1. The "Sweepstakes Period" for the "Gold Coast" Sweepstakes is from 12:00:01 am Mountain Time (MT) March 22, 2010 to 11:59:59 pm MT March 28, 2010. Sponsor's clock governs time.
2. Eligibility: This Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. The entrant must be the authorized user of the valid email address used to enter the Sweepstakes. Void in Puerto Rico and other US Territories and possessions and where prohibited, licensed, restricted or taxed. Employees, officers and directors of American Express Travel Related Services, Inc., BoardingArea.com ("Sponsor"), their respective parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies, and other individuals engaged in the development, production, or distribution of promotion materials (collectively, the "Sweepstakes Entities"), and the immediate families (spouses, siblings, children and parents, regardless of where they live) or members of the same households (whether related or not) of such employees, officers and directors are not eligible to enter or be awarded a prize.
3. How to Enter: Go to www.boardingarea.com (the host "Web site") to see the list of participating BoardingArea.com bloggers. Readers can enter by visiting any of the participating blogs and answering the question in the comments section of the sweepstakes post, subject to any word limits or other restrictions set forth by the blogger. The answer must not: (a) violate any third party rights, including, but not limited to, copyrights; (b) contain defamatory or threatening statements; (c) be obscene or indecent; or (d) have been entered in any other contest or have been published or distributed in any other media. Entrants are limited to one submission per participating blog. To be valid, an entry must include a valid e-mail address so that the winner, chosen at random, may be notified. The sweepstakes entry, including the answer to the sweepstakes question, must be made by an individual from a stand-alone computer device and may not be made by proxy or any electronic/automated means such as script, bot, macro or any other similar software or program. All entries made in violation of these rules will be deleted. All submitted entries become the property of BoardingArea.com without acknowledgement or return.
By entering, you: (a) irrevocably grant the Sweepstakes Entities, their agents, licensees, and assigns the unconditional and perpetual (non-exclusive) right and permission to copyright, reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, publicly perform, adapt, modify, create derivative works of, exhibit, and otherwise use the answer submitted as part of your entry as-is or as-edited (with or without using your name) in any media throughout the world for any purpose, without limitation, and without additional review, compensation, or approval from you or any other party.
4. Winner Selection: One (1) winner will be chosen in a random drawing on Monday, March 29, 2010 from all eligible entries received during the Sweepstakes Period, as posted in the comments section of participating BoardingArea.com partnering blogs. The drawing will be conducted by BoardingArea.com, whose decision is final and binding in all respects. Odds of winning the prize depend on the number of eligible entries received. The winner will be notified via email within two (2) days after the selection is made. A winner will have five (5) business days to reply confirming his/her acceptance of the prize. Failure to reply in the indicated time frame will declare that the prize has been refused and forfeited for all time and an alternative entry will be chosen in random drawings as outlined above.
5. Quantity, Prize, Approximate Retail Value (ARV.) and Odds: (1) Grand Prize: The prize consists of one 7-night/8-day trip for two people to the Australian Gold Coast (Gold Coast city, Queensland), including round-trip airfare for two, hotel accommodations, activities and some meals. Expenses not specified above, including, but not limited to, ground transportation, customs fees, and incidentals, are winner's responsibility. Approximate Retail Value: $10,250. Actual value will be determined by winner's residence and seasonal rates. Travel and accommodations are subject to availability and certain restrictions. Trip must be taken by March 31, 2011 or prize will be forfeited in its entirety.
