The ONLINE PHOTO submission period for the Pet Show Photo Contest 2013 begins at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) on June 3, 2013 and ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on June 16, 2013. No late entries will be accepted.

PUBLICATIONS

The following publication is participating in this Contest : The Hillsdale Daily News

ELIGIBILITY

The Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry and who reside within fifty (50) miles of the circulation area of the Publication (the “Entrant” or “Entrants”).  Employees, contractors and interns of GateHouse Media, Inc. (“GateHouse Media”), and the businesses appearing on this page (the “Sponsors”), and each of their respective divisions, affiliates, parent companies, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies (including, in each case, immediate family members) are not eligible to enter the Contest. For purposes of this Contest, “immediate family members” is defined as spouses, siblings, parents, children, grandparents and grandchildren, whether as "in-laws", or by current or past marriage, remarriage, adoption, co-habitation or other familial extension, and any other persons residing at the same household location, whether or not related. In order to enter the Contest or win the prize, the Entrant must comply fully with these official rules (the “Official Rules”), and by entering agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of GateHouse Media, whose decisions shall be binding and final in all respects.

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST AND SUBMIT A PHOTO; ENTRY FEE

Entry Fee  The entry fee for the Contest (the “Entry Fee”) is Free.

How to enter the Contest:

Online

Entrants should log on to www.hillsdale.net/petshow during the Submission Period and complete the applicable registration form.  Entrants must provide all requested information in the required fields, pay the Entry Fee and upload a photo as instructed on the Website.  Entrants should then click “submit” to be entered in the Contest.

ALL ONLINE ENTRIES MATERIALS MUST BE SUBMIITED BY 11:59 EST ON JUNE 16, 2013. NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS TIME.

CONTEST RULES

1. The object of the Contest is to showcase to the Publication audience a cute pet Photo.   There is no limit to the number of pets that may be included in the Photo. 

2. Photos must be of living pets only.  If human subjects appear in the Photo, upon GateHouse Media’s request, the Entrant must be prepared to provide, within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of GateHouse Media’s request, a signed release (the “Release”) from all persons who appear in the Photo submitted.  Failure to provide such Release upon request may result in disqualification of the Entrant at any time during the Contest Period.

3.  The Entrant must be the owner of the Photo, or otherwise have the right to submit the Photo for consideration in the Contest (the “Consent”).  The Entrant will be required to submit the Consent to GateHouse Media upon request.

4. Professional photos will be accepted.  When submitting professional photos, a copyright release from the photographer (the “Copyright Release”) must be submitted to GateHouse Media upon request.  If the Photo contains any material or elements that are not owned by the Entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, the Entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the Photo, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the Photo in the manner set forth in these Rules without additional compensation.   The Entrant will be required to submit copies of any releases and consents to GateHouse Media upon request.

5. The Photo must be in natural color or black and white.  Sepia tone and duotone Photos are not acceptable.  Photos that have been altered, manipulated or enhanced using computer software programs will not be accepted.  Minor adjustments to the Photo such as lightening or darkening areas of the Photo, slight contrast or color adjustments and cropping are acceptable.  If GateHouse Media determines a Photo has been altered, manipulated or enhanced, GateHouse Media reserves the right to disqualify the Photo.  PHOTOS SHOULD BE ATLEAST 300 dpi FOR GOOD REPRODUCTION ON PRINT MATERIALS. If a submitted photo is of low resolution, the entrant understands that print quality will reproduce poorly.

6. The Photo must not be under consideration for prizes or publication elsewhere.

7. The Photo must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of GateHouse Media, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content (collectively, “Inappropriate Content”).  Any image that shows an animal being stressed, inappropriately handled or treated or in danger will be disqualified.  GateHouse Media retains sole discretion as to what constitutes Inappropriate Content.

8. All Photos become the property of GateHouse Media and may be used by GateHouse for marketing or any other commercial purpose, whether or not judging or voting was conducted or prizes were awarded in this Contest.  The Photos will not be returned to the Entrant.

9. Entrants are limited to one (1) entry in this Contest.

10. There must be at least ten (10) Photos submitted by June 16, 2013 (the “Submission Deadline”) for the Contest to continue.  If the required number of Photos are not submitted by the Submission Deadline, no voting will occur, and prizes will not be awarded.  GateHouse Media reserves the right to cancel the if the required number of Photos is not received by the Submission Deadline.  If less than 10 photos are submitted, it will be up to the Hillsdale Daily News to decide weather the contest will still take place.

