NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. The 2019 PLT/SFI #3cheers4trees Photo Contest (“Contest”) is governed by these 2019 SFI Photo Contest Official Rules (“Official Rules”). By participating or attempting to participate in the Contest, you will be deemed to have received, understood, and agreed to these Official Rules.
I. WHO ARE THE SPONSORS?
The Contest is sponsored by Project Learning Tree®, the environmental education initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.® (“SFI®” or “Sponsor”), 2121 K Street NW, Suite 750 Washington DC 20037 to help celebrate 2019 International Day of Forests. SFI is an independent non-profit organization. PLT helps teachers and youth learn about forests and the environment and the actions they can take to ensure their long-term sustainability.
Although the Contest may be communicated, promoted, or administered by means of a third party social media or social networking service or site (a “Third Party Service”), the Contest is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, any Third Party Service. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding the Contest should be directed to Sponsor and not to any Third Party Service.
II. WHEN DOES THE CONTEST START/END?
The Contest starts on March 11, 2019 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on March 31, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Contest Period”). Sponsor’s computer is the official timekeeper for the Contest.
III. WHO MAY ENTER THE CONTEST?
The Contest is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada who are 18 years or older, or who have reached the age of majority in their state or province of residence. No purchase is necessary to enter or win. Each Participant is hereinafter a “Participant”, or “you” or “your”.
The following individuals are not eligible to enter the Contest:
- Employees, officers, directors and contractors of Sponsor or its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, representatives, consultants, contractors, legal counsel, advertising, public relations, promotional, fulfillment, and marketing agencies, website providers, web masters (collectively the “Contest Entities”) and members of their immediate family, and those living in the same household.
- Those residing outside the U.S. and Canada.
- Those under 18 or the age of majority in their respective province or territory of residence at the time of entry.
IV. HOW DO I ENTER THE CONTEST?
We want you to help us engage students and youth in learning about and celebrating the gifts we receive from trees. During the Contest Period, Participants can enter by conducting one or more of the activities listed here https://www.plt.org/news/three-cheers-for-trees-international-day-of-forests/ to help children learn about forests and share your photos on Facebook and/or Twitter.
Additional requirements for Submissions:
- Photographs must be the Participant’s original idea (modification of an original work of someone else is not an original idea). Photographs must not copy or otherwise plagiarize from any source.
- Photographs must not contain material which is (or promote activities which are) in Sponsor’s sole discretion, hateful, slanderous, libelous, tortious, sexually explicit, obscene, pornographic, inappropriate, violent, self-mutilating (e.g., relating to murder, the sales of weapons, cruelty, abuse, etc.), discriminatory (based on race, sex, religion, natural origin, physical disability, sexual orientation or age), illegal (e.g., underage drinking, substance abuse, computer hacking, etc.), offensive, threatening, profane, or harassing; or contain material that is threatening to any person, place, business, group or world peace; or contain words or symbols that are widely considered offensive to individuals of a certain race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic group; or contain images, words or text portraying nudity, acts of violence, or acts that are or appear to be unlawful or dangerous or in violation of, or contrary to the laws or regulations in any state where the Entry is created in their application.
- Photographs must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to material that violates privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement. Without limiting the foregoing, entry submissions must not include third-party trademarks, logos, insignia, location signage, photographs, artwork, or sculptures, except those of Sponsor.
- Photographs must not include mention or performance of any copyrighted media production including but not limited to books, articles, photographs, artwork, music, etc., or identifying descriptions of any media property.
- Photographs must not include third parties, including but not limited to minors, celebrities and friends, who have not expressly authorized entrant to display their image or likeness in any Submission or otherwise use such images or likenesses in accordance with these Official Rules.
- By entering, each Participant warrants and represents that his/her Submission is original, does not contain any material that would defame or otherwise violate or infringe upon the rights of any third party, including patents, copyrights, trademarks or rights of privacy or publicity, and will not violate any federal, state or local laws or ordinances. Participants further warrant and represent that they have secured the requisite consent from any third party pictured or referenced in their Submissions. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole and unfettered discretion to disqualify any Submission that it believes contains obscene, offensive or inappropriate content, that does not comply with these Official Rules or that is not consistent with the spirit or theme of the Contest.
