OFFICIAL RULES

2022 Sparkle in the Spotlight Contest Official Rules (Application is now closed)

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED ALL PHOTOS AND COSTUMES SUBMITTED MAY APPEAR ON RHINESTONES UNLIMITED SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES AND WEBSITES.

PLEASE NOTE – IN THE EVENT CONTESTANT FAILS TO MEET ANY DEADLINES SET FORTH IN SECTION 2 OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES, SUCH CONTESTANT WILL BE CHARGED AND RESPONSIBLE TO PAY SPONSOR $500.00 FOR CRYSTALS ORDERED AND RECEIVED FOR CONTESTANT ’S COSTUME AND THE LOSS OF COSTS AND FEES DEDICATED TO THE SIX CONTESTANTS.

1. Eligibility  The Sparkle in the Spotlight Contest Sponsored by Rhinestones Unlimited (the "Contest") is open to entrant’s who are 18 years or older and legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia and are costume designers who represent a custom-costume brand (“Entrant”). Employees of Rhinestones Unlimited, 2305 Louisiana Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55427 (“Sponsor”) including their subsidiaries, affiliates, parent or related companies, and their immediate families, are not eligible to enter. Anyone participating in this Contest or claiming a prize in this Contest in violation of these rules will be deemed to have forfeited the right to be awarded a prize in this Contest. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Participation constitutes Entrant's full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor's decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

2. Contest Period  The Contest begins at 12:00:01 AM Central Time (“CT”) on April 13, 2022 and ends at 11:59:59 PM CT on December 31, 2022 (the "Contest Period"). The Contest Period consists of the following:

a) Submission Period: Each Entrant may submit their official Contest entry beginning at 12:00:01 AM CT on April 13, 2022 and ending at 11:59:59 PM CT on April 27, 2022 (“Submission Period”);

b) Contestant Selection Period: From April 27, 2022 through May 3, 2022, the Sponsor will review the Contest Submissions to determine the six (6) Contestants. (“Judging Period”);

c) Contestant Notification & Verification: Contestants will be notified on or about May 4, 2022 and will have until Monday, May 9, 2022 to respond and verify they are an eligible Contestant and will commit to the requirements in the 2022 Sparkle in the Spotlight Official Rules. The contestant must also verify their address, name and social media handles at this time. The contestant will not be verified if we do not receive responses to emails within 48 hours or have not responded with the necessary information by Monday, May 9, 2022. 

d) Contestant Announcement Period: On or around May 9, 2022, the Sponsor will announce the final and verified six (6) Contestants.

e) Crystal Shipment: At the time of notification & verification, the sponsor will send a link of product for the Contestant to select the crystals for their submission which will be sent with their Crystal Shipment. Contestant will order 12 packages of Starcut Crystal flatbacks and 6 packages of Starcut Crystal sew ons for their costume submission. Contestants will receive a shipment of required crystals to be used in their Design by mail, which will be postmarked by May 20, 2022. Contestant will be disqualified if no order has been placed by May 20, 2022.

f) Costume Deadline: Sponsor must receive the physical final costume entry to our location in Minneapolis, MN no later than July 15, 2022 to be eligible and remain compliant with these official rules.

g) Social Posts Period: Each Contestant must post a minimum of three (3) posts on Instagram (or Facebook) in accordance with the Posting Rules listed in Official Rule #4 below, between September 12, 2022 and December 31, 2022 (“Post Period”);

h) Judging Period: From January 1, 2023 through January 30, 2023, an independent judging panel of past contestants will judge the Costumes to determine the winner of the Contest (“Judging Period”).

i) Winner Announcement: The Grand Prize winner will be contacted via telephone and/or email and announced on social media on or about January 31, 2023.

j) Costume Return: All Costumes will be returned to each Contestant no later than May 1, 2023 unless authorized by the Contestant for further use by Rhinestones Unlimited (“Return Deadline”).

3. How to Enter for a Chance To Become a Contestant  To enter for a chance to become a contestant, eligible Entrants can visit  RhinestonesU.com/blog/sparkle-in-the-spotlight-2022-application-official-rules/ to complete and submit the online application form, which includes your name, address, email address, telephone number, social media handle(s), website (if applicable), and uploading up to three (3) photos of up to two (2) of your favorite custom costumes (collectively, an “Entry”). Upon submission, you will receive one (1) entry into the Contest. All entries must be received no later than 11:59:59 PM CT on April 27, 2022 to be eligible for the Contest.