VOTING

Each Photo submitted to the Publication must be approved for posting on the Website by staff of the Publication.  Only those Photos that are approved for posting by GateHouse Media will be deemed eligible to win the Contest.

All Photos submitted during the Submission Period and approved by the staff of the Publication will appear on the Website beginning June 19, 2013.  Members of the general public will be invited to view the Photos beginning at 12:00 a.m. ET on June 19, 2013 and ending at 11:59 p.m. EST on June 27, 2013 (the “Voting Phase”) and vote for their favorite Photo. 

The Photo to receive the highest number of Votes during the Voting Phase will be declared the winning Photo(s). In the event of a tie, a random drawing among the tied Photos will be conducted at the offices of the Publication to determine the winning Photo.     

There is no fee to Vote in this Contest.  Voting is limited to persons eighteen (18) years of age or older.

Voting results for the Voting Phase will be not be displayed on the Website during the voting period.

GateHouse Media will not be responsible for misdirected Votes.  The use of robotic or automatic devices to submit Votes is prohibited and GateHouse Media reserves the right to nullify any and all such Votes and to disqualify the responsible individual from voting.  Entrants are prohibited from obtaining Votes by any fraudulent or inappropriate means, including, without limitation, offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public, as determined by GateHouse Media in its sole discretion.

For purposes of this Contest, the Vote must be cast on the Website by a “unique” Voter.  A “unique” Voter is an individual person: (a) who has registered to vote on the Website, (b) with unique registration information (i.e. e-mail address) that is not duplicative of another Voter’s information.  A unique Voter may vote no more than ten (10) times per day for a Photo.  If GateHouse Media determines, in its sole discretion, that an abuse of the “unique” Voter rules has occurred, GateHouse Media may disqualify votes cast by such Voters or Entrants, including if more than five (5) of such Voters or Entrants registered from the same residential computer “IP address”.

The winning Photo will be announced on the Website by June 28, 2013.    GateHouse Media reserves the right to take more time to determine the winning Photo as it deems necessary in its sole discretion.

Use of E-mail Addresses

By participating in the Voting Phase of the Contest, Voters agree to opt-in to receive e-mail communications from GateHouse Media or the Sponsors.  If Voters choose to opt out of such future communications from GateHouse Media or the Sponsors, they will be able to do so by following the instructions on any electronic communications sent by GateHouse Media or the Sponsors.  Upon opting-out, GateHouse Media or the Sponsors will no longer send e-mail messages to the Voter.  A Voter’s choice to opt out will not affect any Votes cast in the Contest.

PRIZE; ODDS OF WINNING

The Entrants who submitted the winnings Photo for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place will be awarded  prizes provided by local sponsors. 1st place: Office Exam, heartworm check and a 6 month supply of heartworm pills from Fieldstone Vet, in Jonesville, MI. 2nd Place: For a dog: 1 dog for 11 night stay, plus exit bath or 2 dogs (1 run) for 7 nights, plus exit bath; For a cat: 1 cat for 19 nights or 2 cats in one condo for 14 nights. 3rd Place: One year of Pet Grooming (limited to 4 times) which includes hair trim, nails trimmed and bathed from My Buddy’s Clip Joint, in Jonesville, MI.

Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible Photos submitted and eligible Votes received.

The potential Winner will be notified by phone, email or overnight mail in accordance with the contact information provided on the Entry Form, and will be subject to approval by GateHouse Media pending confirmation of each such potential Winner’s compliance with these Official Rules.    The Winner must sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and Publicity Release in order to be eligible to accept the prize.  The prize must be picked up by the Winner at the offices of the Publication or the Winner must make alternate arrangements with the Publication by July 12, 2013.  The offices of the Publication are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. EST, and closed on Saturday and Sunday.

No substitution or transfer of the prize will be allowed, except at the sole discretion of GateHouse Media.  GateHouse Media reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value.  All local, state and federal taxes incurred by accepting a prize will be the sole responsibility of the Winner.   The prize has no cash value and may not be redeemed for cash at any time.  No compensation will be given for lost, stolen, mutilated or expired gift cards or gift certificates.   GateHouse Media is not responsible for replacing lost, stolen, mutilated or expired gift cards or gift certificates.  Fulfillment of gift cards and gift certificates is the sole responsibility of the merchant, not GateHouse Media.

All decisions of GateHouse Media regarding the Contest are final.

