HOUSTON ASTROS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND VIRTUAL 5K COSTUME Contest (the "Contest")
Official Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. ALL DISPUTES WILL BE RESOLVED SOLELY BY BINDING ARBITRATION AND ENTRANTS WAIVE THE ABILITY TO BRING CLAIMS IN A CLASS ACTION FORMAT.
The object of the Contest is to submit one (1) original photo (a “Photo”) (“Entry”) that 1. showcases you in one of five costume categories (i) Best Astros Costume; ii) Most Patriotic; iii) Funniest; iv) Best Family Costume; and/or v) Honoring the Military) (hereafter, “Contest Theme”). Additionally, you may include an optional screenshot of your tracked 5K run mapped via an app of your choosing in the given time frame (“5K Run Photo”). The 5K Run Photo will not be judged and has no impact on winning. Staff members of the Houston Astros (the "Judges") will select the five (5) most compelling Entries (one (1) entry from each costume category) in accordance with these Official Rules and based upon criteria set forth in the Judging section below to determine the Winners (defined below).
ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States including its commonwealths, territories and possessions (collectively referred to herein as “states”), and Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec) who are eighteen (18) years of age or older (except in the case of legal residents of certain states/territories/provinces where the legal age of majority is greater than eighteen (18) years of age, such legal age of majority) with a valid Instagram account or Twitter account, as applicable, and a valid email address at the time of entry. Employees, officers and directors (including immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and members of the same household, whether or not related) of Houston Astros, LLC (“Sponsor”), the other MLB Entities (as defined below) and each of their respective parents, affiliated companies, subsidiaries, licensees, distributors, dealers, retailers, printers, advertising and promotion agencies, and any and all other companies associated with the Contest are not eligible to participate or win the Prize. The "MLB Entities" shall mean the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball (“BOC”), its Bureaus, Committees, Subcommittees and Councils, the Major League Baseball Clubs (“Clubs”), MLB Advanced Media, L.P. (“MLB”), Major League Baseball Properties, Inc., The MLB Network, LLC, each of their parent, subsidiary, affiliated and related entities, any entity which, now or in the future, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the Clubs or the BOC and the owners, general and limited partners, shareholders, directors, officers, employees and agents of the foregoing entities. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, territory, provincial and local laws, rules and regulations. Void in the Province of Quebec and where prohibited or restricted by law, rule or regulation.
ENTRY PERIOD: The Contest entry period begins at 9:00:00 A.M Central Time (“CT”) on May 22, 2020 and ends at 9:00:00 P.M CT on May 25, 2020 (the "Entry Period").
*HOW TO ENTER: *There are two (2) ways to enter during the Entry Period: Instagram and Twitter.
1. Instagram To enter via Instagram, you must have a valid public (i.e., not protected) Instagram account and be a follower of @astrosbaseball (the “Contest IG Account”). During the Entry Period, post your Entry relevant to the Contest Theme including the hashtag #AstrosVirtual5KContest (“Entry Post”). Your Entry Post must remain publicly posted through the duration of the Contest and must comply with the Content Restrictions (as set forth below) and Instagram’s Terms of Use, available at help.instagram.com. All information submitted via the Instagram platform is subject to, and will be treated in a manner consistent with, Instagram’s privacy policy and Instagram’s Terms of Use, available at help.instagram.com. All information submitted via Instagram and shared with any of the MLB Entities per your Instagram account settings, or submitted directly to any of the MLB Entities in connection with the Prize Notification process, is subject to, and will be treated in a manner consistent with, MLB’s Privacy Policy, accessible at mlb.com/privacy. If you do not have an Instagram account, you may register for one, for free, at Instagram.com. Data and usage rates may apply to the download and use of the Instagram mobile application. The time of receipt of any Instagram entry shall be the time such entry is made available to Sponsor via the Instagram platform. Sponsor's computer shall be the official clock of the Contest. Any entries that do not comply with the Content Restrictions or otherwise with these Official Rules and any that are removed or hidden prior to the Judging Date are void. Failure to follow any Contest instructions provided by the Contest IG Account or these Official Rules may result in disqualification. For the avoidance of doubt, if an individual other than yourself appears in your entry, such individual must (a) be of legal age of majority in his/her jurisdiction and have granted you permission to submit the entry or (b) if under the legal age of majority in his/her jurisdiction, be your child or legal ward. Sponsor may require you to verify such permission or parental status before declaring you eligible for a prize.
