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mcdonoughvoice.com & The McDonough County Voice
OFFICIAL RULES
PHOTO SUBMISSION PERIOD
The photo submission period for the Cutest Baby Contest (the “Contest”) begins at 12:01
a.m. Central Standard Time (“CST”) on December 29, 2012 and ends at 11:59 p.m.
CST on January 13, 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 are amateur photographers
(the “Entrant” or “Entrants”). For purposes of this Contest, “amateur photographers”
is defined as individuals who directly or indirectly receive no more than 5% or less of
their personal annual gross income from selling their original photos. Employees of
GateHouse Media, Inc. and The McDonough County Voice (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 “Rules”), and by entering agrees to be bound by these 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; ENTRY FEE
Entry Fee
The entry fee for the Contest (the “Entry Fee”) is $15.00 (debit or credit card or check or
cash).
There are two (2) ways to enter the Contest
Online
How to Submit a Photo
Entrants should log on to The McDonough Voice (the “Publication) website at
www.mcdonoughvoice.com (the “Website”) during the Submission Period, complete all the
required information, pay the Entry Fee 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”).
OR
Entry Form
The entry form for the Contest (the “Entry Form”) is available in the Publication beginning December 29, 2012.
The Entry Fee, 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 following address:
203 N. Randolph St. Macomb, IL 61455. For Print Entry Materials submitted through
postal mail, the only acceptable method of payment of the Entry Fee is a check. Credit
card information and cash should not be sent through postal mail.
2. Hand-Deliver: Entrants should hand-deliver the Print Entry Materials to the
Publication located at 203 N. Randolph St. in Macomb. The offices of the Publication
are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. CST, 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 11:59 P.M. CST ON JANUARY 13, 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 showcase to the Publication audience a “cute baby” (the “Baby” or “Babies”).
2.The Baby in the Photo must be under the age of twenty-four (24) months as of January 31, 2012.
3.Entry of the Photo in the Contest must be authorized by the parent or legal guardian of the baby (the “Consent”). The Entrant will be required to submit the Consent to GateHouse Media upon request.
4.Professional photos will not be accepted. Photos must have been taken by the Entrant and cannot be the product of a professional photographer (e.g. Wal-Mart, Sears, JC Penney, Kmart, Target, a portrait studio or any professional photographer, paid or unpaid).
5.Entrants are limited to one (1) entry during the Submission Period.
6.The Photo must not have been published or be under consideration for publication or prizes elsewhere.
7.The Photo must be of the Baby only. No other persons should appear in the Photo.
8.All Babies must be wearing a minimum of a full coverage diaper in the Photo.
9.The Photo must be in natural color or black and white. Sepia tone and duotone Photos are not acceptable.
10.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, the judges reserve the right to disqualify the Photo.
11.By entering the Contest, Entrant represents, acknowledges and warrants that the submitted Photo is an original work created solely by the Entrant, that the Photo does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim or interest in the Photo.
12.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.
13.If the Photo contains any material or elements 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.
14.All Photos become the property of GateHouse Media and may be used by GateHouse for marketing or any other commercial purpose. The Photos will not be returned to the Entrant.
VOTING PHASE
All Photos submitted during the Submission Period will appear on the Website beginning
January 14, 2012. Members of the general public will be invited to view the Photos
by going to the Website and following the instructions beginning at 12:01 a.m. CST
on January 14, 2012 and ending at 11:59 p.m. CST on January 29, 2012 (the “Voting
Phase”), and vote for the Baby they think is the “cutest” (the “Vote” or “Votes”). Voting
is limited to persons eighteen (18) years of age or older (“Voter” or “Voters”). The use
of any automated system to submit Votes is prohibited and will result in disqualification
of the Votes. GateHouse Media will not be responsible for misdirected Votes. 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,
Voters are limited to ten (10) Votes per day per registered user during the Voting Phase.
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 this Contest.
WINNING PHOTO
At the conclusion of the Voting Phase, the Photo to receive the highest number of Votes
will be declared the winning Photo. In the event of a tie, a random drawing among the
tied Photos will be conducted at the offices of the Publication to determine the winning
Photo.
PRIZE
The Entrant who submitted the winning Photo (the “Winner”) will be awarded a $500 U.S. Savings Bond
(approximate retail value is $250).
Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible Photos and eligible Votes received.
The Winner will be notified by phone or overnight mail in accordance with the contact
information provided on the Entry Form. 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 February 17, 2012. The
offices of the Publication are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. CST, 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,
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.
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 the www.mcdonoughvoice.com
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 January 29, 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 web site 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.mcdonoughvoice.com Privacy Policy as posted on
www.mcdonoughvoice.com.
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 New
York, 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.
NAME OF WINNER
To obtain the name of the winner, contact the Publication at 203 N. Randolph St. Macomb, IL 61455.
SPONSORS
GateHouse Media Holdings, Inc. d/b/a McDonough County Voice, 350 WillowBrook Office Park,
Fairport, New York 14450.
ADMINISTRATOR
The Contest Website is being administered by UPICKEM.
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