INTERNET

It is the Entrant’s responsibility to enter in the appropriate manner. Each Entrant is responsible for all costs or charges involved in accessing the www.hillsdale.net/pet-show website and warrants that the cost of accessing the site, if any, is part of a larger agreement with an Internet Service Provider or some other means, and that the cost of this access is not an incremental cost. If for any reason the internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of GateHouse Media which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, GateHouse Media reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. Should the online portion of the Contest be terminated prior to June 27, 2013, finalists will be drawn at days-end from eligible entries received online up to the time of cancellation.  GateHouse Media assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communication line failure, theft, or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries. GateHouse Media is not responsible for lost, misdirected, illegible, damaged or undelivered entries. GateHouse Media is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, services or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email or entry to be received due to technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading of any material in this Contest. CAUTION: Any attempt by an Entrant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, GateHouse Media reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. In the event of a dispute, entries made by Internet will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g. business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Automated entries are prohibited, and any use of such devices will cause disqualification. Collection and use of personally identifiable information will be in accordance with the www.hillsdale.net website. Privacy Policy as posted on www.hillsdale.net.

CONDITIONS

By entering, Entrants agree to comply with these Official Rules and the decisions of GateHouse Media, which are binding and final, and release GateHouse Media, and each of its divisions, affiliates, parent companies, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies and anyone associated with the production of this Contest, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from any and all liability for any claims, injuries, losses or damages (including attorneys fees) of any kind arising out of their participation in this Contest or resulting from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize. The potential prize winners waive the right to assert as a cost of winning the prize any and all costs of verification and redemption or travel to redeem said prize and waives any liability or claims (including attorneys fees) which might arise from redeeming or seeking to redeem said prize. In the event of non-compliance with these Official Rules, or if prize notification is returned to GateHouse Media as undeliverable, if prize is refused or cannot be accepted for any reason, the prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected in a random drawing. Upon forfeiture or refusal, no compensation will be given. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission to use the winner's name, photograph, likeness, Contest submissions and/or statements attributed to winners regarding the Contest, for advertising and publicity purposes without further compensation or consent.  All entries become the property of GateHouse Media.  This Contest shall only be construed and evaluated according to the laws of the state of New York, without regard to the principles of conflicts of laws and submission of any entry constitutes acceptance of such laws.  This Contest is void where prohibited.  All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.

This Contest is not intended for gambling.  If it is determined that an Entrant is using the Contest for gambling purposes, he/she will be disqualified and reported to authorities.

GateHouse Media and its affiliates reserve the right to use any and all information related to the Contest, including information on Entrants obtained through the Contest, for marketing purposes or any other purpose, unless prohibited by law.

GateHouse Media and their affiliates reserve the right to change the rules of the Contest at any time.

NAME OF WINNER

To obtain the name of the winners, contact the Publication in writing at The Hillsdale Daily News, 2764 W. Carleton Road, Hillsdale, MI 49242. Winners will be published online and in print.

SPONSORS

Enterprise NewsMedia, LLC, Enterprise NewsMedia Holding, LLC, Enterprise Publishing Company, LLC, GateHouse Media Massachusetts I, Inc., GateHouse Media Massachusetts II, Inc., George W. Prescott Publishing Company, LLC, GateHouse Media Arkansas Holdings, Inc.

GateHouse Media California Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Colorado Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Connecticut Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Corning Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Delaware Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Freeport Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Illinois Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Illinois Holdings II, Inc., GateHouse Media Iowa Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Kansas Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Kansas Holdings II, Inc., GateHouse Media Louisiana Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Macomb Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Michigan Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Michigan Holdings II, Inc., GateHouse Media Minnesota Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Missouri Holdings, Inc.

GateHouse Media Missouri Holdings II, Inc., GateHouse Media Nebraska Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Nebraska Holdings II, Inc., GateHouse Media Nevada Holdings, Inc.

GateHouse Media New York Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media North Dakota Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Ohio Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Oklahoma Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Pennsylvania Holdings, Inc., GateHouse Media Suburban Newspapers, Inc., GateHouse Media Tennessee Holdings, Inc., Mineral Daily News Tribune, Inc., News Leader, Inc., Terry Newspapers, Inc., Copley Ohio Newspapers, Inc., The Peoria Journal Star, Inc., 350 WillowBrook Office Park, Fairport, New York 14450.

LOCAL SPONSORS

My Buddy’s Clip Joint of Jonesville, MI., and Fieldstone Veterinarian of Jonesville, MI., and Rainey Creek Kennel of Hillsdale, MI