2. Twitter: To enter via Twitter, you must have a valid public (i.e., not protected) Twitter account and be a follower of @astros (the “Contest Twitter Account”), During the Entry Period, post two (2) Photos relevant to the Contest Theme including the hashtag #AstrosVirtual5KContest (“Entry Tweet”).Your Entry Tweet must remain publicly posted through the Drawing Date (as set forth below) and must comply with the Content Restrictions (as set forth below) and Twitter’s Terms of Service and Twitter Rules and Policies available at twitter.com/tos. All information submitted via the Twitter platform is subject to, and will be treated in a manner consistent with, Twitter’s Privacy Policy accessible at twitter.com/privacy and Twitter Terms of Service and Twitter Rules and Policies. All information submitted via Twitter and shared with any of the MLB Entities per your Twitter account settings, or submitted directly to any of the MLB Entities in connection with the Prize Notification process, is subject to, and will be treated in a manner consistent with, MLB’s Privacy Policy accessible at mlb.com/privacy. If you do not have a Twitter account, you may register for one, for free, at Twitter.com. Data and usage rates may apply to the download and use of the Twitter mobile application. The time of receipt of any Twitter entry shall be the time such entry is made available to Sponsor via the Twitter platform. Any entries that do not comply with the Content Restrictions or otherwise with these Official Rules and any that are removed or hidden prior to the Judging Date are void.
JUDGING: The Judges will judge all eligible Entries in each of the five (5) costume categories based on the following criteria: Creativity/Originality (34%), Quality of photo (33%), and Relevance to Contest theme (33%). On or about Tuesday, May 26, 2020 (the “Judging Date”), the Entry with the highest score in each of the five (5) categories, as determined by the Judges, will be deemed the winning Entries (each, a "Winning Entry" and collectively, the “Winning Entries”). Subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these Official Rules, the eligible participant that submitted the Winning Entries, as determined by the Judges, will be declared the official winners of the Contest (each a “Winner” and collectively, the “Winners”). In the event of a tie for any potential Winning Entry, the score for Creativity/Originality will be used as a tiebreaker.
PRIZE: Five (5) Prizes To Be Awarded. Each Winner will receive the corresponding prize as outlined in the table below (each, a “Prize”).
Category | Number of Winners | Prize | Approximate Retail Value ("ARV") |
---|---|---|---|
Best Astros Costume of an adult (18 and older) | 1 | Winner will receive one (1) autographed item selected by the Sponsor at its sole discretion. Actual value of autographed item is subject to market fluctuations. No Certificate of Authenticity is provided by Sponsor. Item is not game used/worn. | $100 |
Most Patriotic | 1 | Winner will receive one (1) autographed item selected by the Sponsor at its sole discretion. Actual value of autographed item is subject to market fluctuations. No Certificate of Authenticity is provided by Sponsor. Item is not game used/worn. | $100 |
Honoring the Military | 1 | Winner will receive one (1) autographed item selected by the Sponsor at its sole discretion. Actual value of autographed item is subject to market fluctuations. No Certificate of Authenticity is provided by Sponsor. Item is not game used/worn. | $100 |
Funniest | 1 | Winner will receive one (1) autographed item selected by the Sponsor at its sole discretion. Actual value of autographed item is subject to market fluctuations. No Certificate of Authenticity is provided by Sponsor. Item is not game used/worn. | $100 |
Best Family Costume | 1 | Winner will receive four (4) tickets for Winner and three (3) guests for one (1) Houston Astros regular season home game determined by Sponsor at its sole discretion. | $100 |
PRIZE NOTIFICATION RESPONSE TIME: Forty-eight (48) hours from the time of issuance of Prize Notification (defined below) (the “Required Response Time”).
