Toronto Star Hong Kong Tourism Contest 2024 Rules

1. Agreement: These rules govern the Toronto Star Hong Kong Tourism 2024 Contest (the “Contest”). No purchase is necessary to enter the Contest. The act of entering the Contest constitutes acceptance of these Contest rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which decisions shall be final and binding upon all entrants.

2. Contest Sponsor: The Contest sponsor is Toronto Star Newspapers Limited (the “Sponsor”).  The prize suppliers are Hong Kong Tourism and Cathay Pacific (the “Prize Suppliers”).

3. Eligibility: The Contest is open to residents of Ontario who have attained the age of 18 as at the start of the Contest Period. Notwithstanding the above, the Contest is not open to employees, immediate family members (i.e. spouses or biological, step or adoptive parents, children or siblings) or anyone domiciled with any employee of the Sponsor or Prize Suppliers or any of their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising or promotional agencies or fulfillment houses. Incomplete or illegible entries, bulk drop offs, photocopies, scanned copies, facsimiles or other mechanically or electronically reproduced entries will not be accepted and will be disqualified. Limit of one (1) entry per person during the Contest Period notwithstanding the BONUS ENTRY as outlined below.

4. Contest: The Contest begins at 1:00 PM ET on May 7, 2024 and ends at 9:00 AM ET on May 31, 2024 (such period, the “Contest Period”).  There are three ways to enter the contest:

(i) Online: During the Contest Period access the Contest website at https://www.thestar.com/HelloHongKong, read and accept these Contest Rules, and follow the instructions to complete and submit the  entry form with all required information (a valid email address will be required). Each entrant may use only one (1) email address to enter the Contest. There is a limit of one (1) entry per person; OR

(iii)  By Email: To enter without registering with thestar.com, read these rules and during the Contest Period, email contests@thestar.ca with the subject line “Toronto Star Hello Hong Kong Contest”.  Include your full name, a valid e-mail address, postal code and telephone number and 100 word essay answering the following question: “What is your favorite section of the Toronto Star to read?” Please note that each email entry must be accompanied by an answer to the foregoing question. Email entries must be received during the Contest Period.  Limit of one (1) entry per person.  Proof of emailing is not proof of receipt.

BONUS ENTRY: On the contest entry page at thestar.com/HelloHongKong, enter your social media handle for Instragram or TikTok in the form where it is asked for. Then by using either Instagram or TikTok, create and post using the hashtag #HelloHongKong during the Contest Period. There is a limit of one (1) bonus entry per person.

5. Winner Selection: The potential winner will be chosen by random draw from among all eligible entries received during the Contest Period at 1:00pm ET June 3, 2024. The potential winner will be contacted by telephone or email by a representative of the Sponsor and must reply within twenty-four (24) hours to maintain eligibility. In order to be eligible to win, the potential winner must correctly answer a time limited mathematical skill-testing question, without assistance or mechanical or electronic aid. If the potential winner cannot be contacted within this time period or fails to respond to any attempted contact, or incorrectly answers the skill-testing question posed by the Sponsor, such potential winner will be disqualified, his/her entry will be declared null and void and the Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to select, at random, another eligible entry, in which event these provisions shall apply to such other eligible entry. If the potential winner does not claim the Prize within one (1) day of notification, another eligible entry may be selected, in the sole discretion of the Sponsor, and the first potential winner will have no further claim to the Prize.

6. Prizing: There is one prize available to be won consisting of a 5-day trip for two to Hong Kong, including: (i) return business-class airfare for two from Toronto or Vancouver via Cathay Pacific; (ii) four nights double occupancy accommodation at a Hong Kong 4-star hotel (to be determined at the sole discretion of Prize Provider); (iii) two 3-day, all-inclusive Go City Passes; (iv) two Aqua Luna Evening Cruise at Victoria Harbour Hong Kong experiences.

Approximate retail value of the trip is $23,665.61 CAD. Actual value of the prize will depend upon the airport departure, the date of departure, airline fare fluctuations and hotel; any difference between stated approximate value and any final value of the prize will not be awarded.

Trip must commence on or before May 26, 2025 or the prize will be forfeited in its entirety. Specific travel dates and arrangements are subject to air travel, hotel and holiday blackout dates (including but not limited to May 31-August 14, 2024, December 7-23, 2024 and January 20-February 13, 2025), and other prize and travel restrictions. Travel dates are subject to Prize Supplier approval. Reservations are subject to availability. Trip must be booked eight (8) weeks in advance of departure date. All elements of the prize must be redeemed at the same time, and no changes will be permitted after confirmation or any redemption.

