Bracket (“Men’s Bracket”) and one (1) Women’s Tournament Bracket (“Women’s Bracket”). The six (6) rounds for each Tournament are: 

2. You must complete and submit at least one (1) Men’s Bracket or one (1) Women’s Bracket and subscribe to the SI College Basketball Newsletter by the end of the applicable Entry Period for you to be considered eligible and your Entry to be counted. By entering the Contest, you agree to receive the SI College Basketball Newsletter and all promotional messages, marketing messages, and interest-based advertisements contained therein

3. You may change your selections for any Bracket submitted up until the scheduled tipoff of the first game of the First Round of the applicable Tournament. Selections will be locked upon the commencement of the first game of the First Round of the applicable Tournament and you will not have the ability to change any selection for any reason after this time, including, without limitation, in the event a game is postponed, rescheduled, does not occur or is not completed. Brackets will be scored as outlined in Section IV below. You can view your Brackets throughout the Contest via the Website and your personal progress via the Leaderboards. 

4. Limit one (1) Entry per person. An Entry that is not complete or does not adhere to the Rules or specifications may be disqualified at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Entries from any person in excess of the stated Entry limitations will be void. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means or by any means which subvert the Entry process are void, including, without limitation Entries generated using multiple email addresses or social media accounts, identities, devices or other fraudulent methods.

4. Tournament Scoring: 

You will earn points for each eligible Bracket for each game predicted correctly during each Round of the Tournaments as follows (“Points”):

Note, Sponsor will not award Points for any game that does not occur or is not completed, for any reason whatsoever. Sponsor reserves the right to not award Points for any game that is postponed or rescheduled, for any reason whatsoever. The number of Points is the primary determination of rankings. Each Bracket’s final score is the sum of the total Points earned during Contest for the applicable Tournament.

5. Leaderboards: 

   1. The Website will feature a Contest leaderboard for each Tournament (“Leaderboard(s)”). Each Leaderboard will feature the top 100 Point earners for each Tournament at that time. The Leaderboards will go live upon the scheduled tipoff of the first Round of each Tournament. The Leaderboards will be updated after the completion of each game of each Round of each Tournament. Please note, you will not be able to view other entrant’s Brackets through the Leaderboard, only the standings and Points received by the top 100 eligible entrants. Brackets will be ranked from first through last on each Leaderboard in descending order based on the number of Points received each Round of each Tournament. In the event of eligible entrants with the same number of Points, such eligible entrants will be displayed with the same ranking number and listed in alphabetical order by the eligible entrants’ name. 

   2. The Leaderboards are for informational purposes only and may not be accurate or in real-time. Sponsor reserves the right to revise the Points and rankings listed on the Leaderboards at any time prior to the Prizes being awarded. Sponsor reserves the right to alter a Leaderboard due to technical issues or if there has been unsportsmanlike or other behavior that does not comply with these Rules. You are not guaranteed to be selected as a potential Winner even if you are ranked first or as receiving the most Points at the conclusion of a Tournament on a Leaderboard, and the foregoing does not constitute any notification of winning. Potential Winners will be notified by Sponsor via email as set forth in Section VII.  

6. Winner Determination: 

   1. There will be one (1) Winner of the Men’s Tournament (“Men’s Winner”). Promptly after the final Round of the Men’s Tournament the final Point tally will be verified by Sponsor and the eligible entrant with the most Points for the Men’s Tournament will be the potential Winner for the Men’s Tournament. 

   2. There will be one (1) Winner of the Women’s Tournament (“Women’s Winner”). Promptly after the final Round of the Women’s Tournament the final Point tally will be verified by Sponsor and the eligible entrant with the most Points for the Women’s Tournament will be the potential Winner for the Women’s Tournament. 

   3. Odds of winning the Prizes depend on the number of eligible entrants, each eligible entrant’s ability to correctly predict the Tournament results and the eligible entrants Bracket scores based on the outcome of the Tournaments.

   4. In the event of a tie for either Tournament (i.e. more than one eligible entrant has the same Point total at the conclusion of either the Men’s or Women’s Tournament), each tied eligible entrant will be entered into a random drawing whereby Sponsor will randomly select the one (1) potential winner from among all tied eligible entrants. The eligible entrant randomly selected by Sponsor will be the potential Winner of the applicable Tournament. 