4. How Contestants are Chosen During the Contestant Selection Period, Sponsor will check each eligible Entry and select contestants using the following criteria: business or professional social media presence (50%); and creative use of crystals in designs shown on social media (50%). The six (6) top scoring Entries with the highest overall percentages will be deemed the six (6) Contestants. In the event of a tie, the Entry with the highest score in the creative use of crystals in designs category will be the winning Contestant from among all tying Entries. Each Contestant will be notified by Administrator during the Contestant Notification and Verification period. In the event that a Contestant fails to respond to a winner notification within 48 hours, he/she will forfeit his/her right to be deemed a Contestant, and an alternate Contestant will be selected using the judging criteria set forth above. That alternate will be notified immediately and have 48 hours to respond to that notification. This process will continue until all six (6) Contestants are verified by Sponsor or Administrator. Sponsor has the sole right to select fewer than six (6) Contestants in the event not enough sufficient and qualified Entries are received during the Submission Period. In the event fewer than six (6) Contestants are selected, Sponsor reserves the right to adjust the time periods set forth in Section 2 (v) – 2 (x), at Sponsor’s sole discretion.

5. Contestant Participation & Costume Requirements  Each Contestant will receive a different Inspiration (as selected by Sponsor in Sponsor’s sole discretion), and a web link to specific product from the Starcut Crystal brand. Contestant will be encouraged to pick a mix of sizes, colors, and shapes to total 12 packages of flatback rhinestones and 6 packages of sew-ons. Each Contestant will then use the Crystals to design a custom costume to be submitted for a chance to be the Grand Prize winner (“Costume”). Each Costume must comply with the following to be eligible:

a. Contestants may NOT use ANY other rhinestones or crystal trims other than provided by Sponsor. 

b. Costume must consist solely of the Crystals provided by Sponsor.

c. Costume must consist of at least 50% of the total amount of Crystals sent to the Contestant.

d. Costume fabric, appliques or costume trimmings used on the costume may NOT contain any rhinestones or beading, but can have embroidery and non-crystal or bead embellishments.

e. If using appliques or trims, those elements must be DIY Appliques available at www.rhinestonesu.com.

f. Costume must be the Entrant’s own crystal design (no design or brand collaborations allowed). All accessories must be provided by designer. If the crystal designer is not sewing the garment, Sponsor will assume permission from seamstress, tailor, or base designer has been obtained by the Contestant.  Only the contestant name will be listed on social media during the duration of the contest. 

g. Costume must be made in accordance with the sizing provided and approved by Sponsor so models can be selected accordingly.

PLEASE NOTE: Each Contestant will be provided the same retail value of Crystals for his or her Costume. Limit one (1) Costume entry per Contestant allowed during the entire Contest Period. Upon completion of the Costume, each Contestant must mail the Costume to: Angie Peery ℅ Rhinestones Unlimited, 2305 Louisiana Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55427, to be received by the applicable Costume Deadline as set forth in Section 2 (x)-(v) above. Any Costume not received by applicable Costume Deadline will be disqualified and the Contestant will be charged $500.00 for the crystals and trims mailed to that Contestant and the loss of fees and costs dedicated to the six contestants. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, damaged, stolen, or delayed mailing of any Costume. Upon receipt of the Costume, Sponsor will film and photograph (hereinafter, “Images”) the Costumes on dancers, feature the Costumes at shows, and promote the Contestant and their Costumes during the Contest Period at Sponsor’s sole discretion.

6. Social Media Posting Rules Posting Rules: Entrants hereby understand and agree to be eligible for a chance to win, they must post a minimum of three (3) posts featuring their Costume on Instagram (“Posts”) during the Social Post Period (Facebook posts can be used in place of Instagram, so long as each post tags www.RhinestonesU.com and the crystals and trims provided were provided by Rhinestones Unlimited is mentioned in the post). The Posts must comply with the following:

a. If posting to Instagram, each Post must use ALL of the following tags: #RhinestonesUnlimited #SparkleInTheSpotlight #Contest and a tag on the Photo or Image @RhinestonesUnlimited, or the Post will not count toward a required Post, and the Entrant may be disqualified at Sponsor’s sole discretion and will be charged $500 for crystals and trims Entrant received and the loss of fees and costs dedicated to six contestants in connection with this Contest. Posts can be made up of "reposts" of Rhinestones Unlimited's reveal posts of each Entrant's costume design, or can be Entrant's own image or video post following the posting guidelines.

b. At least one (1) of the three (3) required Posts MUST mention the products used in the Costume’s design.

c. A minimum of three (3) Posts which meet these requirements are required to be eligible to win in this Contest.

