GMA's Ultimate 'Shake It Off' With Taylor Swift Contest -- Official Rules

ByABC News via logo
October 15, 2014, 7:01 AM

— -- Read the official rules below and then click here to submit your "Shake It Off" video!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE OFFICIAL RULES.

Eligibility Guidelines:

Contest sponsored by Good Morning America ("GMA") and American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (“ABC”), (collectively, the "Sponsors").

Entrants (“Entrant”) to “GMA’S ULTIMATE SHAKE IT OFF WITH TAYLOR SWIFT CONTEST" (“Contest”) must be legal residents of the 48 continental United States or the District of Columbia and thirteen (13) years old or older. Entrants, Traveling Companions (“Traveling Companions”) and Chaperone(s) (“Chaperone(s)”), if applicable, must be available to travel to and be in New York City from October 29 - 30, 2014.

Any individuals (including but not limited to employees, consultants, independent contractors, and interns) who have, within the past six months, performed services for the Sponsors, any organizations responsible for sponsoring, fulfilling, administering, advertising or promoting the Contest or supplying the prize, and their respective parent, subsidiary, affiliated and successor companies, and immediate family and household members of such individuals, are not eligible to enter. "Immediate family members" shall mean parents, step-parents, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, or spouses. "Household members" shall mean people who share the same residence at least three months a year.

How to Enter: To enter, navigate the Internet to www.goodmorningamerica.com and click on the link for “GMA’S ULTIMATE SHAKE IT OFF WITH TAYLOR SWIFT CONTEST" which will take you to the Contest home page. There you will find instructions on the appropriate and acceptable file formats and sizes for submitting your entry electronically.

Submit a video up to thirty (30) seconds in length of your own interpretation of any portion of Taylor Swift’s song “SHAKE IT OFF”. You MUST use Taylor Swift’s audio recording of “Shake It Off” in your submission. You are prohibited from using any other music, songs, melodies, recordings, or lyrics in your videotaped entry.

Submissions may include singing or lip synching to the song. You may ONLY (a) lip synch silently to the music or (b) sing along to the music. Any variation from or violation of this rule shall result in disqualification of the entry.

Submissions may also include dancing or other types of performance.

Those featured in the video must include the Entrant plus up to four (4) other people (“Participants”) who can be members of an organized group (cheer squad, dance troupe, etc.) to which Entrant and Participants belong, or friends and family. These up to four (4) Participants in the video, other than the Entrant, can be under the age of thirteen (13) years; however Entrant must be thirteen (13) years or older.

Included in your submission must also be a brief essay, up to a maximum of two hundred (200) words, that describes how “Shake It Off” has inspired you, as well as a photo of yourself and the others who appear in your video.

You warrant and represent that all of the Materials submitted by you are original to you (and not based on or derived from any other materials), that you own all necessary rights in and to the Materials (with the exception of the rights to “Shake It Off”) which are fully transferable, and that you are not subject to any recording agreement, production agreement, union or guild agreement, or any similar agreement which would interfere with your ability to enter into this Contest or grant all of the rights to be provided hereunder. Accordingly, you further warrant and represent that you have the right to enter into this agreement and grant the rights hereunder without the need for permission from or payment to any other party and the exercise of the rights set forth herein [and in the Contest Rules] by the Sponsors will not violate any third party rights and will not violate any contractual obligations or confidential relationships which you may have to or with any third party.

Any entries submitted with inappropriate or offensive content will be immediately disqualified. No entry may be submitted in any other contest or promotion.

Upon submission, you will see a thank you message on your screen indicating that you have successfully entered. You will not receive a further acknowledgement. Free internet access is available at most public libraries.

Incomplete entries will be disqualified. Proof of entering information at the Contest website or registration form is not considered proof of delivery to or receipt by Sponsors of such entry. Personal information collected in connection with this Contest will be used in accordance with ABC.com’s privacy policy, available at http://corporate.disney.go.com/corporate/pp.html.

