ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

The 2024 Azalea Festival Pet Royalty Court Contest (the Contest) is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least sixteen (16) years old at the time of entry. The Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

The contest is sponsored by the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. and paws4people foundation®. Sponsors are TBD.

Participation in the Contest constitutes entrants full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the primary Sponsors, which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon being compliant with these Official Rules and fulfilling all other requirements set forth herein.

The Submission Period starts at 8:00:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Sunday, February 18, 2024 and ends at 10:00:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Monday, March 18, 2024.

The Voting Period starts at 8:00:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Sunday, February 18, 2024 and ends at 10:00:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Monday, March 18, 2024.

The Submission Period and the Voting Period combined constitute the Contest Period. Entries that are submitted before or after the Submission Period will be disqualified. Submissions will be accepted for the duration of the Submission Period through online submissions only.

Enter online by visiting our website (http://gogophotocontest.com/AzaleaFestivalPetRoyaltyCourtContest) and following the directions provided to complete the entry information and submit. Submissions are accepted during the Submission Period only. A minimum $10 donation is required to enter a pet in the contest. If you donate more when you enter, the dollar amount of the donation will equal the number of votes assigned to your pet. There are three categories to enter your pet: Dog, Cat, and Other. Only entries with the appropriate animal in the correct category will be included in the Contest. For the “Other” category, any animal that you consider a pet that is NOT a Dog or a Cat may be entered.

The same pet can be entered into the contest multiple times, but votes will not be combined across multiple entries of the same pet. You can enter more than one pet in the contest. Any entrant with multiple pets in the image will be asked to provide an alternative image or be disqualified from the contest. Any entrant with people in the image will be asked to provide an alternative image or be disqualified from the contest. Only ONE pet and no humans per image.

All photos entered in the contest must meet these requirements:
Each $1 donation counts as 1 vote. We encourage you to e-mail and post on social media the contest link to family and friends and encourage them to vote for your favorite contestant's photo. Votes may be cast during the Voting Period only.

All donations for votes are non-refundable and not tax-deductible (that's because you receive a vote in exchange for the donation). Entries and donations must be made via the online contest page. Donations and photo entries for this online contest that are submitted via other means (snail mail, in-person or main website donation page) will be accepted as donations but not applied toward the contest. Contest payments online are through a secure site.

We will notify the winner at the conclusion of the voting period (on or about Wednesday, March 20, 2024). If the potential winner cannot be contacted by the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. within 24 hours after the date of the first attempt to contact him/her, North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. may select an alternate potential winner in his/her place from the next non-winning, eligible top vote-getter.

The potential winner will be notified by email or phone by the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. staff. If potential winner cannot be contacted by the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. within 24 hours after the date of the first attempt to contact him/her, the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. may select an alternate potential winner in his/her place from the next non-winning, eligible top vote-getter.

Potential winners must continue to comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. If a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. will award the applicable prize to an alternate winner among remaining eligible entries.

Grand Prize Winner
The Pet with the most votes (across all three categories of Dog, Cat, Other) will receive a $250 gift card. In the case of a tie, a Pet will be chosen at random from among the tying Pets.

Top Category Winner
The winning Pet in each category (Dog, Cat, Other), who receives the most votes in their category, wins the following prizes:

• A mini photo shoot with professional photographer Alecia Hall of [27]5 Creative to be shot in Wilmington, NC.
  • Mini session will be a maximum of 20 minutes and yield a at minimum 12 digital photos, max of 18 ($200 comparative value)
  • Digital photos will be returned within 5 business days
  • Photoshoot must be scheduled within 14 days of close of the contest and will be completed in the Wilmington area
• $100 Gift Certificate to an LM Restaurants Family of Brands restaurant (Carolina Ale House, Bluewater, Oceanic, etc.)
• 2 Azalea Festival Airlie Luncheon Garden Party Tickets ($420 value)
• 4 Azalea Festival Lawn Tickets to one show ($220 value)
• 2 paws4people® Derby Tickets ($300 value)
• Named to the Azalea Festival Pet Royalty Court which includes:
  
  • An Invitation to ride on a Azalea Festival Parade float on Saturday, April 6, 2024 (pending type of Pet and safety regulations)
  • A social media post highlighting the Pet.
  • A place on the Azalea Festival website with Pet photo/bio.

In the case of a tie, a Pet will be chosen at random from among the tying Pets.

Second and Third Place Finalists
The second and third place vote getters in the contest in each category (Dog, Cat, Other), will be considered the contest finalists. Each finalist in each category will receive:

• A $25 gift certificate from LM Restaurants Family of Brands (Carolina Ale House, Bluewater, Oceanic, etc.)
• North Carolina Azalea Festival/paws4people® Swag Bag
• 2 Azalea Festival Lawn Tickets to one show ($110 value)

Princess Choice: The Azalea Festival Princess will choose one Pet (among any of the categories) from non-winning entrants for the “Princess Award”. Winning Pet will receive a $50 pet store gift card, 2 Azalea Festival Lawn Tickets to one show, and a social media post highlighting the Pet.

President’s Choice: The Azalea Festival President will choose one Pet (among any of the categories) from non-winning entrants for the “President’s Award”. Winning Pet will receive a $50 pet store gift card, 2 Azalea Festival Lawn Tickets to one show, and a social media post highlighting the Pet.

In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, bug, worm, unauthorized human intervention or other technical problem, or in the event the Contest is unable to run as planned for any other reason, as determined by the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. in its sole discretion, the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. may, in its sole discretion, either (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules or (b) terminate the contest and, in the event of termination, award the prize at random from among the eligible, non-suspect entries received up to the time of the impairment. the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to damage the website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and should such an attempt be made, the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. reserves the right to seek damages (including attorney's fees) and any other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Failure by the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. to enforce any provision of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

By participating in the Contest, entrants hereby grant the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. permission to use submitted photographs, video, or other digital media ("photo") in any and all of its promotional materials, publications, including web-based publications, without payment or other consideration. Entrants understand that all photos become the property of the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. and will not be returned. Entrants irrevocably authorize the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. foundation to edit, alter, copy, exhibit, publish, or distribute these photos for any lawful purpose. In addition, entrants waive any right to inspect or approve the finished product wherein the submitted photo appears. Additionally, entrant waives any right to royalties or other compensation arising or related to the use of the photos.

By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, other companies associated with the contest, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders, representatives, and agents (the Released Parties) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of the prize (including any travel or activity related thereto), including, but not limited to: (a) any technical errors associated with the Contest, including lost, interrupted or unavailable Internet Service Provider (ISP), network, server, wireless service provider, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone, cellular tower or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties; (b) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (c) mechanical, network, electronic, computer, human, printing or typographical errors; (d) application downloads, (e) any other errors or problems in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors that may occur in the administration of the Contest, the announcement of the winner, the cancellation or postponement of the event, if applicable, the incorrect downloading of the application the processing of entries application downloads or in any Contest-related materials; or (f) injury, death, losses or damages of any kind, to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrants participation in the contest or acceptance, receipt or misuse of the prize (including any travel or activity related thereto). Entrant further agrees that in any cause of action, the Released Parties liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest, and in no event shall the entrant be entitled to receive attorney's fees. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest. Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

Except where prohibited, each entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in North Carolina. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrant's rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of North Carolina, 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 North Carolina.

Information collected from entrants is subject to the North Carolina Azalea Festival at Wilmington, Inc. privacy policy.