Trupanion 2024 Veterinary Appreciation Day™ Awards Contest Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. MAKING A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE CHANCES OF WINNING. THE FOLLOWING CONTEST IS OPEN ONLY TO PERSONS WHO MEET THE CRITERIA (AS DEFINED IN THE RULES BELOW). ALL FEDERAL, STATE, PROVINCIAL, LOCAL, AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHEREVER PROHIBITED. DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTEST IF YOU DO NOT FALL WITHIN THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AS SET FORTH BELOW. TO ENTER YOU MUST HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT.

NOTE: Individuals may receive no more than $100 in native currency of value in prizes, gifts, and promotions from any Trupanion, Inc. (together with its affiliates, “Trupanion”) promotion in any 12-month period.  Skill-testing question may be required for Canadian winners.

CONTEST NAME: The Trupanion Veterinary Appreciation Day™ Awards (the “Contest”).

SPONSOR: The Contest is sponsored by Trupanion Managers USA, Inc., 6100 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98108 (“Trupanion” or “Sponsor”).

DATES/CONTEST PERIOD. The entry period runs from 12:00 AM (ET) on May 7, 2024 to 11:59 PM (PT) on May 15, 2024 (“Entry Period”). Only entries (also referred to as “Nominations”) submitted during the Entry Period will be eligible to enter the Contest. Initial voting will take place from May 17, 2024 to May 24, 2024 (“Voting Period”). Final judging will take place from May 29, 2024 to June 4, 2024. Two winners (“Veterinarian of the Year” and “Veterinary Professional of the Year” or “Winners”) in each of Canada and the United States will be announced on June 18, 2024 (“Veterinary Appreciation Day” or the “Event”).

ELIGIBILITY: Nominees and Nominators must meet the following criteria (“Criteria”): (i) are legal residents of Canada, the 50 United States (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico but excluding North Dakota and West Virginia) (ii) have reached the age of majority in the Participant’s jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry, and (iii) have the legal right to enter the Contest.

Employees, officers, or directors of Sponsor and its affiliates and their respective administrative, advertising, and promotion agencies, and any other entity involved in the development, administration, promotion, or implementation of the Contest and their immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings and children) are ineligible to be a Nominator or become a Nominee. Nominees for “Veterinarian of the Year” must be an accredited veterinarian in good standing within the veterinary community (as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion). Nominees for “Veterinary Professional of the Year” must be employed in the veterinary field at the time of nomination (including but not limited to: licensed or unlicensed veterinary technician, practice manager, client service representative, veterinary nurse, animal care attendant, etc.), must not be an accredited veterinarian, and must be in good standing within the veterinary community (as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion).

HOW TO ENTER: Entries must be received during the Entry Period. To enter a Veterinarian or Veterinary Professional in the Contest (a “Nominee”), a participant (a “Nominator”) must complete a nomination form on www.vetappreciationday.trupanion.com (the “Platform”) and include a written narrative describing how the Veterinarian Nominee has made a difference in their community and including any other information reasonably requested, including contact information for the Nominator and Nominee. Veterinarians and Veterinary Professionals who meet the criteria above may complete an Entry to nominate themselves or be nominated by a third party. No other forms of entry are permitted.  Nominators must ensure that a Nominee has consented to being Entered in the Contest.

Entries that are late, lost, stolen, illegible, contain false information, are damaged, misdirected, mutilated, garbled or incomplete, altered or otherwise irregular or that do not conform with or satisfy any or all of the conditions of these Official Rules are void. During and following the Entry Period, Sponsor shall contact each Nominee to confirm their consent to these Official Rules, Entry into the Contest, and use of their likeness and Entry.

