2009 “Relay Kid” Contest Instructions

What is the “Relay Kid” Contest?
Presented by the Lexington Family Magazine, the contest is a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Fayette County. “Relay Kid” is an online “voting” contest to raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society. The child with the most “votes” will be featured on the cover of the 2010 February issue of Lexington Family Magazine.

Who does the “Relay Kid” contest benefit?
All entry fees and online donations benefit the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Fayette County.

Entering the Contest

Who can enter?
Children of all ages through 6th grade may enter the contest. Children must be in the 6th grade or younger during the 2009-2010 school year. A photo entry may feature multiple children, however they must be siblings. If a photo featuring multiple children is the winner, they will be photographed together. Pets are not eligible.

How much is an entry?
The entry fee is $10 per entry. Entry fees are not included in the contestant’s “vote” count.

How do I submit an entry?
SIGN UP ONLINE or mail/deliver your ENTRY FORM and photo to the American Cancer Society at 1504 College Way, Lexington, KY 40502. Additional entry forms are available online at www.lexingtonfamily.com. No entries will be accepted after August 14 at 4:00 pm.

Are there requirements for the photos?
Photos should be no larger than 5x7 and no smaller than wallet size. (Note: All photos will be electronically cropped by the American Cancer Society to meet size and space requirements of the online site.) If photos are emailed, they must be sent as attachments, not included in the body of an email. Portraits taken by a professional photographer, studio or business such as Wal-Mart or Sears, must be accompanied by written permission or a copyright release. Otherwise, the American Cancer Society will be unable to post the photo. Candid digital photos are encouraged.

Is there an entry deadline?
Photos will be accepted for entry from June 26, 2009 through August 14, 2009. No entries will be accepted after August 14 at 4:00 pm. Photos will not be returned.

Why is an e-mail address required?
This contest is conducted online and email is integral to its success. You can increase votes for your child with links and emails that can be shared with your family and friends. To actively participate, you will need a computer, email and internet access.

Voting Page Set-up
Once an entry is received and the entry fee paid, an online donation page will be set up for each entrant. Entries with multiple siblings will be included on one donation page. American Cancer Society staff will set up each page for hand delivered entries and contact the entrants via e-mail with the donation page web page address and other details. If you sign up online you will automatically be able to set up your own donation page. Instructions are provided on the site. Online voting with donations begins on June 26, 2009. Only the entrant’s first name will be included on the online page.

How are votes placed?
Beginning June 26, 2009, you can visit the Relay For Life “Relay Kid” Web site by visiting www.lexingtonfamily.com and clicking on the Relay Kid Contest button and vote for your favorite kid. Donations may also be made by printing off the donation form from the entrant’s online voting page and delivering it to the local American Cancer Society.

Photography of the Winner
Photos of the winner will be taken by Portrait Shoppe. Portrait Shoppe will contact the winner to set a date and time for the photo sitting. The photographer, and the American Cancer Society, will determine the appropriate attire and background for the photo that will appear in the magazine. Final selection of the photos for the magazine is determined by the American Cancer Society and Portrait Shoppe.

How will the winner and runners-up be determined?
The contestant that raises the most money for the American Cancer Society will be designated as the winner and featured on the cover of a Lexington Family Magazine issue. All children participating in the contest and the amount of money that they raised will also be mentioned. The children will also be recognized at their respective Relay For Life events during the opening ceremony. The most money raised will be determined by calculating the total donations processed and recorded through the online voting site by midnight on August 31, 2009. Please note that it may take the financial institutions several minutes or even hours to process the approval on credit and/or debit card transactions, so a donation placed on the Web site just before midnight may not necessarily be approved by the financial institution and recorded by midnight. Only donations documented by our Convio system as processed and approved by midnight August 31, 2009 will be counted. Note: An email receipt generated by the system is not the official record of the transaction time stamp. Donations made by submitting a check and an offline donation form must be received at the American Cancer Society office in person, by mail or other delivery method no later than 12:00 p.m. on August 31, 2009 in order to allow staff time to record the donation online before close of business that day. These offline donations will not be seen in the contestant’s total online until they are posted by the American Cancer Society office. Any donations that qualify for an employer matching gift must be accompanied by the proper forms when delivered to the American Cancer Society. An official matching gift form does qualify as a gift and will be included in the totals. Because these Relay For Life events continue to raise money online past the contest and until their Relay date, the voting pages CANNOT be disabled or shut down immediately after the contest. There will not be an automatic end to the ability to donate on the entrant’s page at midnight on August 31, 2009. Please tell people voting for your contestant that any donations that receive financial institution approval after midnight on August 31, 2009 will not be counted in the “Relay Kid” totals. However, all donations received are still tax deductible gifts to the American Cancer Society regardless of the approval time. Final winners will be announced on September 15, 2009.