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Do you need a vacation from your job?

Tell us why you need a break from work! Here's how to send us your videos and enter to win.
/ Source: Weekend Today

Tired of the day-to-day grind? You wake up, grab a quick breakfast, and then it’s off to the office ... only to do it all over again the next day? Well, maybe it's time to take a “VocationVacation” on us! WEEKEND TODAY is teaming up with More Magazine to give away the trip of a lifetime, that will let you test drive your dream job! Read on to learn more about this special contest and how you can participate:

More Magazine and Weekend Today’s VocationVacation Giveaway

Official Rules

1. Preliminary information:
No purchase necessary to enter or win.  Open only to legal residents of the continental United States (including the District of Columbia) who are 21 and over. Void in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands and where prohibited. Contest entry starts at 12:00:01 PM Eastern Time on January 13, 2007, and ends at 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time on February 13, 2007. Mail entries must be postmarked on or before 2/13/07 and received by 2/20/07 (“Entry Period”). TODAY, 30  Rockefeller Plaza, New York, New York, NBC Universal, Inc., 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, New York and Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines Iowa (“Sponsors”).

2. To Enter:
There are two ways to enter during the Entry Period:

To enter by mail go to www.more.com (“More’s Website”), click on “More Magazine and Today's VocationVacation” (“Competition”) and complete the registration form, which includes your name, address, telephone number and email. Mail the form along with your essay up to 250 words (“Essay”) or a high resolution Video up to 60 seconds (“Video”) explaining to Sponsors why you deserve a VocationVacation.

To enter online go to www.weekendtoday.msnbc.com (“Weekend Today’s Website”), click on the Competition icon and complete the registration form which includes your name, address, telephone number and email. Upload your Essay up to 250 words or Video up to 60 seconds explaining to Sponsors why you deserve a VocationVacation. Videos must be high resolution in the format to be specified on Today’s Website. By entering, entrant and everyone appearing in the Video agree that the Video may be broadcast on TODAY and in promotions and advertisements for Sponsors. By entering, you agree that the Essay may be read and used on TODAY and in promotions and advertisements for Sponsors. Videos and Essays must be original, truthful, unpublished, created solely by the submitting entrant, must not have been submitted in any other competition, must not include any photos, film or other images that are not originally taken or created by entrant and must not infringe upon any rights of any third party, including but not limited to copyright, trademark, and rights of privacy and publicity. Sponsors may disqualify any entries that do not comply with these requirements.

Limit one entry per person for duration of contest. Multiple entries received from any person thereafter will void all such additional entries. Entries that are incomplete, illegible, postage due or corrupted are void and will not be accepted. Sponsors are not responsible for lost, late, postage due, mutilated, misdirected, damaged, illegible mail or entries. All entries become the sole property of Sponsors and none will be acknowledged or returned. Between the months of February 2007 to June 2007, TODAY may air all or pieces of entrants’ Videotapes to promote Competition on the TODAY show, and by entering this Competition you consent to the broadcast to your entry or excerpts thereof.

3. Eligibility.
Entrants must be a legal U.S. resident physically residing within the Continental United States (residents of Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Guam are excluded from entry and participation) and 21 years of age or older as of January 13, 2007. Employees of Sponsors, MSNBC Cable LLC (“MSNBC”), Sponsors’ affiliated TV stations or Web sites, their respective advertising and promotion agencies, their parent, subsidiary and joint venture companies, as well as members of their immediate families and households (including children, spouses and siblings and/or persons living in the same households as such persons (whether related or not)) are not eligible. Entrants must also be of good moral character. Sponsors reserve the right to exclude anyone convicted of a crime (other than moving violations of a misdemeanor type that did not involve personal injury, drugs or alcohol). Entrant must have nothing in their background that would be an embarrassment to Sponsors, and entrants may not be elected officials or currently running for any political office (local, state or federal). Each entrant must be willing to sign a publicity release and an affidavit attesting to the truth of the facts in their registration form and attesting that each entrant meets all of the eligibility requirements. Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify entrants for these or any other reasons, in Sponsors’ sole discretion.  Entrants must agree that, if selected as a Winner, they will be available to travel on a VocationVacation on dates chosen by Sponsors. The dates are subject to change in the sole discretion of Sponsors.

