The Valpak Block Party Contest

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

 1.         SPONSOR: The Valpak Block Party Contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored by Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, Inc., 805 Executive Center Dr. W., St. Petersburg, FL 33702 (“Valpak” or “Sponsor”).

2.         ELIGIBILITY: Subject to the additional limitations set forth below, the Contest is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are eighteen (18) years of age or older, or the age of majority in their state of residence, whichever is older at time of entry. Contest is not open to employees of Sponsor, Imagination Marketing Systems Limited (the “Prizing Partner”) or any of their parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, franchisees and advertising or promotional agencies, or to the immediate family members of, or to any persons domiciled with, any such employees. For purposes of the Contest, “immediate family members” are defined as spouses, children, siblings, parents, grandparents and grandchildren.

3.         HOW TO ENTER: The Contest will begin at 12:01:00 a.m. (EDT) on August 21, 2017 and end at 11:59:59 p.m. (EDT) on September 21, 2017 (the “Contest Period”). To enter, visit valpak.com/party (the “Contest Website”) click on the Contest banner, register as a user (if you’ve not done so already) or log in and complete the submission form and an original essay detailing what makes your neighborhood awesome and why you want to throw a block party (“Essay”) (collectively, the “Entry”).  Essay requirements are below. You must also confirm that you meet the eligibility requirements and have read and agree to these Contest rules. By submitting your online Entry in the Contest, you agree to be bound by Sponsor’s Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, which are hereby incorporated by reference and are posted on www.valpak.com. Only one (1) Entry per person during the Contest Period. All entries become the property of Sponsor and none will be returned. In the event of a dispute in connection with the identity of the individual who submitted an Entry, the Entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized account holder of the email account identified on the online Entry form, provided that such person satisfies all other Contest eligibility requirements. The authorized account holder is deemed to be the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an internet access provider, service provider, or other online organization that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Multiple entries submitted by the same person will be disqualified. Any questions regarding the number of entries submitted or the identity of the individual who submitted an online Entry shall be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion whose decisions shall be final and binding, and Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entries by persons who submit false or misleading Entry information or who Sponsor determines to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the Contest. Sponsor may communicate with you using electronic means in relation to your participation in the Contest. 

By submitting an Entry, you grant Sponsor a worldwide, royalty-free, sub-licensable, and transferable right and license to use, copy, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, publish and display your Entry on Sponsor’s websites, and Sponsor’s (and its successors’) business in any media format, and through any media channel. The foregoing license will be perpetual and non-exclusive. The right and license granted to Sponsor includes the right of Sponsor (but not the obligation of Sponsor) to (1) post the Entry on Sponsor’s websites; (2) use the Entry to promote Sponsor’s marketing campaigns or initiatives; (3) edit, modify, format, or adapt the Entry for Sponsor’s purposes and use such revised version to the same extent as the original Entry; and (4) use the Entry for advertising and promotional uses.

Essay Requirements: 

Your original Essay must be a minimum of 200 words and should answer the following questions: What makes your neighborhood awesome, why do you want to throw a block party, and what makes your block a suitable location?

Your Essay must be truthful and accurate, and reflect your honest opinions, beliefs, and/or personal experiences.  Do not provide any personal information about any other individual without his/her prior express consent to do so.

Your Entry information including your Essay will be posted on the Contest website.

Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine eligibility of each entrant and reserves the right to disqualify an Entry at any time for any reason. All decisions by Sponsor are final, binding and conclusive.

Content Guidelines and Prohibited Content 
All Entry content must be appropriate for all ages. You represent and warrant that you will not submit any content that contains (a) content not in English; (b) information that violates any obligation of confidentiality; (c) any viruses, spyware, malware, or other malicious components that are designed to harm the functionality of a computer in any way; (d) inappropriate content, for example but not limited to, profanity, defamatory statements, words or symbols widely considered offensive to individuals of any certain race, ethnicity, religious, sexual orientation or socioeconomic groups, threats to any person, place, business, or group (e) content that infringes on the intellectual property rights of a third party. Sponsor, in its sole and absolute discretion, will determine if an Entry violates the guidelines in these Official Contest Rules or any applicable law.