6. General: Sweepstakes administration and winner selection and verification will be conducted by BoardingArea.com whose decisions are final and legally binding. No participant or winner shall have the right to contest any decision by Sponsor concerning any aspect of the Sweepstakes or the interpretation of the Official Rules or the determination as to the qualification of entries. By participating in this Sweepstakes, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules. Sponsor is not responsible for those who cannot access the Internet or cannot answer the online question for any period of time regardless of technical, hardware, software, telephone, Internet, virus contamination, force majeure, network problems or human error and for delay, failure or malfunction for any reason. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel/terminate, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes if Sponsor's sole determination reveals that the integrity of the Sweepstakes has been, or could be, compromised or that the Sweepstakes is not capable of running fairly as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, force majeure, human error or any other causes beyond Sponsor's control. In the event of cancellation, winner will be drawn from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received up to the time of cancellation/termination. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entry from the Sweepstakes if in Sponsor's sole judgment entrant has not complied with these Official Rules. Without limitation, all of an entrant's entries will be disqualified, at the sole discretion of Sponsor, if entrant (i) attempts to enter the Sweepstakes through any means other than as described in these Official Rules; or (ii) provides information that is inaccurate or fraudulent; or (iii) attempts to disrupt the Sweepstakes or circumvent the terms and conditions of these Official Rules. The Sweepstakes Entities assume no liability for damage caused to entrant's or any other person's/entity's computer hardware, software or communications network, regardless of cause. Only the prize and the value listed in the Official Rules shall be awarded. Winner and travel companion (who must be 18 years of age or older) are responsible for: (i) all travel documents including, without limitation, current, valid passports, visas if necessary or other identification documents acceptable to foreign governments, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Government; (ii) all medical requirements; (iii) respecting all local regulations and (iv) for full compliance with the regulations of all venues. Sponsor has the right to refuse travel to anyone who does not have proper travel documents or who does not comply with all regulations or comport him/herself properly. There will be no substitution or compensation for a prize or part of a prize forfeited due to winner's or winner's companion's non-compliance with travel and venues' regulations or any other reason. Prizewinner will be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and (where legal) Publicity Release and his/her travel companion will be required to complete and return a Liability and (where legal) Publicity Release (Travel Companion) within five (5) business days of date on notification or it will be concluded definitively that the prize has been declined and, without further notice, an alternative winner may be selected in random drawings as outlined above. If winner is 18 or older, as is required for entry, but not of the age of majority in state of residence, prize will either be awarded in the name of parent or legal guardian, or parent or legal guardian must ratify and sign any and all documents required of winner. Travel companion of Grand Prize winner must travel all legs of the trip with winner. By entering this Sweepstakes, an entrant explicitly releases, discharges and holds harmless the Sweepstakes Entities and all their respective shareholders, estates and assigns, one and all, from any and all liability, actions, causes of action, damages, actual, incidental or consequential, claims and demands whatsoever in law or equity, including all "costs", which he/she now has or may acquire, by reason of any personal injury, death, loss of or damage to property, or any reason, occurring during or arising out of his/her participation in the Sweepstakes and the acceptance and/or use or misuse of a prize. By accepting a prize, winner waives the right to (i) assert as a cost of winning the prize any and all costs of verification and redemption or travel to redeem said prize, and (ii) claim any liability (including attorney's fees and costs) which might arise from redeeming or seeking to redeem said prize (including any travel related thereto). Winner acknowledges that Sweepstakes Entities have neither made, nor are in any manner responsible or liable for, any warranty, representation or guarantee, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relative to the prize or regarding the use, value or enjoyment of the prize. The right to receive a prize is non-assignable and non-transferable and no prize substitution, exchange or cash equivalent will be allowed except by Sponsor who reserves the right to substitute a prize (or portion of prize) of comparable or greater value in case of unavailability of a prize or force majeure. A prize or prize notification that is returned as undeliverable will disqualify the winner and an alternative winner shall be selected through a random drawing.
All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. If any provision of the Sweepstakes shall be deemed to violate any federal, state or local law, regulation or ordinance, it shall be amended to conform to such law and all other provisions shall remain in full force and effect. If Sponsor is required by applicable federal, state or local law, regulation or ordinance, or by action of an administrative agency to cease offering the Sweepstakes in any jurisdiction, Sponsor reserves the right to (i) terminate the Sweepstakes in such jurisdiction in its entirety, and/or (ii) cancel and remove from participation in the Sweepstakes any and/or all entries from entrants residing in such jurisdiction, without penalty and without obligation to any Sweepstakes entrants. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. All taxes are winner's responsibility and an IRS Form 1099 will be issued to the Grand Prize winner for $10,250. This offer may not be reproduced, reprinted or published elsewhere in any format, in whole or in part without the written permission of the sponsor.
Unless prohibited by law, acceptance of the prize constitutes permission to use the winner's name and likeness and any and all identifying characteristics (excluding address and email address) for promotional, advertising and publicity purposes by Sponsor, including posting to the Web site, www.boardingarea.com.
Entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Sweepstakes or the prize awarded and all issues and questions concerning the validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction sitting in El Paso County, Colorado and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Sweepstakes and never shall include consequential, incidental or punitive damages, and in no event attorneys' fees. Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above may not apply to you.
7. Use of Data: All entries submitted become the property of Sponsor and none will be acknowledged or returned. Sponsor will be collecting personal data about participants online, in accordance with their privacy policies. Please review the Sponsor's privacy policy by clicking "Privacy Policy" at www.boardingarea.com. By participating in the Sweepstakes, entrants hereby agree to Sponsor's collection and usage of their personal information according to the privacy policy and acknowledge that they have read and accepted the Sponsor's privacy policy.
8. WINNER LIST: To receive winner's name, mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope to be received by March 31, 2010, to: "Gold Coast" Sweepstakes Winner List, c/o M. Booth & Associates, 300 Park Ave South, Fl. 12, New York, NY 10010.
9. SPONSOR: BoardingArea, 1930 Frequent Flyer Point, Colorado Springs, CO 80915.