PRIZE CONDITIONS: For all prizes: All Prize details shall be determined in the sole and absolute discretion of Sponsor. The Prizes are non-transferable and non-assignable, with no cash redemptions except at Sponsor's sole and absolute discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a Prize (or any portion thereof) with a prize of comparable or greater value at its sole and absolute discretion. Each Winner is fully responsible for any and all applicable federal, state, territory, provincial and local taxes (including income and withholding taxes). All costs and expenses associated with Prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided including, but not limited to, lodging, transportation costs, meals, gratuities and other expenses incurred by accepting a Prize are the sole responsibility of each Winner. Limit one (1) Prize per person, family or household. For autographed prizes: Actual value of autographed items is subject to market fluctuations. No Certificate of Authenticity is provided by Sponsor. Items are not game used/worn. For ticket prize: Ticket location and date will be determined upon resumption of the 2020 regular season based upon state, local and CDC guidelines. TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM THE GAME AND LODGING NOT INCLUDED. Seat locations at the game/event/exhibition and, unless otherwise stated in the Prize description, game/event/exhibition date shall be determined in the sole discretion of Sponsor. Winner’s guest(s) must be of legal age of majority in his/her(their) jurisdiction(s) of residence (and at least eighteen (18) years of age), unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Major League Baseball game, event and exhibition dates and times are determined in the sole discretion of the BOC and/or the applicable Club, as applicable, and may be subject to change. The terms and conditions of the tickets awarded as part of the Prize will govern in the event a legal game, event or exhibition, as defined by Major League Baseball, is not played or held, as applicable, due to weather conditions, an act of God, an act of terrorism, civil disturbance or any other reason. Winner and his/her guest(s) agree to comply with all applicable ballpark and venue, as applicable, regulations in connection with the Prize. Sponsor and the applicable MLB Entities reserve the right to remove or to deny entry to the Winner and/or his/her guest(s) who engage(s) in a non-sportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person at the game, event or exhibition. Released Parties (defined below) will not be responsible for weather conditions, Acts of God, acts of terrorism, civil disturbances, work stoppage or any other natural disaster outside their control that may cause the cancellation or postponement of any Major League Baseball game, event or exhibition. Major League Baseball game, event and exhibition tickets awarded as part of the Prize may not be resold or offered for resale or used for any commercial or promotional purposes whatsoever. Any such resale or commercial or promotional use may result in disqualification and Prize forfeiture, and may invalidate the license granted by the game, event or exhibition ticket(s).
CONTEST ADMINISTRATION: Sponsor will be responsible for resolving any disputes and rules violations that arise in connection with the Contest. Sponsor's computer will be the official clock of the Contest. All decisions by Sponsor regarding the Contest shall be final and binding in all respects.
PUBLICATION, LICENSE AND RELEASE: By entering the Contest and submitting an Entry, each entrant: (a) agrees that his/her Entry is an original work of authorship and that he/she owns all right, title and interest in the Entry as of the date of submission or has all necessary rights and authorizations to submit it and the express permission of all individuals, content and materials embodied in the Entry to submit it for possible use as provided herein; (b) agrees that his/her Entry does not violate the MLB Terms of Use accessible at mlb.com/tou or infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity; (c) grants to Sponsor, MLB and each of their respective designees the perpetual and unlimited right and license to use, license, edit, modify, duplicate and/or create derivative works from his/her Entry throughout the world and in perpetuity, including, but not limited to, the right for Sponsor and/or MLB, as applicable, to publish, display, broadcast, distribute, reproduce, perform, create derivative works from and otherwise use and exploit the Entry via the Internet or any other interactive media, in stadium, on television, in print and/or any other media currently existing and hereafter developed and without limitation and without payment of any compensation to the participant or his/her heirs and successors, (i) on its own or as part of any audiovisual or other production; (ii) to advertise any products, programming or services of the MLB Entities or for any other advertising, marketing, publicizing and promotional purposes and in any materials related thereto; and/or (iii) for any other purpose whatsoever; and (d) release in perpetuity the Released Parties from any claims, demands, losses and liabilities of any nature arising out of or in any way connected with the Entry, and the use thereof as permitted hereunder, including, but not limited to, claims of copyright or trademark infringement, false endorsement, libel, slander, defamation or infringement of rights of publicity or privacy. Nothing herein will obligate the MLB Entities to make any use of any of the rights set forth herein.
