Kleenex Heroes of the Classroom Contest

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

THIS IS A SKILL-BASED CONTEST.

ALL DISPUTES WILL BE RESOLVED SOLELY BY BINDING ARBITRATION AND ENTRANTS WAIVE THE ABILITY TO BRING CLAIMS IN A CLASS ACTION FORMAT.

SPONSOR OBTAINS RIGHTS FROM ENTRANTS TO POST AND USE ANY AND ALL CONTENT SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE CONTEST.

BY ENTERING THIS CONTEST, YOU AGREE TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES, WHICH ARE A CONTRACT, SO READ THEM CAREFULLY BEFORE ENTERING. WITHOUT LIMITATION, THIS CONTRACT INCLUDES INDEMNITIES TO THE RELEASED PARTIES FROM YOU AND A LIMITATION OF YOUR RIGHTS AND REMEDIES.

ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible to be nominated as a nominee (a “Nominee”) in the Kleenex Heroes of the Classroom Contest (the “Contest”), an individual must be, as of the date of the nomination (and prize award) by a Nominator (defined below), (i) a legal resident of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia; (ii) legal age of majority or at least eighteen (18) years old and (iii) a Teacher at a public or private school located in the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia that educates children between the grades of K-12.  For the purpose of this Contest, a Teacher is being defined as a professional educator who works with students as a whole class in a classroom, in small groups in a resource room, or one-on-one inside or outside a regular classroom. This includes student teachers, teachers’ aides, administration, nurses, guidance counselors and paraprofessionals. Nominations will be accepted from individuals (each a “Nominator” or "Entrant") who are age 18 or older and who are legal residents of, and who physically reside in, the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia.  Employees, officers, directors, agents and representatives of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (the “Sponsor”), Campus Multimedia (hereafter, “Administrator”), Costco Wholesale Corporation and each of the foregoing’s respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, wholesalers, retailers, distributors, suppliers, advertising and promotion agencies (hereafter, collectively, the “Released Parties”), and each such individual’s immediate family members (mother, father, sister, brother, child, husband, wife and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in their same households, whether or not related, are not eligible to be nominated as a Nominee or to win a Prize. Void where prohibited by law. All applicable federal, state and local laws apply.  In the event of any conflict or inconsistency with any other advertising, promotional or other materials, these Official Rules shall govern.

HOW THE CONTEST WORKS: The Contest will occur in two (2) phases as described below and includes a Submission Period (defined below) and a Public Vote (defined below). At the end of the Submission Period, up to ten (10) Finalists (defined below) will be identified, based on the judging procedure and criteria outlined below, to advance to the Public Vote. At the end of the Public Vote, the one (1) Finalist with the highest score will be declared the Grand Prize Winner and the remaining Finalists (up to nine (9)) will be declared First Prize Winners, as outlined below.

PHASE 1 - SUBMISSION PERIOD: The Submission Period begins on or about 12:00:00 a.m. (midnight) Eastern Time (“ET”) on 5/28/24 and all Entries must be received on or before 11:59:59 p.m. ET on 9/14/24 (the “Submission Period”). Sponsor’s servers are the official Contest time clock for this Contest.

PHASE 2 – PUBLIC VOTE: The Public Vote will take place between 12:00:00 a.m. (midnight) Eastern Time (“ET”) on 9/30/24 ET and 11:59:59 p.m. ET on 10/11/24 as outlined below (the “Voting Period”).

HOW TO ENTER DURING THE SUBMISSION PERIOD: Nominators must visit www.heroesoftheclassroom.com/enter and follow the instructions provided to fully complete and submit the Registration Form, along with a response to the three (3) questions (each in 300 words or less, to be written in English), describing why their Nominee deserves to be nominated as a Hero of the Classroom (“Entry” and, if in the plural, “Entries”). Once the Entry is completed and submitted, the Entry is final and may not be modified or edited.

BONUS GIFT: The first one-hundred (100) Nominees to be nominated will receive a $100 Costco Shop gift card. Limit one (1) Bonus Gift per Teacher/Nominee.

