Nominate a teacher who inspires you
Tell us about a North Texas teacher who is going above and beyond and making a difference in the lives of their students. Nominated teachers may be featured in a segment on NBC 5 local lifestyle show, Texas Today and the school of the winners will receive a $1,000 donation from SMU. Nomination Statement must be original, written in English and written by you.
Excellent Educator
Official Rules
September 23, 2024—March 9, 2025
PRELIMINARY INFORMATION: No purchase necessary. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Void outside the KXAS Geographic Viewing Area (defined below) and where prohibited. The Excellent Educator Contest (“Contest”) will begin on September 23, 2024 at 12:01 A.M. CT and end on March 9, 2025 at 11:59 P.M. CT (“Contest Period”). All times in the Contest refer to Central Time (“CT”). Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws.
ELIGIBILITY: Open only to permanent, legal United States residents who are physically residing in the KXAS terrestrial geographic viewing area in one (1) of the counties of Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Parker, Kaufman, Hunt, Rockwall, Henderson, Hood, Wise, Van Zandt, Lamar, Navarro, Anderson, Erath, Cooke, Hopkins, Hill, Fannin, Palo Pinto, Bosque, Freestone, Comanche, Red River, Rains, Hamilton, Somervell, Jack, and Delta in the state of Texas (“KXAS Geographic Viewing Area”); and who are eighteen (18) years of age or older as of the start of the Contest Period. NOTE: IF YOU ARE BELOW EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS OF AGE, YOU MUST HAVE YOUR PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN ENTER THE CONTEST ON YOUR BEHALF. Officers, directors, and employees of Contest Entities (as defined below), members of these persons’ immediate families (spouses and/or parents, children, and siblings, and each of their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside), and/or persons living in the same households as these persons (whether or not related thereto) are not eligible to enter or win the Contest. Contest Entities, as referenced herein, shall include KXAS, 4805 Amon Carter Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76155, NBCUniversal Media, LLC, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112 (collectively, “Sponsors”), Southern Methodist University, 6425 Boaz Lane, Dallas TX 75205 (“Prize Provider”), and each of their respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliate companies, and administrative, advertising, and promotion agencies, and any other entity involved in the development, administration, promotion, or implementation of the Contest. Nominees (defined below) must meet all eligibility requirements stated above and outlined throughout the Official Rules. Entrants are not eligible to receive Prizes (defined below). Prizes will only be awarded to a Nominees’ School (defined below).
HOW TO ENTER: As part of your Entry (defined below), you will be required to nominate an inspirational North Texas teacher (the “Nominee”) by submitting a written statement of five hundred (500) words or less (“Nomination Statement”) on the following theme: “Explain how the teacher you are nominating empowers, influences and impacts the lives of his or her students.” The Nominee must be employed at a school located within the KXAS Geographic Viewing Area (“School”). Nomination Statement must be original and written by you. Nomination Statements must be in English.
To enter the Contest, during the Contest Period visit http://www.nbcdfw.com/on-air/contests/ (the “Website”) and follow the provided instructions to complete and thereafter submit the entry form, which includes your full name, email address, ZIP code, School, School phone number, and Nomination Statement (“Entry”). If you are below eighteen (18) years of age as of the start of the Contest Period, you must have your parent or legal guardian enter the Contest on your behalf.
All Entries become the property of Sponsors and will not be acknowledged or returned. If you choose to submit your Entry via your web-enabled mobile device, data rates may apply. See your wireless service provider for details on rates and capabilities. You must have the permission of any person that you identify or otherwise refer to in your Nomination Statement. All information submitted as part of the Entry must be truthful and accurate.
By entering the Contest, entrants grant Sponsors the non-exclusive, royalty-free, and irrevocable rights to use, reproduce, copy, publish, display, distribute, perform, translate, adapt, modify, and otherwise exploit the Nomination Statement and to incorporate the Nomination Statement in other works in any and all markets and media worldwide in perpetuity. Entrants warrant that they have the sole and exclusive right to grant such rights to Sponsors and that the Sponsors’ reproduction, publishing, displaying, and/or other use of the Nomination Statement will not infringe on any rights of third parties, including, without limitation, copyright, trademark, privacy, or publicity, or create claims for defamation, false light, idea misappropriation, intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress, or breach of contract. If any Nomination Statement contains material that is violent, pornographic, obscene, illegal, inappropriate, or racially or morally offensive or if any Nomination Statement does not comply with these Official Rules or meet Sponsors’ standards for any reason, as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion, such Nomination Statement (and the related Entry) may be rejected as ineligible for consideration and/or deleted. Entries must comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Sponsors shall have no obligation to copy, publish, display, or otherwise exploit the Nomination Statement.
