WDIO-TV – Outstanding Teacher of the Northland Contest Rules

By WDIO
Outstanding Teacher 2024

WDIO-TV – Outstanding Teacher of the Northland Contest
Official Rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

BY ENTERING THE CONTEST, EACH ENTRANT AGREES TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES.

  1. Eligibility –  Anyone 13 years of age or older from Minnesota, Wisconsin and the U.P of Michigan may nominate any eligible teacher in the WDIO-TV – Outstanding Teacher of the Northland Contest (the “Contest”). Individuals/teachers nominated must be 18 years or older, residents of Minnesota, Wisconsin or the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, and must be a teacher in Grades Preschool-12 at a private or public school within one-hundred sixty-five (165) miles of the WDIO-TV studios in Duluth, MN, and in our viewing area to be eligible to win. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to enter the Contest. Employees of WDIO-TV, LLC (“Sponsor”), Harbor Pointe Credit Union (“Promotional Participant”) Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., or any of their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, or any other company or individual involved with the design, production execution or distribution of the Contest (collectively with Sponsor and Promotional Participant, the “Released Parties”) and their immediate family (spouse, parents and step-parents, siblings and step-siblings, and children and step-children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible to enter or win. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.  Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest.  Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. 
  • Contest Period – The Contest begins at 12:00:00 AM Central Time (“CT”) on September 1, 2024, and ends at 11:59:59 PM CT on March 31, 2025 (the “Contest Period”).  
  • How to Enter – We are looking for stories about Preschool-12 teachers and why they should be considered outstanding teachers of the Northland. In order to enter, log on to www.wdio.com (“Website”) from 12:00:01 AM Central Time (“CT”) on September 1, 2024, through 11:59:59 PM CT on March 31, 2025 (“Entry Period”), and click on the “Outstanding Teacher of the Northland” icon to enter; complete the entry, which must include your name and telephone number, your relationship to the person you are nominating, along with the full name of the Preschool-12 teacher you are nominating, the school/address/telephone number and e-mail address of the school he/she teaches at, the grade/subject he/she teaches and a story about this teacher in 200 words or less. Preschool-12 teachers may be nominated by students, fellow teachers, co-workers, friends, parents, spouses, etc. A teacher may not nominate himself/herself. WDIO is not responsible for problems accessing the website, technical or atmospheric conditions that disrupt the completion of the entry, or any other problems which might or might not result from this contest. Listeners may enter this contest more than once, but may only nominate any given teacher once.
  • How Winners are Selected:  From all eligible entries received, on the 1st of each month beginning on November 1, 2024, through April 1, 2025 (“Judging Period”) Sponsor will announce one (1) Monthly Winner. The Monthly Winner will be chosen by a panel of judges made up of staff of Sponsor and Promotional participant ten (10) business days before each Monthly Winner is announced, in their sole and absolute discretion, using the following judging criteria: the teacher’s overall involvement with students (25%), the impact the teacher has had on student’s lives (25%), the dedication to the teaching profession (25%), and the overall reason why the teacher should be the outstanding teacher of the Northland (25%). The teacher described in the story who receives the highest score each month during the Judging Period will be deemed a Monthly Winner and will win the Grand Prize. In the event of a tie, the story who scored the highest in the overall reason why the teacher should be the outstanding teacher of the Norhtland category will be deemed the winner from among all tying entries.
  • Prizes and Approximate Retail Values (“ARV’s”) – Six (6) Grand Prizes (one (1) per Monthly Winner)  – A $500.00 check donation from Harbor Pointe Credit Union to use in the winning teacher’s classroom, presented as a Big Check in the Monthly Winner’s classroom; and Sponsor will create a news story about the Monthly Winner receiving their Big Check which will air three (3) times (once in the 6 PM News, once in the 10 PM News and once in the 6 AM Good morning Northland program). ARV: $500.00 each. There is no retail value associated with the news story portion of the prize.  By accepting the Grand Prize and being named as the Monthly Winner, the Monthly Winner agrees to help Sponsor work with their school and arrange for the Big Check to be presented in the classroom.

The winners must meet the eligibility requirements as set forth in Paragraph 1 of these Official Rules. Winners are responsible for paying all applicable income taxes associated with accepting their Prize. Winners may be required to sign a liability and/or publicity release, including a W9 tax form (collectively, “Prize Release”) prior to issuance of a prize. A 1099 form may be submitted to all appropriate taxing authorities, and winner is responsible for the applicable taxes associated with accepting the prize. Sponsor may substitute any prize, or portion thereof, for one of equal or greater value for any or no reason at Sponsor’s sole discretion. 

  • Claiming the Prize – Upon being named a Monthly Winner, as a condition of being named the official winner, the potential winner must work with the WDIO staff to ensure the Prize Releases (if required) are completed and submitted to the Sponsor and to arrange a mutually agreed upon date and time (not to exceed 15 days from being named the Monthly Winner) to have WDIO and Harbor Pointe Credit Union come to the winning teacher’s school to present the Grand Prize.
  • Participation Conditions/Release/Consent to use Likeness – By participating, each participant agrees to: (a) comply with and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor which are binding and final in all matters relating to this Contest; (b) release and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including, but not limited to, negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, including, but not limited to, invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, property damage, or death or personal injury arising out of or relating to a participant’s participation in this Contest, and acceptance or use or misuse of prize; (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorney’s fees) arising out of or relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s acceptance, use or misuse of prize; and (d) allow Sponsor’s use for promotional purposes of his/her likeness, voice and/or address (city/state) without any additional compensation.
  • General Conditions –  Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, or any part of it, for any reason whatsoever, including, without limitation, fire, flood, natural or man-made epidemic of health of other means, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, riot or civil disturbance, terrorist threat or activity, war (declared or undeclared) or any federal state or local government law, order, or regulation, public health crisis, order of any court or jurisdiction or if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the participation process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Only the type and quantity of prizes described in these Official Rules will be awarded.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision.  In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.  Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. 
  • Limitations of Liability – The Released Parties as set forth above are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (2) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the participation process or the Contest; (3) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (4) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or receipt or use or misuse of any Prize.
  1. Privacy Policies and Data Collection – Information provided by you for this Contest on the entry form is subject to Sponsor’s privacy policy located at: https://www.wdio.com/general-information/hubbard-television-group-privacy-policy/.  By entering this Contest, each entrant agrees that the Sponsor has the right to contact the entrant by phone or email as provided on the entry form to administer and fulfill this Contest.
  1. Disputes/Governing Law – Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or the prizes awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate federal or state court of Minnesota; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, but in no event attorneys’ or legal fees; and (3) unless otherwise prohibited, under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant and Sponsor in connection with this Contest shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Minnesota, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of State of Minnesota, or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Minnesota. 
  1. Winner’s List/Official Rules – For the winners’ list, send a separate self-addressed, stamped envelope before April 7, 2025, to Winners List, Outstanding Teacher of the Northland Contest, 10 Observation Road, Duluth, MN, 55811. For a copy of these Official Rules, see www.wdio.com during the through May 1, 2025. 
  1. Sponsors – WDIO-TV, LLC, 10 Observation Road, Duluth, Minnesota 55811.