Cutest Pet Contest

Official Rules

Description of Contest. The News-Gazette and news-gazette.com are sponsoring this contest to find the cutest pet and to support the Vermilion County Animal Shelter and the Champaign County Humane Society. Contestants shall provide pictures of their pet, the pictures will be posted online and in the newspaper and viewers will vote for the cutest. The winners receive prizes. Viewers are also invited to donate to either Humane Society without either entering the contest or voting.

How to Enter. To enter of online, contestants must complete the online entry form available at www. news-gazette.com/petcontest pay a nonrefundable $5 entry fee, and upload the picture of their pet to the contest using a .jpeg or .jpg format. Other file types are not accepted. To enter by mail, contestants must complete the entry form published in The News-Gazette, pay a nonrefundable $5 entry fee, and mail in a picture of their pet to the contest. If contestant wants the picture returned, then the contestant must supply a self-addressed stamped envelop with the entry.

The News-Gazette shall be the sole judge of which pictures will be subject to voting. The format and order of the posted pictures shall be decided in the sole discretion of The News-Gazette. If a picture is not chosen for publishing, the entry fee remains nonrefundable. Contestants may make multiple entries of the same pet using different photos or may enter more than one pet. Entries will be accepted at any time on or before June 30, 2015. The News-Gazette may extend that deadline in its sole discretion.

Eligibility. Contestants must be 18 years of age or older. By entering, contestants agree to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of The News-Gazette, Inc. on all matters, including, but not limited to, the verification of winners, the interpretation or modification of these rules, the creation of further rules, and the resolution of any disputes related to this contest. The News-Gazette, Inc. has sole authority to run the contest, resolve all disputes and make or modify any rules.

Voting. Voters will be asked to pay to cast a vote, either online or through the mail. The News-Gazette will in its sole discretion determine how much to charge for a vote. Automated voting of any kind is not allowed. Detection of said automated voting will lead to votes being voided. Only one registered account per voter. If multiple accounts are detected for a single voter, they will be disabled and votes disqualified.

Voting may be divided into various rounds, in the sole discretion of The News-Gazette to narrow down the pictures.

Winners. Winners will be chosen from those pictures receiving the most online votes, and any other factors as determined in the sole discretion of The News-Gazette. If the same pet has multiple photos, the vote totals will not be combined.

The News-Gazette reserves the right to restrict the local winners to only persons whose primary residence is within a 60-mile radius of the affiliate's' office.

The winners will be contacted on or about a week following the end of voting. Winners will be notified by email or other means of contact. If a winner is unreachable after seven (7) days, or if that winner is unavailable for prize fulfillment, an alternate winner will be selected. If The News-Gazette cannot find an eligible winner for the prize, that prize will not be awarded. All results posted are unofficial until winners respond to notification.

No contestant may receive more than one prize per pet.

Each winner, by acceptance of the prize, agrees to release The News-Gazette, all Sponsors, and their parent and subsidiary companies, their officers, directors, employees, agents, shareholders, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, and advertising agencies from all liability, claims, or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages, or losses to persons and property which may be sustained in connection with the receipt, ownership, or use of the prize.

Prizes. There will be 1st through 5th place prizes. The prizes will range in value from $50 to $500.

Prizes are non-refundable, may not be redeemed for cash, and are non-transferrable. The News-Gazette reserves the right to substitute any prize with another prize of equal or greater value.

Taxes applicable to the prizes are the sole responsibility of the winner.

The awarding of the prizes shall end The News-Gazette, Inc.'s responsibility to the winner.

The News-Gazette, Inc. and all participating sponsors of the contest, assume no responsibility for the prizes after they are awarded to the winners, and expressly disclaim any liability with respect to the use, ownership, and operation of any prizes awarded. No warranties, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, are made with respect to the prizes.

Rights of The News-Gazette. All decisions of The News-Gazette are final and binding on all parties. Interpretation of rules or creation of further rules may have retroactive effect. The News-Gazette may change the rules and may resolve all disputes within its sole discretion.

The period of the contest shall be set in the sole discretion of The News-Gazette.

Other than donations specifically designated for one or both Humane Societies that are neither an entry fee nor a voting fee, the amount to be donated to either charity shall be made in the sole discretion of The News-Gazette.

The News-Gazette reserves the right to cancel the entire contest at any time without notice or to disqualify any sponsor or contestant for a prize in its sole discretion.

Contestants further grant to The News-Gazette the right to use and publish their proper name online and in print, or through any other media, in connection with the Contest. The News-Gazette reserves the right to use any and all information related to the Contest, including information on contestants obtained through the contest, for marketing purposes or any other purpose.

The photos submitted become the property of The News-Gazette, Inc. hard copies of photos will only be returned if the contestants supplies a self-addressed stamped envelope with the submitted photo.

The Contest and all of the related pages, contents and code are copyright, UPICKEM, and/or The News-Gazette. Copying or unauthorized use of any copyrighted materials, trademarks or any other intellectual property without the express written consent of its owner is strictly prohibited.

UPICKEM and Champaign News-Gazette are not responsible for Internet crashes or slowdowns caused by network congestion, viruses, sabotage, satellite failures, phone line failures, electrical outages, natural disasters or acts of man or God.

A copy of these rules are available at www. news-gazette.com/petcontest.