All Entries must: 1) be the original creation of the Nominator; 2) not have been previously published or produced in any fashion (regardless of compensation); 3) not infringe on any third-party rights; 4) be suitable for publication as determined at the sole and absolute discretion of the Sponsor; and 5) not include obscenity, profanity, racist themes or material that is sexually oriented or comments regarding sexual orientation, explicit, suggestive or exploits people in a sexual or violent manner.  Any Entry deemed inappropriate, pornographic, lewd or offensive for any reason, and/or otherwise inconsistent with the above-outlined guidelines, as determined at the sole and absolute discretion of the Sponsor, will not be considered.  Modification of an existing work does not qualify as original. In order to be entered into the Contest, Nominee and Nominator must both comply with the Official Rules and meet the eligibility criteria outlined above. Once submitted, an Entry cannot be deleted, canceled, or modified.

Nominees may be nominated more than once, but a Nominator may not nominate themselves.  All Entries become the property of the Sponsor and will not be returned. There is no limit to the number of times a specific Nominee can be nominated, whether by the same or different Nominator, but each Entry must be distinctly different and unique. The name of the “authorized account holder” associated with any given email address will be deemed to be the Nominator and must comply with these Official Rules.  The authorized account holder is defined as the natural person who is assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, an online service provider, or another organization that is responsible for assigning email addresses or the domain associated with the submitted email address.  Proof (to Released Parties’ satisfaction) of being the authorized account holder may be required by Released Parties.  Released Parties are not responsible for lost, incomplete, late, damaged, garbled, undelivered, inaccurate or misdirected entries; failures or malfunctions of phones, phone lines or telephone systems or other communications malfunctions; interrupted or unavailable network, Internet Service Provider (ISP), cable, satellite, server or other connections including those through www.heroesoftheclassroom.com, miscommunications, failed computer hardware or software or other technical failures; garbled, lost, misrouted or scrambled transmissions; any error, omission, interruption, defect or delay in any transmission or communication; traffic congestion on the Internet or for any technical problem, including but not limited to any injury or damage to Nominee’s, Nominator’s, or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation in this Contest; printing, typographical or other errors appearing within these Official Rules or in any Contest -related advertisements or other materials; or other errors or problems of any kind whether mechanical, human, technical, electronic or otherwise, including, without limitation, errors that may occur in connection with the administration of this Contest, the processing or judging of Entries, the announcement of the Prize winners (defined below) or in any other Contest-related materials.  The use of automated entry or similar devices as specifically set forth above is prohibited and Entries through such prohibited devices are void.  By entering this Contest, Nominators give their express permission to be contacted by Sponsor by telephone, email and/or postal mail for the purpose of this Contest only and to assist in contacting their Nominees.  

By entering, each Nominator warrants and represents that his/her Entry does not defame or otherwise violate the rights of any third party and does not violate any federal, state or local laws or ordinances.  Such persons further warrant and represent that: (1) Sponsor shall own the Entry (and all material embodied therein); (2) they irrevocably assign to Sponsor and its designees any and all rights, title and interest in the Entry including but not limited to all intellectual property rights; (3) Sponsor and its designees shall have, without limitation, the perpetual and worldwide right, but not the obligation, to edit, adapt, modify, publish, exploit and use the Entry in any way and in any media for trade, advertising, promotional and/or other purposes as Sponsor and/or its designees may determine without further consideration, notification or permission of Nominators, Nominees, the Prize winners (described and defined below) or any third parties or, at its discretion, remove any Entries; and (4) they have secured the requisite consent from any third party referenced or featured in their Entry and, if their Entry is a Prize Winner, agree to provide legal releases for the use of such reference or image in a form satisfactory to Sponsor.

FINALIST JUDGING PROCEDURE AND CRITERIA: All eligible Entries received during the Submission Period will be judged on the following criteria by Sponsor and its designees: 1) Originality (0-30 points), 2) Level of strength and kindness displayed by Nominee (0-30 points), and 3) Degree to which the Nominee is a positive influence on his/her students, community and/or school (0-40 points). The ten (10) Entries with the highest scores, as determined by the judges, in their sole discretion, and with different Nominees, will be deemed potential Finalists and will advance to the Public Vote, subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules and consent of the Nominee and his/her school (see “Finalist Notification” section below). Sponsor reserves the right to select fewer than ten (10) Finalists if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries.

