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Photo credits (from left to right): St. Bernard by Adrianna Williams/Corbis; Tango the Cat courtesy Mel Baughman; BonBon the Ferret courtesy Nancy Wilson; Jambo the African Grey Timneh Parrot courtesy Doug Menlove; Milo the Rhodesian Ridgeback courtesy Simon Bruty

AARP The Magazine's® Most Heroic Pet Contest

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID IN PUERTO RICO AND WHERE PROHIBITED.

Can I Participate? Subject to the additional restrictions below, AARP The Magazine's® Most Heroic Pet Contest (the “Contest”) is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 45 years of age or older and have lawful access to the Internet and a valid e-mail address as of the date of entry. To be eligible to win, entrant’s pet must be living during the Contest Period (as defined below), and the entrant’s pet must not be a nationally recognized pet hero. Furthermore, finalists will be required to show proof of their pet’s heroism and other documentation, as determined by AARP in its sole discretion.

The following persons are not eligible to enter or to win: (i) persons under the age of 45; and (ii) employees of AARP (“Sponsor”) and its advertising and promotional agencies, and the immediate family members of, and any persons living in the same household as, any such employee. The term “immediate family members” is defined as spouses, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and grandchildren.

Entering the Contest constitutes the Contest entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules.

Contest Period: The contest period will begin on September 24, 2009, and end on February 16, 2010 (the “Contest Period”).

How Do I Enter? The entry period will begin at the time the online entry form is posted on the Contest webpage on September 24, 2009, and end at 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 4, 2010 (the “Entry Period”). To enter, access the online Contest entry form posted at www.aarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/most_heroic_pet_contest and follow all posted instructions.

1) You must submit an essay of four hundred (400) words or less explaining why your pet is a hero (“Essay”). A heroic pet is one that has significantly improved or saved a life. The Essay must be your original work and may not contain material that is disparaging, libelous, indecent, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. All entries and Essays will become the exclusive property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. Sponsor shall have the right to edit, adapt, and publish any or all of the Contest submissions and may use them in any media without attribution or compensation to the entrant or any other person or entity.

2) You will be required to provide your full name, complete address, age, telephone number, and e-mail address in the entry form. You must complete all required information to be eligible to enter. Entries that include any invalid e-mail address or inaccurate contact information will be disqualified.

Sponsor’s designated computer clock will be the timekeeping device controlling the Contest Period.

Limit: Maximum one (1) entry per person during the Entry Period, and no two entrants may share the same e-mail address.

All incomplete, lost, late, misdirected, or illegible entries and all entries submitted by software-generated or other automated processes will be void. Entries submitted by third parties are prohibited. All entries become property of AARP and none will be returned or individually acknowledged. AARP will not be responsible for failure to receive or record entries due to human processing errors or transmission or technical failures of any kind, including, without limitation, the malfunctioning of any website, computer dating system, network, hardware, or software. All decisions of AARP regarding the eligibility of participants and the validity of entries shall be final and binding. In the event of a dispute regarding online entries, the applicable online entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the owner of the e-mail account associated with the e-mail address identified on the online entry form. For these purposes, an e-mail account owner shall mean the natural person assigned to such account by the Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with such account. Sponsor is also not responsible for any injury or damage to any entrant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from downloading any materials in the Contest. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATIONS OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

How Will the Ten (10) Finalists Be Selected? Eligible entries will be judged under the supervision of Sponsor. Between January 4, 2010, and January 11, 2010, ten (10) Finalists will be selected based on the following criteria (“Criteria”): (i) adherence to the hero theme (50%); originality (25%); and inspiration (25%). In the event of a tie, the submission with the highest score in the Inspiration category, as determined by the judges in their sole discretion, will be deemed the applicable Finalist. Sponsor reserves the right to select as few as five (5) Finalists if Sponsor, in its sole discretion, determines it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified submissions.

A heroic animal is defined as one that has significantly improved or saved a life.

When Will I Be Notified If I’m a Finalist? Finalists will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail on or about January 12, 2010. All Finalists will be required to complete an affidavit of eligibility and a liability and publicity release (except where prohibited by law), and all Finalists will be required to submit evidence of the pet’s heroic activity (i.e., video, news articles, and/or testimonials)—along with a digital photo of themselves and the pet. All materials must be executed and returned to Sponsor by January 20, 2009. Failure to timely sign and return the affidavit or release, or to comply with any term or condition of these Official Rules, may result in a Finalist’s disqualification, the forfeiture of his or her interest in the Prize, and the selection of a substitute Finalist from among all remaining eligible entries.

How Will the Winner Be Selected? One (1) winner will be selected by online readers’ choice voting beginning February 1, 2010, and ending February 14, 2010 (Voting Period). During the Voting Period, the Finalist submissions will be posted in an online gallery for public voting at www.aarpmagazine.org/lifestyle/most_heroic_pet_contest. There is a limit of one (1) vote per person. Multiple votes received from any person and/or e-mail address after the first vote received from that person and/or e-mail address will be void. Finalists are prohibited from obtaining votes by fraudulent or inappropriate means as determined by Sponsor. Subject to the Finalist adherence to these Official Rules, the Finalist who receives the highest number of valid votes during the Voting Period will be deemed the potential Winner. In the event of a tie the Finalist with the highest score in the Inspiration category will be deemed the potential winner.

When Will I Be Notified If I Won? The potential winner will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail on or about February 16, 2010. Award of a prize to any winner will be subject to verification of that winner’s eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules.

The return of any selection notification message or document as undeliverable will result in disqualification of the potential winner, the forfeiture of his or her interest in the Prize, and the selection of a substitute winner based on the highest number of valid votes received during the Voting Period.

What Can I Win? The winner will receive one (1) $1,000 gift card from a local or online pet retailer (the “Prize”).

Winner may waive the right to receive a prize. Prize is nonassignable and nontransferable. No substitution or transfer of Prize is permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute Prize with another prize of equal or greater value if advertised prize is not available.

Release and Limitations of Liability: By entering the Contest, entrants acknowledge and agree that Sponsor makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the Prize and will not be responsible for any claims, losses, or injuries arising out of the Winner’s acceptance or use of the Prize. For the avoidance of doubt, by submitting an Essay and/or photograph in the Contest, you acknowledge and agree that Sponsor shall have the right (without limitation of further compensation to you) to edit, adapt, modify, reproduce, publish, promote, display, and otherwise use your entry in any way Sponsor sees fit, including the right to publish your entry online and in print. Without limiting the foregoing and except where prohibited, acceptance of the Prize constitutes Winner’s consent to the Sponsor’s publication of his or her name, biographical information, and likeness in any media for any publicity, promotional, or commercial purpose, without limitation or additional compensation.

Who Is the Sponsor? The Contest is sponsored by AARP. All decisions of Sponsor and the Contest judges selected by AARP regarding the Contest and the interpretation of these Official Rules will be final and binding on entrants in all respects. Sponsor will not be responsible for typographical, printing, or other inadvertent errors in these Official Rules or in other materials or announcements relating to the Contest. AARP reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify, or terminate the Contest if the fairness, security, or proper operation of the promotion is compromised by a virus, errors, unauthorized human intervention, tampering, or any cause beyond the reasonable control of AARP. Should the Contest be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, AARP reserves the right to award the Prize from among the eligible entries received before the termination date. AARP also reserves the right to disqualify any persons determined to be tampering with the entry process or abusing any other aspect of the Contest.

For a copy of these Official Rules or winner’s name, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: AARP The Magazine's Most Heroic Pet Contest, 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20049 (VT residents may omit postage for rules).