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Photo Contest

Photo Contest Rules

2023 AKC Photo Contest

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  MANY WILL ENTER, FEW WILL WIN.  A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.  INTERNET ACCESS AND EMAIL ADDRESS REQUIRED. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS WILL APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

  1. Eligibility: The 2023 AKC Photo Contest (the “Contest”) is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, who are at least eighteen (18) years of age or the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence, whichever is greater, at the time of entry. Employees of The American Kennel Club, Inc. and its affiliated companies (“Contest Entities”) as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members are not eligible to enter. Participation in the Contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to this Contest. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited by law.
  2. Sponsor: The American Kennel Club, Inc., 101 Park Avenue, New York, NY
  3. Agreement to Official Rules and Policies: By participating, entrants agree to abide by and be bound by these Official Rules. The decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all respects. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.
  4. Contest Period: The Contest begins on April 15, 2023, at 6:00am ET and ends on February 7, 2024 (the “Contest Period”) at 11:59 pm ET.  Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for this Contest. All entries must be postmarked by January 31, 2024.
  5. How to Enter:
    a.The entry must be mailed to:

American Kennel Club
Attn: AKC Publications Photo Contest
101 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10178

Or emailed to: photocontest@akc.org

Each entrant may submit only one (1) black-and-white and/or one (1) color photo.  All entrants who submit more than one (1) color and/or one (1) black-and-white photo will be disqualified.  All entries, once submitted, become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.  Use of any automated system or of multiple accounts to enter the Contest is prohibited and may result in disqualification.  Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible or misdirected entries, which will be disqualified.

b. Requirements for entry:

Entries must have the name, address, and phone number of the entrant and the breed of dog(s), taped securely to the back of the print or included in the email. Entries received without this information will not be considered.

  1. Entries must be either unmatted prints at least 5″ x 7″ in size or high-resolution (300 dpi) digital photos. Photocopies will not be accepted.
  2. The photo submitted must be entrant’s original, nonprofessional, previously unpublished creation owned solely by the entrant.
  3. No official dog show “win shots” will be accepted.
  4. Entrant must have permission from the owners of all dogs and any individuals that appear in the photo to use their name and likenesses in the photo and to grant the rights set forth herein. If requested, entrant must be able to provide such permissions in a form acceptable to Sponsor.
  5. Only previously unpublished photos may be entered.
  6. The photo submitted must demonstrate the Contest theme, which is “My Dog’s Job.”
  7. The photo submitted must not be derogatory, offensive, threatening, defamatory, disparaging, libelous or contain any content that is inappropriate, indecent, sexual, profane, tortious, slanderous, discriminatory in any way or that promotes hatred or harm against any group or person, or otherwise does not comply with the theme and spirit of the Contest.
  8. The photo submitted must not contain material that violates, misappropriates or infringes upon any law or regulation or the rights of any third party including, but not limited to, any copyright, trademark or any rights of publicity or privacy, or any other intellectual property or proprietary rights.
  9. By entering the Contest, entrants warrant and represent that they are the owners of the photo submitted and have obtained all permissions necessary for Sponsor to display, post, publish or use the photo submitted as set forth in these Official Rules and in promotional materials relating thereto including, but not limited to, permission from all persons and owners of dogs depicted in the photo submitted and from any owner or holder of any dog, property, copyrights, trademarks or other rights in materials or other items depicted in the photo submitted.
    c. By entering the Contest, entrants warrant and represent that they are the owners of the photo submitted and have obtained all permissions necessary for Sponsor to display, post, publish or use the photo submitted as set forth in these Official Rules and in promotional materials relating thereto including, but not limited to, permission from all persons and owners of dogs depicted in the photo submitted and from any owner or holder of any dog, property, copyrights, trademarks or other rights in materials or other items depicted in the photo submitted.