In the event of a tie, the tied Entries will be re-judged based on: Degree to which the Nominee is a positive influence on his/her students, community and/or school (0-100 points). If there is still a tie, Sponsor will bring in a tie breaking judge to apply the same judging criteria to break the tie and determine the Finalists.

By participating, Nominators and Nominees agree to abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and judges, which are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest.

FINALIST NOTIFICATION: The Nominees associated with the top ten (10) scoring Entries, as described above and as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, will be deemed potential Finalists (subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these Official Rules and consent to participation in the Contest by Nominee and his/her school) and will be contacted by email and/or telephone approximately (3) business days following the completion of the Submission Period.

Potential Finalists will be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Release of Liability and (where legal) a Publicity Release within five (5) days of date of issuance of notification.   The potential Finalists' respective schools will also be provide consent in writing to its participation in the Contest and award of any prize and Sponsor's and each of its designees' use of such school’s name, location, trademark, mascot and/or logo for a period of no more than one (1) year in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, without compensation (unless prohibited by law). The Nominators who submitted the corresponding Finalist Entries will also be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Release of Liability and (where legal) a Publicity Release within five (5) days of date of issuance of notification. In addition, a school representative will be required to sign certain documents required by Sponsor within five (5) days of date of issuance in order for the school to receive the applicable school prizing components.  In the event of noncompliance with these Official Rules, the determination that a Finalist or his/her school cannot accept a prize, or if the potential Finalist or their related school representative fails to properly complete and submit the above-described documents, Sponsor may disqualify such potential Finalist and the Nominee identified in the next-highest scoring Entry may be deemed a potential Finalist and will be subject to the above-described eligibility procedures.

Finalists will also be required to submit to a confidential criminal check, as well as a social media review, to confirm eligibility & ensure that participation in the Contest, and if selected as a potential winner, the use of any such person in advertising, promotion or publicity, will not pose a security threat or bring the Released Parties into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, or ridicule, or reflect unfavorably on the Released Parties as determined by Sponsor or the other Released Parties in their sole discretion, and in such event, may result in disqualification. Noncompliance with any of the foregoing, failure to respond within the designated timeframe, the inability to contact a potential Finalist within a reasonable time period, or any notification being returned as undeliverable may result in disqualification and, at Sponsor’s discretion and time permitting, a runner-up being chosen. Finalist status is subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. The Released Parties are not responsible for electronic communications that are undeliverable as a result of any form of active or passive filtering of any kind, or insufficient space in Nominee’s email account to receive email messages. Should a potential Finalist decide to decline his/her prize for any reason whatsoever or not respond to the prize notification by the applicable response deadline, Sponsor shall have no further obligation to that potential Finalist and an alternate Finalist may be selected based on the selection process above, if time permits.

Upon verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules, each verified Finalist will be required to submit a color photo of themselves, as well as answer up to five (5) survey questions, which will be used as part of their voting profile. In the event any Finalist is not able to provide a photo, or answer the survey questions, Sponsor has the right to create their voting profile using solely the information provided as part of their associated Entry.

PUBLIC VOTING: To vote, during the Voting Period legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are eighteen (18) years of age or older will be invited to visit www.heroesoftheclassroom.com/vote and follow the instructions provided to cast their vote for the Finalist they believe deserves to be recognized as a Hero of the Classroom (“Vote”). There is a limit of one (1) Vote per person and per email address for the duration of the Voting Period. Additional Votes received from any one person and/or email address will be void.

Finalists and Nominators are prohibited from inducing Votes by fraudulent or inappropriate means, including, without limitation, offering prizes or other inducements and/or using any websites or online forums designed to solicit votes, as defined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right (in its sole discretion) to immediately disqualify and remove any Finalist who does not comply with these Official Rules. Use of any device to automate or subvert Voting is prohibited and any Votes received by such means will be void. No software-generated, robotic, programmed, script, macro or other automated Votes are permitted and any Votes received by such means will be void.
 