Please note that by entering you agree to undergo a background check conducted by TODAY and, if necessary, to sign waiver forms authorizing the release of personal and background information.

4. Selection of Winner.
Entries will be reviewed on a rolling basis and One (1) Winner will be selected by TODAY and More magazine (“Judges”) from eligible entries received on or about the first week of March 2007. The Judges will select the entries based on the following criteria in their sole discretion: 25% creativity, 25% quality, 25% appearance, and 25% presentation. In the event of a tie, the tied entrants will be contacted by TODAY for a phone interview which will be evaluated on the following criteria: 50% presentation and 50% Interest in attending a VocationVacation.  Winner will be notified by telephone, email and/or overnight mail. If the winner notification is returned as undeliverable, winner is unable to travel on dates specified by Sponsors, winner is ineligible or winner declines the Prize, then the Prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner may be selected by judges using the same judging criteria. Potential winner will be required to complete and return within five (5) days of notification to Sponsors an affidavit of eligibility and liability and publicity release unless prohibited by law. Decisions of judges are final. Additionally in the selection process, TODAY may elect to conduct an optional telephone interview with potential winner for informational purposes only, any such phone call will not affect the outcome of judging of the contest. Winner may be required to submit to a background check.  If for any reason the winner does not meet any of the above eligibility requirements in Sponsors sole discretion, the Judges will select an alternate Winner. The decisions of the Judges are final and binding in all respects and entrants agree to be bound by these decisions.

5. Prizes.
One (1) Winner will receive a VocationVacation trip package for the winner consisting of round trip coach class air transportation from the closest major airport to the winner’s home, and accommodations to experience a VocationVacation of the winner’s choice, described at www.vocationvacations.com, but not to exceed $2000. Total approximate retail value of prize package: $2,000.00. Winner is not guaranteed to win the VocationVacation they describe in their Essay or Video.

Certain blackout periods and travel restrictions may apply. Sponsors in their sole discretion shall determine the length, content and nature of the VocationVacation. This prize cannot be redeemed for cash and is valid only as detailed above, with no substitution of prize by winner.  Sponsors reserve the right to award the Winner a trip of equivalent value in the continental United States or provide other substitute prize of equivalent value if prize cannot be awarded as described, in their sole discretion. All hotel accommodations and other expenses associated with the acceptance and/or use of the prize but not outlined in this prize description are the sole responsibility of winner, including, but not limited to all applicable taxes, meals, beverages, room service, gratuities, telephone calls, insurance of prize, transportation, travel upgrades and personal incidentals. Prize value may vary depending upon the actual cost of air transportation from point of departure and return at time of reservation. Travel subject to all applicable travel restrictions as outlined in prize notification letter, availability of services offered and other criteria. Sponsors have the right in their sole discretion to substitute ground transportation for air transportation depending on Winner’s place of residence. All expenses not expressly stated in the package description, including but not limited to, meals, ground transportation, travel from home to and from nearest airport, travel insurance, security and airport fees, federal, state, and local taxes, surcharges and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use, insurance, gasoline, gratuities, travel upgrades, personal incidentals, and any other expenses not specified herein. Sponsors will not replace any lost or stolen tickets, travel vouchers or certificates. Once travel commences, no stopovers are permitted; if stopover occurs, full fare will be charged from stopover point for the remaining segments, including return, of the trip. The Sponsors are not liable for any expenses incurred as a consequence of flight cancellation/delay. Seat selection and timing of trip subject to availability and confirmation of reservations. Trip may not be combined with any other offer and travel may not qualify for frequent flyer miles. All travel and lodging will be at the risk of Winner. Certain travel restrictions may apply. 

6. Disclaimer.
All entrants and winner assume all liability for any injury or damages caused or claimed to be caused by their participation in this Competition. All entrants and winner release Sponsors’, MSNBC Cable LLC (“MSNBC”), Sponsors’ TV stations or Web sites, and their respective advertising and promotion agencies, their parents, subsidiaries and joint venture companies, as well as their respective officers, directors, and employees, from any such liability. 

