2009 Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! (And everything in between) Pet Contest Rules
1.The Tribune-Democrat Newspaper In Education (NIE) program is proud to sponsor Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! (And everything in between) Pet Contest. All proceeds will benefit directly NIE, Somerset Humane Society, Habitat for Hounds and the Nardecchia Spay and Neuter Fund. NIE provides daily newspapers, classroom activities and lesson plans to local classrooms covering the four county area on a no charge basis.
2.For the contest please submit a high-quality, close-up 3” X 5” color or black/white photo. Photos larger than 5” X 7” will not be accepted. They can be mailed with registration form or submitted digitally (JPG) format at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi at www.tribdem.com. Click on the pet icon at bottom of the web page to register and upload your photo. Payment can be made online or mailed. By submitting a photo, contest entrant authorizes The Tribune-Democrat to publish photo along with accompanying name and hereby agrees to the official rules. Entries fees are non-cancellable and non-refundable.
3.Mail entry fee ($15.00) and completed registration form to: Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! Pet Contest, The Tribune-Democrat, PO Box 340, Johnstown, PA 15907-0340. No photos will be returned. No camera phone photos will be accepted.
4.Limit two pets per photo and one registration per pet. No humans in photos or deceased pets please. Pets can include reptiles, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, pigs, ferrets, lizards, etc. All completed registration materials must be received at The Tribune-Democrat by May 12, 2009, 5:00PM. Mailed entries must be postmarked by May 8, 2009 to be received by deadline date. Color space is limited to first 150 entries, first come, first serve. The balance of entries will be in black and white. The Tribune-Democrat may rotate ballot ads with photos. These photos will be randomly selected. The Tribune-Democrat has the right to refuse any photo unsuitable for publication. All decisions are final.
5.The Tribune-Democrat will not be responsible for postage due, late, lost, misdirected, or illegible entries or for failure to receive entries due to transmission or technical failures of any kind, including, without limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with sender or The Tribune-Democrat. The Tribune-Democrat will not be responsible for printing or other inadvertent errors in these rules or other materials relating to the contest. All entries become the property of The Tribune-Democrat.
6.Tribune-Democrat employees are prohibited from entering a photo and voting.
7.All entries will be published in a special Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! section published in The Tribune-Democrat, May 17, 2009. In Round One, readers will cast votes for their favorite pet photo to narrow the pool of pets to a quantity of 40. Ballots for Round One will be due at The Tribune-Democrat on June 2, 2009, 5:00PM. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by May 29, 2009 to be received by the Round One deadline day. Round One online voting will end June 2, 2009, 5:00PM.
8.In Round Two, top 40 photos will be featured in The Tribune-Democrat, readers will vote to choose the top 10. Ballots for Round Two will be due at The Tribune-Democrat on June 19, 2009, 5:00PM. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by June 16, 2009 to be received by the deadline date. Round Two online voting will end June 19, 2009, 5:00PM.
9.Votes will be cumulative from round to round. Updates for Round Two votes will be made available periodically in The Tribune-Democrat.
10.Votes paid online, mailed or received at the service center will be manually updated after 5:00PM on the day they are deposited. Please allow delivery and processing time.
11.One lucky pet receiving the highest total votes will become the 2009 Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! Winner. The top three pet winners will receive each a gift basket, gift certificates and an award plaque. Fourth to tenth pet winners will receive an award certificate and a Hoss’s Steak and Sea House and Em’s Original Sub Shop’s gift certificates. Tenth through 40th winners will receive an Em’s Original Sub Shop’s gift certificate. Full winners circle (top ten winners) will appear in The Tribune-Democrat. In the event of tie, The Tribune-Democrat will randomly pick the winner from the tied entries.
12.Each vote is 25 cents. You may vote as many times and for as many pets as you wish. Ballots are available at the Service Center window at office at 425 Locust Street, 8:00AM to 5:00PM, Monday through Friday.
13.You may view all registration or vote online by going to www.tribdem.com. Online voting is limited to person 18 years of age or older. There is a minimum of $5.00 for each online ballot. Online votes may be submitted using a valid credit card through PayPal. You do not have to have a PayPal account to use your credit card, minimum of a $5.00 online charge. All authorized credit card transactions are non-cancellable and non-refundable. If your credit card is declined for any reason, no vote will be submitted on your behalf. There is no maximum limit on donation amount either by mail, in person or online. Your computer must accept cookies, or any successor or similar technology which may be used for the purpose of entry tracking. Ad blocking software on your computer needs to be disabled so it doesn’t interfere with processing your online entry or ballot.
14.By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decision of The Tribune-Democrat. The Tribune-Democrat reserves the right to disqualify persons found tampering with or otherwise abusing any aspect of this contest as solely determined by The Tribune-Democrat. The decisions of The Tribune-Democrat regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the contest shall be final and binding in all aspects.
15.If you have any questions regarding this contest, please contact The Tribune-Democrat, NIE Program, above address, nie@tribdem.com.
16.For a list of winners or a complete set of rules send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! Pet Contest, The Tribune-Democrat, PO Box 340, Johnstown, PA 15907-0340.