 4.         JUDGING PERIOD: Between September 25, 2017 and October 9, 2017, a committee of judges consisting of employees of Sponsor, will review each of the Entries and score each Essay according to the following criteria:

1. Compelling nature of the story about what makes the block awesome (25%)
2. Energy and enthusiasm for wanting to throw a block party (25%)
3. Overall impression (25%)
4. Suitability of the entrants block as a location for the Valpak Block Party (25%)

 The Entry with the highest score will be declared the Grand Prize Provisional Winner. In the event of a tie, higher overall impression score will be used to determine the Grand Prize Provisional Winner. In the event of a further tie, the still-tied entries will be re-judged by a new panel of judges using the criteria above. All results are unofficial until verified by Sponsor. Decisions of judges are final and binding in all respects. Sponsor reserves the right to select no winner if the quality or quantity of eligible entries is insufficient.

5.         PRIZE AND ODDS: The award of the prize is subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. Valpak will help throw a Block Party (“Grand Prize”) on the Winner’s block. The event package for up to 40 people will cover the venue rental costs (if applicable), sound equipment rental, DJ/band, food and drinks, serving staff and equipment, tables, chairs and decor at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Total ARV of the Grand Prize is:  $6,452.00. Actual value of the Grand Prize may vary depending upon location of the Grand Prize Winner and costs of these items at time of award. Grand Prizewinner will not receive the difference (if any) between actual and ARV. The Grand Prize must be coordinated with the Prizing Partner and must be scheduled at least 120 days in advance of the event date and completed by October 13, 2018. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value for any reason whatsoever. The prizes are non-assignable and nontransferable. Any block party location is subject to the approval and consent from other residents, tenants, local authorities, or other parties Sponsor deems necessary in its sole discretion before selecting a Winner. The Grand Prizewinner is solely responsible for payment of all federal, state and local taxes on the prize value awarded and for all costs and expenses not specified herein, related to any merchandise prize, including but not limited to delivery, installation, service activation fees, and other expenses incurred by accepting the merchandise prize is the sole responsibility of the Grand Prizewinner.

 Participant selected as the Grand Prize Provisional Winner (as defined in Section 6) will be required to provide his/her valid Social Security Number to Sponsor for tax purposes and/or complete an IRS W-9 form in order to claim the prize. As a condition of receiving the prize, the Grand Prize Provisional Winner will be required to complete, sign and have notarized an affidavit of eligibility, a liability release or similar documents as outlined by Sponsor and except where prohibited by law, a publicity release, which must be returned via mail or hand delivery within ten (10) business days of date of sender’s notification postmark. Failure of the Grand Prize Provisional Winner to timely sign and return any required documents or the return of any prize or prize notification as undeliverable, or failure of the Grand Prize Provisional Winner to claim the prize or to comply with any term or condition of these Official Rules, may result in disqualification, the forfeiture of his or her interest in the prize, and the award of the prize to a substitute Grand Prize Provisional Winner.

Odds of winning a prize depend on the number of eligible entrants and the quality of the Entry/skill of the entrant.

 6.         GRAND PRIZEWINNER NOTIFICATION: The Sponsor’s fulfillment center will attempt to contact the selected Grand Prize Provisional Winner in person by telephone during regular business hours (9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (EDT)) on or about October 11, 2017 using the telephone number provided on the selected Grand Prize Provisional Winner’s Entry form and if an email is provided, Sponsor will email the Grand Prize Provisional Winner. If Sponsor’s fulfillment center is (a) unable to reach a Grand Prize Provisional Winner in person by telephone (Sponsor’s fulfillment center will attempt to reach Grand Prize Provisional Winner up to three (3) times during a twenty-four hour period and no messages will be left) or (b) if a Grand Prize Winner does not respond to the emailed notification according to the directions in the emailed notification within twenty-four hours of the time the email was sent by Sponsor’s fulfillment center, then that Grand Prize Provisional Winner will be disqualified and a substitute Grand Prize Provisional Winner will be selected. The first eligible Grand Prize Provisional Winner that the Sponsor successfully contacts personally by telephone or email and who claims the Grand Prize in accordance with these Official Rules will be declared the Grand Prizewinner.

