“VB Women of Inspiration” Contest Official Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.
ELIGIBILITY: “VB Women of Inspiration” Contest (the “Promotion”) is open only to legal permanent residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia (“U.S.”) who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at time of entry, and who are currently physically residing in the U.S. at time of entry and at time of prize award (the “Nominator”). The Nominator will nominate a female who is eighteen (18) years of age or older and a legal permanent resident of the U.S. who strives to make a difference by doing good works with a partner charity that is a 501(c)(3) certified charity as per IRS requirements (the “Nominee”). The Grand Prizes (as defined in the “PRIZES” Section of these Official Rules) will be awarded to the Nominee and NOT to a Nominator. The Nominatory may nominate his/her self.
All employees, officers and directors of Vera Bradley Sales, LLC (“Sponsor”), Vera Bradley Designs, Inc. and those individuals and entities involved in the preparation of materials, providing a prize and/or administration or execution of this Promotion, including, but not limited to National Sweepstakes Company, LLC (the “Independent Administrator”) (collectively referred to herein as the “Promotion Entities”), and their immediate family members (spouse, siblings, children and parents including step and foster relations) and those living in the same household as such individuals (whether or not related) are not eligible to enter. Void outside the fifty (50) United States, District of Columbia and wherever else restricted or prohibited by law.
AGREEMENT BY NOMINATOR AND NOMINEE: By entering the Promotion, each Nominator and Nominee fully and unconditionally agrees to be bound to and accepts these Official Rules, any Promotion related communications from Sponsor including but not limited to any information provided on the promotional website(s), through text messages, and/or any social media platform/application as applicable and the decisions of the Sponsor, other Promotion Entities (and their authorized representatives) which are final and binding with respect to all matters pertaining to this Promotion and all elements thereof. Nominator must obtain approval from the Nominee prior to entering a Submission (defined below); and Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to condition continued participation in the Promotion by Nominee and/or Grand Prize award to Nominee upon Nominator’s furnishing acceptable proof of securing such approval.
PROMOTION PERIOD: Begins on or about 12:00 am Eastern Standard Time (“EST”) on September 21, 2020 and ends 11:59:59 pm EST on October 21, 2020 (“Promotion Period”). All times relating to the Promotion are Eastern Standard Time. Date and time stamp of entry will be based on the official time keeping device for the respective method of entry. ENTRANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING THE CORRESPONDING TIME ZONE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE JURISDICTIONS.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Nominator must visit https://verabradley.com/blogs/the-vb-blog/vbwomenofinspiration (the “Website”) during the Promotion Period and complete the official registration form with all required fields, including Nominator’s contact information, Nominee’s contact information and occupation, a minimum of one (1) image of the Nominee, and in 500 words or less provide how the Nominee makes a difference by the work they are doing (the “Submission”).
Nominator represents and warrants that the contents of the Submission (i.e., the answer to the question) (a) are complete, true and correct to the best of their knowledge and belief; (b) are the original work of the Nominator; and (c) have not previously won a contest or other promotion. The Nominator must identify Nominee and then click the “Submit” button to enter their Submission into the Promotion. There is a limit of one (1) Submission per Nominator for the Promotion. Any attempt by a Nominator to enter more than one (1) Submission by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, and/or any other methods, will void all of that Nominator’s Submissions and that Nominator may not be permitted to enter any additional Submissions in the Promotion. In the event that a Nominee is nominated more than once by different Nominators, the first Submission relating to such Nominee, based on the date and time stamp of such Submission, will be considered the eligible Submission.
Nominator understands and agrees that the Sponsor and Promotion Entities are not responsible for any Submission that is lost, late, misdirected, inaccessible, unviewable or undeliverable, whether due to (a) system errors, omissions, interruptions, deletions, defects, delays, theft or destruction; (b) failed, faulty, incomplete or garbled computer or telephone transmissions or other telecommunication malfunctions, hardware or software errors of any kind; (c) lost or unavailable network connections, typographical or system errors and failures, technical malfunctions, or otherwise. Each Submission will be reviewed and approved by the Sponsor before being posted to any websites.