CONTENT RESTRICTIONS: Participants must not include any of the following content (the "Content Restrictions") in any Entry: (a) pornography, adult-oriented content or any other sexually-explicit material; (b) materials relating to lotteries or gambling; (c) explicit language or content, images of violence, or promotion of illegal activities; (d) content in violation of intellectual property rights or laws; (e) libelous, defamatory, disparaging, tortious or slanderous materials; (f) content that denigrates, disparages or reflects negatively on the MLB Entities, their owners and employees, or the game of baseball; (g) tobacco, e-cigarettes, alcohol or drugs; (h) dangerous stunts; (i) real weapons of any kind including, but not limited to, guns, knives or projectiles; (j) material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, age or any other basis protected by federal, state, territory, provincial or local law, ordinance, or regulation; (k) individuals under legal age of majority without providing a signed release from parent or legal guardian; (l) audio and/or visual content owned by any third party (e.g., recorded music; pre-produced video, etc.); and (m) material that is unlawful, or otherwise in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations in any state/territory/province where the Entry is created. Any Entry that does not comply with the foregoing, in the sole discretion of Sponsor, will be disqualified and eliminated from consideration.
NOTIFICATION: Each potential winner will be notified via Instagram or Twitter, as applicable, and/or email by Sponsor and/or MLB (the "Prize Notification") and will be required to privately (through email, or other secure, private means) provide his/her name, address, age and other personal information necessary to receive a Prize. In the event that any potential winner does not respond to such Prize Notification within the Required Response Time or fails to provide Sponsor all information necessary to receive a Prize or declines a Prize for any reason, a disqualification will result, the Prize will be forfeited and, at Sponsor's sole discretion and time permitting, an alternate potential winner may be chosen based on the judging criteria from among all remaining eligible Entries. In addition, each potential winner may be required to submit his/her valid social security number and/or other identification to Sponsor and may be required to execute, have notarized and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability, and, unless prohibited by law, Publicity, within the Required Response Time. A disqualification and Prize forfeiture will result and, at Sponsor's sole discretion and time permitting, an alternate potential winner will be chosen based on the judging criteria from among all remaining eligible Entries if all required documents are not properly executed and returned within the specified period of time. Refusal or return of such documents as non-deliverable or any potential winner's noncompliance with these Official Rules may result in disqualification, Prize forfeiture and, at Sponsor's sole discretion and time permitting, may cause an alternate potential winner to be chosen based on the judging criteria from among all remaining eligible Entries.
GENERAL CONDITIONS: By participating in the Contest, each participant (a) accepts and agrees to be bound by these Official Rules, including all eligibility requirements, the MLB Privacy Policy and Terms of Use; and (b) gives his/her express permission to be contacted by Sponsor and/or its representatives and/or representative(s) of another applicable MLB Entity for Contest administration purposes.
All applicable federal, state, territory, provincial and local laws and regulations apply. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.
The MLB Entities, Instagram, Inc. (“Instagram”), Facebook, Inc. (“Facebook”), Twitter, Inc. (“Twitter”), Apple, Inc. and each of their respective parent companies, trustees, subsidiaries, franchisees, assignees, affiliates, licensees, agents, independent contractors, telecasters, sponsors, licensees and advertising and promotional agencies, and each of their respective general and limited partners, members, shareholders, officers, directors, agents, employees, representatives and contractors (collectively, the "Released Parties") shall not be responsible for lost, late, stolen, garbled, delayed, undelivered, or misdirected entries, for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete entry information whether caused by a participant, equipment, or technical malfunction or for any human error, technical error or malfunctions.