Unless prohibited by law, acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for the Sponsor and their respective advertising and promotional agencies to use a Grand Prizewinner’s name, address (city and state), and photo, image and/or likeness for any commercial, publicity or promotional purposes without further notice, compensation, review or approval, worldwide and in perpetuity, in any and all forms of media, now known and hereafter devised, including without limitation the Internet.

 A PARTICIPANT, INCLUDING A PROVISIONAL WINNER, IS NOT A WINNER OF A PRIZE UNLESS AND UNTIL SPONSOR HAS COMPLETED ITS VERIFICATION OF PARTICIPANT’S ELIGIBILITY AND COMPLIANCE WITH THESE OFFICIAL RULES.

7.         PARTICIPATION.  By participating, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor and any Contest judges or administrators appointed by Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with the Contest will be ineligible for the prize and may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

 8.         RELEASE. By participating in the Contest, each participant agrees to fully release, forever discharge and hold harmless Sponsor and its respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, and franchisees, and the officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives and successors and assigns of all of the foregoing companies (collectively, the “Contest Entities”) from and against any claims, costs, liabilities, losses, injuries and damages arising out of the Contest, including, but not limited to, any claims for personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, loss of enjoyment, or any other harm whatsoever arising out of: (1) participation in the Contest; (2) the quality, receipt, possession, use, or misuse of any prize; or (3) any travel or activity that is related to the Contest or any prize.

 9.         DISCLAIMERS OF LIABILITY. By entering, participants acknowledge and agree that the Contest Entities will not be liable for losses, damages or injuries of any kind resulting from acceptance/possession/use/misuse of and/or inability to use a prize(s), the theft of prizes or mail, travel to and from or participation in any prize-related activity, participation in the Contest (including as a result of the use of the “Share” functionality), printing, mailing or distribution errors, or any malfunctions of the telephone network, computer internet system, computer dating mechanism, computer equipment, software, or any combination thereof, or for any entries that are late (including delayed data transmissions), tampered with, garbled, incomplete, misdirected, lost, postage-due, forged, illegible, inaudible, mutilated, mechanically duplicated, mass machine printed, or otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules. Contest Entities are not responsible or liable for any injury or damage to any participant’s or third person’s computer or mobile device and/or their contents, related to or resulting from the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to terminate, suspend or modify the Contest if, in its sole discretion, it determines that for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as originally planned, or fraud, technical failures, printing, mailing or distribution errors, or any other unanticipated causes or occurrences have compromised the fairness or integrity of the Contest. In the event the Contest is terminated prior to the stated end date, Sponsor reserves the right to award the prize in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received as of the date of termination, though in such a context. BY ENTERING, PARTICIPANTS FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT EVERYTHING REGARDING THIS CONTEST, INCLUDING THE WEBSITES, APPS, ENTRY PAGES AND THE PRIZE, ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND THAT TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE CONTEST ENTITIES DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS REGARDING THE PRIZES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR OR GENERAL USE OR PURPOSE. Any and all guarantees and warranties and conditions for merchandise prizes are subject to the manufacturer’s and/or service provider’s terms and conditions, and winners agree to look solely to such manufacturers and/or service providers for any warranty, condition or guarantee claim.

Except where prohibited, by participating in the Contest entrants agree that:  All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participant(s) and Sponsor and its agents shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, USA without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law of any jurisdiction.  Entrant agrees that any action at law or in equity arising out of or relating to this Contest, or awarding of the prizes, shall be filed individually, without resorting to any form of class action and shall be filed only in the state or federal courts located in the State of Florida, USA and entrant hereby consents and submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts for the purposes of litigating any such action.

 Sponsor will not be responsible for typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in these Official Rules or in other materials or announcements relating to the Contest.

10.       CONTEST MAIL OPT-OUT REQUEST/WINNERS LIST. To request the name and hometown of the Winner (available after November 23, 2017) or a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed, stamped business-size envelope to The Valpak Block Party Contest, P.O. Box 13428, St. Petersburg, Florida 33733, USA, Attn: Promotions Department. Indicate whether you are requesting the name of the Winners, or a copy of these Official Rules, or any combination of the foregoing. Residents of Vermont may omit return postage for rules. If you no longer wish to receive mailings for contests or sweepstakes sponsored by Valpak, write to 805 Executive Center Dr. W., St. Petersburg, FL 33702, USA – Attn: Sweepstakes Removal.