Contest Entry Period: “GMA’S ULTIMATE SHAKE IT OFF WITH TAYLOR SWIFT CONTEST" Contest entry period begins 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time ("ET") on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 and ends at 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 23, 2014 (the "Contest Period"). Sponsors’ computer is the official clock for this Contest.

Judging Procedure, Notification and Finalists Judging: Eligible entries will be judged by designated staff of Sponsors on the basis of creativity, on-air appeal, inspiration from the song, and originality. In case of a tie, decisions of the judges are final as to all Contest-related matters.

One entry will be chosen as the winning entry (“Winner”) by the judges. In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest score in the creativity category will be declared the Winner.

The Winner will be notified by email, phone or on a live broadcast of “Good Morning America” on about October 27, 2014 that his or her entry has been selected for the Grand Prize (“Grand Prize”). The Entrant has twenty-four (24) hours to acknowledge the notification of Sponsors’ selection of his or her entry as the Winner, and if Entrant is a minor, written confirmation from a parent or legal guardian that Entrant may accept the Grand Prize. Upon satisfaction of all rules and conditions, Entrant may accept the Grand Prize.

In the event the Entrant is deemed ineligible, or fails to comply with contest procedures, then the first runner-up Entrant will be selected to win the Grand Prize, time permitting, or Sponsors reserve the right to terminate the contest at their discretion.

Grand Prize: The Winner and the up to four (4) Participants in the winning video (“Traveling Companions”) will receive roundtrip coach airfare between a major airport closest to the Winner’s home and a New York City area airport, roundtrip ground transportation between the New York City area airport and a New York City hotel, and one night’s accommodations in two (2) double occupancy New York City hotel rooms for Winner, Traveling Companions and Chaperone(s), if applicable. Winner residing within 200 miles of New York City will be provided ground transportation, rather than airfare, for Winner and Traveling Companions to and from New York City.

Winner and Traveling Companions will also receive VIP tickets to the Taylor Swift concert on “Good Morning America” on Thursday, October 30, 2014.

If Winner and/or any or all of the Traveling Companions are minors, then the group traveling to New York City will be expanded to include one or two parents or designated legal guardians (“Chaperone(s)”) who shall have responsibility to supervise those minors to, from, and during the New York City trip. Any Chaperone must have permission from a respective parent or designated legal guardian of any Traveling Companion who is a minor(s), and such permission is subject to verification by Sponsors.

Chaperone(s), if applicable, will receive roundtrip coach airfare between Winner’s departure airport and New York City, and a VIP ticket(s) to the October 30, 2014 Taylor Swift concert on “Good Morning America”.

The Winner, Traveling Companion and Chaperone(s), if applicable, may be featured in videotaped and/or live broadcast segments on Good Morning America, as determined by the Sponsors. All videotape and live production will be determined at the sole discretion of the Sponsors.

The Winner is not entitled to exchange or transfer the prize or to obtain cash or other substitutes, but Sponsors, in their sole discretion, may substitute prizes of equal or greater value.

Any appearance on Good Morning America is subject to availability. Sponsors are not responsible for cancellation or preemption of show or for other circumstances that make it impractical or impossible to fulfill this element of the prize. The appearance portion of the prize has no approximate retail value and if it becomes impractical or impossible to fulfill this or any element, Sponsors’ only obligation will be to provide the remainder of prize, if any.

Federal, state, and local taxes associated with the receipt or use of the prize, if any, are the sole responsibility of the Winner. Winner must provide a validly completed IRS Form W-9 to the Sponsors. An IRS Form 1099 reflecting the final actual value of any prize valued at $600 or more, if required by law, will be issued to the Winner by the Sponsors. The approximate retail value of the prize is three thousand and six dollars ($3,006.00). The final value of the prize will be determined at the sole discretion of the Sponsors based upon elements used to fulfill the prize.

