ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

1. Eligibility. Subject to the additional restrictions below, the 2013 Top Dog Contest is open to residents of the United States, 18 years or older at the time of entry. Employees of The Meridian Star and CNHI media and each of their respective affiliated companies, and advertising and promotional agencies, and the immediate family members of, and any persons domiciled with, any such employees, are not eligible to enter or win.

2. Contest Period. Contest period (both registration and voting) begins at 12:01 a.m. (C.D.T.) 10/15/2012 and ends at 12:00 noon. (C.D.T.) 11/16/2012

3. How to Enter Registrations directly with The Meridian Star. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. C.D.T. 10/15/2012 and ending at 12:00pm. C.D.T. 11/2/2012, enter by submitting a completed Entry Form with a photo of the dog . Entries may be submitted by the owner or adult who is 18 years or older at the time of submission.. Photo should be 6"wide or larger and digital photos should be in JPG format and 240 dpi. Only one pet per photo, per entry. If submitting photo to newspaper (and not uploaded to the online site) the pet’s name, person submitting photo and phone number must be written on back of the photo. By submitting this information, the photo and entry form serves as a release for The Meridian Star to use pet’s name and photo in the The Meridian Star print products and on its website.  Photos become property of The Meridian Star and will not be returned unless requested and a S.A.S.E. is provided. Professional photographs, Kiosk and color printer copies cannot be accepted.

Online Entry: Visit the 2013 Top Dog Contest official registration page on The Meridian Star’s website www.themeridianstar.com. Complete the entry form, upload photo, and any other required fields and then submit your entry by clicking on the "SUBMIT" button. Your computer must accept cookies, or any successor or similar technology, which may be used for the purpose of entry technology.

Mail or In-Person Entry: Complete the entry form found in editions of The Meridian Star and available at The Meridian Star office located at 814 22nd Ave, Meridian, Ms. The entry form with the photo can be mailed to The Meridian Star office, “Top Dog Contest Photos," 814 22nd Ave Meridian, Ms. 39301. Entries can be dropped off at The Meridian Star In-person entries must be received by 4:00 p.m. 11/1/2012. Mailed entries must be received no later than 11/1/2012. Entries with incomplete or incorrect information will not be accepted. Owner information will be verified by phone. Photos will not be posted until information is verified. Entry form photocopies are permitted. The Meridian Star will not be responsible for incomplete, lost, late, postage due, misdirected or illegible entries, or for failure to receive entries due to transmission failures of any kind, including, without limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with sender or The Meridian Star.
Photos will be published in The Meridian Star as space is available. Photos will be posted online as they are received and verified during the entry period. The winning photos will be published in the print edition of The Meridian Star, online and in the other areas, if applicable.

4. Online Voting Procedures and Rules. The voting period will begin at 12.01 p.m. (C.D.T.) 11/2/2012 and conclude at 12.00 noon. (C.D.T.) 11/16/2012. Votes may be made in person, mailed or submitted online. Mailed votes must be received on or before 11/15/2012. In-person votes must be received by 12.00 noon. (C.D.T.) 11/16/2012 and online voting will end at 12.00noon (C.D.T.)  11/16/2012.

On-Line votes ($.25 each) may be submitted using a valid credit card including, MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. (minimum $5.00 online charge=20 votes). Only valid, authorized credit card transactions will be considered as a legitimate vote. All authorized credit card transactions are non-cancellable and non-refundable. If your credit card is declined for any reason, no vote will be submitted on your behalf.
Voting is open to the general public. Online voting is limited to persons 18 years of age or older. If you are voting in-person or by mail, Vote for your favorite dog by submitting a voting ballot along with a $.25 per vote fee to The Meridian Star. In-Person or by Mail is $.25 per vote and a $1.00 minimum= 4 votes. Each $.25 donation will count as one vote. There is no limit on donation amounts.

When voting online, your computer must accept cookies, or any successor or similar technology, which may be used for the purpose of entry tracking. Ad blocking software on your computer needs to be disabled so that it doesn't interfere with processing your entry.  The Newspaper in Education will receive all of the proceeds.
Any questions regarding the number of entries submitted or the owner of an ISP account shall be determined by the Meridian Star in its sole discretion, and The Meridian Star reserves the right to disqualify any entries by persons determined to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the contest.

General Refund/Cancellation Policy:
•    Entries: Fees for approved and verified photo entries are non-cancellable and non-refundable.
•    Voting: All Voting fees are non-cancellable and non-refundable.

5. Winner Determination. Winners will be determined by total number of votes received. In the event of a tie, The Meridian Star will randomly select the winner from the tied entries. Winners will be selected on or about November 20 after all online and print votes have been tabulated.

6. Prizes. There will be one (1) 1st place prize package with a non-cash value of up to $200 awarded to a single winner. Winners will be acknowledged in print in the print edition of The Meridian Star, online at www.themeridianstar.com and in the other areas if applicable.

7. Winner Notifications and Acceptance. Owners of winners specifically grant the right to The Meridian Star to publish the photo for their pet in the 2013 Top Dog Calendar. A valid photo identification of the owner and/or photo release form may be required. Winners may waive their right to receive prizes. Prizes are not assignable and nontransferable. No substitutions allowed by winner.

Prizes and individual components of prize packages are subject to availability and The Meridian Star reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. Winners are solely responsible for reporting and payment of any taxes on prizes. Winners may be required to complete and affidavit of eligibility/liability and publicity release (except where prohibited by law) which must be returned within ten (10) days of date of personal delivery or date of postmark. 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 result in winner's disqualification, the forfeiture of his or her interest in the prize, and the award of the prize to a substitute winner. Except where prohibited, acceptance of any prize constitutes winner's consent to the publication of his or her name, biographical information and likeness in any media for any commercial or promotional purpose, without limitation the Internet, or further compensation. Prizes not won and claimed by eligible winners in accordance with these Official Rules will not be awarded and will remain the property of The Meridian Star. Winners will be notified on or about December 4, 2012, at the telephone number provided on the entry form. The Meridian Star  will call during regular business hours. Failure to reach winners by phone may result in disqualification of winner, forfeiture of his or her interest in all prizes, and selection of a substitute winner from among all remaining eligible entries.

8. Participation. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of The Meridian Star . In the event the contest is compromised by a virus, non-authorized human intervention, tampering or other causes beyond reasonable control of The Meridian Star which corrupts or impairs the administration, security, fairness or proper operation of the contest, The Meridian Star reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Top Dog Contest. Should the contest be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, The Meridian Star reserves the right to award prizes based on the entries received before the termination date.

9. Construction. 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.

All on-line payments will go through our Administrator "Advanced Pre Press Technology Inc., Burbank, CA.  Any charges incurred will show up as "Online Contest–APT" on your statement.

The Top Dog Contest is sponsored by The Meridian Star. The decisions of The Meridian Star regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the contest shall be final and binding in all respects. The Meridian Star will not be responsible for typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in these Official Rules or in other materials relating to the contest. For a copy of these Official Rules, visit our website www.themeridianstar.com or send a S.A.S.E. to "Winner's List/Official Rules" (as applicable), Top Dog Contest c/o Meridian Start. If you have any questions regarding this contest, please contact Edea Baldwin @ (601)485-1236.

Questions? Please read the official rules or send an email to our contest coordinator nie@themeridian.com.