Limit one (1) Entry per person during the Contest Period. Multiple entries received from any person or email address beyond this limit will void all such additional entries. Entries must be received before March 9, 2025 at 11:59 P.M. CT to be eligible for the Contest. Sponsors’ computer shall be the official timekeeper for all matters related to this Contest. Entries generated by a script, macro, or other automated means will be disqualified. Entries that are incomplete, garbled, corrupted, fraudulent, or unintelligible for any reason, including but not limited to, computer or network malfunction or congestion, are void and will not be accepted. In case of a dispute over the identity of an entrant, the authorized account holder of the email address used to enter will be deemed to be the entrant. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Entry constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) to use entrant’s name, city, state, likeness, image, and/or voice for purposes of advertising, promotion, and publicity in any and all media now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, permission, or approval.
PRIVACY: Entrants will have the opportunity to receive information from Sponsors and selected partners by checking the appropriate box(es). If, at any time, you no longer wish to receive materials from Sponsors or our partners, please go to our privacy policy, located at https://www.nbcuniversal.com/privacy, or the applicable partner’s privacy policy and follow the procedures indicated. The collection and use of personal information collected hereunder by KXAS will also be governed by the NBCUniversal Privacy Policy, located at https://www.nbcuniversal.com/privacy.
JUDGING: On or about the 1st day of each of the months of October, November, January, February and March, one (1) or more qualified judges selected by Sponsors (“Judges”) will review all eligible Entries received during the Contest Period and select one (1) potential winner (“Winner”), for a total of five (5) potential Winners during the entire Contest Period, based on the following judging criteria (“Judging Criteria”): Innovation (30%), Originality (30%) and Appropriateness to Theme (40%). There will be a total of five (5) potential Winners during the entire Contest. For purposes of clarity, the Nominees will be deemed the potential Winners of the Contest. The selection and review process may occur on a rolling basis as Entries are received. In the event of a tie, the Judges will break the tie by selecting the tied Entry that received the highest points from the Judges for Appropriateness to theme as the potential Winner.
Decisions of Sponsors and Judges are final and binding with respect to all matters related to the Contest. Sponsors reserve the right to pick fewer than five (5) potential Winners (or none at all), or to extend the Contest Entry Period if the Contest does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries (as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion). Sponsors will make two (2) attempts to notify each potential Winner at the phone number and/or email address submitted at the time of Entry. Sponsors may share entrants’ and/or potential Winners’ names and contact information with Contest Entities and/or any prize provider, as applicable, if necessary. Winners and/or Schools may each be required as a condition of continued eligibility to sign and return certain documents provided by Sponsors, including without limitation, an affidavit of eligibility, waiver of liability, and, except where prohibited, publicity release (collectively, “Contest Documents”) within five (5) days of such notification. Noncompliance within this time period may result in disqualification. If a potential Winner and/or School cannot be reached or if they are found ineligible, if they cannot or do not comply with the foregoing requirements and these Official Rules, if their Prize (defined below) or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, or if they do not satisfactorily execute all of the Contest Documents, such potential Winner will be disqualified at Sponsors’ sole discretion, and an alternate potential Winner may be selected from the remaining eligible Entries based on the Judging Criteria. Limit one (1) Prize (defined below) per Winner and/or School.
PRIZE: There will be five (5) prizes awarded (“Prizes”, each a “Prize”); one (1) Prize will be awarded to each Winner’s School. Each Prize consists of the following: a check for one thousand dollars ($1,000). Prize will be designated to educational programs, materials, or services as determined by School officials in their sole discretion.
Actual Retail Value (“ARV”) of each Prize is one thousand dollars ($1,000). ARV of all Prizes is five thousand dollars ($5,000).
All details of Prize will be determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion. Sponsors reserve the right to substitute Prize with a similar prize of comparable or greater value. All taxes and other expenses, costs, or fees associated with the acceptance and/or use of Prize are the sole responsibility of Winner and/or School. Prizes cannot be transferred by Winners or Schools, or redeemed for cash and are valid only for the items detailed above, with no substitution of Prizes. If a Prize is unclaimed within a reasonable time after notification from Sponsors, as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion, it will be forfeited, and time permitting, an alternate Winner may be selected from the remaining eligible entries at Sponsors’ sole discretion. Winners and School acknowledge that accepting the Prize shall constitute full satisfaction of Sponsors’ Prize obligation, and no additional compensation will be awarded.
