IGNiTE Your BlogPaws Spirit – Photo Contest Opens 9/4

By sharing a snapshot on Instagram that embodies your BlogPaws Spirit, you’ll have a chance to win:

Important: Please read these Official Rules before participating in the Contest. By participating in the Contest, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and represent that you satisfy all the eligibility requirements below.

OFFICIAL RULES

Eligibility. The Contest is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States (and the District of Columbia) who are at least 18 years old (or the age of majority under applicable law). IF YOU DO NOT MEET ALL OF THESE REQUIREMENTS OR ANY OTHER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS IN THESE OFFICIAL RULES, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO WIN A PRIZE, AND BLOGPAWS (“SPONSOR“) RESERVES THE RIGHT NOT TO AWARD PRIZES TO YOU. To be eligible to win a Prize, entries must be completed and received by Sponsor in the manner and format designated in these Official Rules. Employees, directors, and officers of Sponsor, Only Natural Pet, and any of their respective affiliates, parent companies, subsidiary companies, and advertising and promotion agencies (collectively, the “Contest Entities”), and members of their immediate families (spouses, parents, children, and siblings and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside), and/or those living in the same household of each, are not eligible to participate or win any prizes. All applicable federal, state/provincial, and local laws and regulations apply. By participating in the Contest, you agree that: (1) you have read and understand the Official Rules; (2) you meet the Contest eligibility requirements as explained in the Official Rules; (3) you are bound by the Official Rules and to Sponsor’s Conditions of Use, Legal Notices and Privacy Policy as published at https://blogpaws.com/privacy-policy/#privacy-policy; (4) you unconditionally accept and agree to comply with and abide by the Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor; and (5) the Official Rules shall be legally binding on you and your legal representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns.

Entries. Entrants may only enter once. Duplicate entries will be disqualified.

Entry Period. All entries must be received between 10:00:00 a.m. EDT September 4, 2024, and 2:59:59 a.m. EDT September 16, 2024 (“Entry Period”). Contest will include one round of judging beginning 10:00:00 a.m. EDT on September 16, 2024, and ending on September 18, 2024, at 9:59:59 p.m. EDT (“Judging Period”).

How to Enter the Contest. To enter the Contest, post a photograph in the Contest’s theme on your personal, public Instagram account during the Entry Period. Each entry must:

1. Include at least one pet – people are welcome too
2. Include a caption in the Contest’s theme to support your photo entry with no more than 200 words, not including hashtags
3. Include the hashtags #BlogPawsSpiritContest #BlogPawsLiVE
4. Follow @blogpaws and @onlynaturalpet on Instagram

Contest theme: BlogPaws Spirit. Share a snapshot that embodies the spirit you’ll bring to BlogPaws LiVE where our community will gather. A community built on supporting each other, a love for learning, and a deep love for our pets. Let your photo showcase the aspects that make you feel most inspired and excited to gather with fellow pet-focused content creators in BlogPaws LiVE’s welcoming environment.

Accessibility-friendly Entry. For anyone who is unable to enter a photograph for an entry, we will accept a written caption only Entry that adheres to the Contest theme and follows the four entry requirements:

1. Mention at least one pet in your written entry – people are welcome too
2. Write a caption describing a scene from the Contest’s theme with no more than 200 words, not including hashtags
3. Include the hashtags #BlogPawsSpiritContest #BlogPawsLiVE
4. Follow @blogpaws and @onlynaturalpet on Instagram

If you are submitting a written Entry, please email the entry as an attachment in either a word doc, pages doc, google doc, or pdf (maximum size limit 2MB). Limit one Entry per Contest Entry. Do not write your entry inside of the email you send. Written entries must be received during the Entry Period and can be sent to events@blogpaws.com. 

Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned. Entries and entrants may be subject to verification by Sponsor in its sole discretion. All entries must be in English. Any attempt by an entrant to post duplicate or near duplicate posts will void such entrant’s entries, and that entrant may be disqualified, and any potential Prize will be forfeited. Entries generated through a third-party website or software or in any way other than the manner and format set forth in these Official Rules is prohibited, and Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any such entrant(s).

Warrants and Representations. By submitting an Entry, entrant warrants and represents that he/she has the right to feature the pet(s) that is/are featured in the Entry, has obtained permission from all persons in the Entry (or parent or guardian of minor children pictured), and that no images in the Entry infringe on another party’s intellectual property rights. Entrant agrees that the Contest Entities are not responsible for any unauthorized use of Entries by third parties. At any time during the Contest, even if the Entry has already been announced as a Prize winner, if Sponsor determines that an entrant’s Entry does not comply with any of the Official Rules, such Entry may be disqualified and will not be eligible to win a Prize.  

Contest Judging and Finalist Selection. During the Judging Period, a panel of qualified judges comprising representatives of the Contest Entities at Sponsor’s sole discretion (together, the “Judges“) will evaluate all eligible entries submitted during the Judging Period.