By participating in this Contest, Participant acknowledges and agrees that he or she will clearly and conspicuously disclose that he or she is participating in this Contest in any online social sharing interaction that references the Contest or is used to obtain entries in connection with this Contest. At a minimum, the hashtag “#3cheers4trees” and “#IntlForestDay” that identifies the post as associated with the Contest entry should be included in all social media communications sent pursuant to the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any Participant who does not adequately disclose his or her participation in this Contest while engaging in any online social sharing interaction during the Contest Period.
Normal Internet, phone and usage charges imposed by your online or phone service may apply. Incomplete, illegible, corrupted, or untimely Submissions are void and will be disqualified. Sponsor and its agencies are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, stolen, misdirected, or illegible Submissions; lost, interrupted, or unavailable network, server, or other connections; or miscommunications, computer or software malfunctions, telephone transmission problems, technical failures, garbled transmissions, damage to a user’s computer equipment (software or hardware), or other errors or malfunctions of any kind, whether human, mechanical, electronic or otherwise.
V. PHOTO EDITING & CRITERIA
Photographs must be in digital format. Only Submissions posted to Facebook or Twitter will be eligible.
VI. HOW MANY TIMES MAY I ENTER THE CONTEST?
There is no limit to the number of Submissions per Participant.
VII. HOW WILL THE POTENTIAL WINNER(S) BE SELECTED AND CONTACTED?
The Submissions will be judged by a panel of judges appointed by Sponsor. The judges will select the photo(s) that, in the discretion of Sponsor, best embodies Sponsor’s goals of teaching youth about trees and forests.
Sponsor will make reasonable efforts to contact the winner via the social media address provided in the Submission. If the winner does not respond within seven (7) days, Sponsor may disqualify the Submission and select a different winner. Potential winner is subject to verification by sponsor, whose decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the contest. An entrant is not a winner of any prize unless and until entrant’s eligibility has been verified and entrant has been notified that verification is complete.
VIII. WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?
There will be three (3) winners selected. Winners will be selected from among all complete Submissions that are received within the Contest Period. Each winner can choose to receive either a free PLT curriculum of your choice from Shop.PLT.org, or a free item of clothing from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative / Project Learning Tree, including shipping and handling.
IX. WHAT PRIZE RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY?
Any and all applicable federal, state, and local taxes and all fees and expenses related to acceptance and use of prize not specifically stated herein are the responsibility solely of winner. Prize cannot be substituted, assigned, transferred, or redeemed for cash; however, Sponsor reserves the right to make equivalent prize substitutions at its sole discretion. Sponsor will not replace any lost or stolen prizes or components of a prize(s). Prize cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer. Only the number of prizes stated in these Official Rules is available to be won in the Contest.
X. TERMS OF RELEASE AND EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY
Winners will be required to sign a release of all claims against SFI to receive a prize. By entering the Contest, each Participant (a) releases and holds harmless the Contest Entities from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to persons or property, including death or property damages, resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in the Contest or any Contest related activity; and (b) agrees to fully indemnify the Contest Entities from any and all claims from third parties without limitation.
SFI is not responsible for late, lost, misdirected, delayed, or illegible entries. Without limitation, SFI will not be liable for the failure of any entry to be received or for any technical or other problems in the administration of the Contest.
SFI reserves the right to withdraw, terminate or amend the Contest in any way, in the event of an error, technical problem, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failure, or any other cause beyond the reasonable control of SFI that interferes with the proper conduct of the Contest as contemplated by these Official Rules. Any attempt deliberately to undermine the legitimate operation of this contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and, should such an attempt be made, SFI reserves the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent permitted by law. SFI reserves the right to cancel or suspend this contest in the event of any accident, printing, administrative, or other error of any kind without prior notice and without obligation.
