Contest RulesPHOTO SUBMISSION PERIOD
The photo submission period for the Cutes Pet Contest 2012 (the “Contest”) begins at 12 a.m. Central Time (“CT”) on April 21, 2012 and ends at 12 p.m. CT on May 11, 2012 (the “Submission Period”).
ELIGIBILITY
The Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry and who reside within the communities of Oak Grove, Grain Valley, Independence, Blue Springs, Lone Jack and Lees Summit in the state of Missouri (the “Entrant” or “Entrants”). Employees, contractor and interns of GateHouse Media, Inc. and GateHouse Media Missouri Holdings II, Inc. (“together GateHouse Media”), and the businesses appearing on this page (the “Sponsors”), and each of their respective divisions, affiliates, parent companies, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies (including, in each case, immediate family members) are not eligible to enter the Contest. For purposes of this Contest, “immediate family members” is defined as spouses, siblings, parents, children, grandparents and grandchildren, whether as "in-laws", or by current or past marriage, remarriage, adoption, co-habitation or other familial extension, and any other persons residing at the same household location, whether or not related. In order to enter the Contest or win the prize, the Entrant must comply fully with these official rules (the “Official Rules”), and by entering agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of GateHouse Media, whose decisions shall be binding and final in all respects.
HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST AND SUBMIT A PHOTO
There is no fee to enter the Contest.
There are two (2) ways to enter The Contest
1. Online
Entrants should log on to www.examiner.net/pets (the “Website”) during the Submission Period and complete the applicable registration form. Entrants must provide all requested information in the required fields and upload a photo (the “Photo” or “Photos”) as instructed on the Website. Entrants should then click “submit” to be entered in the Contest (the “Online Entry” or “Online Entries”). No purchase necessary. Making a purchase will not improve your chances of winning. All federal, State, Local and Municipal laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited.
OR
2. Entry Form
The entry form for the Contest (the “Entry Form”) is available at no charge the offices of the Publication beginning April 30 2012, located at 410 S Liberty
The completed Entry Form and the Photo (together, the “Print Entry Materials”) should be submitted to the offices of the Publication one of the following two (2) ways:
1. Postal Mail: Entrants should mail the Print Entry Materials to the Publication at the following address: The Examiner Landscaping Contest. 410 South Liberty Independence MO 64050
OR
2. Hand-Deliver: Entrants should hand-deliver the Print Entry Materials to the Publication located at 410 South Liberty Independence MO 64050. The offices of the Publication are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. CT, and closed on Saturday and Sunday. ALL ONLINE ENTRIES AND PRINT ENTRY MATERIALS (TOGETHER THE “ENTRY” OR ENTRIES”) MUST BE RECEIVED AT THE OFFICES OF THE PUBLICATION BY 5:00 P.M. CT ON June 15, 2012 (THE “SUBMISSION DEADLINE”). NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS TIME. Photos will not be returned to the Entrant.
Entries for the Contest will not be accepted through e-mail or via facsimile.
GateHouse Media will not be responsible for incomplete, lost, late, postage due, misdirected or illegible entries.
CONTEST RULES
1.The object of the Contest is to enter a Photo showcasing the cutest pet in Eastern Jackson County (the Pet) in Eastern Jackson County. Pet must live in one of the following communities in Eastern Jackson County: Oak Grove, Grain Valley, Independence, Blue Springs, Lone Jack or Lees Summit Missouri.
2. The Entrant must submit a photo of the pet. The Entrant must be the owner of the Photo, or otherwise have the right to submit the Photo for consideration in the Contest (the “Consent”). The Entrant will be required to submit the Consent to GateHouse Media upon request. 3. Professional photos will be accepted. When submitting professional photos, a copyright release from the photographer (the “Copyright Release”) must be submitted to GateHouse Media upon request. If the Photo contains any material or elements (including the yard) that are not owned by the Entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, the Entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the Photo, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the Photo in the manner set forth in these Rules without additional compensation. The Entrant will be required to submit copies of any releases and consents to GateHouse Media upon request.