CONDITIONS: By entering the Contest, each entrant agrees for entrant and for entrant’s heirs, executors, and administrators (a) to release and hold harmless Contest Entities and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, and employees (collectively, “Released Parties”) from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, litigation, or damage that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from such entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of Prize or any portion thereof (including any travel related thereto); (b) to indemnify Released Parties from any and all liability resulting or arising from the Contest and to hereby acknowledge that Released Parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to Prize, including express warranties provided exclusively by prize supplier that are sent along with Prize; (c) if selected as a Winner, to the posting of such entrant’s name on the Website and the use by Released Parties of such name, city, state, likeness, image, and/or voice for purposes of advertising, promotion, and publicity in any and all media now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, permission, or approval, and, upon request, to the giving of consent, in writing, to such use; and (d) to be bound by these Official Rules and to waive any right to claim any ambiguity or error therein or in the Contest itself, and to be bound by all decisions of the Sponsors, which are binding and final.Failure to comply with these conditions may result in disqualification from the Contest at Sponsors’ sole discretion.
ADDITIONAL TERMS: Sponsors reserve the right to permanently disqualify from any promotion any person they believe has intentionally violated these Official Rules. Any attempt to deliberately damage the Contest or the operation thereof is unlawful and subject to legal action by Sponsors, who may seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law. 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. Released Parties assume no responsibility for any injury or damage to entrants’ or to any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from entering or downloading materials or software in connection with the Contest. Released Parties are not responsible for telecommunications, network, electronic, technical, or computer failures of any kind; for inaccurate transcription of entry information; for errors in any promotional or marketing materials or in these Official Rules; for any human or electronic error; or for Entries that are stolen, misdirected, garbled, delayed, lost, late, damaged, or returned. Sponsors reserve the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Contest or any element thereof (including, without limitation, these Official Rules) without notice in any manner and for any reason (including, without limitation, in the event of any unanticipated occurrence that is not fully addressed in these Official Rules). In the event of cancellation, modification, or suspension, Sponsors reserve the right to select Winners in a random drawing from among all eligible, non-suspect Entries received prior to the time of the event warranting such cancellation, modification, or suspension. Notice of such cancellation, modification, or suspension will be posted at Website. Sponsors may prohibit any entrant or potential entrant from participating in the Contest, if such entrant or potential entrant shows a disregard for these Official Rules; acts with an intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other entrant, Sponsors, or Sponsors’ agents or representatives; or behaves in any other disruptive manner (as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion). Sponsorsreserve the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Contest.
DISPUTES: THE CONTEST IS GOVERNED BY, AND WILL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, AND THE FORUM AND VENUE FOR ANY DISPUTE SHALL BE IN NEW YORK, NEW YORK. IF THE CONTROVERSY OR CLAIM IS NOT OTHERWISE RESOLVED THROUGH DIRECT DISCUSSIONS OR MEDIATION, IT SHALL THEN BE RESOLVED BY FINAL AND BINDING ARBITRATION ADMINISTERED BY JUDICIAL ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION SERVICES, INC., IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS STREAMLINED ARBITRATION RULES AND PROCEDURES OR SUBSEQUENT VERSIONS THEREOF (“JAMS RULES”). THE JAMS RULES FOR SELECTION OF AN ARBITRATOR SHALL BE FOLLOWED, EXCEPT THAT THE ARBITRATOR SHALL BE EXPERIENCED AND LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN NEW YORK. ALL PROCEEDINGS BROUGHT PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK. THE REMEDY FOR ANY CLAIM SHALL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL DAMAGES, AND IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY PARTY BE ENTITLED TO RECOVER PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING ATTORNEY’S FEES OR OTHER SUCH RELATED COSTS OF BRINGING A CLAIM, OR TO RESCIND THIS AGREEMENT OR SEEK INJUNCTIVE OR ANY OTHER EQUITABLE RELIEF.
WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: For the names of the winners, available after March 23, 2025, either 1) visit NBCDFW.com, or 2) send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to be received by May 11, 2025 to: Excellent Educator Program, 4805 Amon Carter Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76155 Attn: Marketing.