Nominators grant Sponsor a perpetual, transferable, sublicenseable, non-exclusive, worldwide license to (a) use, copy, transmit, distribute, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, adapt, combine with other ideas or works, publish, translate, publicly perform, publicly broadcast and publicly display the Entry (except where prohibited), or any modification thereto, in whole or in part, in any format or medium now known or later developed without attribution, and (b) use (and permit others to use) the Entry (except where prohibited) in any manner and for any purpose, including without limitation: marketing, advertising, commercial or promotional purposes that Sponsor or its agents deem appropriate without any further compensation or review, except where prohibited. 

Each Nominator agrees that such Nominator is solely responsible for the Entry. Sponsor is not required to host, display, or distribute the Entry on or through its websites, on social media or otherwise, and may remove an Entry at any time or refuse an Entry for any reason. Sponsor is not responsible for any loss, theft, misuse or damage of any kind to an Entry.

Each Nominator hereby represents and warrants that:

• Nominator owns all rights in and to the Entry including without limitation, all rights to the audio, video and or digital recording and performance contained in an Entry (if any), and/or Nominator has acquired all necessary rights to the elements appearing in an Entry to enable Nominator to grant all the rights to Sponsor as described herein.

• The Entry is wholly original and does not infringe on the copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or any other intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other legal or moral rights of any third party individual or entity.

• Nominator agrees to release and allow all creative license and creative treatment in the use and production of an Entry at the discretion of Sponsor and its agents.

• Nominator will not be compensated or granted any consideration in any way for the use of an Entry.

• Nominator irrevocably releases and forever discharges that Sponsor, its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, and advertising and promotion agencies, and their respective officers, directors, shareholders, and employees from any and all actions, claims, damages, liabilities and demands, whether absolute or contingent and of any nature whatsoever, which Nominator now has or hereafter may have against any of the foregoing, or their respective successors or assigns, arising out of or related in any way to Sponsor’s use of an Entry or anything contained therein.

Proof of transmission (for example, screenshots or captures) does not constitute proof of entry or receipt of an Entry.

PUBLIC VOTING & WINNER CRITERIA: One (1) Veterinarian Nominee (the “Veterinary Winner”) and one (1) Veterinary Professional Nominee in each of Canada and the United States (the “Veterinary Professional Winner” and together with the Veterinary Winner, the “Winners”) will be selected as winners from among the Entries that meet the eligibility requirements set forth above and are received during the Entry Period.

Public Voting Period: On or about May 17, 2024 by 1 PM Pacific Time, Entries that meet the eligibility requirements set forth above will be posted on https://vetappreciationday.trupanion.com/contest-rules (the “Nominee Showcase”) for public voting until May 24, 2024 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time (the “Public Voting Period”). Members of the public who are legal residents of and located in Canada and the fifty (50) United States of America or the District of Columbia, and who are at least eighteen (18) years old or the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence, whichever is older (“Voters”), can cast votes on the Nominee Showcase page https://vetappreciationday.trupanion.com. Voters should vote for the Veterinarian Nominees and Veterinary Professional Nominees in both Canada and the United States based based on the criteria below for “Veterinarian of the Year” and “Veterinary Professional of the Year” (the “Voting Criteria”). Sponsor and Judges will not disclose the number of votes received by any Nominee.

The Veterinarian Winner and Veterinarian Professional Winner in each of Canada and the United States will be determined by a panel of judges consisting of  (6) representatives of Sponsor, which will include one (1) licensed veterinary professional (the “Judging Panel”), who will apply the Voting Criteria.  The Judging Panel shall determine the winners as follows: 

• The Judging Panel will attribute 30% weighting to the number of votes received by the Nominees in the Public Voting Period; provided, any Winner must receive at least one (1) vote from a Voter during the Public Voting Period; and
• 70% of the weighting will be determined by the Judging Panel’s application of the Voting Criteria.

Voters, Nominators, Nominees, and Winners agree that the sole and final judgement as to all matters concerning the Contest are at the sole discretion of Sponsor and its officers and staff.