Submission Requirements/Restrictions: Submissions (a) containing general obscene, lewd, crude, vulgar, profane, defamatory or inappropriate text, including acts of violence or acts that appear to cause harm; (b) containing other offensive content and/or any content that is explicit, graphic or otherwise indecent or that is or could be considered inappropriate, unsuitable, or offensive; (c) derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional or age group; (d) promoting alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms or weapons, activities that appear unsafe or dangerous or a particular political agenda or message; and/or (e) containing and displaying third-party brands prominently and intentionally, or any materials that violate or infringe (or may infringe) any copyright (including, without limitation, music or artistic work), trademark, logo, or other mark that identifies a brand, entity or other proprietary right of any person living or deceased, including but not limited to rights of privacy or publicity or portrayal in a false light or (f) otherwise violate these Official Rules, all as determined by Sponsor, in their sole discretion, shall be disqualified from the Promotion. Without limiting the foregoing, Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify a Submission it feels is inappropriate in any way. Late Submissions or Submissions sent via any other method than those stated above will not be accepted.
Submissions must be truthful in all respects. By submitting a Submission, Nominator warrants and represents that (i) Nominator is the sole and exclusive author and copyright owner of the written Submission, and has obtained a release from all persons identified or depicted in the Submission; (ii) Nominator has the full and exclusive right, power and authority to submit all content in the Submission, and to grant Sponsor the right to present the submission to the public, without further compensation in any way it deems necessary to promote the Contest; and (iii) no rights in the Submission have been previously granted to any other person, firm, corporation, or entity. Nominator further warrants and represents that he/she shall not submit any Submission (a) that is known by the Nominator to be false, inaccurate, or misleading; (b) that infringes on any third party’s copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy; (c) that violates any law, statute, ordinance, or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing export control, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination, or false advertising); and (d) that is or may reasonably be considered defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening, or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership, or corporation.
Should any Submission violate these restrictions, such Submission will be disqualified and will not be eligible to win. In such event, Sponsor further reserves the right to take any necessary actions so as to protect their respective legal rights.
Without limitation, Sponsor reserves the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any Nominee whose social media account that, in their sole opinion, refers, depicts or in any way reflects negatively upon the Sponsor, the Promotion or any other person or entity; does not comply with these Official Rules; or if Sponsor receives notification about any potential infringements or breaches of law or any other reason set forth herein.
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS: Submission must not have been previously published, must not be awaiting publication, nor may be submitted for publication consideration during the Promotion.
By participating, Nominator agrees that their Submission may be shared on social media sites or other websites by the Sponsor. However, such posting of a Submission does not constitute any representation or guarantee by Sponsor that any Submission will be selected as a Grand Prize winner.
By entering a Submission, Nominator grants Sponsor and its affiliated companies worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, unconditional, and fully paid-up rights to publicly perform, display, broadcast, or transmit the Submission, in whole or in part, for promotion and marketing purposes worldwide in any and all forms of media, whether now known or hereafter devised, and to distribute (directly or indirectly through multiple tiers) the Submission to Sponsor’s affiliates, its marketing agencies, and to third parties for these purposes. Without limiting the foregoing, each Nominator consents to have the Nominator’s Submission made available for public viewing and/or comment on the Internet.
THE CONTENT OF THE SUBMISSIONS REPRESENT THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF SOLELY THE NOMINATOR WHO HAS PROVIDED THE SUBMISSION AND DOES NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS AND/OR OPINIONS OF THE SPONSOR IN ANY MANNER. SPONSOR DISCLAIMS ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR SCREENING, MONITORING OR REVIEWING SUBMISSIONS PRIOR TO POSTING OF SAME. SPONSOR MAY EDIT SUBMISSIONS PRIOR TO POSTING THEM ON ANY WEBSITE OR ELSEWHERE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PROMOTION, BUT WILL BE SEEKING THE APPROVAL OF THE RESPECTIVE NOMINATOR AND/OR NOMINEE PRIOR TO EFFECTING SUCH EDITING AND/OR POSTING.
