SmartBride Boutique (“SmartBride”)

“Obsessed With The Dress” Photo Contest (“Contest”)

Official Rules

1. Eligible Entrants.  NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  The Contest is open to legal residents of Canada (excluding Quebec) and the United States who are of the age of majority in their Province or State of residence at the date of entry, except for employees, immediate families and anyone living with any employee of SmartBride (the “Sponsor”) or its affiliates, advertising or promotional agencies, or persons with any personal connection to the members of the judging panel as described in section 10 below. In the event of a dispute regarding submission of an online entry, the entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized holder of the e-mail account.  The authorized account holder is the individual who is assigned to the e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the e-mail address. This Contest is void in Quebec and where prohibited by law.

2. Contest Period.  The Contest commences January 18, 2010 and ends at midnight (Eastern) on March 14, 2010 (“Contest Close Date”).  Photos must be posted and all contest forms received by the Sponsor before the Contest Close Date.

3.  Binding Contest Rules.  By entering the Contest, entrants agree to be bound by the Contest’s official rules (“Rules”).  All decisions of the Sponsor, including without limitation the eligibility of entries, are final and binding.  Entries will be disqualified if, in the Sponsor’s sole discretion, they are illegal, defamatory, discriminatory or obscene or not an original composition of the entrant.                  

4.  How to Enter.  To enter, entrants must fill in an on-line entry (“Entry”) at www.SmartBrideBoutique.com/obsessed-with-the-dress/enter/ and provide the following details:

a) First & Last name of the entrant;

b) Country, Province/State and City of residence;

c) Contact phone number of the entrant;

d) Birth date of the entrant;

e) Declaration of permission to use photo and

f) Email address of the entrant.

5. Photo Requirements.  Your photo submission (“Photo”) must:

a. Be at least 640 pixels by 480 pixels in size at 72 dpi resolution.

b. Be a .jpg, .gif or .png file type

c. Be no more than 2MB in file size

d. Comply with theme of the photo contest, namely that contest submissions must depict brides in bridal wear (i.e. a wedding gown) in an unusual and/or humorous location or setting, or a bride actively engaged in an unusual and/or humorous situation or activity. 

6. Releases and Consents.  Entrants in the Contest warrant that they have obtained the signed release of all persons appearing in the Photo. Sample form provided.

7.  Waiver of Moral Rights.  Entrants in the Contest and all participants in their Photo waive all moral rights in their Photos and grant to the Sponsor the right to display the Photos in any form of media including but not limited to newspapers, television, internet websites and to edit the Photos for purposes of better editorial display. 

Original Work.  All Photos must be the original work of the entrant or the entrant must have secured the rights to use any copyrighted elements in the Photo. The Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any claims against infringement of intellectual property rights or of the right of privacy with respect to any Photo submitted.

8.  Documentation.  Backup documentation must be presented on request, this includes any and all copyright approvals, consent and release forms. This documentation must be submitted to SmartBride Boutique “Obsessed With The Dress” Photo Contest, c/o SmartBride Boutique, 157 Adelaide Street West, Suite 728, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E7

9. Prizes. There will be 3 tiers of prizes for the “Obsessed With The Dress” Photo Contest:  One grand prize, one second and 10 participation prizes.

a. Grand Prize: There will be one (1) Grand Prize awarded, consisting of a His & Hers Gadget Pack including two (2) Flip Video Camcorders, and two (2) Nokia 5530 Nokia 5530 XpressMusic smartphones. Approximate retail value of the package is $1150.

b. Second Prize: There will be one (1) Second Prize awarded, consisting of a $500 Sears gift certificate.  Approximate retail value is $500.

c. Participation Prize:  There will be twenty (20) Participation Prizes awarded. Each prize awarded will consist of one of ten (10) pairs of filigree pewter Foxy Originals earrings or ten (10) greeting card packages containing twelve (12) “thank you” and “celebrate” cards from LauraK Design.  Approximate retail value of the Foxy Originals earrings is $24 each. Approximate retail value of the LauraK Design greeting cards is $30 per package. 

The winner must also allow their Photo to be featured on SmartBride’s website in perpetuity without payment or other consideration. Prizes must be accepted as awarded, are non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.  SmartBride reserves the right to substitute a prize or prize component of equal or greater value should a prize or any component of the prize become unavailable.  Except as specifically provided herein, the prize does not include insurance, personal expenses, incidental charges, gratuities, or any other items not specifically described in these Rules.  Sponsor expressly disclaims any responsibility or liability for injury or loss to any person or property relating to the delivery and/or subsequent use of a prize awarded.  Sponsor makes no representation or warranties concerning the appearance, safety or performance of any prize awarded.

