All federal, state, local and municipal laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited.

1. Eligibility. Subject to the additional restrictions below, the Emerald Coast Funniest Pet Videos is open to U.S. residents who are 16 years or older at the time of entry. Employees of the Northwest Florida Daily News Newspaper in Education program, the Northwest Florida Daily News, Freedom Communications and each of their respective affiliated companies, advertising and promotional agencies, and the immediate family members of, and any persons domiciled with, any such employees, are not eligible to enter or to win.

2. Fees. There is no entry fee. A $1 fee will be assessed per vote. Proceeds benefit the Daily News’ Newspaper in Education program and the Pan-handle Animal Welfare Society.

3. Contest Period. The contest will begin at 12:00 p.m. (C.S.T) on September 28, 2009, and ends at 12 p.m. (C.S.T) on November 16, 2009.

4. Entry Proviso: Videos must be submitted by the entrant. No third-party entries will be accepted. Videos must have been taken in the past three months.

5. How the contest will work:

A. Submission Round: Entrants will have from September 28, 2009 to October 26, 2009 to submit a self-made, unaltered video no longer than 1 minute in length of your pet doing a trick or something funny to nwfdailynews.com. There is no entry fee. Videos will be posted in a Emerald Coast Funniest Pet Video gallery at nwfdailynews.com.

B. Round 1: Starting October 26, 2009 and extending through November 16, 2009, entries will be open to voting by the public. Votes cost $1 apiece. At the conclusion of the round, the top 3 vote-receiving entries will be declared the winners.

6. How to Enter Digital Videos: Beginning at 12:00 p.m. (C.S.T) on September 28, 2009, and ending at 12 p.m. (C.S.T) on October 26, 2009 (the “Entry Period for Digital Videos”), enter by uploading a recent video (within three months) of your pet with all required information and a completed entry form at the Northwest Florida Daily News’ Web site (details to follow). Entrants must pick up prizes in person, show personal ID, and be available for possible in-person performances. Prizes cannot be shipped or transferred to a third party. The Northwest Florida Daily News Newspaper in Education program reserves the right to verify pet ownership. Only one videos per person per entry. Videos must fit the following parameters:

A. Videos must be submitted in common video formats, e.g., .wmv, .mpeg, .mpg, .avi, .qt, .mov.

B. Videos can be no larger than 30 megabytes in size.

C. Videos can be no longer than 1 minute in duration.

D. Videos cannot be digitally altered in any way. Videos found to contain altered video or audio tracks will be disqualified.

E. Videos must be self-produced. Material included from previously existing or copyrighted videos will not be accepted.

F. Poor quality videos will not be accepted.

Enter online by visiting the Funniest Pet Video official registration page on the Northwest Florida Daily News Web site (www.nwfdailynews.com) and completing all of the required information and following all posted instructions. Your computer must accept cookies, or any successor or similar technology, which may be used for the purpose of entry tracking. Complete the entry form, upload a video and any other required fields and then submit your entry. Online submissions must be received by 12:00 p.m. (C.S.T) on October 26, 2009. By entering, you agree to the terms of these Official Rules.

By entering, entrants agree to the following provisos:

A. You or associates known to you created the video.

B. Judges will provide guidance to voters. Entrants will not seek the revocation of guidance from judges.

C. Site visitors will be allowed to post comments about entrants. Entrants will not seek revocation of comments from visitors.

Any questions regarding the number of entries or votes submitted or the owner of an ISP account shall be determined by Northwest Florida Daily News in its sole discretion, and Northwest Florida Daily News reserves the right to disqualify any entries or votes by persons determined to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the contest. In the event of a dispute, all online entries and/or votes will be deemed to have been submit-ted by the owner of the ISP account from which they were sent. For these purposes, an ISP account holder shall mean the natural person assigned to such ISP account by the Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning ISP addresses for the domain associated with such ISP account.

Standards and Proprietaries: The Northwest Florida Daily News will exercise its right to decline videos at its discretion.

Voting Procedures and Rules. Voting for your favorite Pet trick or funniest video entrant in Round 1 begins at 12:00 p.m. (C.S.T) on October 26, 2009, and ends at 12:00 p.m. (C.S.T) on November 16, 2009 (the “Voting Period”). The field will be narrowed from all entrants to the 3 top vote-receiving entries. The top vote-getter will be declared the winner; the two next-closest finishers will be declared second- and third-place winners.