Unless a child or ward of the winner, the guest must be nineteen (19) years of age or older as of the date of departure. The guest must travel on the same itinerary and at the same time as the winner. A minimum of one person, either the prize winner or his/her guest must hold a valid credit card to cover any incidentals or any other requirement that may be required at the hotel upon check-in.

The prize consists only of the elements expressly set forth above; no other elements or expenses (including, without limitation, insurance, meals, beverages, air, train and  ground transportation from the winner and guest’s residence to the chosen airport and at destination,  phone calls, baggage, gratuities, incidentals, souvenirs, gasoline, etc.) are included in the prize and all such expenses are the sole responsibility of the winner and his/her guest. The winner and guest are responsible for any air travel taxes and/or expenses, including inspection charges, baggage fees, and security charges. Winner and guest are responsible for obtaining, at their own expense, any necessary travel documentation (i.e. valid photo identification, visas, passports, etc.) prior to travel. The winner and his/her guest must possess a valid Canadian Passport and it must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the intended stay. Once issued, tickets are non-transferable and may not be reissued once travel has commenced. Open tickets may not be issued, and stopovers are not permitted. Travel arrangements must be made through Prize Suppliers.     

If the winner elects to partake in any or all portions of his/her prize without a guest, the prize will be awarded to the winner, and any remainder of the prize not awarded will be forfeited and shall not be subject to further or alternative compensation.  

Requests for substitutions and itinerary changes will not be considered. There is no refund or credit for unused portions of the prize. The prize is non-refundable, non-transferable, not for sale and has no cash surrender or redemption value. Sponsor and the Prize Suppliers reserve the right in their sole discretion to substitute another prize of equal or greater value for any component of the prize, without liability.

7. Prize Claim and Release: The potential winner must return their signed waiver via email to claim their prize. If the potential winner does not claim the prize within 24 hours of notification, another eligible entry may be selected and contacted and the first selected entrant will have no further claim to the prize. After the signed waiver is returned, the winner will be contacted by the Prize Suppliers to fulfill prize. The Sponsor will not mail or courier the prize and is not responsible for lost, stolen or unclaimed prizes. If a potential winner is unable or unwilling to accept or otherwise redeem any prize on the terms it is awarded, the prize shall be forfeited and no cash or substitutes will be provided in whole or in part.

8. Indemnity: By participating in this Contest, entrants agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Sponsor and Prize Suppliers and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and/or related companies and licensees and each of their officers, directors, shareholders, employees, advisors, assignees, agents, licensees, representatives, advertising, media buyers and promotional agencies (the ”Released Parties”) from any and all damages, injuries, claims, suits, actions, causes of action, costs, expenses, liabilities or losses of any kind (including but not limited to lawyers’ fees) arising out of or relating to your participation in the Contest; your receipt or use of any prize; your violation of any term of these Contest rules; or your violation of any third party right, including without limitation any copyright, property, or privacy right.

9. Privacy: We use your personal information to administer this Contest, including contacting, announcing, and promoting the prize winner, and may transfer your personal information to third party service providers (including but not limited to Prize Suppliers) in order to perform services such as prize fulfillment and delivery. The Contest is run in compliance with the Sponsor’s privacy policy, which may be found in full at: http://notices.torstar.com/privacy-policy/index.html

10. Banning: The Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, prohibit any person from entering the Contest whom it believes to be abusing the rules. Such abuse includes entering false information and entering more times than permitted under these Contest rules.

11. Other: Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. This Contest is governed by the laws of Ontario and the laws of Canada applicable therein and is void where prohibited by law. The Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify the Contest or the Contest rules at any time without notice. Prize must be accepted as awarded, is non-transferable and is not convertible to cash. The Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any prize or any portion of a prize with a prize of equal or greater value. All prizes are awarded as-is and no warranties or guarantees are implied or expressed. Neither Sponsor nor Prize Suppliers shall be liable for any lost, late, misdirected or stolen entries or inability to process entries, or any errors, damage, injury or negligence that may arise in connection with this Contest, including technical issues or failures on any website or software, viruses, website disruptions, malfunctions or website down-time, human error, personal injury or property damage incurred by any Contest entrant. Sponsor is not responsible for any errors or omissions in printing or advertising this Contest. Use of any automated system including robotic or form filling software to enter or participate in this Contest is prohibited and will result in disqualification of all entries by anyone using such assistance. If a dispute arises regarding who submitted an online entry, the entry will be deemed to be submitted by the authorized account holder of the email address provided at time of entry. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.