VOTING AND WINNER SELECTION: The potential Winner will be contacted beginning on or about June 4, 2024. To be eligible to win, Winners must (i) submit a recent photograph solely of the Winner (the “Winner Photo”), (ii) a publicity release in a form provided by Sponsor providing Sponsor broad rights to copy, display, edit, and distribute the Winner Photo and Entry or elements thereof on social media, on Trupanion’s website, and by any other means now known or hereinafter developed (except where prohibited by law), and (iii) consent to the Official Rules by June 7, 2024. The Winner must make themselves available for a brief interview (by phone or video conference) between June 7 and June 12. In the event that an Entry from a Winner is deemed to be in violation of these Official Rules, or if Nominator, Nominee, or Winner is unable or unwilling to provide any documentation described above or does not consent to an interview, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, disqualify the Entry and select an alternate Winner based on the Voting Criteria.
The Winners will be announced via social posts on platforms including, but not limited to: Sponsor’s X feed (@trupanion), Instagram account (@trupanion), Facebook page (@trupanion), LinkedIn page (@Trupanion) as well as announced via https://vetappreciationday.trupanion.com, Trupanion marketing materials, and corporate communications on or around June 18, 2024.

PRIZES: Each Winner will receive (i) Trupanion “media spotlights” throughout 2024-2025 on a schedule determined by Sponsor, which may include (but is not limited to) placement in emails, web (e.g. trupanion.com, vet.trupanion.com, etc.), social media posts, etc. and (ii) a personalized digital media toolkit, which may include (but is not limited to) a winner’s badge, winner’s certificate, email graphics, winner announcement video, and social content.  The value of the benefits to the Winners does not exceed $100.

ENTRY/PHOTO LICENSE/PUBLICITY:

PUBLICITY & ENTRANT INFORMATION: By participating in the Contest, Nominators consent to the use of their Entry and information contained therein, including, without limitation, name, address, email address, postal code, telephone number, social media handle(s), comments and image, whether on videotape, photograph or any other means, in each case for the administration of the Contest or any publicity carried out by the Sponsor, without further notice or compensation, except where prohibited by law. Nominators understand and agree that Nominator’s name and Entry content (“Content”) will be publicly displayed, and that it will not be treated in confidence and Nominators hereby provide Sponsor and its affiliates with the unlimited, worldwide right to use and share Nominator’s name (except where prohibited) and Content (i) on its websites; (ii) in all of its social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, including in both organic posts and paid ads; (iii) digital ads; and (iv) other promotional materials of any kind or type, including print materials.

RULE AMENDMENTS: The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to amend or modify these Official Rules, or modify, cancel or suspend this Contest in the event that any cause beyond the reasonable control of the Sponsor corrupts, or threatens to corrupt, the security or proper administration of the Contest. Any changes will be posted on https://vetappreciationday.trupanion.com/contest-rules and will be effective upon posting unless another effective date is specified. Without limiting the foregoing, if, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as originally planned for any reason, the Sponsor reserves the right to end the Contest and submit outstanding Entries for judging in accordance with these Official Rules.

PRIVACY AND THIRD-PARTY TERMS: By participating in the Contest, Voters, Nominators, and Nominees acknowledge that they have reviewed and agree to Sponsor’s Privacy Policy stated onhttps://trupanion.com/about/privacy-policy-main. Unless otherwise specified in these Official Rules, information submitted with an Entry will be used and disclosed in accordance with the Privacy Policy. Voters, Nominators, and Nominees also acknowledge that Sponsor is not responsible for the privacy policies of X, Instagram, or Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other third-party website to which Sponsor may link, and Voters, Nominators, and Nominees should review the relevant policies to understand the information that is shared by the social media sites or other third-party website.

LAW: This Contest shall be governed exclusively by the laws of the state of Washington, including all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, rights and obligations between entrants and the Sponsor, and procedural provisions, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules. Any dispute shall be adjudicated by the courts sitting in King County, Washington.