Judging Criteria. The Judges will evaluate all eligible entries based on whether they meet all submission requirements and are visually appealing and will then evaluate the entries based on the following (each criterion weighted as noted):

Relevancy (25%) – Extent to which the Entry delivers on the Contest theme

Creativity (50%) – Extent to which the Entry is original and creative

Quality (25%) – Extent to which the actual image has a clear resolution, good lighting, and any other factors that may affect the image’s quality. For a written Entry, this will be judged on grammar and structure.

Other Contest Submission Requirements. Any Entry will be disqualified that contains material that, in the sole discretion of Sponsor:

• Communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or goodwill to which Sponsor wishes to associate. Examples include pets in unsafe situations or entries that promote bigotry or discrimination.
• Disparages any person, BlogPaws, Only Natural Pet, or pet.
• Violates or infringes upon the copyrights, trademarks, or privacy, property, publicity, or other intellectual property rights of any person or entity not affiliated with this Contest;
• Contains any personal identification, such as personal addresses (physical or email);
• Promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing);
• Basic Guidelines for car photos:
  • Pet’s head cannot be out the window of a moving vehicle
  • Pet cannot be unrestrained in a moving vehicle
  • Pet can be unrestrained if vehicle is not moving
• Any Entry, in the sole opinion of Sponsor, is considered inappropriate or not suitable for publication under the Official Rules may be disqualified.

Contest Prizes. Two (2) prize packages will be awarded.

Grand Prize: Two (2) night’s hotel at one of the Host Hotels, one (1) VIP Creator registration to the Event, and a $500 shopping spree at the Boulder, CO, location of the Only Natural Pet retail store plus shipping of product to winner’s residence (up to a maximum of $1,400.00). Lodging at a Host Hotel and registration for the Conference will be purchased by Sponsor and given to the winner. Shopping Spree will be arranged with the winner to occur during their time at BlogPaws LiVE, and will be purchased by Only Natural Pet and shipped to the winner’s residence by Only Natural Pet.

Second Prize: One (1) VIP Creator registration to the Event and a $250 shopping spree at the Boulder, CO, location of the Only Natural Pet retail store plus shipping of product to winner’s residence (up to a maximum of $650.00). Registration for the Conference will be purchased by Sponsor and given to the winner. Shopping Spree will be arranged with the winner to occur during their time at BlogPaws LiVE, and will be purchased by Only Natural Pet and shipped to the winner’s residence by Only Natural Pet.

Odds of Winning a Contest Prize. Odds are not applicable due to this being a Contest and not a Sweepstakes. Contest prizes will be decided by judging in accordance with the judging criteria detailed above.

Contest Winner Selection. Sponsor will attempt to notify potential prize winners on or about September 19, 2024, by Instagram DM or by sending an email for entrants submitting via a written Entry.

Any winner notification not responded to within 48 hours, or returned as undeliverable, may result in prize forfeiture. The potential prize winner may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and release of liability, and a Publicity Release (collectively “the Prize Claim Documents”). No substitution or transfer of a prize is permitted except by Sponsor.

Sponsor’s License to Entries and Winners. Each Entry’s copyright and all other rights remain with the Instagram profile owner. Any images used by BlogPaws shall carry the Instagram profile in its credit line. Winning entrants each grant to Sponsor and its successors, assigns, licensees, representatives, agents, and those acting at Sponsor’s direction a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide right and license to publish, reproduce, display, perform, distribute, adapt, edit, modify, translate, create derivative works based upon, and otherwise use and sublicense your Entry, or any portion thereof, in any manner, form, media or technology now known or later developed for any commercial or non-commercial purpose without your notice, review, or approval for uses related to this Contest or in promoting a similar Contest at a later date. Each winning entrant waives its moral rights, in the Entry, in favor of the Sponsor and its successors, assigns, licensees, representatives, agents, and those acting at Sponsor’s direction as related to sharing, promoting, and exploiting this Contest and future photo contests. Sponsor does not guarantee that Entries will be published in any particular way. (See end of rules for the non-legal answer to how your photo entries may be used.)

As a condition of submitting an Entry, each entrant acknowledges and agrees that (a) Sponsor and other participants have access to and/or may create or have created entries and/or other materials, ideas, and concepts which may be similar or identical to the entrant’s Entry in theme, idea, format, characters and/or other respects; (b) the entrant will not be entitled to any compensation or other consideration because of the use by Sponsor or any other participant of any such similar or identical material, ideas and/or concepts; and (c) Sponsor’s or another participant’s use of material containing elements similar to or identical with those contained in the entrant’s Entry shall not obligate Sponsor to negotiate with and shall not entitle entrant to any compensation or other claim.

Disclaimer. Sponsor, the Contest Entities, and any of their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, professional advisors, employees, media partners, printers, and agencies (collectively, the “Released Parties“) will not be responsible for: (a) any late, lost, misrouted, garbled or distorted or damaged transmissions or entries; (b) telephone, electronic, hardware, software, network, Internet, or other computer- or communications-related or technical malfunctions or failures; (c) any Contest disruptions, injuries, losses or damages caused by events beyond the control of Sponsor or by non-authorized human intervention; (d) damage caused by computer virus or otherwise resulting to any computer from entrant’s participation in the Contest or access of the any websites related to the Contest, whether human, mechanical or electronic; (e) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Contest; or (f) incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by Internet users or by any of the programming or equipment associated with or used in the Contest.

