THE FOLLOWING SWEEPSTAKES IS VOID OUTSIDE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (“D.C.”) AND WHEREVER PROHIBITED.  DO NOT ENTER THIS SWEEPSTAKES IF YOU ARE NOT 21 OR OLDER AND A LEGAL RESIDENT OF AND CURRENTLY RESIDING IN ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR IN D.C. THIS SWEEPSTAKES WILL BE CONSTRUED AND EVALUATED ACCORDING TO APPLICABLE U.S. FEDERAL AND STATE LAW.

Travelodge “ZOOcation” Sweepstakes

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Making a purchase will not improve your chances of winning.

How to Enter the Sweepstakes: The Travelodge “ZOOcation” Sweepstakes (“Sweepstakes”) is sponsored by NGHT, LLC, d/b/a National Geographic Digital Media (“Sponsor”). Entry into the Sweepstakes begins 12:00:01 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) on June 1, 2012 and ends 11:59:59 p.m. ET on September 3, 2012 (“Sweepstakes Period”). All eligible members of the general public may enter the Sweepstakes by following the entry instructions in these Official Rules. If you meet the eligibility requirements set forth in Rule #2, below, you may enter the Sweepstakes on-line at www.nationalgeographic.com/zoocation by completing all required information on the Sweepstakes entry page and following the on-screen instructions to submit your entry. All entries will be deemed made by the person who is listed on the entry form. Limit one entry per person/email per day.

The computer clock of the Sponsor’s administrator is the official timekeeping of this Sweepstakes. Sponsor’s decisions will be final, binding and non-appealable in all matters relating to this Sweepstakes.  By participating in the Sweepstakes, each participant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and the independent judging organization, which shall be final and binding in all respects. If more than one (1) entry is received per person/email per day by any means including but not limited to establishing multiple e-mail accounts, all such entries and the person that submitted them, will be disqualified. Proof of submission of an entry does not constitute proof of receipt of entry by Sponsor. 

Eligibility: The Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia (“D.C.”) who are 21 years of age or older at the time of entry. Employees, officers and directors of NGHT, LLC d/b/a National Geographic Digital Media, Wyndham Hotel Group, LLC, American Zoo Association, Ascent Marketing Partners and each of their respective parent or affiliate companies, subsidiaries, representatives, consultants, contractors, legal counsel, advertising/public relations/promotional fulfillment agencies, website providers, web masters as well as members of their immediate families (defined for these purposes as spouse, biological, adoptive and step-parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and each of their respective spouses), regardless of where they reside or those individuals who reside in the same household (whether related or not) of any of the above are NOT eligible to participate.  Void outside the 50 United States/DC and where prohibited.

Drawing/Odds of Winning: One Grand Prize winner will be determined in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received during the Sweepstakes Period. The drawing will be conducted on or about September 4, 2012 by Ascent Marketing Partners, an independent judging organization, whose decisions, along with the Sponsor’s, are final and binding in all respects. Odds of winning a prize will depend on the total number of eligible entries received. The Potential winner will be notified by phone, mail or e-mail by September 11, 2012.  The winner's name may also be posted, at Sponsor’s discretion, on the winner page of the Sweepstakes website following verification of the winner, and may be announced by news release.  Winning any prize in the Sweepstakes is contingent upon fulfilling all applicable requirements of these Official Rules.

Prize:  One (1) Grand Prize will be awarded consisting of a three (3) night stay (one double-occupancy hotel room) for the winner and one guest (who must be 18 years of age or older unless such guest is the child or legal ward of the Grand Prize winner) at a Travelodge of their choice; two admission passes and a behind the scenes tour to a nearby zoo; round-trip coach class airfare for the winner and their guest from the major commercial airport nearest the winner’s residence (as determined by Sponsor) to another major commercial airport within the 48 contiguous United States, a rental car for four (4) days and $250 spending money for the winner. The Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) of the Grand Prize is $2,000. Actual value may vary based on point of origination & destination, airfare fluctuations and final trip details. Any difference between the stated ARV and actual value of the prize will not be awarded in any form. Car rental includes a mid-size 4-door car for 4 days while in the destination city. Drivers must meet rental cars eligibility requirements and be at least twenty-five years of age, have a valid driver’s license and have a major credit card in their name. Meals, gratuities, hotel incidentals, additional ground transportation, luggage fees, souvenirs, personal services, insurance, and all other expenses not specified herein as being included in the prize are the winner’s responsibility. The winner and his/her guest must travel together on the same itinerary and must depart from and return to the same airport. Specific travel dates and arrangements are subject to availability and some restrictions. Sponsor reserves the right to structure the travel route in its sole discretion. Travel arrangements must be made directly with Sponsor and must be booked 30 days prior to departure. Flight schedules are subject to change without notice. The Sponsor is not liable for any expenses incurred as a consequence of flight cancellation/delay. The winner is responsible for securing all necessary travel prerequisites, including identification. Prize winner and/or guest may be required to provide a credit card at the time of hotel check-in to cover, among other things, incidentals and other expenses incurred that are not included as part of the prize. All travel must be completed by 9/30/13.

Prize is non-transferable, and no prize substitutions or cash redemption, in whole or in part, are allowed except by Sponsor in its sole discretion, or as otherwise provided herein.  Sponsor may substitute a prize (or portion thereof) of equal or greater value if an advertised prize (or portion thereof) becomes unavailable for any reason.  All income taxes on the prize is the winner's sole responsibility.  The Prize winner will be issued an IRS form 1099, a copy of which will be furnished to the IRS, for the value of the prize in January 2013. The prize will be awarded provided it is claimed properly in accordance with these Official Rules.