If the Submission contains any material relating to a third party or material not owned by the Nominator, the Nominator is responsible for obtaining consent and any releases from the third party or for the materials used in the Submission prior to providing the respective Submission. Sponsor may request proof of the consent from the Nominator. In the event the Nominator is unable to provide proof, the entire Submission will be disqualified.
EVALUATION OF SUBMISSIONS: All Submissions will be initially reviewed by the Sponsor for compliance with these Official Rules (including the Submission requirements). Thereafter, the Sponsor will “score” each of the Submissions then deemed eligible, based on the following criteria:
· Impact on Community (measured in lives impacted/dollars raised)
· Based on stories that resonate with Sponsor’s Core Values
· Represent a Variety of Causes and Diversity of Our Community
· Substance and quality of Submission
Each Submission will, for each of the above-described criteria, be scored by the Sponsor with a raw score between 1-5 (with 5 being the highest). For each Submission, after a (1-5) score has been determined for each criterion, each raw score will be “weighted”, taking into account the relative percentages shown above (in parentheses, next to each criterion). The “total score” for each scored Submission will be the total score of all of the above criteria (taking into account the above-described “weighting”). The four (4) Submissions having the highest total score will be deemed a Grand Prize winner. The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to select fewer than four (4) Grand Prize winners (if, for example but without limitation, an insufficient number of eligible Submissions are received).
NOTE: In the event of a tie, an additional judge will score each tied Submission (pursuant to the procedures described above) and the Submission with the highest total score pursuant to that subsequent scoring will be deemed the Grand Prize winner. In the event of a further tie the Sponsor shall, in their sole discretion, choose a Grand Prize winner (as applicable) based on its evaluation of which Submission is superior overall, taking the entire judging criteria into consideration.
GRAND PRIZE NOTIFICATION/CLAIM: Grand Prize winners will be notified by phone or email on or about three (3) days following the judging. Grand Prize winner will be required to complete, have notarized and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and, where legal, Publicity Release and IRS W-9 Form (collectively the “Paperwork”) within the time frame specified by the Independent Administrator. If a Grand Prize winner fails to return the Paperwork within the date and time indicated, the Grand Prize winner forfeits his/her right to the Grand Prize and an alternate Grand Prize winner will be selected based on the Submission having the next highest total score, time permitting. If it is determined by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion, that the Grand Prize winner is not eligible in accordance with these Official Rules, the Grand Prize winner forfeits his/her right to the Grand Prize and an alternate Grand Prize winner will be selected as outlined above, time permitting. In the event that the Grand Prize winner is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor shall have no liability or obligation to such individual.
GRAND PRIZE: Grand Prize winner will be awarded a trip to Fort Wayne, IN (the “Grand Prize”). The Grand Prize is inclusive of: i) round-trip coach-class air transportation to/from the Grand Prize winner’s legal residence within the U.S. (as defined herein) to/from a major commercial airport nearest a major airport nearest Fort Wayne, INfor Grand Prize winner, ii) two (2) nights hotel accommodations (one (1) room,) at a hotel to be approved by the Sponsor (additional nights may be required and will be provided by the Sponsor), iii) $75 per day food and beverage credit, and iv) GroundLink or shuttles coordinated by Vera Bradley to and from hotel to shoots and any other company-related activities for the duration of the trip. Any rideshare or other ground transportation outside of what is stated will be at Grand Prize Winner’s sole expense., and v) a Vera Bradley Gift Set. The Grand Prize has an approximate retail value (“ARV”) of $2,500. Sponsor will also make a $2,500 donation to the Grand Prize winner’s charity of choice, to be approved by Sponsor.
Grand Prize Winner will be required to travel between December 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021. If the Grand Prize winner is unable to travel during these dates, Grand Prize winner forfeits his/her rights to the Grand Prize and no compensation will be awarded. In the event any issues arise due to a pandemic, the Sponsor has the right to make changes to the Grand Prize as necessary and will provide any changes to the Grand Prize winner.