You can vote for your favorite video online at nwfdailynews.com. Votes cost $1 apiece in both rounds with funds going to the Northwest Florida Daily News Newspaper in Education program and the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society. Your computer must accept cookies, or any successor or similar technology, which may be used for the purpose of entry tracking. Ad blocking software on your computer needs to be disabled so that it doesn’t interfere with processing your entry. Northwest Florida Daily News will not be responsible for failure to receive votes due to transmission failures or technical failures of any kind, including, without limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with sender or Northwest Florida Daily News. In the event of a dispute, all online entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the owner of the ISP account from which they were sent. For these purposes, an ISP account holder shall mean the natural person assigned to such ISP account by the Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning ISP addresses for the domain associated with such ISP account. Any questions regarding the number of votes submitted or the owner of an ISP account shall be determined by Northwest Florida Daily News in its sole discretion, and Northwest Florida Daily News reserves the right to disqualify any votes by persons determined to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the Voting Process.

7. Winner Selection. One (1) Grand Prize Winner, a second place, and a third place will be determined by total votes only. A Judge’s Choice Award will also be given. The Grand Prize Winner will be the entrant with the most votes and with a second and third prize determined by the num-ber of votes. In the event of a tie, judges will decide the winner.

8. Prizes.

Other prizes may be added at the discretion of the Northwest Florida Daily News and its Northwest Florida Daily News Newspaper in Education program..

9. Winner Notification and Acceptance. Winners will be notified on or about November 16, 2009 at the telephone number provided on winner’s registration form. Northwest Florida Daily News will call during regular business hours at the phone number provided on the registration form and will leave no messages. Failure to reach winner by phone may result in disqualification of winner, forfeiture of their interest in all prizes, and selection of a substitute winner from among all remaining eligible entries. To claim a prize, the winners must visit The Northwest Florida Daily News office at 200 Racetrack Road, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., during the period of November 17-23, 2009 to pick up their prizes. A valid photo identification of the entrant will be required. Prizes are non-assignable and nontransferable. No substitutions allowed by winner. Prizes and individual components of prize packages are subject to availability and Northwest Florida Daily News reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. Winners are solely responsible for reporting and payment of any taxes on prizes. Winners may be required to complete an affidavit of eligibility/liability and publicity release (except where prohibited by law) which must be returned within the time designated by the Northwest Florida Daily News Newspaper in Education program. Failure to sign and return the affidavit or release or to comply with any term or condition of these Official Rules may result in a winner’s disqualification, the forfeiture of their interest in the prize, and the award of the prize to a substitute winner. Except where prohibited, acceptance of any prize constitutes winner’s consent to the publication of their name, biographical information and likeness in any media for any commercial or promotional purpose, without limitation the Internet, or further compensation. Prizes not won and claimed by eligible winners in accordance with these Official Rules will not be awarded and will remain the property of Northwest Florida Daily News and its participating sponsors.

10. Participation. By participating, entrants and voters agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Northwest Florida Daily News. Northwest Florida Daily News reserves the right to disqualify persons found tampering with or otherwise abusing any aspect of this Contest as solely determined by Northwest Florida Daily News. In the event the Contest is compromised by a virus, non-authorized human intervention, tampering, mechanical failure or other causes beyond the reasonable control of Northwest Florida Daily News which corrupts or impairs the administration, security, fairness or proper operation of the Contest, Northwest Florida Daily News reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest. Should the Contest be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, Northwest Florida Daily News reserves the right to determine winner based on the entries received before the termination date.

11. Construction. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other pro-vision. In the event that any such provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable, these rules shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or unenforceable provision was not contained therein.

12. Northwest Florida Daily News. Emerald Coast Funniest Pet Video is a Northwest Florida Daily News Newspaper in Education program. All donations will go to the Northwest Florida Daily News Newspaper in Education program, an educational outreach effort designed to promote literacy and knowledge of current events. The decisions of Northwest Florida Daily News regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the Contest shall be final and binding in all respects. Northwest Florida Daily News will not be responsible for typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in these Official Rules or in other materials relating to the contest.