10.  Voting and Judging Process. All Photos will be displayed on http://www.smartbrideboutique.com/obsessed-with-the-dress/enter/  between January 18, 2010 and March 14, 2010 (“the Voting Period”) for voting and selection purposes. The five (5) Photos receiving the most public votes during the Voting Period, in addition to five (5) Photos selected by SmartBride Boutique, will be submitted for special review by a panel of judges (that will include Alison McGill of Wedding Bells, Lindsay Coutler of David Suzuki Foundation, Aurea Crotty of Pretty Savvy, Chris Easter of The Man Registry, Jen Kluger of Foxy Originals, Joanna Track of Sweetspot.ca, Kate Harrison of Green Bride Guide, Ciara Daykin of Firefly Occasions Inc., Leah Andrew and Andrea Lown of SmartBride Boutique). From these ten (10) finalists, the panel of judges will choose the Grand Prize winner of the Contest. Photos will be reviewed and judged using the following criteria weighted equally as set forth below:

a. Overall Impression.  Evaluate the unusual, comical or humorous aspects of the photo. (35 points)

b. Subject Matter. Evaluate how well the photo fits within the theme of the contest. (30 points)

c. Originality. Evaluate the interesting, unique or original aspects of the photo. Evaluate any creative techniques being used for an interesting effect. (25 points)

d. Composition & Technical Merit.  Evaluate photo based on evidence of an artistic eye, focus, sharpness, detail, depth of field, color, brightness, contrast, saturation, use of light. (10 points)

 The Photo with the highest total score based on the above criteria will be the Grand Prize winner.

In the event of a tie, the tied submissions will be re-evaluated on the basis of overall quality and a winner selected. 

The Second Prize will be decided based on a public vote of all Photos. The Photo with the highest number of votes will be declared the Second Prize winner.  In the event of a tie between Second Prize entries, a winner will be selected by the panel of judges from the tied entries based on the judging criteria noted above. In the event that the Photo chosen for the Grand Prize also receives the highest number of votes, the Photo that receives the second highest number of user votes will be declared the Second Prize winner.

 Winners will be announced by March 18, 2010. The chances of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible Entries received, the number of votes placed for each Photo, and the application by the judges of the judging criteria referred to above.

11.  Participation Prizes. On or about March 18, 2010, twenty (20) participation prize winners will be randomly chosen by draw. The draw will be held in Toronto, Ontario and will be made from all eligible entries received during the Contest Period, excluding the entries that are eligible for the Grand Prize and the Second Prize. The selected contestants will be contacted by telephone or email by a representative of the Sponsor. If a selected contestant cannot be reached within 48 hours, another contestant will be selected. Within 48 hours of being selected, in order to be declared a winner, the selected contestants must: (a) correctly answer, unaided, a mathematical skill testing question to be administered by telephone at a pre-arranged mutually convenient time; and (b) show valid identification. If a selected contestant is unable to meet these criteria, such selected contestant will be disqualified, and another entry will be selected from the remaining eligible entries. The chances of winning depend on the number of eligible Entries received.

12.  Personal Information.  By entering the Contest, each entrant consents to the Sponsor’s collection, storage and use of his of her personal information for the purposes of administering the Contest, and, if the entrant opts in at the time of entry, for the purpose of keeping him or her informed as to SmartBride news, promotions, events and activities after the Contest is finished. Please contact privacy@smartbrideboutique.com with any privacy related questions or to request that your information not be collected, stored and used as described. 

13. General Release and Indemnity.  By entering the Contest, entrants agree to release and indemnify and hold harmless the Sponsor and its parent and affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents, from any claim, loss, expense (including legal fees) or other liability which may be sustained in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, any damages resulting from the receipt, ownership or use or misuse of a prize, or while preparing for, participating in, and/or travelling to any prize-related activity.

14. Publicity Release.  By entering the Contest, entrants consent to the use of their name, age, address, photograph, or likeness in any publicity related to the Contest carried out by the Sponsor, without compensation, worldwide and in perpetuity, in any and all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, including the Internet, unless prohibited by law.

15. No Responsibility.  Sponsor is not responsible for any lost, late, misdirected, stolen, illegible, incomplete entries, or for any computer, online, telephone, human error or technical malfunctions (including damage to the entrant’s computer equipment) that may occur in the processing of Entries and/or Videos in the Contest.

16. Right to Cancel.  The Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify the Contest if, in its sole discretion, it determines that for any reason the contest is not capable of running as originally planned, or if fraud or any other occurrence compromises the fairness or integrity of the Contest.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend the Internet portion of the Contest should a virus, bug or any other cause beyond the reasonable control of the Sponsor corrupt the security or proper administration of the Contest.

17.  Criminal Prosecution.  Any attempt to deliberately damage any website or to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent permitted by law, including criminal prosecution. 

18. Official Rules.  If you would like a copy of these Rules, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to SmartBride Boutique, 157 Adelaide Street West, Suite 728, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E7. Requests received after the Contest Close Date will not be responded to.