1. No purchase is necessary to participate. All federal, state, local and municipal laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited. Promotion period begins on July 1, 2012 and ends on June 30, 2013.
2. Agreement to official rules. By participating in the Billings Gazette Readers' Choice (also referred to as the “Promotion”), participant fully agrees to and accepts these official rules and the decisions of Billings Gazette Communications (also referred to as the “Sponsor”) which are final and binding in all respects. Failure to comply with the official rules will result in disqualification from the Promotion.
3. Eligibility. Billings Gazette Readers' Choice is open to US residents (excluding residents of Puerto Rico, New York, and Florida), who are 18 years or older at the time of participation.
4. Nomination Process. Nominations in the Billings Gazette Readers' Choice will run on billingsgazette.com/readerschoice from Sunday, July 1, 2012 12:00 AM – Sunday, August 5, 2012 11:59 PM. The Top Five (5) Nominated Businesses in each category who receive the highest number of online nominations will continue to the voting round. Nominations are made through a blank ballot system through a third party vendor, UPickem Inc an affiliate of SecondStreet.com.
5. Voting Process. Voting in the Billings Gazette Readers' Choice will run on billingsgazette.com/readerschoice from Monday, August 13, 12:00 AM – Sunday, August 26, 2012 11:59 PM. The Top (1) businesses who receive the highest number of online votes will be determined as Readers' Choice, respectively. Voting is limited to one vote per participant per day. Voting is completed through a third party vendor, UPickem Inc. In the event of a tie, the winning business will be chosen by random drawing from among all tied entries. Only one registration per person. Any participant suspected of using a proxy for voting or to hide ones true identity will be disqualified. All information submitted by voters to the contest must be valid. Any false information submitted to this contest will be seen as trying to hide ones true identity and the votes will be disqualified. Any participant where automated voting is suspected will be disqualified. All voting must follow these Official Rules.
6. Winners List. The Billings Gazette Readers' Choice in each category will be posted online at billingsgazette.com/readerschoice after the voting period has ended. This information will also be published in a special keepsake section of the Billings Gazette Sunday, October 20, 2012.
7. General Conditions. By participating in the Promotion, participants agree to comply with and to be bound by the official rules and by all interpretations of the official rules by the Sponsor. Decisions of the Billings Gazette shall be final in all matters relating to the Promotion. The Billings Gazette reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the Promotion if fraud, technical failures, or any other factor beyond the Billings Gazette's reasonable control impairs the integrity of the Promotion and the integrity of the selection of the winners as determined by the Billings Gazette in its sole discretion. In such event, the Billings Gazette reserves the right to award the Readers' Choice Awards in a random drawing from the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment, or to implement any remedy it sees fit.
8. Release. By participating in the Promotion, all participants agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor and the Promotional Participants; each of their affiliates, parent companies, subsidiaries; and their respective officers, directors, employees and members, from and against any claim or cause of action arising in connection with each user’s participation in the Promotion.
9. Sponsor. The Promotion is sponsored by the Billings Gazette and its parent company Lee Enterprises, Incorporated, whose decisions regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the contest shall be final and binding on all persons in all respects. The Sponsor is not responsible for typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in these Official Rules or in other materials relating to the contest. If you have any questions regarding this contest please contact Customer Service at 406-657-1340 or write to Billings Gazette Readers' Choice, Billings Gazette Digital Marketing, 401 N. Broadway, Billings MT 59101.