XI. COULD MY SUBMISSION BE REFUSED OR REJECTED?
Your Submission could be refused or rejected if:
- you attempt to enter the Contest in a fashion not authorized by these Official Rules;
- your Submission contains false or misleading information, or is late, falsified, illegible, damaged, or incomplete or otherwise irregular;
- your Submission is submitted using robotic, automated, programmed, or other illicit means; or,
- your Submission is not in compliance with these Official Rules.
In addition, Sponsor reserves the right to refuse any entry for any other reason as it may determine in its sole discretion.
XII. WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS OF ENTRY?
By entering the Contest:
- The laws of the state, province or territory in which you reside apply to your participation in the Contest.
- The Participant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of the Sponsor, which decisions are final, binding, conclusive and within Sponsor’s sole discretion.
- The Participant warrants that each photo submitted is entirely his or her original work, that the Participant owns the copyright to it, and that the Participant’s or SFI’s copying, use and distribution of the photo will not infringe any intellectual property or other right of any person.
- If the photo includes the image of a person, the Participant warrants that the Participant has the written permission of that person to publish the photo.
- The Participant agrees to allow PLT and SFI to re-share Participant’s post on Facebook and Twitter. PLT and SFI will not use or publish the Participant’s photo in any other media without the express permission of the Participant in which case SFI will ask Participant to sign the PLT/SFI Photo Release Form to give PLT/SFI license to publish it.
- By entering this Contest, Participants agree to have their name, photo and the caption of their photo displayed for public viewing.
As a Resident of the U.S.:
- If the Participant is located in the U.S., he/she is solely responsible for the payment of any taxes due on prizes. Any person winning over $600 in prizes will receive an IRS form 1099 at the end of the calendar year, and a copy of such form will be filed with the IRS.
As a Resident of Quebec:
- For Residents of Quebec, any litigation respecting the conduct or organization of a publicity contest may be submitted to the Régie des Alcools, des Courses et des Jeux for a ruling. Any litigation respecting the awarding of a prize may be submitted to the board only for the purpose of helping the parties reach a settlement
XIII. CAN SFI USE MY PHOTOS OR IDEAS IN THE FUTURE?
The Participant agrees to allow PLT and SFI to re-share Participant’s post on Facebook and Twitter. PLT and SFI will not use or publish the Participant’s photo in any other media without the express permission of the Participant in which case SFI will ask Participant to sign the SFI Photo Release Form to give SFI license to publish it.
Each Participant understands and acknowledges that Sponsor has wide access to ideas, designs, and other materials, and that new ideas are constantly being submitted to it or being developed by its own employees. Each Participant also acknowledges that many ideas may be competitive with, similar or identical to the Submission and/or each other in theme, idea, format or other respects. Each Participant acknowledges and agrees that such Participant will not be entitled to any compensation as a result of Sponsor’s use of any such similar or identical material. Each Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Sponsor does not now and shall not have in the future any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of the copyright in and to the Submission. Finally, each Participant acknowledges that, with respect to any claim by Participant relating to or arising out of Sponsor’s actual or alleged exploitation or use of any Submission or other material submitted in connection with the Contest, the damage, if any, thereby caused to the applicable entrant will not be irreparable or otherwise sufficient to entitle such Participant to seek injunctive or other equitable relief or in any way enjoin the production, distribution, exhibition or other exploitation of the Submission or any material based on or allegedly based on the Submission, and the Participant’s rights and remedies in any such event shall be strictly limited to the right to recover damages, if any, in an action at law
XIV. HOW WILL SFI TREAT MY PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Information collected from entrants is subject to the Sponsor’s Privacy Statement, which can be found at https://www.plt.org/about-us/privacy-policy/.
XV. WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE IS A DISAGREEMENT?
Except where prohibited, you agree that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia or the appropriate State Court located in the District of Columbia; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (3) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and you hereby waive all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of District of Columbia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules, which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of District of Columbia.
XVI. WINNER PUBLICATION AND MORE INFORMATION
Winners’ names will be available on April 15, 2019. For more information, please contact Vanessa Bullwinkle, Director, Communications and Marketing, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 202-765-3726.