d. Posting period will be from September 12, 2022 through December 31, 2022. All Posts must be completed within the assigned posting period and meet requirements

e. By Posting Photos/Videos, Contestant agrees, for zero compensation, to grant to Sponsor all intellectual property rights in the Photo and each of its constituent parts, which rights include, without limitation, the Sponsor's right to publish, make available to the public and/or reproduce the Photo/Video at its sole discretion through any media available at any time during, or after, the Contest Period on any related websites, in any promotional materials, whether related or un-related to the Contest, and at any location, whether physical or online. Contestant agrees to release, defend, indemnify and hold harmless each of Released Parties, and each of their parent, subsidiaries, and affiliates and each of their respective owners, employees, directors, officers, agents, and subcontractors from all claims, demands, and causes of action of any nature whatsoever which Contestant or Contestant 's heirs, representatives, executors, administrators, or any other persons acting on Contestant ’s behalf or on behalf of Contestant ’s estate, have or may have by reason of: (i) Sponsor's exercise of any rights granted by Contestant in this paragraph; (ii) claims based on violation of any right of publicity or rights of personality, infringement of copyright or trademark, libel, slander, defamation, invasion of privacy, loss of earnings or potential earnings in connection with Sponsor's use of the Photo entry and any portion thereof, or the likeness of any natural person therein.

7. Costume Judging Criteria During the Costume Judging Period, a panel of past Sparkle in the Spotlight contestants will judge each costume and Posts using the following judging criteria: creative use of crystals and originality of the crystal design utilizing the provided crystals and trims (60%), quality of crystal and trim application (40%). The Contestant with the highest overall score using the preceding judging criteria will be deemed the Grand Prize winner. In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest score in the creative use of crystals and originality of the crystal design criteria will be deemed the winner from among all tying Contestants. The Grand Prize winner will be announced on Rhinestones Unlimited Instagram and Facebook pages on January 31, 2023.

8. Prize and Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”)  One (1) Grand Prize – $500.00 Visa Gift Card. ARV: $500.00. Gift card is subject to the terms, conditions and restrictions as printed on the Card. Winner must meet the eligibility requirements as set forth in Paragraph 1 of these Official Rules. Winner is responsible for paying all applicable income taxes associated with accepting the Prize. Prize is not transferrable or substitutable, except Sponsor may substitute the prize for one of equal or greater value for any reason.

9. Claiming the Prize The Grand Prize winner will be contacted by Sponsor to coordinate Grand Prize winner’s receiving the Grand Prize. The potential Grand Prize winner must prove he/she is a qualified winner by presenting identification acceptable to the Sponsor (e.g., state driver’s license; state issued identification card; valid passport with address verification; or birth certificate with social security card and photo identification and address verification).

10. Participation Conditions/Release/Consent to use Likeness  By participating, each Contestant agrees to: (a) comply with and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor which are binding and final in all matters relating to this Contest; (b) release and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including, but not limited to, negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, including, but not limited to, invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, property damage, or death or personal injury arising out of or relating to a participant's participation in this Contest, and acceptance or use or misuse of prize; (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorney’s fees) arising out of or relating to an Contestant's participation in the Contest and/or Contestant 's acceptance, use or misuse of prize; and (d) allow Sponsor’s use for promotional purposes of his/her likeness, voice and/or address (city/state) without any additional compensation.

11. General Conditions Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, or any part of it, for any reason whatsoever, including, without limitation, fire, flood, natural or man-made epidemic of health of other means, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, riot or civil disturbance, terrorist threat or activity, war (declared or undeclared) or any federal state or local government law, order, or regulation, public health crisis, order of any court or jurisdiction or if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Sponsor's reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the participation process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Only the type and quantity of prizes described in these Official Rules will be awarded. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal finds to be tampering with the participation process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Only the type and quantity of prizes described in these Official Rules will be awarded. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

12. Limitations of Liability The Released Parties as set forth above are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by Contestant s, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (2) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the participation process or the Contest; (3) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (4) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from Contestant 's participation in the Contest or receipt or use or misuse of any Prize.

13. Privacy Policies and Data Collection - Information provided by you for this Contest on the entry form is subject to Sponsor’s Privacy Policy. By entering this Contest, each Contestant agrees that the Sponsor has the right to contact the Contestant by phone or email as provided on the entry form to administer and fulfill this Contest.

14. Disputes/Governing Law Except where prohibited, Contestant agrees that: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or the prizes awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate federal or state court of Minnesota; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, but in no event attorneys' or legal fees; and (3) unless otherwise prohibited, under no circumstances will Contestant be permitted to obtain awards for, and Contestant hereby waives all rights to claim, indirect, 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. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the Contestant and Sponsor in connection with this Contest shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Minnesota, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of State of Minnesota, or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Minnesota.

15. Winners’ List  For the name of the winner see @RhinestonesUnlimited on Instagram or Facebook during the contest period. 

16. Sponsor Rhinestones Unlimited, 2305 Louisiana Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55427.