USA TODAY Dealer Innovation Award Contest
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
Overview: The eighth annual USA TODAY Dealer Innovation Award (the "Award"), presented by USA TODAY (“Sponsor”) in association with the National Automobile Dealers Association ("NADA"), recognizes principals, operators, and/or general managers (“Dealers”) of NADA member dealerships who have who has successfully implemented initiatives resulting in significant energy savings and a healthier bottom line. Nominations should focus on innovative programs and ideas implemented by a Dealer in calendar year 2007. Qualified Dealers may be nominated to win the Award and a trip to the Award Ceremony at the Morgan Stanley Global Automotive Awards dinner in New York City scheduled for Tuesday, March 18th, 2008. There will be four Finalists selected by a judging panel after reviewing all eligible nominations submitted. One Grand Prize Winner will be selected from among the four Finalists. Please see the Official Nomination Form at http://nada.usatoday.com and review these Official Rules for judging criteria and a full explanation of how to nominate candidates. The information you provide will be treated as confidential and will be used solely for determining the Award winner.
Who May Nominate Candidates: A Dealer may be nominated by himself/herself, an employee or employer, another Dealer, another Dealer’s employee or employer, a business associate, friend or family member. You may nominate as many eligible candidates as you like. To be eligible as a nominee, a Dealer must be the principal, operator, and/or general manager of a NADA member dealership that is in good member standing at the time of nomination and must be a U.S. resident (excluding residents of Puerto Rico) who is 18 years of age or older as of January 1, 2008. Employees of USA TODAY, NADA, Gannett Co., Inc., and each of their respective affiliated companies, subsidiaries, and advertising or promotional agencies, and the immediate family members of, and any persons domiciled with, such employees are not eligible to be nominated.
How to Submit Nominations: The USA TODAY Dealer Innovation Award Contest (the "Contest") will begin at 12:01 a.m. (E.S.T.) on Wednesday, January 2, 2008 and will end at 11:59 p.m. (E.S.T.) on Friday, February 15, 2008 (E.S.T.) (the “Contest Period”). To submit a nomination, visit http://nada.usatoday.com to download and print an Official Nomination Form, complete all of the required information on that form, and mail your completed Official Nomination Form to: USA TODAY Marketing, attn: Gina Flynn, 535 Madison Avenue 31st floor New York, NY 10022. All Nomination Forms must be postmarked by Friday, February 15, 2008 and received no later than Wednesday, February 20, 2008. Sponsor will not be responsible for incomplete, lost, late, postage-due, misdirected or illegible submissions. Sponsor reserves the right to disregard any submissions by persons determined to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the Contest.
Selection of Winners: A panel of qualified judges (the “Judges”) will consider all nominations for the Award and will judge the nominees based on the following criteria: 40% Magnitude of impact/changes/positive results as a result of the Dealer’s use of energy saving initiatives; 40% Level of innovation of idea(s); 20% Description of the way(s) in which the Dealer has used energy saving initiatives to positively impact his or her dealership. Using these criteria, the Judges will select four (4) Finalists from among all eligible nominees, on or about Thursday, February 21, 2008. The Judges will then judge the Finalists against each other using the same criteria and will select one (1) Grand Prize Winner from among the four (4) Finalists on or about Friday, February 22, 2008. A standardized scoring methodology will be used by the Judges to evaluate and score the nominees based on the criteria set forth above.
Prizes and Odds: One (1) Grand Prize Winner will be presented the Award at the Morgan Stanley Global Automotive Awards dinner taking place in New York City on
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 and will also receive roundtrip airfare for two (2) to New York, NY, from the airport closest to the Winner’s home, 3 days and 2 nights double occupancy hotel accommodations at a New York City hotel selected by Sponsor in its sole discretion, and a $250.00 American Express Gift Cheque (ARV of prize package: $2,000). The Grand Prize Winner and the other three (3) Finalists (each a “Runner-Up”) also will have their name and picture featured in an ad that will appear in USA TODAY, on the USATODAY.com website and in NADA’s AutoExec magazine. Sponsor and NADA also will issue a press release announcing the Grand Prize Winner and the Runners-Up. Odds of being selected a Finalist depend on the total number of eligible nominations submitted. Once qualified as a Finalist, the odds of becoming the Grand Prize Winner are one in four.
Winner Notification and Acceptance: The Grand Prize Winner and the three (3) Runners-Up will be notified by telephone on or about Wednesday, February 27, 2008, with a follow up notification by mail. Sponsor’s inability to contact the Grand Prize Winner or a Runner-Up, the return of prize notification as undeliverable, or the failure of the Grand Prize Winner or any Runner-Up to timely respond to prize notification may result in disqualification and an alternate winner may be selected. Grand Prize Winner and Runners-Up may waive their rights to receive a prize. Prizes are non-assignable and non-transferable. No substitutions allowed, except that prizes and individual components of prize packages are subject to availability and Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. Grand Prize Winner is solely responsible for reporting and payment of any taxes on the Grand Prize. Grand Prize Winner will be required to sign and submit a W9 form and to complete an affidavit of eligibility and a liability and publicity release (except where prohibited by law) which must be returned within ten (10) days of date of postmark or hand-delivery. Runners-Up also may be asked to complete an affidavit of eligibility and a liability and publicity release (except where prohibited by law). Failure to sign and return the affidavit or release within ten (10) days, or to comply with any term or condition of these Official Rules, may, at the sole discretion of Sponsor, result in disqualification, the forfeiture of all interest in the prize, and the award of prize to an alternate winner. Person traveling as guest of the Grand Prize Winner must also sign any affidavit or release that Sponsor may require. Except where prohibited, acceptance of any award (whether Grand Prize or Runner-Up honors) and/or other prizes in this Contest constitutes the award and/or prize recipient’s consent to the publication of his/her name and image in any media for any commercial or promotional purpose, without limitation or further compensation. For the name of the Grand Prize Winner and Runners-Up (available after Tuesday, March 18, 2008) or for an electronic copy of these Official Rules, write to gflynn@usatoday.com. Requests for a mailed copy of the Official Rules (available after Friday, January 4, 2008) should be sent to: USA TODAY Marketing Attn: Gina Flynn, 535 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022.
Participation: Persons submitting nominations and winners who elect to accept prizes agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Judges. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify persons found tampering with or otherwise abusing any aspect of this Contest as solely determined by Sponsor. In the event the Contest is compromised by a virus, non-authorized human intervention, tampering or other causes beyond the reasonable control of Sponsor, which corrupts or impairs the administration, security, fairness or proper operation of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest. Should the Contest be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, Sponsor reserves the right to award prizes based on the nominations received before the termination date.
Construction: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of any person submitting nominations, winners who elect to accept prizes, and/or Sponsor, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions (whether of Virginia, or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than Virginia. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any such provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable, these rules shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or unenforceable provision was not contained therein.
General Release: Persons submitting nominations and winners who elect to accept prizes release USA TODAY, Gannett Co., Inc., the National Automobile Dealers Association, any other promotional sponsors, and each of their respective affiliated companies, directors, officers, employees, representatives, partners and agents from any liability whatsoever for any claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with the Contest or with the acceptance, possession or use of any prize or travel to or from any prize-related activity (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages related to personal injuries, death, damage to, loss or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light).
Sponsor: The Dealer Innovation Award Contest is sponsored by USA TODAY, whose decisions regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the Contest shall be final and binding in all respects. Sponsor will not be responsible for typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in these Official Rules or in other materials relating to the Contest.
2008 USA TODAY Dealer Innovation Award, 12/28/2007