6. License to Use Entries: By entering the Contest, all entrants hereby irrevocably grant to Sponsor, its affiliates, licensees, agents and assignees and other working for it or on its behalf a royalty-free, fully paid-up, perpetual, transferable, sublicensable (through multiple tiers), worldwide, non-exclusive license to use, perform, display, reproduce, distribute, modify, make derivative works of, make, have made, sell, offer to sell, import, and otherwise exploit (without limitation as to when or to the number of times used) each element of an entrants’ entry  (including, but not limited to, the photo submitted) in connection with the Contest, the promotion of the Contest, and in any other manner at the discretion of Sponsor in any media now or hereafter known including, but not limited to, on Sponsor’s Web pages, social media pages and other digital media, newsletters, third party sites, print materials, television and other broadcast media, for marketing and/or advertising.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, entrant hereby irrevocably waives all legal and equitable rights relating to all liabilities, claims, demands, actions, suits, damages, and expenses, including but not limited to claims for copyright or trademark infringement, infringement of moral rights, libel, defamation, invasion of any rights of privacy (including intrusion, false light, public disclosure of private facts, and misappropriation of name or likeness), violation of rights of publicity, physical or emotional injury or distress, or any similar claim or cause of action in tort, contract, or any other legal theory, now known or hereafter known in any jurisdiction throughout the world (collectively, “Claims”), arising directly or indirectly from the exercise of rights by Sponsor, its affiliates, licensees, agents and assignees and other working for it or on its behalf under these Rules or the production, exhibition, exploitation, advertising, promotion, or other use of entrant’s entry, and whether resulting in whole or in part from the negligence of Sponsor, its affiliates, licensees, agents and assignees and other working for it or on its behalf, or any other person, and entrant hereby covenants not to make or bring any such Claim against Sponsor, its affiliates, licensees, agents and assignees and other working for it or on its behalf, and forever releases and discharges the Sponsor, its affiliates, licensees, agents and assignees and other working for it or on its behalf from liability under such Claims.

Display or publication of any photo on Sponsor’s Web site does not indicate the entrant will be selected as a winner.  Sponsor will not be required to pay any consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with use of an entry.

7. Winner Determination: Once all entries have been submitted, they will be judged by a qualified panel of judges (to be selected by Sponsor in its sole discretion) at the conclusion of the Contest Period based on the following judging criteria:

  • Creativity (40%)
  • Fit to the Contest theme (30%)
  • Quality of Picture (30%)

In the event of a tie for a potential winner, the head judge will select the potential winner based on Creativity of the photo.

8. Winner Notification: The potential prize winners will be notified by email at the addresses provided on the entry form.  If the potential prize winners cannot be contacted within five (5) days after the date of the first attempt to contact him/her or the prize is returned as undeliverable, the potential prize winner forfeits the prize and Sponsor reserves the right to award the prize to another entrant.  The potential prize winners must continue to comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements.  The prizes will be fulfilled approximately 8-10 weeks after the conclusion of the Contest.  By entering the Contest, entrants agree to the use by Sponsor and its designees of their names, statements and photographs/likenesses for advertising and promotional purposes for this and similar promotions, worldwide, and in perpetuity, in any and all forms of media, now known or hereafter devised (including and without limitation, the Internet) without additional compensation except where prohibited by law.  Upon request, prize winners agree to consent to such request in writing.

9. Prizes: There will be one (1) First Place prize of $500; one (1) Second Place prize of $250; and one (1) Third Place prize of $150. Limit: one (1) prize per person. Prize winners are responsible for all taxes and fees, if any, associated with prize receipt.

10. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures, human error or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.  Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of the Official Rules of this or any other Contest or in an inappropriate, unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.  Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that.

11. Release and Limitations of Liability: By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold the Contest Entities and their respective related companies, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and their respective agents and agencies, promotional partners, and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or use of the prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (b) technical errors related to computers, servers, providers, or telephone or network lines; (c) printing errors; (d) errors in the administration of the Contest; (e) late, lost, stolen, illegible, inaccurate, delayed, misdirected or undeliverable, posts, email, mail; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest. Entrants further agree that in any cause of action, the Released Parties’ liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest and in no event shall the Released Parties be liable for attorney’s fees. Entrants waive the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

12. Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrants agree that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded (“Claims”) shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in New York, New York. All Claims, issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrants, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York and the federal laws of the United States of America without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions, which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than New York.  Entrants agree that: (1) any and all Claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs, but in no event including attorneys’ fees, disbursements or court costs; and (2) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental and consequential damages, and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket costs.

13. Collection and Use of Personal Information: By entering the Contest, entrants agree to Sponsor’s collection, use and disclosure of entrant’s personal information as described in Sponsor’s Privacy Statement, located at  https://www.akc.org/privacy/. and entrants agree that personal data submitted with an entry, including but not limited to name, mailing address, phone number and email address may be collected, processed, shared, disclosed, stored, maintained and otherwise used by Sponsor for the purposes of conducting and administering the Contest; for marketing purposes by the Sponsor if entrant has opted-in to receive marketing communication from Sponsor; and for any other purpose outlined in these Official Rules.

14. Prize Winners List: To request the name of the prize winners, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to American Kennel Club, 101 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10178, before June 1, 2023.  For the prize winners list, you can also send an email to photocontest@akc.org with the subject line “2023 AKC Photo Contest winners.” Prize winners list requests will only be accepted after the end of the Contest Period (listed above). Prize winners expressly agrees to Sponsor’s use of his/her name for this purpose.