NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
Sponsors: The GMA Pet of the Year Contest (“Contest”) is sponsored by Good Morning America ("GMA") and American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (“ABC”) (collectively, the “Sponsors”).
Eligibility: Those who wish to enter the Contest must be legal residents of the forty-eight (48) continental United States or the District of Columbia, eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry (each, an “Entrant”).
Any individuals (including, but not limited to, employees, consultants, independent contractors, and interns) who have, within the past six (6) months, performed services for GMA, ABC, any other organizations responsible for sponsoring, fulfilling, administering, advertising or promoting the Contest or supplying the Prize, and their respective parent, subsidiary, affiliated and successor companies, and immediate family and household members of such individuals, are not eligible to enter or play. "Immediate family members" shall mean parents, stepparents, children, stepchildren, siblings, stepsiblings, or spouses. "Household members" shall mean people who share the same residence at least three (3) months a year.
Contest Entry Period: The Contest entry period begins at 7:00 am Eastern Time ("ET") on Friday, September 27, 2019 and ends at 3:00 pm ET on Friday, November 15, 2019 (the "Entry Period"). Sponsors’ computer is the official clock for this Contest.
How to Enter: During the Entry Period you may enter by: (i) navigating the Internet to the GMA website (www.goodmorningamerica.com) and clicking on the image that refers to GMA Pet of the Year Contest; (ii) navigating directly to www.goodmorningamerica.com/contests; or (iii) scrolling to the bottom of the GMA website homepage and clicking on the “Contests” link at the bottom. Any of the above-mentioned methods will direct you to the contest home page (the “Contest Site”). There you will find instructions on the appropriate and acceptable file formats and sizes for submitting your Contest entry electronically.
Submissions must include the following elements:
A. ESSAY: Compose one (1) essay, of no more than one hundred (100) words in length, responding to the following prompt: “Tell us why your pet deserves to be named GMA’s Pet of the Year!” (“Essay”). Essay must be submitted in English.
B. PHOTO/VIDEO: One (1) photo (“Photo”) or video submission of up to sixty seconds (:60) in length (“Video”) introducing us your amazing pet! Your Photo or Video may include other people, but prior consent must be obtained for all persons featured. Minors must have permission from a parent or legal guardian to appear in the Photo or Video.
Photos must be in JPEG, PNG or GIF format, and up to 50MB in size. Videos must be in MOV, MP4 or MPG format, and up to 0.2GB in size.
You must be the actual owner of the pet entered into this Contest.
A properly-submitted Essay and Photo/Video shall constitute a valid “Entry” into the Contest. Limit one (1) Entry per email address during the Entry Period. Entries must be received during the Entry Period.
Sponsors, in their sole discretion, may disqualify any Entry that is deemed inappropriate, illegal or offensive, or otherwise not considered a valid Entry, and the Entrants of such disqualified entries will not be eligible to win the Prize.
You warrant and represent that your Entry and all of the materials submitted by you (e.g., Video, Photo, and Essay) are truthful and original to you (and not based on or derived from any other materials), that you own all necessary rights in and to the Essay and Photo/Video, which are fully transferable, and that you are not subject to any agreement which would interfere with your ability to grant all of the rights to be provided hereunder. Accordingly, you further warrant and represent that: 1) you have the right to enter into the Contest and grant the rights hereunder without the need for permission from or payment to any other party; and 2) the exercise of the rights set forth in these Official Rules by Sponsors will not violate any third-party rights and will not violate any contractual obligations or confidential relationships which you may have to or with any third party. Photo/Video should not contain any third-party logos, brands, products, trademarks or copyrighted material or you may risk disqualification. This means that no one in your Photo/Video should wear any clothing or hats containing third party logos or trademarks.
You may not submit your Entry materials in any other contest or promotion.
Upon submission of all the required Entry materials, you will receive one (1) Entry into the Contest. You will see a thank you message on your screen indicating that you have successfully entered. You will not receive a further acknowledgement, and your Entry will not be returned. Free internet access is available at most public libraries. Submit the Essay and Photo/Video, along with your name and email address. Entries remain the property of Sponsors.
All Entries must be submitted in compliance with these Official Rules, and all incomplete Entries will be disqualified. Proof of entering information at the Contest Site or registration form is not considered proof of delivery to or receipt by Sponsors of such Entry. Personal information collected in connection with this Contest will be used in accordance with ABC.com’s privacy policy, available at http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/pp.html.
You may be asked to consent to receive promotional emails and reminder emails from the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) Family of Sites or from third parties. Consenting to receive promotional or reminder emails is optional and does not have to be agreed upon in order to be eligible to participate in the Contest and does not improve your chances of winning. In the event you do consent to receive these emails, the use of such emails shall be subject to the privacy policy of ABC.com or the designated promotional partner, depending upon which promotions you consent to receive, and you may opt out of receiving these emails at any time.