4. The Photo must be in natural color or black and white. Sepia tone and duotone Photos are not acceptable. Photos that have been altered, manipulated or enhanced using computer software programs will not be accepted. Minor adjustments to the Photo such as lightening or darkening areas of the Photo, slight contrast or color adjustments and cropping are acceptable. If GateHouse Media determines a Photo has been altered, manipulated or enhanced, GateHouse Media reserves the right to disqualify the Photo.
5.The Photo must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of GateHouse Media, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content (collectively, “Inappropriate Content”). GateHouse Media retains sole discretion as to what constitutes Inappropriate Content.
6. All Photos become the property of GateHouse Media and may be used by GateHouse for marketing or any other commercial purpose, whether or not voting was conducted or prizes were awarded in this Contest. The Photos will not be returned to the Entrant.
7. Entrants may nominate more than one Yard in this Contest.
VOTING
Each Photo submitted to the Publication must be approved for posting on the Website by the Publisher of the Publication (the “Publisher”).
All Photos submitted during the Submission Period and approved by the Publisher will appear on the Website beginning April 21, 2012. Members of the general public will be invited to view the Photos beginning at 12 a.m. CT on May 12, 2012 and ending at 12 p.m. CT on May 18, 2012 (the “Voting Phase”) and vote for their favorite Yard (the “Vote” or “Votes”). Voting ballots will also be available at the Publication’s office during regular business hours. Each ballot is counted as one (1) Vote.
There is no fee to Vote in this Contest. Voting is limited to persons eighteen (18) years of age or older (the “Voter” or “Voters”).
Voting results for the Voting Phase will be displayed on the Website, except during the last forty-eight (48) hours of the Voting Phase.
GateHouse Media will not be responsible for misdirected Votes. The use of robotic or automatic devices to submit Votes is prohibited and GateHouse Media reserves the right to nullify any and all such Votes and to disqualify the responsible individual from voting. Entrants are prohibited from obtaining Votes by any fraudulent or inappropriate means, including, without limitation, offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public, as determined by GateHouse Media in its sole discretion.
For purposes of this Contest, the Vote must be cast on the Website by a “unique” Voter. A “unique” Voter is an individual person: (a) who has registered to vote on the Website, (b) with unique registration information (i.e. e-mail address) that is not duplicative of another Voter’s information. A unique Voter may vote no more than ten (10) times per day for a Photo. If GateHouse Media determines, in its sole discretion, that an abuse of the “unique” Voter rules has occurred, GateHouse Media may disqualify votes cast by such Voters or Entrants, including if more than five (5) of such Voters or Entrants registered from the same residential computer “IP address”.
The (3) photos to receive the highest number of Votes during the Voting Phase will be declared the winners of the Contest (the “Winner” or “Winners”). In the event of a tie, a random drawing among the Photos tied for such place(s) will be conducted at the offices of the Publication to determine the Winner(s) for such places. The Winners will be announced on the Website on May 19, 2012.
Use of E-mail Addresses
By participating in the Voting Phase of the Contest, Voters agree to opt-in to receive e-mail communications from GateHouse Media or the Sponsors. If Voters choose to opt out of such future communications from GateHouse Media or the Sponsors, they will be able to do so by following the instructions on any electronic communications sent by GateHouse Media or the Sponsors. Upon opting-out, GateHouse Media or the Sponsors will no longer send e-mail messages to the Voter. A Voter’s choice to opt out will not affect any Votes cast in the Contest.
PRIZES; ODDS OF WINNING
The 1st Place winner will be awarded a $200.00 gift card. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible Photos submitted and eligible Votes received.
The potential Winners will be notified by phone or overnight mail in accordance with the contact information provided on the Entry Form, and will be subject to approval by GateHouse Media pending confirmation of each such potential Winner’s compliance with these Official Rules. The Winner must sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and Publicity Release in order to be eligible to accept the prize. The prize must be picked up by the Winner at the offices of the Publication or the Winner must make alternate arrangements with the Publication by May 30, 2012. The offices of the Publication are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. CT, and closed on Saturday and Sunday.