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: Approximately five (5) business days following the conclusion of the Voting Period, the Finalist with the greatest number of Votes will be deemed the Grand Prize Winner and the remaining nine (9) Finalists will be considered First Prize Winners.  In the event of a tie in the voting for the Grand Prize Winner, the Grand Prize Winner will be the Finalist with the highest overall score from the judging previous conducted by Sponsor or its designees.

In addition, the Nominators for each of the Finalists will receive a Nominator Prize (as described below).

PRIZES: One (1) Grand Prize: Grand Prize consists of:  $5,000 in the form of a check payable to the Grand Prize Winner, $5,000 in the form of a check payable to the Grand Prize Winner's school, and a year supply of KleenexÒ brand facial tissues awarded as $1,000 worth of Kleenex to the Grand Prize Winner's school (one product delivery of Kleenex product will be provided for winning school and school will need to make accommodations to accept the cartons of Kleenex). Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) of the Grand Prize: $11,000. Nine (9) First Prizes: Each First Prize Winner will receive a $1,000 Costco Shop gift card and $1,000 in the form of a check payable to the First Prize Winner's school. ARV: $2,000 each. Ten (10) Nominator Prizes: Each Nominator of a Prize Winner will receive a $1,000 Costco Shop gift card. Terms, conditions, and restrictions apply to gift card, as designated by issuer. Total ARV of all prizes (including Bonus Gifts) to be awarded in this Promotion: $49,000.  Limit one prize per Nominator, Nominee and school.

Miscellaneous: All federal, state and local taxes and any other costs and expenses associated with the acceptance and use of any prize are the sole responsibility of the respective winner and his/her related school.  No transfer, assignment, cash redemption or substitution of any prize is permitted, except by Sponsor, which reserves the right to substitute a prize with one of comparable or greater value, as determined by Sponsor. By participating, Nominators and Nominees (including, without limitation, winners) agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding, and further agree that: 1) Released Parties and their designees may use (unless prohibited by law) Nominators’ and Nominees’ (including, without limitation, Prize Winners’) name, voice, description of city/state of residence, photograph and/or likeness for advertising and/or trade and/or for any other purpose in any media (social or otherwise) or format now or hereafter devised (including on the Internet), worldwide in perpetuity, without further compensation, permission or notification, and 2) Released Parties and their designees and assigns shall have no liability and will be held harmless for any liability, loss, injury or damage, including, without limitation, personal injury, death or damage to personal or real property, to Nominators, Nominees or any other person or entity due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, by reason of the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of a prize or participation in this Contest.   Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, suspend or terminate this Contest (or any portion thereof) should virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes, including but not limited to war or armed conflict (whether or not officially declared), labor controversy or threat thereof, and/or acts of God, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play of this Contest and, in the event of termination, at its discretion, select winners from among all eligible, non-suspect Entries received as of the date of the event requiring such termination. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, ADMINISTRATOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY AND SEEK ANY AND ALL REMEDIES AVAILABLE FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

Arbitration: Except where prohibited by law, as a condition of participating in this Contest, Nominators, Nominees and related schools agree that (1) any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or prizes awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by final and binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and held at the AAA regional office nearest the Nominee ; (2) the Federal Arbitration Act shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and all proceedings at such arbitration; and (3) judgment upon such arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Under no circumstances will Nominator, Nominee and related school be permitted to obtain awards for, and each hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys' fees, other than actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with participating in this Contest), and they further waive all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.

Choice of Law: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of Nominee, Nominator and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the substantive laws of the State of Wisconsin, USA.

Privacy: Personally identifiable information that is submitted as part of this Contest will be used to administer the Contest, select the winners and fulfill the prizes and will be treated in accordance with Administrator’s privacy policy which is available at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/63f68acd0ff9b74dc67f2cc5/t/64b96ecc26f41f3cd8411b72/1689874126045/Campus+Multimedia+-+Privacy+Policy_%282023.07.14%29.pdf.

Winners List: For the name of the winners, visit www.heroesoftheclassroom.com no later than 11/15/24.

SPONSOR: Kimberly-Clark Global Sales, LLC, 2100 Winchester Road, Neenah, WI 54956.

ADMINISTRATOR:  Campus Multimedia, 44 Milton Ave, Alpharetta, GA 30009.