Tickets, accommodations, certificates if any, are subject to the terms and conditions of issuer and will not be replaced by Sponsor if lost, stolen, misplaced, damaged or destroyed. Sponsor will be solely responsible and determine any round-trip coach-class air transportation for Grand Prize winner. Grand Prize ARV may vary, depending on the point, date and time of departure. Any difference between ARV and actual value will not be awarded as cash or otherwise. Grand Prize must be accepted as a whole, or will be forfeited in its entirety. All travel arrangements must be made through the Sponsor and a travel agent or entity selected by Sponsor. Grand Prize winner will be responsible for any additional transportation, excursions, tips or gratuities, fuel, parking, beverages, telephone calls, overages, baggage fees, extras and any other incidental costs or expenses not specifically stated herein as being included. The Grand Prize winner’s stay shall be subject to certain terms and conditions which they will be required to acknowledge, respectively, upon their arrival. Specific air carrier(s) and other trip specifics are selected at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. All travel is subject to availability and other restrictions may apply. Travel must originate and end at the same major gateway airport. Grand Prize winner will be required to obtain and maintain all insurance (including health, liability and any other insurance). Grand Prize winner acknowledges and agrees that the Promotion Entities are not providers/carriers of transportation, or insurance providers. No changes will be made to travel details once any element(s) of the travel arrangements have been booked. No frequent flier miles will be earned on any element of Grand Prize travel. Grand Prize conditions may be added or modified by Sponsor or its designee. Promotion Entities are not responsible for any changes of any element of Grand Prize, nor are they liable for any expenses incurred as a consequence of flight/event changes, cancellation or delays. Travel is subject to capacity controls, availability, and certain other restrictions, all of which are subject to change. Any unclaimed and/or unused element of the Grand Prize, or any element thereof, will remain the property of Sponsor or its designee. A Grand Prize winner later found ineligible or non-compliant will be immediately required to return and forfeit any Grand Prize awarded. In the event Grand Prize winner engages in behavior that, as determined by Sponsor (or its designee) in their absolute discretion, is obnoxious or threatening, dangerous, illegal or that is intended to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, or may cause harm, property damage or any other loss, Sponsor reserves the right to terminate the trip early, in whole or in part, and to send the Grand Prize winner home with no further compensation.
PRIZE RESTRICTIONS: Limit of one (1) Grand Prize per Nominee. Any prize elements, features, make, models, and/or patterns and styles may be selected or substituted by Sponsor (or its authorized representative) in its sole and absolute discretion. No transfer, assignment or substitution of the Grand Prize (in whole or in part), except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if the original prize becomes unavailable for any reason. All federal, state and local taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the Grand Prize winner. Products or any other element received as a prize may not be resold, auctioned, bartered, or placed into any other unauthorized channels of distribution. Any prize pictured in advertising or promotional materials is for illustrative purposes only and may not be the actual Grand Prize awarded. Except for any standard manufacturer’s warranty, GRAND PRIZES ARE AWARDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AS TO THEIR QUALITY OR CONDITION AND PROMOTION ENTITIES EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, SUITABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. These Official Rules shall control and serve to clarify any confusion, discrepancy, omission, error or mistake communicated in any and all Promotion materials, announcements, communications or notifications (in any and all media/medium). Grand Prizes are subject to compliance, confirmation of eligibility and verification of potential Grand Prize winners.
