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My Favorite Teacher Contest 2019 – Official Rules

Official rules for this contest.

My Favorite Teacher Contest
Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN, NOR WILL A PURCHASE IMPROVE ONE’S CHANCES OF WINNING. 

NO INFORMATION MAY BE SUBMITTED ONLINE FROM ANYONE UNDER 13. ANYONE UNDER 13 WHO WISHES TO ENTER SHOULD ENTER BY MAIL OR HAVE A PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN SUBMIT THE ONLINE ENTRY FORM. ALL FORMS MUST BE FILLED OUT COMPLETELY AND TRUTHFULLY. FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE ENTRY FORM AND PROVIDE TRUTHFUL AND PERTINENT INFORMATION MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION FROM THE CONTEST. DISQUALIFICATION IS IN THE SOLE DISCRETION OF SPONSOR (defined below).

Sponsor will conduct the My Favorite Teacher Contest (“Contest”) substantially as described in these Official Rules (“Rules”).  Participation in the Contest constitutes Student’s (defined below) full and unconditional agreement to, and acceptance of, these Rules.   The Contest is intended for play in the United States only and is void where prohibited and outside the Contest area set forth below.  Do not participate if you are not eligible and located in the United States at the time of entry.

  1.  Eligibility:  Student entrants must be a legal U.S. resident and reside in the Davenport, IA – Moline, IL – Rock Island, IL Designated Market Area as defined by The Nielsen Company (the “Contest Area”). The Contest Area includes the Illinois counties of Jo Daviess, Carroll, Whiteside, Bureau, Henry, Rock Island, Mercer, Knox, Henderson, Warren, and Knox, and the Iowa counties of Jackson, Clinton, Scott, Muscatine, Louisa, Des Moines, and Henry. The entrant must also currently be a student in kindergarten – 12th grade at a public or private school located in the Contest Area (“Student”).

The teacher nominated by the Student (the “Teacher”) must currently be teaching (at the time of nomination and at the time the prize is awarded) in a public or private grade school, middle school, or high school located in the Contest Area.

A Student may nominate his or her current Teacher or a Teacher the Student has had in the past.

Employees of WQAD News 8, Tribune Media Company, and Blackhawk Bank & Trust (collectively, the “Sponsor”), employees of other television or radio stations, and members of the immediate families of such persons are not eligible to participate as either the Student submitting the entry or the nominated Teacher.  The term “immediate family” includes spouses, siblings, parents, children, grandparents and grandchildren, and any other person residing at the same household whether or not related.  Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

  1. Contest Period: The Contest begins on Monday, December 31, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. CT and ends on Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. CT (the “Contest Period”).
  2.  Contest Entry:  There are two ways to enter—online and by mail. All entries must include an essay by the Student about “What makes this Teacher so outstanding?” (the “Essay”). To enter online, visit the contest section of WQAD.COM and accurately complete the online entry form, including the Essay. The Essay must be in English. Please note that online entries may submitted only by Students who are 13 or older. If a student under the age of 13 wishes to enter online, the Student’s parent or legal guardian must submit the Student’s entry on behalf of the student. If the parent or legal guardian submits the entry, the Essay must nonetheless be entirely the work of the Student. WQAD will not accept online entries submitted by Students who are under the age of 13.

To enter by mail, print the entry form located in the contest section of WQAD.com and mail the complete entry form to the following address:

My Favorite Teacher Contest
3003 Park 16th Street
Moline, Illinois  61265

Mailed entry forms must include the following information: Student’s name, address, phone, current school and current grade, Teacher’s name, Teacher’s school, and teacher’s grade. Emailed or hand delivered entries must be received by the end of the Contest Period (1/31/19).

Mailed entries must be postmarked by the end of the Contest Period (1/31/19) and received by mail no later than 5 p.m. CT on February 4, 2019.

Limit one entry per Student, regardless of method of entry. Do not submit the Student’s email address in any entry, whether online or by mail.