ALL FEDERAL, STATE/PROVINCIAL, AND LOCAL TAXES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECEIPT OR USE OF ANY PRIZES ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER. All Prizes will be awarded. Prize notifications returned as undeliverable or otherwise not claimed within five (5) business days after delivery will be forfeited and will be awarded to an alternate winner. Prizes are not transferable. No substitutions or exchanges (including for cash) of any Prizes will be permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a Prize of equal or greater value for any Prize. Limit one (1) Prize per person, household, or address. All Prizes are awarded “AS IS” and WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND (including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose). Sponsor is not responsible for loss, delay, or damage in shipping any Prize or notification.

Identity of Entrant. In the event of a dispute over the identity of an online entrant, Entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the Instagram account where the submission is posted at time of Entry. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who owns the email address associated with the Instagram account. A potential Prize winner may be required to provide Sponsor with proof that the potential Prize winner is the Authorized Account Holder of the Instagram account associated with the winning Entry.

General Release. By entering this Contest, you release Sponsor and all Released Parties from any liability whatsoever and waive any and all causes of action related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the Contest or delivery, misdelivery, acceptance, possession, use of, misuse of or inability to use any Prize (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses and damages related to intellectual property, personal injuries, death, damage to or destruction of property (including your pet), rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light, whether intentional or unintentional), whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or other theory.

Use of Entrant Name, Likeness, etc. Except where prohibited by law, by submitting an Entry, you hereby consent to Sponsor’s use of the Entry in its internal communications and publications and on social media and other marketing platforms. You also confirm that any people and/or the owners of any animals featured in the Entry gave permission for you to take the image(s) and do not object to your and Sponsor’s use of the same for commercial purposes.

Winner List; Rules Request. For a copy of the Contest Prize Winner list, visit www.blogpaws.com/spirit-contest or send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope by November 1, 2024, to “BlogPaws Spirit Contest” Winners’ List at 12470 York St #842, Eastlake, CO, 80614. To obtain a copy of these Official Rules, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope to “BlogPaws Spirit Contest” Official Rules at 12470 York St #842, Eastlake, CO, 80614.

Intellectual Property Notice. The Contest and all accompanying materials are copyright © 2024 by Blog Impact, LLC d/b/a BlogPaws. All rights reserved. BlogPaws is a trademark of Blog Impact, LLC. 

Miscellaneous. The Contest and these Official Rules will be governed, construed, and interpreted under the laws of the state of Colorado, U.S.A., without regard to conflict or choice of law provisions or international treaties or conventions. Entrants agree and consent to exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the federal and state courts located in Broomfield County in the State of Colorado, U.S.A. Entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding in all respects. Sponsor reserves the right to change the Official Rules at any time and for any reason, in its sole discretion and without notice, and reserves the right, for any reason, to suspend or cancel the Contest or any entrant’s participation in the Contest including should viruses, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control affect the administration, security, fairness or proper play of the Contest, or Sponsor otherwise becomes (as determined in its sole discretion) incapable of running the Contest as planned. Entrants who violate the Official Rules, violate any law, rule, or regulation in connection with participation in any Contest, tamper with the operation of the Contest, or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Sponsor, the Contest, or any other entrant (in each case as determined in Sponsor’s sole discretion) are subject to disqualification from Entry into the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to lock out persons whose eligibility is in question, who have been disqualified, or who are otherwise ineligible to enter the Contest. Any provision of the Official Rules deemed unenforceable will be enforced to the extent permissible, and the remainder of these Official Rules will remain in effect. If you have any questions about these Official Rules or the Contest, please mail them to BlogPaws Spirit Contest at 12470 York St #842, Eastlake, CO, 80614.

Instagram Contest Disclaimer. Per Instagram rules, this Contest is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 18+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram’s terms of use.

Contest Sponsor: Blog Impact LLC d/b/a BlogPaws, 12470 York St #842, Eastlake, CO, 80614.

Q: How will my photo entry be used?

A: Any images that you submit to the BlogPaws Spirit Contest may be used in promotional material related to the Contest (in social media, newsletters, on the BlogPaws website, etc.) but never for any other purpose than the promotion of the Contest, and always with credit to you via sharing your Instagram Profile. Only winning entrants give a free license to BlogPaws to share and use your photos as it relates to announcing the winners and promoting future contests. BlogPaws will always credit the entrant, even with the license to use the image. The license protects BlogPaws for how we use the winning photos in our marketing only. We will never use your images for anything other than contest promotions. All other entrants retain the copyright for your images and if BlogPaws would like to use your images in any contest promotions, we will reach out directly for your expressed permission. This includes media and press announcements, if any, and in the process of publicizing and promoting the Contest winners and future photo contests sponsored by BlogPaws. Your images will never be released or allowed to be used for any purpose NOT specifically relating to this Contest or a future BlogPaws Contest without your expressed permission.