Sponsors can provide no technical support and accept no responsibility for insuring the receipt or successful submission of your Entry. Mass Entries or Entries generated by a script, macro or use of automated methods will be disqualified.
Judging Procedure, Notification and Finalists Judging: Eligible Entries will be judged by staff designated by GMA (“Judges”). Eligible entries will be judged on the basis of potential for on-air appeal, compelling nature of story, overall readability of essay, creativity and enthusiasm. Decisions of the judges are final as to all Contest-related matters, including, without limitation, in case of a tie. As part of the judging process, judges may contact Entrants to request additional information in assessing potential for on-air appeal and compelling nature of Entrant’s story.
Up to ten (10) finalists will be asked to appear on GMA as a “Finalist”, with their pets, for the announcement of the winner! Exact number of Finalists may vary and is subject to Sponsors’ sole discretion.
Notification to Entrants if they have been selected as a Finalist shall be no later than November 15, 2019.
In the event that a selected Finalist’s Entry is deemed ineligible, fails to comply with Contest procedures, such Entrant is not available to participate in the on-air announcement of the winner during specified dates, or does not respond to Sponsors’ notification that he/she has been selected to appear as a Finalist within forty-eight (48) hours after the initial notification phone call or email, then such Entrant shall be disqualified, any opportunity to be a Finalist will be forfeited, and another Entrant may be selected to be a Finalist, time permitting, or Sponsor reserves the right to terminate the Contest or segment at its sole discretion.
On or about the week of November 18, 2019 (exact air-date to be determined by Sponsor), all Finalists will be invited to appear live on GMA for the hosts’ announcement of 2019’s GMA Pet of the Year.
Each Finalist, one (1) guest and the Finalist’s pet will be flown to New York City to appear on GMA. All travel itineraries and taping dates will be determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. Finalists will need to be available to travel to the GMA studios in New York, NY on the dates designated by Sponsor (currently the week of November 18, 2019). If a Finalist and/or Finalist’s pet cannot travel during the dates assigned, and refuses the travel itinerary provided, he or she will forfeit his or her spot in the Contest and Sponsor may select an alternate Finalist (time permitting) in its sole discretion. All Finalists must appear on GMA in order for his or her pet to be considered GMA’s Pet of the Year.
Pet-friendly hotel accommodations for one (1) night (standard room based on double occupancy) will be provided for the Finalist and guest for the applicable segment taping. If, in the judgment of Sponsor, air travel and hotel is not required due to Finalist's proximity to New York City, ground transportation may be substituted for roundtrip air travel at Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion and no hotel stay will be provided. Finalists may be required to provide a credit card at the time of hotel check-in. Transportation carrier and hotel regulations and conditions apply. Finalist and guest must travel together on same itinerary and possess all required travel documents. All other expenses not specifically referenced herein will be the sole responsibility of the Finalist.
NOTE: ALL TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FINALISTS’ PETS SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE CARRIER’S POLICIES AND RESTRICTIONS. IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR TRAVEL, YOUR PET MUST BE OF A BREED AND SIZE PERMITTED TO TRAVEL VIA STANDARD AIRLINES OR BE PERMITTED TO FLY AS A REGISTERED SERVICE OR SUPPORT ANIMAL. FINALISTS SHALL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY NECESSARY REGISTRATIONS, VACCINATIONS, MEDICATIONS, TRAVEL CONTAINERS OR OTHER REQUIREMENTS NECESSARY FOR PET’S TRAVEL. IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT YOUR PET IS NOT PERMITTED TO TRAVEL VIA SPONSPOR’S DESIGNATED CARRIER, AND CANNOT MAKE ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS TO ATTEND THE DESIGNATED GMA BROADCAST, YOU UNFORTUNATELY WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN THIS CONTEST.
SPONSORS SHALL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR HEALTH OR SAFETY OF YOUR PET DURING TRAVEL.
Any appearance on GMA is subject to availability. Sponsor is not responsible for cancellation or preemption of show or for other circumstances that make it impractical or impossible to fulfill this element of the Contest. If, for whatever reason, a segment or program is cancelled or rescheduled, no compensation will be paid in lieu of any cancelled or rescheduled show. No responsibility is assumed by Sponsor if a show is cancelled, rescheduled, delayed or postponed, in whole or in part.
The winner is the Entrant whose Entry receives the highest score by the judges (“Winner”), as determined in the Sponsors’ sole discretion, and Winner’s pet shall be declared the GMA Pet of the Year! Winner will be selected and notified that he or she has won live on GMA on or about November 18, 2019.