  1. Submitted Materials: By submitting an Essay, the Student (and the parent or legal guardian who submits an entry on behalf of Student) represents and warrants that the Student has all rights necessary to submit the Essay, and that the Essay is the Student’s own original creation, has not been previously published, does not violate the rights of any other person or company (including but not limited to privacy and copyrights), does not defame, libel, or slander anyone or any entity, does not contain inappropriate, offensive, indecent, vulgar, obscene or profane content, and in no other way violates any applicable laws, as determined by Sponsor. The Essay must not portray any dangerous activity; must not disparage a Teacher, school, school employee, or Sponsor; must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, lewd, pornographic, obscene, hateful, tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous; must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age; and must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of, or contrary to the laws or regulations in any jurisdiction where the Essay is created. Essays that do not comply with these Official Rules or the foregoing representations and warranties will be disqualified, and Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entry at any time that in Sponsor’s opinion does not comply with these Official Rules. Each Student (and the parent or legal guardian who submits an entry on behalf of Student) agrees to indemnify, defend and hold Sponsor harmless against any and all liabilities, losses, damages, claims, debts, investigations, fines, penalties, costs, expenses and settlements (including attorneys’ fees and costs of litigation, settlement, judgment, interest and penalties) arising out of or related to a breach of the foregoing representations and warranties. By submitting an entry, each Student (and the parent or legal guardian who submits an entry on behalf of Student) grants to the Sponsor a world-wide, perpetual, non-revocable, royalty-free license to publish his/her Essay as well as derivative works based thereon through all media, now known or hereafter devised, in any manner related to the Contest, without prior notice, approval or compensation. Students otherwise will retain all rights to their respective Essays.

 

  1. Selection and Notification of Winners: After the close of the Contest Period, a panel of judges from Sponsor will judge the submitted, eligible Essays and select five winning Essays The judges will select the winners based on the following criteria: communicating how the Teacher goes above and beyond to impact the lives of his or her students, communicating specific examples showing what the Teacher did to impact the Student’s life, and the level of Student’s appreciation. If there is a tie for the fifth winning position, the judges will re-judge the tied Essays to determine the winner.

Five winners will be selected and the Sponsor will attempt to contact the winning Teacher’s school to make arrangements to film a surprise visit from the Sponsor and winning Student sometime during 2/5/19 and 3/8/19 (the “Prize Event”).  News stories announcing the verified winning Students/Teachers will take place the week of March 11, 2019 and air one per day Monday – Friday during Good Morning Quad Cities (4:30 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.).

Winning Students (and the Teachers they nominated) will be disqualified and an alternate winner may be selected by applying the criteria set forth above to all remaining eligible, non-winning entries if: (a) the Student or the winning Teacher’s school cannot be contacted/does not respond within 48 hours of Sponsor’s first notification attempt; (b) winning Student or Teacher does not fulfill the eligibility requirements; (c) winning Student or Teacher does not adhere to the Official Rules; (d) required documents and/or required identification are not provided by winning Student or Teacher by deadline established by Sponsor; and/or (e) prize notification is returned as undeliverable, refused or declined. WQAD may film and broadcast the Prize Event (defined below) in the winning Teacher’s school. Each school shall be responsible for securing permission from any student, staff, or faculty member recognizably depicted in the video package. All students within the classroom may be required to return a waiver form and/or permission slip signed by a parent or guardian prior to the date of the Prize Event. If a Teacher or School is not willing to cooperate or the principal of a winning Teacher’s school is not otherwise willing to allow his or her school to appear on-air, that winning Student and Teacher will be disqualified and an alternate winner will be determined as set forth above, time permitting. Winning Student and Teacher must conform to generally accepted broadcast standards (determined in the sole discretion of Sponsor) and dress appropriately for school in order to participate in the Prize Event.

  1.  Prize: Each Teacher will receive a personalized desk trophy, a basket of logo items from Blackhawk Bank and Trust including a $25 VISA Gift Card. Approximate retail value (“ARV”) = $100. Total ARV of all Teacher prizes = $500.