GENERAL/RELEASE: Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for any online, application, device, network, electronic or hardware or software, malfunctions, failures, connections, or availability, or garbled, corrupt, or jumbled transmissions; nor service provider, Internet, Website, user net (in)accessibility or availability, incompatibility, traffic congestion, unauthorized human intervention or any human error, nor for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information, nor for the failure to capture any such information. Promotion Entities are not responsible for injury or damage to Nominator or to any other persons or property, whether computer related or resulting from downloading materials from or use of any website. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NOMINATORS AND NOMINEES AGREE TO RELEASE, DISCHARGE AND HOLD HARMLESS THE SPONSOR, OTHER PROMOTION ENTITIES, THEIR RESPECTIVE PARENTS, AFFILIATES AND SUBSIDIARIES, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION AGENCIES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS, SALES ASSOCIATES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS (“RELEASED PARTY”) FROM AND AGAINST ANY AND ALL ALLEGED AND/OR ACTUAL CLAIMS, ACTIONS, DEMANDS, LOSSES, SETTLEMENTS (WHETHER OR NOT LITAGATION IS COMMENCED), LIABILITIES AND DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER EXISTING NOW OR ARISING IN THE FUTURE (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, BODILY INJURY, PERSONAL INJURY, DEATH, DISABILITY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE OR LOSS), COSTS AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES, COURT COSTS, SETTLEMENT AND DISBURSEMENTS) DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF THE DELIVERY, ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF THE GRAND PRIZE, PARTICIPATION IN ANY GRAND PRIZE RELATED ACTIVITY, AND/OR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROMOTION, OR ANY ELEMENT THEREOF. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Nominators and Nominees covenant not to sue any Promotion Entity or cause them to be sued regarding any matter released above; and further covenant not to disaffirm, limit or rescind any releases. A waiver by one or more of the Promotion Entities of any term in these Official Rules does not constitute a waiver of any other provision.
PUBLICITY RELEASE: By entering and/or accepting the Grand Prize, Nominators, Nominess and/or Grand Prize winners hereby irrevocably consent, where lawful, to the use (which may include without limitation modification or alteration) by Sponsor (and its affiliated and subsidiary companies and their authorized representatives) of their name, image, photographs, videotape, likeness, hometown name, biographical information, and voice for publicity, trade, advertising and promotional purposes in all media now known or hereafter developed worldwide, and on the Internet and World Wide Web, without additional compensation, and without the right of review, notification or approval.
LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for any unauthorized human intervention, human error, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information; nor for the failure to capture any such information. If, for any reason, the Promotion, in whole or in part, is not capable of running as planned or by reason of causes which Sponsor deems, in its sole opinion, could corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Promotion or any part thereof, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Promotion, or any element thereof and select the Grand Prize winners from eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to the action or as otherwise may be deemed fair and equitable by Sponsor. Promotion Entities shall not be liable to Grand Prize winners or any other person or entity for failure to execute the Promotion or any part thereof, or supply a prize in whole or in part, by reason of any act of God, any action(s), regulation(s) order(s) or request(s) by any governmental or quasi-governmental entity (whether or not the action(s), regulation(s), order(s) or request(s) prove(s) to be invalid), equipment failure, terrorist acts, cyberattacks, earthquake, war, fire, flood, explosion, unusually severe weather, embargo, labor dispute or strike (whether legal or illegal), labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down, civil disturbance, insurrection, riot, event/experience cancellation or delay, or any similar or dissimilar event beyond their reasonable control.
In no event will Promotion Entities and/or their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and related companies, their advertising or promotion agencies and/or all their respective officers, directors, employees, independent contractors, representatives and agents, be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages arising out of your participation in this Promotion, or any element thereof, Promotion related activities, features or access to, and use of, any participating internet site(s) or the downloading from and/or printing material downloaded from said website(s).
CHOICE OF LAW/ARBITRATION: THIS PROMOTION IS GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF INDIANA WITHOUT RESPECT TO CONFLICT OF LAW DOCTRINES. As a condition of participating in this Promotion, Nominators and Nominees agree that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved between the parties and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Promotion shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively before a neutral one person arbitration panel located in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
PRIVACY POLICY: For information about how the Sponsor uses personal information collected in connection with this Promotion, please see its privacy policy, located at https://www.verabradley.com/us/static/privacypolicy.
WINNERS LIST: For a list of Grand Prize winners, mail a self–addressed, sufficiently U.S. postage stamped envelope to: “VB Women of Inspiration” Contest Winners’ List Request, PO Box 458, Newark, NY 14610 for receipt by November 5, 2020. Limit one (1) request per person/household address.
SPONSOR: Vera Bradley Sales, LLC, 12420 Stonebridge Road, Roanoke, IN 46783.
This Promotion shall not be published without the written permission of the Sponsor.