WAIVERS AND RELEASES: By entering, participants agree: (a) to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding; (b) to waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Contest or these Official Rules; (c) that they may be contacted in person, by phone, social media, or by e-mail, with respect to the Contest; (d) that Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, and advertising and promotion agencies, and their respective officers, directors, stockholders, and employees (collectively “Releasees”) are not responsible for lost, damaged, or misplaced entries, incorrect or inaccurate transcription of Entry information, or for any human or other error, technical malfunction, lost/delayed data transmission, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, line failures of any telephone network, computer equipment, software, inability to access any online service or web site, or any other error or malfunction, or any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation in this Contest, or for any injury to person or property; and (e) that the Releasees will not be liable for losses or injuries of any kind resulting from acceptance/possession/use and/or misuse of the prizes, travel to and from any prize-related activity, participation in the Contest, or printing, mailing or distribution errors. PARTICIPANTS ALSO IRREVOCABLY RELEASE AND FOREVER DISCHARGE THE RELEASEES FROM ANY AND ALL ACTIONS, CLAIMS, DAMAGES, LIABILITIES AND DEMANDS, WHETHER ABSOLUTE OR CONTINGENT AND OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, WHICH YOU NOW HAVE OR HEREAFTER MAY HAVE AGAINST ANY OF THE RELEASEES, OR THEIR RESPECTIVE SUCCESSORS OR ASSIGNS, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED IN ANY WAY TO TRUPANION’S USE OF YOUR NAME, CONTENT OR ANYTHING CONTAINED THEREIN. EACH WINNER FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT SPONSOR DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, RELATING TO THE PRIZE ITSELF AND THAT SPONSOR EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: EACH ENTRANT AGREES TO RELEASE, HOLD HARMLESS, AND INDEMNIFY EACH OF THE RELEASEES FROM AND AGAINST ANY LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR INJURIES OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND SUSTAINED IN CONNECTION WITH THE ACCEPTANCE, USE, MISUSE, OR AWARDING OF THE PRIZE OR WHILE PREPARING FOR, PARTICIPATING IN, AND/OR TRAVELING TO OR FROM ANY PRIZE- OR CONTEST-RELATED ACTIVITY INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY INJURY, DAMAGE, LOSS, DEATH OR ACCIDENT TO OR OF PERSON OR PROPERTY. WINNER AGREES THAT THE PRIZE IS PROVIDED AS-IS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION, OR GUARANTEE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, WHETHER NOW KNOWN OR HEREINAFTER ENACTED, RELATIVE TO THE USE OR ENJOYMENT OF THE PRIZE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ITS QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE

EACH ENTRANT UNDERSTANDS AND AGREES THAT ALL RIGHTS UNDER SECTION 1542 OF THE CIVIL CODE OF CALIFORNIA AND ANY SIMILAR LAW OF ANY STATE OR TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES ARE HEREBY EXPRESSLY WAIVED BY HIM/HER.  SECTION 1542 READS AS FOLLOWS:

“CERTAIN CLAIMS NOT AFFECTED BY A GENERAL RELEASE. A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR.”

SEVERABILITY: If any provision(s) of these Official Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect.

OFFICIAL RULES & RULES REQUEST: These Official Rules are available at https://vetappreciationday.trupanion.com/contest-rules or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: “Trupanion Veterinary Marketing – Rules Request,” c/o Trupanion Managers USA, Inc., 6100 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98108.  Limit one (1) request per outer envelope.  Rules requests must be received during the Contest Period.

WINNER’S LIST: Winners’ names will be available upon conclusion of the Contest at vetappreciationday.trupanion.com and on Trupanion’s Facebook, X, and Instagram pages. Names of the Winners may be requested for up to eight weeks following the announcement of the Winners by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: “Trupanion Veterinary Marketing – Winner’s Listing,” c/o Trupanion Managers USA, Inc., 6100 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98108.  Limit one (1) request per outer envelope.