Each winning Student will receive a gift basket of promotional items from Blackhawk Bank and Trust including a $50 VISA Gift Card. ARV = $100. Total ARV of all Student prizes = $500.

  1.  Prize Acceptance/Restrictions:  Only one winner per household. Winners are subject to verification by WQAD of the winner’s name, age, address, phone number, and Social Security number (where the prize value is equal to or greater than $600.00). Winning Students and Teachers (and parents or legal guardians of Student winners who are minors) will be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability and Publicity, and may be required to provide a completed W-9, per Section 9 below and each must do so within seven days of the date Sponsor sends such documents to winning Student and Teacher.  Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash or substituted for any other items by any winner.  Prizes are non-assignable and non-transferrable.  Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a comparable prize of like or greater value, including cash, for any prize, for any reason.  Costs of transportation and accommodations, where applicable, and any other cost not specifically included in the prize are the sole responsibility of the winners. All properly claimed prizes will be awarded, provided a sufficient number of eligible entries are received.
  2. Publicity Release: By participating in the Contest, each Student (and the parent or legal guardian who submits an entry on behalf of Student) acknowledges that his/her entry in the Contest constitutes that Student’s consent (and the consent of the parent or legal guardian who submits an entry on behalf of Student) to use, publish, reproduce and for all purposes, including publicity, promotion and advertising, in any media (including without limitation, the Internet, television or offline promotions) in connection with the Contest, each winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions, and/or hometown and state, and any portion thereof, each extending throughout the universe and in perpetuity without further compensation, credit or right of review or approval, except where prohibited by law.
  3. Taxes: Any valuation of the prize(s) stated above is based on available information provided to WQAD News 8, and the value of any prize awarded to a winner may be reported for tax purposes as required by law.  All taxes, including federal, state, and local taxes, are the sole responsibility of the winner.  Any person winning over $600.00 in total prizes will receive a 1099 form from Sponsor at the end of the calendar year and a copy of such form should be filed with the IRS.  Each winner must provide Sponsor with valid identification, and a valid taxpayer identification number or Social Security number for total prizes valued at $600.00 or more, before any prize will be awarded.  Sponsor will have the right, but not the obligation, to require any winner to complete and submit an IRS form W-9.  Sponsor reserves the right to withhold prizes until the completed W‑9 form is received.
  4. Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Contest or any portion hereof, or to disqualify any individual implicated in any of the following actions, if for any reason:  (a) infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, actions by Students, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which, in Sponsor’s sole opinion, corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest, (b) the Contest or any website associated therewith (or any portion thereof) becomes corrupted or does not allow the proper processing of entries per these Rules, (c) the Contest becomes corrupted due to interruption in wireless calling devices or wireless service for any reason, or (d) the Contest is otherwise not capable of running as planned.  By entering, Students (and parents/legal guardians who enter on behalf of Students) represent that the Student is eligible and agree to be bound by and comply with the Rules and the decisions of any judges, which are final on all matters pertaining to the Contest.  Any Student (or parents/legal guardians who enters on behalf of the Student) who attempts to tamper with this Contest in any way or use fraudulent means to participate in and/or win the Contest will be disqualified.  Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Student at any time, for any reason, including, without limitation, language, activities or behavior deemed inappropriate. If a dispute arises regarding compliance with these Official Rules, Sponsor may consider, in its sole discretion, data reasonably available to Sponsor through information technology systems in Sponsor’s control, but Sponsor will not be obligated to consider any data or other information collected from any other source. Sponsor and their advertising and promotion agencies are not responsible for cancellations, postponements, or delays.  Other than the prizes received by the winner, no Student will be entitled to receive any wages, benefits, fees or other compensation whatsoever as a result of participating in the Contest.  Sponsor will have the sole discretion to administer the Contest and interpret and apply the Rules.  Neither the failure of Sponsor to insist upon or enforce strict performance of any provision of these Rules nor the failure, delay or omission by Sponsor in exercising any right with respect to any term of these Rules, will be construed as a waiver or relinquishment to any extent of Sponsor’s right to assert or rely upon any such provision or right in that or any other instance. If there is any conflict between any term of these Rules and any marketing or entry materials used in connection with the Contest, the terms of these Rules will govern.