No substitution or transfer of the prize will be allowed, except at the sole discretion of GateHouse Media. GateHouse Media reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. All local, state and federal taxes incurred by accepting a prize will be the sole responsibility of the Winner. The prize has no cash value and may not be redeemed for cash at any time. No compensation will be given for lost, stolen, mutilated or expired gift cards or gift certificates. GateHouse Media is not responsible for replacing lost or stolen, mutilated or expired gift cards or gift certificates. Fulfillment of gift cards and gift certificates is the sole responsibility of the merchant, not GateHouse Media, and is only redeemable at specific locations. The gift certificate or gift card must be surrendered upon request and no photocopies or reproductions will be honored.
All decisions of GateHouse Media regarding the Contest are final.
INTERNET
It is the Entrant’s responsibility to enter in the appropriate manner. Each Entrant is responsible for all costs or charges involved in accessing thewww.examiner.net/pets website and warrants that the cost of accessing the site, if any, is part of a larger agreement with an Internet Service Provider or some other means, and that the cost of this access is not an incremental cost. If for any reason the internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of GateHouse Media which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, GateHouse Media reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. Should the online portion of the Contest be terminated prior to May 11, 2012,
finalists will be drawn at days-end from eligible entries received online up to the time of cancellation. GateHouse Media assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communication line failure, theft, or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries. GateHouse Media is not responsible for lost, misdirected, illegible, damaged or undelivered entries. GateHouse Media is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, services or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email or entry to be received due to technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading of any material in this Contest. CAUTION: Any attempt by an Entrant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, GateHouse Media reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. In the event of a dispute, entries made by Internet will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g. business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Automated entries are prohibited, and any use of such devices will cause disqualification. Collection and use of personally identifiable information will be in accordance with the www.examiner.net/lpets<http://www.examiner.net/lpets> Privacy Policy as posted on www.examiner.net/Pets.
CONDITIONS
By entering, Entrants agree to comply with these Official Rules and the decisions of GateHouse Media, which are binding and final, and release GateHouse Media, and each of its divisions, affiliates, parent companies, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies and anyone associated with the production of this Contest, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from any and all liability for any claims, injuries, losses or damages (including attorneys fees) of any kind arising out of their participation in this Contest or resulting from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize. The potential prize winners waive the right to assert as a cost of winning the prize any and all costs of verification and redemption or travel to redeem said prize and waives any liability or claims (including attorneys fees) which might arise from redeeming or seeking to redeem said prize. In the event of non-compliance with these Official Rules, or if prize notification is returned to GateHouse Media as undeliverable, if prize is refused or cannot be accepted for any reason, the prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected in a random drawing. Upon forfeiture or refusal, no compensation will be given. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission to use the winner's name, photograph, likeness, Contest submissions and/or statements attributed to winners regarding the Contest, for advertising and publicity purposes without further compensation or consent. All entries become the property of GateHouse Media. This Contest shall only be construed and evaluated according to the laws of the state of Missouri, without regard to the principles of conflicts of laws and submission of any entry constitutes acceptance of such laws. This Contest is void where prohibited. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.
This Contest is not intended for gambling. If it is determined that an Entrant is using the Contest for gambling purposes, he/she will be disqualified and reported to authorities. GateHouse Media and its affiliates reserve the right to use any and all information related to the Contest, including information on Entrants obtained through the Contest, for marketing purposes or any other purpose, unless prohibited by law.
GateHouse Media and their affiliates reserve the right to change the rules of the Contest at any time.
NAME OF WINNER
To obtain the name of the winner, contact the Publication at 816-350-6326.
SPONSORS.,GateHouse Media Missouri Holdings, Inc. 350 WillowBrook Office Park, Fairport, New York 14450.