Sponsors’ affiliated TV stations or Web sites, and their respective advertising and promotion agencies, their parent, subsidiary and joint venture companies, as well as their respective officers, directors, and employees assume no responsibility for any injury, damage or losses of any kind to any entrant (including but not limited to any personal injury that may occur while on NBC premises or during tasks performed in connection with this Competition), or related to travel or use of prize, or to any entrant’s or other person’s computer, relating to or resulting from participating in this Competition, including downloading materials or software. Sponsors and their respective advertising and promotion agencies, their parent, subsidiary and joint venture companies, as well as their respective officers, directors, and employees are not responsible for technical, hardware, software, or telephone malfunctions of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled or delayed electronic communications caused by any means or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Competition or by any human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in or in administration of this Competition.   

Sponsors affiliated TV stations or Web sites, are not responsible for errors or failures of any kind, for inaccurate transcription of entry information, for errors in any promotional or marketing materials, for errors in these rules, for any human or electronic error, or for entries that are stolen, misdirected, garbled, delayed by computer transmissions, lost, late, damaged, or postage due.

Sponsors reserve the right to terminate the entry period prior to its scheduled end date and to choose among eligible entries received prior to the date of such termination if Competition is not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, technical corruption, non-authorized human intervention or force majeure. In the event of a dispute regarding online entry, entry will be deemed made by the holder of an established e-mail account associated with the entry.

Entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of the Sponsors and judges whose decisions are final and binding in all respects. Failure to comply with these rules may result in disqualification from this contest. Sponsors reserve the right to permanently disqualify any person it believes has violated these rules. Any suspected use of automated voting or fictitious e-mail addresses will result in removal of the Video or Essay from the Competition and disqualification of the entrant.

7. Additional Rules.
By entering, entrants agree to participate in telephone interviews with TODAY, to travel to New York and be available to appear on TODAY at TODAY’s direction. Reasonable travel expenses, including standard hotel, transportation in connection with the entrants’ in-person appearance on TODAY, and any publicity and promotion activities required by TODAY, will be paid for by TODAY. Travel and hotel arrangements to be determined by TODAY. TODAY, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to provide ground transportation in lieu of air transportation.  All travel and lodging will be at the risk of winner.

Winner agrees to make his/or herself exclusively available to TODAY for publicity and promotion from the day entrant prepares entry to the final on-air appearance of the winner, and must agree that he/or she will not allow interviews by other media outlets, including television, magazines, newspapers, radio, and internet, unless authorized by TODAY during this time.

Entry in this competition constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) to use entrant’s Video and/or Essay, name, city, state, likeness, appearance and voice on TODAY and by Sponsors for purposes of advertising, promotion and publicity without additional compensation.

Winner may not wear apparel that contains recognizable commercial logos during appearances on TODAY. Winner’s on-air wardrobe is subject to TODAY’s approval in its sole discretion. 

TODAY reserves the right to make public personal information about the entrants on-air, prior to, during, or following the Competition. Entrants acknowledge that any negative information regarding an entrant that TODAY may disclose during the program may be more or less favorable than similar information disclosed by TODAY regarding other entrants.

In all disputes, Sponsors are the sole judges and their decisions and actions are final. By entering the Competition, entrants agree to waive any right to claim any ambiguity or error in these Official Rules, or the Competition itself, and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and by all decisions of the judges 

DISPUTE RESOLUTION: Except where prohibited, by participating Contest entrants agree that: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participant(s) and Sponsor and its agents shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law of any jurisdiction. Entrant agrees that any action at law or in equity arising out of or relating to this Contest, or awarding of the prize, shall be filed only in the state or federal courts located in the State of New York and entrant hereby consents and submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts for the purposes of litigating any such action. Except where prohibited, by participating in this Contest, entrant agrees that: (a) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or awarding of the prize, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; and (b) any and all claims, judgments, and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with participating in this Contest but in no event attorneys fees; and (c) under no circumstances will any participant be permitted to obtain awards for and hereby waives all rights to claim 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. Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitations or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above may not apply to you.

The failure of Sponsors to comply with any provision of these Official Rules due to an act of God, hurricane, war, fire, riot, earthquake, terrorism, act of public enemies, actions of governmental authorities outside of the control of Sponsors (excepting compliance with applicable codes and regulations) or other force majeure event will not be considered a breach of these Official Rules.

For winner’s name, send a self-addressed, stamped enveloped to Winner’s List, VocationVacation at the include address. VT residents may omit return postage.

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