Releases: By participating, Entrants and the Winner agree to be bound by these official rules and the decisions of the Sponsors/Judges, which shall be final in all respects. By entering the Contest, Entrants, Winner, Traveling Companions, and Chaperone(s), if applicable, and parents or designated legal guardians of minors agree to execute in a timely manner and by any deadline set by Sponsors any and all paperwork requested by the Sponsors which may include, but is not limited to, background checks and any release forms, prior to any online or on air appearance of Entrants participating in the videotaped or live broadcast, or use of Entrants’ submissions or related materials.All submissions will become the sole property of the Sponsors, which may reprint or otherwise exploit the entries in any manner, in any media, worldwide, in perpetuity. Winner, Traveling Companions, Chaperone(s), if applicable, and parents or designated legal guardians of minors may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility, release and indemnification within twenty-four (24) hours days of notification of winning. By participating in this contest and accepting any prize that they may win, Entrants agree to release, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Sponsors, their parent, subsidiary, affiliated and successor companies, licensees, advertising and promotion agencies and prize suppliers, and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees, as well as each of their respective successors, representatives and assigns (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from, but not limited to, any and all actions, complaints, claims, injuries, liabilities, fees (including reasonable attorney’s fees), royalties, costs, losses or damages arising in any manner, directly or indirectly, by whomever or wherever asserted, from a.) Entrants’ participation in the contest, b.) Sponsors’ exercise of the rights granted herein and/or c.) the acceptance, use or misuse of any prize or portion of any prize.

Sponsors are not obligated to use any of the above mentioned information or materials, but may do so and may edit such information or materials, at Sponsors’ sole discretion, without further obligation or compensation to the Entrants, or any other affiliated party.

By submitting materials hereunder, you hereby grant to the Sponsors, their parents, subsidiaries, licensees and affiliated companies, and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, servants, representatives, shareholders and employees, as well as each of their respective successors, representatives and assignees the exclusive right to use and distribute your submission, as well as your likeness, picture, voice, name and biographical material (all such materials are sometimes collectively referred to as the “Materials”) in any and all manner, methods, formats and media now known or hereafter created, including without limitation, all forms of television, radio, internet, cable, satellite, wireless applications, home video products and devices, etc., in connection with the Contest, the Production, ABC’s programming, and/or the Artist, and in all advertising and promotion for the foregoing, throughout the universe, in perpetuity.

Entrants acknowledge that any entry materials may be included and/or discussed in a broadcast, that such discussion may include statements or opinions by the broadcast talent or others about the Entrants, the Entrants’ appearances and/or the materials, and that those statements and opinions may be considered surprising, humiliating, embarrassing, derogatory, defamatory or otherwise offensive or injurious to them, Sponsors’ employees, their studio or at-home audience and/or other third parties. Entrants release the Released Parties from any actions, claims, injury, loss or damage allegedly caused, directly or indirectly, by any such statements or opinions made during a broadcast.Sponsors are not responsible for failed, partial or garbled computer transmissions, or for technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to electronic malfunction or damage of any network, hardware or software. If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or other causes that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the contest, Sponsors reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest. No responsibility is assumed for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries; or any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or electronic entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web-site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to Entrant’s or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participation in or downloading any materials from this contest. In the event of a dispute over an electronic entry, prize will be awarded to the owner of the e-mail account, not the name on the entry form.

To claim prize: (a) Winner, Traveling Companion and Chaperone(s), if applicable, must provide proof of age, identity and residency; (b) Winner, Traveling Companion and Chaperone(s), if applicable, must sign and return required affidavits of eligibility/compliance with rules, publicity/liability release and indemnification, and (c) Winner, Traveling Companion, Chaperone(s), if applicable, and parents or designated legal guardians of minors must also agree to complete and submit any additional releases, indemnifications and other requisite paperwork as specified at the discretion of the Sponsors, all within the time period specified by Sponsors.

Miscellaneous; Winner Posting: Void where prohibited. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.

Sponsors reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and to cancel, terminate, modify and/or suspend the contest in the event of tampering or other circumstances, including but not limited to acts of God or civil disturbance that render it impractical or impossible to complete or fulfill the contest as originally planned.

Official rules will be posted on goodmorningamerica.com; For a winner's list, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: “GMA’S ULTIMATE SHAKE IT OFF WITH TAYLOR SWIFT CONTEST" c/o ABC News, Room 616, 7 West 66th Street, New York, New York, 10023, by November 30, 2014.

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