Rules

Entries should include your pet's photo and story. We want to know why your pet is special to you! Their story can include how they came into your life, what their personality is like, why they deserve the title "WNC's Pet of the Year," and any other fun facts or anecdotes! In addition to the top three winners, the judges will select two winners based on their stories (pet must have at least 50 votes to be eligible for these prizes). To enter, click the "Participate" tab above and follow the instructions to upload a photo of your pet. All species are encouraged to enter!

• All entries and votes must be submitted by June 1^st at 7:59:59 p.m. EST.
• There is a $5 minimum donation to submit a pet's photo into the contest.
• Each submission should only contain one pet, but you can submit other pets as separate entries.
• Pets only. Photos cannot contain people or wildlife.
• Your pet does NOT have to be adopted from Asheville Humane Society, or any other shelter, to be eligible to enter the contest.
• Your pet must live in Western North Carolina to win the grand prize.
• You may enter a deceased pet, but they cannot be eligible for top prizes.
• All photos must be digital and do not need to be professional.
• By submitting a photo to the contest, you affirm that you are the photographer, or have been given unrestricted use permission by the photographer, to include the photo.
• Once entered, photo submissions become the property of AHS to be used at our discretion for print and marketing purposes.
• AHS reserves the right to remove photo entries that are inappropriate or do not follow the rules of the contest. If this happens, we will contact you to see if the photo can be replaced with a new one.
• Should your pet win one of the top three spots, you must be able to bring them to Asheville (date, time & location TBD) to pose for a photography session with one of our volunteer photographers.*

To vote online, click the "Participate" tab above. Each vote costs $1, and there is no limit to the number of votes one may cast.

• You must donate a minimum of $5 for five votes. Those votes can then be cast for any submitted photo in one-vote increments. Voters do not have to use all of the votes at the time of donation. When voters donate, they will be given the option of applying all of the votes to one photo, spreading their votes over various photos, or storing votes in their account.
• All votes must be applied to selected photos by the conclusion of the voting period to be counted.
• Entrants are welcome to vote for their own photo.
• Online voting begins as soon as the photo is registered and ends at 7:59:59 p.m. EST on June 1, 2018.

Offline voting can be done by mail or at the Adoption Center (to the attention of Meredith).

• Offline votes (mail and in-person) must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 31, 2018.
• Voters must identify the pet and owner's name to make sure a vote is credited to the correct photo.
• Make checks payable to Asheville Humane Society.
  
  Send mailed votes to:
  Asheville Humane Society
  Attn: Meredith Pitcairn
  14 Forever Friend Lane
  Asheville, NC 28806

The pet with the most votes (donations) at the end of the submission period will win. There will be two runners-up and two judge's choice winners (must have at least 50 votes to be eligible for judge's choice).

*A special thanks to our volunteer photographers for generously donating their time and talent:

• Caren Harris Photography
• FOTOBYCOCO Photography by Courtney Hall
• Pamela Yvonne Photography