   5. The potential Winners must be active subscribers of the SI College Basketball Newsletter at (i) the end of the Contest or time of selection and (ii) acceptance of the applicable Prize to be considered eligible. If a potential Winner is not an active subscriber of the SI College Basketball Newsletter at such time, then such potential Winner may be disqualified in Sponsor’s sole discretion, the applicable Prizes may be forfeited, and Sponsor may select an alternate potential Winner in its sole discretion. 

   6. Sponsor is an independent judging organization whose decisions as to the administration and operation of the Contest and the selection of the potential Winners are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest. You may be disqualified at any time by Sponsor for any reason in Sponsor’s sole discretion. 

   7. Winners are subject to verification of eligibility and may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility, liability release, publicity release and/or any other document(s) Sponsor deems necessary to verify eligibility, claim the Prize, and agree to all Prize conditions.  

7. Winner Notification: The potential Winners will be notified within a reasonable time after the conclusion of the final Round of the applicable Tournament via email at the email address provided at the time of Entry, not to exceed thirty (30) days. The potential Winners must respond to the notification and accept the applicable Prizes within forty-eight (48) hours (including the execution and return of any required documents). It is your responsibility to monitor your email. Sponsor is not responsible for and shall not be liable for late, lost, damaged, intercepted, misdirected, or unsuccessful efforts to notify you. If Sponsor is unable to contact you, or you fail to respond to any notice within forty-eight (48) hours, or you fail to comply with any requirement set forth herein or fail to return any required document within forty-eight (48) hours, then you may be disqualified in Sponsor’s sole discretion, the applicable Prizes may be forfeited, and Sponsor may select an alternate Winner in its sole discretion. If any alternate(s) similarly fail to properly claim the applicable Prizes, Sponsor will use a reasonable number of attempts, in its discretion, to award the applicable Prizes to another alternate but if it is unable to do so, the applicable Prizes will be deemed unclaimed and Sponsor shall have no further liability, in connection with this Contest, to award unclaimed Prizes. 

8. Prizes: 

   1. The approximate retail value (“ARV”) of the Prizes for this Contest is $5,318.00. 

   2. The following prizes will be awarded to the Men’s Winner (“Men’s Prize”): (i) two (2) tickets to one (1) Final Four game of the 2027 NCAA Division I Men's College Basketball Tournament with an ARV of $2,000; (ii) one (1) year subscription to the print editions of Sports Illustrated with an ARV of $20.00; (iii) one (1) Sports Illustrated Framed Cover Print of the Men’s Winner choice available at https://sicovers.com/shop/framed+prints with an ARV of $500.00 and (iv) one (1) $500 Fanatics gift card. The ARV of the Men’s Prize is  $2,659. 

   3. The following prizes will be awarded to the Women’s Winner (“Women’s Prize” and collectively with the Men’s Prize, the “Prizes”): (i) two (2) tickets to one (1) Final Four game of the 2027 NCAA Division I Women's College Basketball Tournament with an ARV of $2,000; (ii) one (1) year subscription to the print editions of Sports Illustrated with an ARV of $20.00; (iii) one (1) Sports Illustrated Framed Cover Print of the Women’s Winner choice available at https://sicovers.com/shop/framed+prints with an ARV of $500.00 and (iv) one (1) $500 Fanatics gift card.. The ARV of the Women’s Prize is  $2,659. 

   4. The Prizes (excluding the tickets) will be shipped to the Winners through the United States Postal Services or a private delivery service (ex. FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.), as determined in Sponsors sole discretion, within thirty (30) days of the Winners accepting the Prizes in accordance with Section VII, subject to any delivery delays. Pre-paid digital gift cards included in the Prizes may be provided in multiple denominations to equal the total Prize value. Pre-paid digital gift cards will be sent digitally to the Winners email address provided at the time of Entry within thirty (30) days of the Winners accepting the Prizes in accordance with Section VII. Tickets to the 2027 Final Four games will be sent digitally to the Winners email address provided at the time of Entry prior to or shortly after the start of the Tournaments. Subscriptions may auto-renew if not cancelled prior to renewal date.

   5. TRANSPORTATION AND LODGING IS NOT PROVIDED AS PART OF THE PRIZES AND IS THE WINNERS SOLE RESPONSIBILITY. The Winners are responsible for all expenses not specifically stated as part of the Prizes, including, but not limited to, lodging, air transportation, ground transportation, meals, gratuities, personal purchases, beverages, incidentals, and any other items of personal nature. 