Released Parties are not responsible for any technical, computer, network, typographical, printing, human or other errors relating to or in connection with this Contest, including, without limitation, errors or problems which may occur in connection with the offer or administration of this Contest, the processing of entries, the tabulation of scores, the cancellation of games or any errors appearing in any Contest related-materials including, but not limited, to errors in advertising, the Official Rules, the selection and announcement of the Winner or the distribution of the Prizes. Sponsor reserves the right to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Contest.
Released Parties make no warranties, express or implied, relative to the use or enjoyment of a Prize (or any portion thereof) including, without limitation, its quality, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. By entering the Contest, each participant agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and fully release the Released Parties from any and all claims, demands, losses, promises, causes of action and/or liabilities for any injuries, losses, death, or damages of any kind caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by participation in, or preparation for, the Contest, Contest-related activity, participant’s Entry, or resulting from the acceptance, possession, quality, use or misuse of a Prize (or any portion thereof) including any travel or activity related thereto.
If the Contest is not capable of running as planned for any reason including, without limitation, as a result of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, cancellation of games, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole and absolute discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and, if terminated, to determine the Winner(s), if any, from among all eligible, non-suspect Entries submitted up to the point of termination.
Released Parties assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. The Released Parties are not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network, cable, satellite, wireless, Internet Service Provider (ISP) or lines, computer systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, malfunctions of wireless devices, wireless service problems, cellular tower equipment, failure of any email or entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or wireless service congestion, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer or mobile device related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this Contest.
CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONTEST OR UNDERMINE THE CONTENT OR LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR WILL DISQUALIFY ANY PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT, AND SPONSOR, MLB AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AGENTS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS' FEES) AND OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY PERSON OR PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
In the event of dispute as to the identity or eligibility of any potential winner based on an Instagram account, the winning entry will be declared made by the Authorized Instagram Account Holder of the Instagram account that submitted the Entry at the time of entry provided he/she is eligible according to these Official Rules. The "Authorized Instagram Account Holder" is defined as the natural person assigned to an Instagram account by Instagram. In the event of dispute as to the identity or eligibility of any potential winner based on a Twitter account, the winning entry will be declared made by the Authorized Twitter Account Holder of the Twitter account that submitted the Entry at the time of entry provided he/she is eligible according to these Official Rules. The "Authorized Twitter Account Holder" of a Twitter account is defined as the natural person assigned to a Twitter account by Twitter.com.
In the event that the Contest is challenged by any legal or regulatory authority, Sponsor reserves the right to discontinue or modify the Contest, or to disqualify participants residing in the affected geographic areas. In such event, the Released Parties shall have no liability to any participant who is disqualified due to such an action.
As a condition of entering this Contest, each entrant agrees that (a) any and all disputes, claims, controversies or causes of action arising out of or relating to this Contest, or any prizes awarded (each, a "Claim"), shall be (i) arbitrated on an individual basis only, and shall not be consolidated or joined with or in any arbitration or other proceeding involving a Claim of any other party, and (ii) settled by binding arbitration in New York County, New York before a single arbitrator appointed by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its then governing rules and procedures, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered by any court having jurisdiction thereof; and (b) under no circumstance will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental, consequential or any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses. These Official Rules shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A, applicable to contracts entered into and performed exclusively in that State.
Apple, Inc. is not a sponsor of, or responsible for conducting, the Contest. All entry data provided online is provided to Sponsor and/or MLB and not to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. TWITTER, TWEET, RETWEET and the Twitter logo are trademarks of Twitter, Inc. or its affiliates.
The Contest is a skill contest designed to increase consumer awareness of and interest in Major League Baseball and MLB.com, the Official Site of Major League Baseball. This Contest may not be used for, or in connection with, any form of gambling.
Major League Baseball trademarks, service marks and copyrights are proprietary to the MLB Entities. All rights reserved.
WINNERS LIST: For the Winners’ names, mail a request and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to be received no later than ninety (90) days after the Judging Date to: HOUSTON ASTROS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND VIRTUAL 5K COSTUME Winner’s List c/o Houston Astros, LLC, 501 Crawford Street, Houston, TX 77002..
SPONSOR: Houston Astros, LLC, 501 Crawford Street, Houston, TX 77002 (“Sponsor”).