The Winner of this Contest has the honorary title of GMA’s Pet of the Year for 2019 bestowed upon his or her beloved pet (“Prize”).
This Prize has no approximate retail value.
Winner is not entitled to exchange or transfer prizes or to obtain cash or other substitutes, but Sponsors, in their sole discretion, may substitute prizes of equal or greater value. Federal, state and local taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the Winner, who will receive an IRS Form 1099 reflecting the final actual value of any prize valued at Six Hundred Dollars ($600.00) or more. Winner must submit a valid, executed IRS form W-9 to receive Prize.
Releases: By participating, Entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsors/Judges, which shall be final in all respects. By entering the Contest, Entrants and Winner agree to execute any and all paperwork requested by the Sponsors – which may include, but is not limited to, a background check prior to any online or on-air appearance of Winner or Winner's submission, or related materials. Submissions will become the sole property of ABC, which may reprint or otherwise exploit the entry in any manner, in any media in perpetuity, without any further obligation or compensation to the Entrants or any third party. Winner may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility, release and indemnification within seven (7) days of notification of winning. By participating in this contest and accepting any prize that they may win, Winner agrees to release American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., its respective parent, subsidiary, affiliated and successor companies, advertising and promotion agencies and prize providers, and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees, as well as each of their respective successors, representatives and assigns (collectively, the "Released Parties") from any and all actions, claims, injury, loss or damage arising in any manner, directly or indirectly, from participation in this Contest and/or acceptance or use of any prize and/or any prize-related activity.
Entrants authorize the Released Parties to use their name, voice, likeness, biographical data, city and state of residence and Entry materials in programming or promotional material in any and all media currently in existence or hereafter created, worldwide in perpetuity, or on a winner's list, if applicable, without further compensation unless prohibited by law. Sponsors are not obligated to use any of the above-mentioned information or materials, but may do so and may edit such information or materials, at Sponsors’ sole discretion, without further obligation or compensation.
By submitting Entry materials, Entrants certify that such materials are original and created by Entrant, that Entrants have the necessary rights, permission and authority to submit such materials, and, if applicable, that Entrants maintain a valid copyright in the materials. Entrants acknowledge that such materials may be included and/or discussed in a broadcast, that such discussion may include statements or opinions by the broadcast talent or others about the Entrants, the Entrants’ appearances and/or the materials, and that those statements and opinions may be considered surprising, humiliating, embarrassing, derogatory, defamatory or otherwise offensive or injurious to them, Sponsors’ employees, the studio or at-home audience and/or other third parties. Entrants release the Released Parties from any actions, claims, injury, loss or damage allegedly caused, directly or indirectly, by any such statements or opinions made during a broadcast.
Sponsors are not responsible for failed, partial or garbled computer transmissions, or for technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to electronic malfunction or damage of any network, hardware or software.
Winner will be announced on-air on GMA and/or online on Contest Site and/or GMA social media accounts, and/or Sponsors may make recordings of the Winner receiving the Prize, which recordings may appear on-air on GMA and/or online on Contest Site and/or GMA social media accounts, and/or Winner may be invited to appear on-air during the Prize trip. Any announcement or appearance on-air or online is subject to availability. Prize is subject to availability. Sponsors are not responsible for cancellation or preemption of the Contest or the program or for other circumstances that make it impractical or impossible to fulfill this element of the Prize. This element of the Prize has no approximate retail value, and if it becomes impractical or impossible to fulfill this element, Sponsors’ only obligation will be to provide the remainder of the Prize, if any. Prize elements may not be separated.
In the sole discretion of Sponsors, Entrants’ submitted Essay and/or Photo/Video may be featured in videotaped and/or live broadcast segments on GMA and/or online on Contest Site and/or GMA social media accounts, or may be used in connection with the marketing and advertising of the Contest or GMA by any means or method whether now known or hereafter devised and in all media, including, but not limited to online or social media, worldwide in perpetuity. If featured or used, Sponsors reserve the right to edit any submission materials in their sole discretion.
To claim Prize: (a) Winner must provide proof of age, identity and residency and (b) Winner must sign and return affidavit of eligibility/compliance with these Contest Rules, publicity/liability release and indemnification within the time period specified by Sponsors.
Miscellaneous; Winner Posting: Void where prohibited. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.
Sponsors reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and to cancel, terminate, modify and/or suspend the Contest in the event of tampering or other circumstances, including but not limited to acts of God or civil disturbance that render it impractical or impossible to complete or fulfill the Contest as originally planned.
Official Rules will be posted on www.goodmorningamerica.com; the name of the Winner may be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope by December 18, 2019 to Good Morning America, 47 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023.