   6. The applicable 2027 Final Four games and seat locations will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Should either of the 2027 Final Four games included in the Prizes be delayed, canceled, postponed or in any way abbreviated, the Released Parties shall have no liability or further obligation to the Winners other than to supply the Prizes as described, minus the 2027 Final Four tickets and, in such event the Winners shall not be reimbursed for such tickets. No responsibility is assumed by the Released Parties for any cancelled, rescheduled, delayed or postponed games in whole or in part. Unused, lost, mutilated or stolen tickets will not be refunded, replaced, exchanged for cash or applied towards tickets for any subsequent years and the Released Parties shall have no responsibility or further obligations with respect to unused, lost, mutilated or stolen tickets. By accepting the applicable tickets, the Winners agree to abide by any terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to any ticket holder for the 2027 Final Four games, as applicable. 

   7. All details related to the Prizes are in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion and are subject to change. Resale of the Prizes is strictly prohibited. Any Prizes pictured on the Website or in online advertising, promotional packaging and other Contest materials is for illustrative purposes only. The Prizes are non-assignable and nontransferable and cannot be redeemed for cash. Any difference between the ARV and actual value of the Prizes will not be awarded. Winners may not substitute Prizes, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute a Prize with one of comparable or greater value. Any unclaimed Prizes will be forfeited. If Prizes are returned as undeliverable, you forfeit your right to claim or receive the applicable portion of such Prizes and Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, declare such portion of the Prizes as unclaimed or select an alternate Winner using the methods set forth herein. 

   8. The actual value of the Prizes may be taxable as income, and any applicable federal, state and local taxes related to the acceptance and/or use of the Prizes shall be the sole responsibility of the Winners. The Winners may be required to provide Sponsor with a valid social security number or tax identification number, as required by applicable law, for tax reporting purposes before the Prizes are awarded. If applicable, Sponsor will issue an IRS Form 1099 to the Winners for the value of the Prize received. 

   9. NEITHER SPONSOR OR THE RELEASED PARTIES SHALL HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY PERSONAL INJURIES, DEATH, PROPERTY DAMAGE, OR OTHER DAMAGES OR EXPENSES RESULTING FROM OR ARISING OUT OF ANYTHING RELATED TO THE PRIZES OR ANY OTHER ASPECT OF WINNERS ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF THE PRIZES.

9. Rights Granted by You: Except where prohibited by law, by Entering and participating in the Contest (and any related activities), you grant Sponsor and its affiliates and licensors a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, unlimited, fully paid-up license to use your Entry and all elements thereof, social media handle, name, image and/or likeness in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, and in all languages, in any manner and for any purpose (including, for purposes of advertising or trade), in whole or in part, without compensation or notification to, or permission from, you or any third party.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOREGOING MAY BE FEATURED ON THE WEBSITE, LEADERBOARD AND SPONSOR AND SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AND WEBSITES. YOU WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO INSPECT OR APPROVE THE FOREGOING PRIOR TO PUBLICATION AND CONSENT TO ANY SUCH USE THEREOF. Neither Sponsor or its affiliates and licensors have no obligation to make use of the rights granted herein and Sponsor its affiliates, licensors and the Released Parties are not responsible for any unauthorized use of the foregoing by third parties.

10. GENERAL CONDITIONS:  

    1. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Contest at any time in its sole discretion. By entering and participating in this Contest, you agree to abide by these Rules and decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects, and you waive any right to claim ambiguity with respect to these Rules. 

    2. Released Parties are not responsible for: (i) lost, late, incomplete, damaged, inaccurate, stolen, delayed, misdirected, undelivered or garbled Entries, likes, comments, tags, messages, stories, email or other communications of any kind; (ii) lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications; (iii) failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure; (iv) jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties; (v) other errors or difficulties of any kind, whether human, mechanical, electronic, computer, network, typographical, printing or otherwise, relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing of Entries, the announcement of the Prizes, or in any Contest related materials, including these Rules; (vi) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by users, tampering, hacking, or by any website, equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; or (vii) injury or damage to any person's computer or other device related to or resulting from participating in this Contest or use of the Website. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Contest or Website, or Sponsor’s social media accounts, who act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or who are in violation of these Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and the associated Entry(ies) will be void. 

    3. Should any portion of the Contest be, in Sponsor’s sole opinion, compromised by virus, worms, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of Entries, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest (or applicable portion thereof) and if terminated, at its discretion, select a Winner at random via a drawing from all eligible, non-suspect Entries received for each Tournament prior to action taken or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsor. 