  5. Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, Students (and the parent or legal guardian who submits an entry on behalf of Student) agree: (a) to the Rules and decisions of Sponsor, which will be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless WQAD, Tribune Media Company, and their respective affiliates, parents, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, officers, directors, employees, representatives, and agents (the “Released Parties”) from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons, including but not limited to invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property rights, death or property damage resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, delivery, possession, misuse or use of a prize (including any travel or activity related thereto), or from participation in and/or entry into or creation of an entry for the Contest and/or the broadcast or exploitation or use of entry or any other Contest-related activity; and (c) that the Released Parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.
  6. Limitation of Liability: The Released Parties are not responsible or liable for: (a) any incorrect or inaccurate entry information or other errors in the printing, offering or administration of the Contest or in the announcement of the prize(s), (b) any error, omission, interruption, defect or delay in operation or transmission at any website, or wireless calling service, interrupted or unavailable network, server or other conditions, (d) failure of any entry to be received by Sponsor due to technical problems, telephone service problems, human error, or wireless calling service, (d) communication line, hardware and/or software failures, malfunction of phones (including wireless phones/handsets), phone lines, other communications malfunctions, unavailable network connections, cellular equipment towers, telephone systems or wireless service, (e) mechanical, technical, computer, hardware or software errors, malfunctions, or failures of any kind, including but not limited to failed, incomplete, garbled, or delayed transmission of entries, traffic congestion, viruses, sabotage, satellite failures, electrical outages, on telephone lines, on the Internet, at any website, or application or lost or unavailable network connections or natural disasters or acts of God or man, which may limit an entrant’s ability to participate in the Contest; (f) damage to any computer (software or hardware) resulting from participation in the Contest, or damage to mobile phone or other PDA device, (g) theft or destruction of, tampering with, unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries and/or entry information, (h) entries which are late, lost, stolen, damaged, illegible, and/or unintelligible (or any combination thereof), or (i) any change of email address, mailing address, telephone number and/or any other contact information provided by Student.  Any expenses incurred by the Student during the entry process, including but not limited to postage, are the sole responsibility of each Student and the Sponsor will not issue reimbursement for any expenses.
  7. In Case of Dispute: By entering the Contest, Students (and the parent or legal guardian who submits an entry on behalf of Student) agree that: (a) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Contest, or prize awarded, will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (b) any and all claims, judgments and awards will be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering the Contest but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (c) under no circumstances will any Student be permitted to obtain any award for, and Student hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses. Some states do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you in whole or in part. All Students (and the parent or legal guardian who submits an entry on behalf of Student) agree, by participation in the Contest, to submit to the personal jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located in Illinois, which will be the exclusive fora for any dispute regarding any Rule or activity associated with the Contest. Illinois law will govern this Contest, without regard Illinois’s choice of law rules.
  8. Official Rules: To request a copy of the Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to WQAD News 8, located at 3003 Park 16th Street, Moline, IL by 3/31/19.  Written copies of these Rules are also available during normal business hours (Monday – Friday, between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) at WQAD’s business offices or online at http://www.wqad.com.
  9. Names of Winners: For a list of prize winners, send a separate, self-addressed, stamped envelope to WQAD News 8, located at 3003 Park 16th Street, Moline, IL, or appear in person at that location between normal business hours (Monday – Friday, between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) after 3/15/19. Requests must be received by no later than 60 days after the end of the Contest Period.
  10. Rights Reserved: The content, information, data, designs and code associated with the Contest and Contest website are protected by intellectual property and other laws. Any unauthorized use of copyrighted materials, trademarks, or any other intellectual property of Sponsors.

 

  1. Sponsor:

WQAD, 3003 Park 16th Street, Moline, IL 61265;

Blackhawk Bank & Trust, 223 West 4th Street, Milan, IL 61264.

 

 

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