“America 250: Through Your Lens” Contest Official Rules

By submitting an entry to the “America 250: Through Your Lens” Contest (the Contest) organized by Community Heart & Soul, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, you agree that you have read, understand, and agree to the following Contest Official Rules (the Rules):

Eligibility

  1. The Contest is open to ALL regardless of residence or citizenship, so long as the laws of their jurisdiction allow participation. Employees of Community Heart & Soul or members of their immediate families (spouse, parent, child, sibling, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) are not eligible.
    • Open to individuals 18 years of age or older who are residents of the United States.
  2. All entrants must submit one or multiple images showcasing the traditions, connections, and spirit that bring people together where they live.
  3. Community Heart & Soul will determine winner eligibility in their sole and absolute discretion. Decisions of Community Heart & Soul are final and binding. Submissions not meeting the entry criteria described here may be disqualified without notice. In the sole discretion of Community Heart & Soul, submissions containing obscene, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content will be disqualified.

Entry and Deadlines

  1. The “America 250: Through Your Lens” Contest submission period ends at noon on July 31st.
  2. The entrant must have the legal right to share and enter the submission.
  3. Community Heart & Soul has final approval of any language or content that appears on www.communityheartandsoul.org and reserves the right to edit image submissions before posting on the website or across social media.
  4. Entrants may withdraw from the Contest by notifying Community Heart & Soul at info@communityheartandsoul.org by July 30th.

Judging and Prizes

  1. The purpose of this contest is to promote positive aspects of communities. The winner will be selected based on criteria such as creativity, emotional appeal, submission quality, compatibility with the values of Community Heart & Soul, and adherence to the Rules.
  2. The winner will be contacted and asked to provide additional context for the image if it was not included with the original submission.
  3. The winning entrant will receive a $400 gift certificate from a local restaurant of their choosing. The winner will be responsible for paying any taxes they may owe on a prize.
  4. The winning submission may be featured on the Community Heart & Soul website, social media profiles, and in additional publications or promotions.
  5. In the event that the selected winner of the prize is ineligible, cannot be traced, or does not respond within 10 business days to a winner notification, the prize will be forfeited, and Community Heart & Soul, in its sole discretion, may choose whether to award the prize to another entrant.

Copyright and Licenses

  1. By entering the Contest, the entrant represents and warrants that (a) he/she/they is the sole owner of, or otherwise have the authority to grant all rights herein granted to Community Heart & Soul; (b) submission(s) submitted does not infringe upon any copyright, trademark, moral rights, rights of privacy, intellectual property rights or other proprietary right of any person or entity, nor does it contain libelous, scandalous or unlawful material.
  2. Submissions that contain any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, including works of art, will be accepted as long as they do not constitute copyright infringement or fraud. It is the sole responsibility of the entrant to determine that submissions to the contest do not constitute copyright violations or fraud, and the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the submission in the manner set forth in the Rules without additional compensation.
  3. If persons appear in the image as part of the contest submission, the entrant, to the degree possible, is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the image in the manner set forth in the Rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any image is under the age of majority in their state/province/country/territory of residence, the signature of a parent or legal guardian should be obtained, if possible. If any subject of an image objects to its publication, Community Heart & Soul reserves the absolute right to remove it from any publications.
  4. By entering the Contest, the entrant retains all rights to the submission and grants to Community Heart & Soul  a nonexclusive worldwide, perpetual, and irrevocable royalty-free license to reproduce, distribute, or publicly display submissions via the Contest and the right to use the entrant’s name, city, state, and country of residence in promotions and publications.

Other Legal Conditions

  1. THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. This contest is governed by the laws of the United States and is subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Entrants agree that, to the extent permitted by law, causes of action arising out of or connected with the Contest shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, before a court of competent jurisdiction located in the State of Vermont, United States of America. In any such dispute, entrants and winners shall, under no circumstances, be entitled to claim punitive, incidental, or consequential damages or any other damages, including attorneys fees, associated with participating in the Contest.
  2. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of completion as planned, Community Heart & Soul reserves the right at their sole discretion to adjust deadlines or cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. In the case of adjustments or cancellations, Community Heart & Soul will notify the public via the website.
  3. By participating, entrants release and hold harmless Community Heart & Soul, its trustees, employees, attorneys, and representatives from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand, or damage of any kind arising from or related to the Contest, any prize won, any use of the entry materials by Community Heart & Soul, or participation in the Contest.
  4. If a dispute arises between the entrant and other third-party claimant, the sole remedy on behalf of Community Heart & Soul is immediate removal of the submission from any channels where a submission has been posted by Community Heart & Soul (such as website or social media).
  5. Community Heart & Soul assumes no responsibility for any problems with or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any electronic entry to be received on account of any electronic malfunctions, including technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrants’ or other persons’ computers related to or resulting from participation or uploading or downloading any materials related to the Contest.
  6. Entrants agree that personal data and contact information may be processed, shared, and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the Contest. Community Heart & Soul may also use the data in order to verify the entrant’s identity and eligibility to participate in the Contest. Personal data is otherwise covered as stated in the Privacy Policy: https://www.communityheartandsoul.org/privacy-policy/.
  7. By participating in the Contest, I certify that I understand that these terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. I have read the foregoing, fully understand its contents, and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions.