The Tribune-Democrat Newspaper in Education (NIE) program is proud to sponsor the Fourth Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! (And everything in between) Pet Contest. All proceeds will benefit directly NIE, Somerset Humane Society, Habitat for Hounds and the Nardecchia Spay and Neuter Fund. NIE provides daily newspapers, classroom activities and lesson plans to local classrooms covering the four county area on a no charge basis.
For the contest please submit a high-quality, close-up vertical 3” X 5” color or black/white photo. Printed photos larger than 5” X 7” will not be accepted. They can be mailed with registration form or submitted digitally (JPG) format at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi at www.tribdem.com. Click on the pet contest button on the left sidebar or Pet Contest 2011 ad on the web page to register and upload your photo. Payment can be made online or mailed. By submitting a photo, contest entrant authorizes The Tribune-Democrat to publish photo along with accompanying name and hereby agrees to the official rules. Entries fees are non-cancellable and non-refundable.
Mail entry fee ($15.00) and completed registration form to: Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! Pet Contest, The Tribune-Democrat, PO Box 340, Johnstown, PA 15907-0340. No photos will be returned.
Limit two pets per photo and one registration per pet. No humans in photos or deceased pets please. Pets can include reptiles, horses, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, pigs, ferrets, lizards or any two or four legged furry creatures. All past top three winners can not be entered again but owner may submit another animal. All completed registration materials must be received at The Tribune-Democrat by Wednesday, October 5, 2011, 3:00PM. All mailed entries must be received by deadline date, no exceptions. Color space is limited, first come, first serve. The Tribune-Democrat may rotate ballot ads with pet photos. These photos will be randomly selected. The Tribune-Democrat has the right to refuse any photo unsuitable for publication. All decisions are final.
The Tribune-Democrat will not be responsible for postage due, late, lost, misdirected, or illegible entries or for failure to receive entries due to transmission or technical failures of any kind, including, without limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with sender or The Tribune-Democrat. The Tribune-Democrat will not be responsible for printing or other inadvertent errors in these rules or other materials relating to the contest. All entries become the property of The Tribune-Democrat.
Tribune-Democrat employees are prohibited from entering a photo and voting.
All entries will be published in special Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! Section published in The Tribune-Democrat, October 9, 2011. In Round One, readers will cast votes ($.25/per vote with a $5.00/minimum online) for their favorite pet photo to narrow the pool of pets to a quantity of 20, voting begins October 10, 2011. All voting ballots for Round One will be due at The Tribune-Democrat on October 26, 2011, 3:00PM. Mailed ballots must be received by the Round One deadline day, no exceptions. Online voting will end October 26, 2011, 3:00PM.
In Round Two, all photos will be featured in The Tribune-Democrat and online, readers will continue voting to choose the top 10. All voting ballots for Round Two will be due at The Tribune-Democrat on November 16, 2011, 3:00PM. Mailed ballots must be received by the Round Two deadline date; online voting will end November 16, 2011, 3:00PM.
Voting will continue in The Tribune-Democrat and online. Readers will continue voting to choose the top 10. All voting ballots for Round Two will be due at The Tribune-Democrat on November 16, 2011, 3:00PM. Mailed ballots must be received by the Round Two deadline date. (Take this out) Online voting will end November 16, 2011, 3:00PM.
Votes will be cumulative from round to round. Updates for Round Two votes will be made available periodically online and in The Tribune-Democrat.
One lucky pet receiving the highest total votes will become the 2011 Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! Winner. The top three pet winners will receive each gift baskets, individual pet photo by Crookston Photography, coupons, laminated winners circle, Johnstown Magazine subscription and an award plaque. Fourth to tenth pet winners will receive an individualized award certificate, laminated winners circle, Johnstown Magazine subscription, gift certificates and a Crookston Photography coupon. Full winners circle (top ten winners) will appear in The Tribune-Democrat. In the event of tie, The Tribune-Democrat will randomly pick the winner from the tied entries.
Each vote is 25 cents. You may vote as many times and for as many pets as you wish. Please tell your friends to vote for your favorite entry. Ballots are available at the Service Center window at office at 425 Locust Street, 8:00AM to 5:00PM, Monday through Friday. Votes paid online, mailed or received at the service center will be manually updated. Please allow delivery and processing time.
You may view all registration or vote online by going to www.tribdem.com. Online voting is limited to person 18 years of age or older. There is a minimum of $5.00 for each online ballot. Online votes may be submitted using a valid credit card through Papal. You do not have to have a Papal account to use your credit card. All authorized credit card transactions are non-cancellable and non-refundable. If your credit card is declined for any reason, no vote will be submitted on your behalf. There is no maximum limit on donation amount either by mail, in person or online. Your computer must accept cookies, or any successor or similar technology which may be used for the purpose of entry tracking. Ad blocking software on your computer needs to be disabled so it doesn’t interfere with processing your online entry or ballot.
By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decision of The Tribune-Democrat. The Tribune-Democrat reserves the right to disqualify persons found tampering with or otherwise abusing any aspect of this contest as solely determined by The Tribune-Democrat. The decisions of The Tribune-Democrat regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the contest shall be final and binding in all aspects.
If you have any questions regarding this contest, please contact The Tribune-Democrat, NIE Program, above address, nie@tribdem.com or 814-532-5122.
For a list of winners or a complete set of rules send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Hot Dogs! Cool Cats! Pet Contest, the Tribune-Democrat, PO Box 340, Johnstown, PA 15907-0340.