Verification/Prize Claim: The Prize winner will be required to sign, have notarized and return an unmodified Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release and, where permitted by law, a Publicity Release and W9 tax form within seven (7) business days of notification or the prize will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner in a random drawing from among all remaining entries. If any prize notification is returned as undeliverable of if the potential winner fails to return the required documentation by the due date, or if Sponsor, in its sole discretion, deems a potential winner ineligible to receive a prize for any reason, the prize will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner in a random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries received.  The guest of the Prize winner will be required to sign and return a Liability/Publicity Release as a condition of participating in the prize trip.  If Sponsor so elects, the potential Grand Prize winner may be required to submit to a confidential background check to confirm eligibility and help ensure that the use of any such person in advertising or publicity for the Sweepstakes will not bring Sponsor into public disrepute, contempt, scandal or ridicule, or reflect unfavorably on the Sweepstakes as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.

Entry Errors/Tampering: Sponsor reserves the right to void all entries made through any third-party web site or service, or through any robotic, automatic, mechanical, programmed or similar entry duplication method, and to disqualify any individual using such a web site/service or entry method, as applicable. Sponsor is not responsible for: (i) electronic, wireless or digital transmissions or any entries that are lost, late, stolen, incomplete, illegible, damaged, garbled, destroyed, or misdirected, or not received by Sponsor or its agents for any reason; (ii) any problems or technical malfunctions, errors, omissions, interruptions, deletions, defects, delays in operation or transmission, communication failures or human error that may occur in the transmission, receipt or processing of entries; (iii) destruction of or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries; (iv) failed or unavailable hardware, network, software transmissions; (v) damage to entrant’s or any person’s computer, cell phone or wireless device or their respective contents; (vi) causes beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control that jeopardize the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Sweepstakes; (vii) any entries submitted in a manner that is not expressly allowed under these Official Rules; (viii) incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by entrants or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes; (ix) any typographical or other error in the printing or advertising of the offer, administration or execution of the Sweepstakes or in the announcement of the prize or prize winner; (x) malfunctions or interference resulting from illicit, malicious or injurious code (including but not limited to viruses, worms and denial of service attacks); or (xi) cheating or fraud by any participant. All incomplete or non-conforming entries will be disqualified. All entries become Sponsor’s property and will not be returned.

If for any reason the Sweepstakes cannot be executed as planned, including but not limited to any printing, administrative, or other error of any kind, transmission failure, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor that corrupt or affect the security, administration, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the sweepstakes, or if the Sweepstakes is compromised or becomes technically corrupted in any way, electronically or otherwise, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, modify or terminate the Sweepstakes. If the Sweepstakes is terminated before the original Sweepstakes end date, Sponsor reserves the right to select the Sweepstakes prize winner from among all eligible non-suspect entries received as of the date/time of termination. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify and prosecute any individual who tampers with or attempts to tamper with the entry process or who enters the Sweepstakes using any automatic or programmed entry duplication method.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY PERSON TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR OTHERWISE CORRUPT THE SWEEPSTAKES OR TO UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY, PROSECUTE AND SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

Limitations on Liability: By entering, each entrant agrees to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of the Sponsor, and agrees to indemnify, release, defend and hold harmless the Sponsor, Travelodge, American Zoo Association, Ascent Marketing Partners, and each of their parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates and agencies, and the officers, directors and employees of each of the foregoing (collectively, the “Released Parties”), from and against any and all liability for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including without limitation, property damage, personal injury (including without limitation emotional distress) and/or death, publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy arising from or in connection with participation in the Sweepstakes or the acceptance, possession and/or use/misuse of the prize (if awarded to him/her) or participation in prize-related activities (including without limitation travel related thereto).

By accepting a prize, each winner agrees that any liability concerning or arising out of his/her prize rests solely with the common carrier on which the winner traveled (if applicable), the hotel that provided lodging. Furthermore, each winner, by accepting a prize, acknowledges that the 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 such prize, including, but not limited to, its quality, mechanical condition or fitness for a particular purpose.

Consent to Publicity: By accepting a prize, each winner further consents to the Sponsor and the Released Parties use of his/her name, voice, photograph, statements and/or likeness for advertising, promotion, public relations or trade purposes in commerce and in any media worldwide without limitation or additional compensation or notice, unless prohibited by law.

Personal Information: All personal information collected from entrants in connection with participation in this Sweepstakes will be used only as provided in Sponsor’s Privacy Policy, available at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/community/privacy.html.

Invalidity: The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official 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 Official 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. In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between disclosures or other statements contained in any Sweepstakes materials and the terms and conditions of these Official Rules, these Official Rules shall prevail, govern and control.

Governing Law: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules or the rights and obligations of any participant or Sponsor in connection with the Sweepstakes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the District of Columbia without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions that would cause the application of any other state's laws.

Winner List: To receive an Official Winner List, mail a self-addressed, stamped (void in Vermont) envelope to: Travelodge ZOOcation Sweepstakes, P.O. Box 606, Mokena, IL 60448. The Winner List will be available after the winner is confirmed. All Winner List requests must be received by October 31, 2012.

Sponsor: NGHT, LLC, d/b/a National Geographic Digital Media, 1145 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Short Form rules

Short rules for the website

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. The Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States/DC, 21 years of age or older. Void where prohibited. The Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:00 am ET on 6/1/12 and ends at 11:59:59 pm ET on 9/3/12.

Short rules for print

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. The Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States/DC, 21 years of age or older. Void where prohibited. The Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:00 am ET on 6/1/12 and ends at 11:59:59 pm ET on 9/3/12. See www.nationalgeographic.com/zoocation to enter and for complete Official Rules.