    4. ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. 

    5. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, THE CONTEST, INCLUDING THE PRIZES, ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. 

    6. ANY TRADEMARKS USED IN THE CONTEST ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. THIS CONTEST IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED, OR ADMINISTERED, OR ASSOCIATED, BY ANY SUCH TRADEMARK OWNER OR ANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, X, THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, META, INSTAGRAM OR TIKTOK. PLEASE NOTE, NCAA, NCAA SWEET SIXTEEN, ELITE EIGHT, FINAL 4, AND FINAL FOUR ARE TRADEMARKS OF THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION. 

11. Release, Indemnity and Limitation of Liability: 

    1. Except where prohibited by law, you, on behalf of yourself and your heirs, executors, and administrators, agree to indemnify, defend, release, discharge and hold harmless the Released Parties from any and all claims, injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind to persons, (including death or property) resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from your Entry and participation in the Contest or related activities, use of the Website, or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any awarded Prizes. Except where prohibited by law, you assume full liability for an injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused, by your Entry and participation in this Contest or related activities, the use of the Website, or the acceptance, receipt, or use or misuse of any awarded Prizes or component thereof. 

    2. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE RELEASED PARTIES BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES FOR LOST DATA, LOST PROFITS, LOST REVENUE, LOST BUSINESS, OR ANTICIPATED PROFITS) (“SPECIAL DAMAGES”), WHETHER FORESEEABLE OR UNFORESEEABLE, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY RELATED TO YOUR ENTRY AND PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST, USE OF THE WEBSITE, OR THE ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF ANY AWARDED PRIZES REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE LIABILITY IS BASED ON BREACH OF CONTRACT (INCLUDING THESE RULES), TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTIES, INDEMNITY OR OTHERWISE, AND EVEN IF THE RELEASED PARTIES WERE ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THOSE DAMAGES. IN ADDITION, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT POSSIBLE BY LAW, THE RELEASED PARTIES MAXIMUM AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST, USE OF THE WEBSITE, OR THE ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF ANY AWARDED PRIZES, REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF CLAIMS OR CAUSES OF ACTION, WILL NOT EXCEED FIFTY DOLLARS (US$50.00). IN NO EVENT SHALL THE RELEASED PARTIES BE REQUIRED TO PAY YOUR ATTORNEYS’ FEES OR COSTS. YOU HEREBY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO CLAIM SPECIAL DAMAGES, ALL RIGHTS TO HAVE SUCH DAMAGES MULTIPLIED OR INCREASED, AND ALL RIGHTS TO SEEK ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND COSTS AND INJUNCTIVE OR OTHER EQUITABLE RELIEF. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS OF LIABILITY FOR SPECIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY. CHECK LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

12. Privacy: Information submitted by or collected from you in connection with the Contest, including personal information as defined by applicable data protection and privacy laws, shall be subject to Sponsor’s privacy policy, located at https://www.minutemedia.com/policies/privacy-policy. By entering and participating in this Contest, you expressly consent to the Released Parties sharing and using the personal Information submitted only for the purposes described in these Rules, including without limitation for the purpose of selecting the Winner(s), administering the Contest, Prize fulfillment and sending updates and announcements from Sponsor concerning the Sports Illustrated brand, products and events. You may not participate in the Contest if you do not provide Sponsor with personal information required for Entry. By Entering the Contest, you expressly consent and agree that the personal information you provide in the Entry may be used by Authentic Brands Group, LLC and its licensees and their parents, subsidiaries, licensees, affiliated companies, agents, retailers, distributors, representatives, partners and subcontractors for marketing and commercial purposes.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Rules, or the rights and obligations of you and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, or any claim or dispute that has arisen or may arise between you and the Released Parties, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, USA without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules. The applicable federal or state courts located in New York, New York shall have sole jurisdiction over any dispute, and you consent to the mandatory and exclusive jurisdiction of such courts with respect to any such legal proceedings.

14. Severability: If any part of  these Rules is deemed invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, all other terms, conditions, and provisions of these Rules shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect.

15. Winners List: To receive the names of the Winners, send an email to promotions@si.com no later than ninety (90) days after the last day of the Entry Period.

16. Sponsor Address: Sportority Inc., 625 Broadway, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10012