Eligibility:  The 2010 NIE Pet Extravaganza is open to all residents of Crawford County.  Contest is open to photos of pets living as of 12/1/09.  Employees of The Meadville Tribune and CNHI as well as immediate family members are not eligible to win.

Entry Period: Entries will be accepted beginning 6am, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009. Entry deadline is 6pm, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010. Mailed entries must be postmarked by Saturday, January 23, 2010.

How to Enter: Enter by submitting a completed entry form as well as a photo of the pet and a $5 entry fee (cash, check, money order, credit card).  Entries must be submitted by an adult 18 years or older at the time of submission. Digital photos must be sent in jpg form and 240 dpi.  Only one photo entered per pet.  Name of pet, breed or species of pet, person submitting the photo and phone number must be listed on the back of the photo.  By submitting this information, The Meadville Tribune reserves the right to use the pet’s photo and name in any print products of The Meadville Tribune as well as on its website.  Checks for entry may be made payable to The Meadville Tribune.  Photos will not be returned unless requested along with a self addressed stamped envelope.  Professional photographs, Kiosk and color printer photos cannot be accepted.

Online Entry: Visit The Meadville Tribune’s website at https://www.communitynewscontest.com/index.php?contestid=90. Complete the entry form and all requested information.  Upload photo, submit payment and click SUBMIT.  Your computer must accept cookies, or any successor or similar technology, which may be used for entry tracking. Online votes may be submitted using a valid credit card including: MasterCard, Visa and Discover. (min. $5.00 online charge). Only valid, authorized credit card transactions will be considered as a legitimate vote. All authorized credit card transactions are non-cancelable and non-refundable. If your credit card is declined for any reason, no vote will be submitted on your behalf.

Mail or In Person Entry: Complete the entry form found in editions of The Meadville Tribune as well as The Meadville Tribune office located at 947 Federal Ct, Meadville.  Entries may be delivered or mailed to The Meadville Tribune office.   Mail to, “Pet Contest,” The Meadville Tribune, 947 Federal Ct, Meadville PA, 16335.

Voting and Rules: There will be four rounds of voting. The first round voting period begins at 6am, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 and will end at 6pm, Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010. Mailed votes must be postmarked by Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010. First round results will be published in The Meadville Tribune on Monday, Mar. 1, 2010.

The top 32 pets in the first round will advance to the second round. Second round voting will begin at 6am, Tuesday, Mar. 2, 2010 and end at 6pm, Monday, Mar. 15, 2010. Mailed votes must be postmarked by Wednesday, Mar.10, 2010. Second round results will be published in The Meadville Tribune on Wednesday, Mar. 17, 2010.

The top 16 pets in the second round will advance to the third round. Third round voting will begin at 6am, Thursday, Mar. 18, 2010 and end at 6pm, Wednesday, Mar. 31, 2010. Mailed votes must be postmarked by Friday, Mar. 26, 2010. Third round results will be published in The Meadville Tribune on Friday, Apr. 2, 2010.

The top 8 pets in the third round will advance to the final round. Final round voting will begin at 6am, Sunday, Apr. 4, 2010 and end at 6pm, Saturday Apr. 10, 2010. Mailed votes must be postmarked by Thursday, Apr. 8, 2010. Final results will be published in The Meadville Tribune on Thursday, Apr. 15, 2010.

Votes may be made at The Meadville Tribune, mailed or online. Voting totals will be posted online daily, and will appear daily in The Meadville Tribune while each round is underway. Votes from previous rounds will carry over into later rounds.

Voting is open to the general public and costs $1 per vote (min. $5.00 online charge).  Voting is limited to persons 18 years or older.  There is no limit on the amount of votes a person can cast.  Your computer must accept cookies, or any successor or similar technology, which may be used for tracking.  Ad blocking software on your computer needs to be disabled so that is does not interfere with processing your entry.

The Meadville Tribune will not be responsible for any incomplete, lost, late, postage due or illegible entries.  In the event of a dispute, all online entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the owner of the ISP account from which they were sent.

Any questions regarding the number of entries submitted or the owner of an ISP account shall be determined by The Meadville Tribune.  The Meadville Tribune reserves the right to disqualify any entries by persons determined to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the contest.

Winner Determination: Winners will be determined by the total number of votes received.  In the event of a tie, The Meadville Tribune will randomly pick the winner from the tied entries.  Winners will be announced in the Thursday, April 15, 2010 edition of The Meadville Tribune.

Prizes: First place winner will receive a year’s supply of dog or cat food courtesy of Dad’s Pet Products. Second place winner will receive a $150 Walmart gift card. Third place winner will receive a $100 Walmart gift card. Fourth place winner will receive a $50 Walmart gift card. Top four pets will be featured in a special featurette to be published in The Meadville Tribune after the end of the contest.

Winner Notification: All owners of winning pets grant the right to The Meadville Tribune to publish the photo of their pet in the 2010 NIE Pet Extravaganza.  A valid photo ID of the owner may be required.  Winners may waive their right to receive prizes.  Prizes are nontransferable and there will be no substitutions allowed by winner.  The Meadville Tribune reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value.  Winners are responsible for reporting and payment of any tax on prizes.  Winners may be required to complete an affidavit and publicity release, which must be returned within 10 days of personal delivery or date of postmark.  Failure to sign and return the affidavit or to comply with any terms or conditions of the official rules may result in disqualification and a substitute may be awarded.

Participation: By participating in the 2010 NIE Pet Extravaganza contest, entrants are bound to the official rules and regulations.  The Meadville Tribune reserves the right to disqualify any persons tampering with or abusing the contest.  In the event this contest is compromised by any non-authorized human intervention, tampering or other cause beyond the control of The Meadville Tribune, The Meadville Tribune reserves the right to suspend, modify or terminate the 2010 NIE Pet Extravaganza.  Should the contest be terminated prior to the expiration date, The Meadville Tribune reserves the right to award prizes based on the entries received before the termination date.

The 2010 NIE Pet Extravaganza is sponsored by The Meadville Tribune.  The Meadville Tribune reserves the right to make all decisions regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the contest.  The Meadville Tribune will not be responsible for typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in the Official Rules or other materials regarding the contest.

General Refund/Cancellation Policy:

Entries: Fees for approved and verified photo entries are non-cancelable and non-refundable.

Voting: All Voting fees are non-cancelable and non-refundable.