Think Spring: Enter to Win

 It’s the Equinox, the official start to spring, and… yep, still cold.  In fact, our poor bedraggled crocuses are covered once again in a foot of snow.  Though we may have been a bit grumpy while shoveling yesterday, we’ve decided to have a fresh outlook today.  It’s time to look on the bright side!

We want to celebrate the upcoming season – and you, our members in the Bay State!  Today through April 20, we’re running our very first AARP Massachusetts Spring Sweepstakes.   Enter for a chance to win an e-reader, plus your choice of two free AARP e-books.  We’re also offering additional weekly giveaways, all on our Facebook page.

Here's how it works:

STEP 1: Like. If you aren't already a fan of AARP Massachusetts on Facebook, what are you waiting for?

STEP 2: Enter.  Click on the Spring Sweepstakes post at the top of our Facebook  page.  Like the post, make a comment, then fill out the contest entry form with your name and email.

STEP 3: Win!  We'll select our winner by random drawing on Monday, April 22.  We'll notify the winner by email, and will also post an announcement on Facebook and here on our blog.


The fine print:

This one’s for the locals: you must be a resident of Massachusetts to enter.   You also need to like us on Facebook.

More fine print:

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to AARP and not to Facebook.

The very lengthy and equally important fine print:

OFFICIAL RULES

PROMOTION DESCRIPTION: AARP Massachusetts Spring Sweepstakes  (the " Sweepstakes") begins on  March 20, 2013 at 12:00 am Eastern Daylight Time (" EDT") and ends on April 20, 2013 at 11:59 pm (the " Promotion Period"). At the end of the Promotion Period, a random drawing will be conducted from among all eligible entries received during the Promotion Period to select one (1) Grand Prize winner s more fully described below. Entry in the Sweepstakes does not constitute entry into any other promotion, contest, or sweepstakes. By participating in the Sweepstakes, each entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of AARP Massachusetts (" Sponsor"), which shall be final and binding in all respects.

ELIGIBILITY: Only legal U.S. residents of MASSACHUSETTS, who are forty five (45) years old or older as of time of entry. Officers, directors, and employees of Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, distributors, retailers, sales representatives, advertising and promotion agencies (all such individuals and entities referred to collectively, the " Promotion Entities"), and each of their immediate family members and/or people living in the same household are NOT eligible to enter the Sweepstakes or win a prize. This Sweepstakes is void where prohibited. This Sweepstakes is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Amazon.

HOW TO ENTER: To enter the Sweepstakes visit the AARP Massachusetts Facebook Page located at www.facebook.com/aarpma (the " Website"), click on the Sweepstakes photo tab under the profile image and follow the instructions to become a fan of the Website and complete the Sweepstakes entry form with the information requested. Limit one (1) entry per person and/or household and/or e-mail address during the Promotion Period. All entries must be received by the end of the Promotion Period in order to participate. The Website's database clock will be the official time keeper for this Sweepstakes. All required information on the entry form must be completed to enter and to be eligible to win. Proof of entering information at the Website is not considered proof of delivery to or receipt by Sponsor of such entry. Sponsor may engage third party application providers and other vendors to administer certain aspects of the promotion, including without limitation, the online collection of entry information. Such third parties will provide your personally identifiable information to Sponsor, who except as set forth herein will use such information in accordance with its online privacy policy, located at www.aarp.org. You are providing your information to Sponsor and not to Facebook.

Entry must be made by the entrant, only at the Website Entries made by any other individual or any entity, and/or originating at any other website or e-mail address, including but not limited to commercial sweepstakes subscription notification and/or entering service websites, will be declared invalid and disqualified for this Sweepstakes. Tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes, including but not limited to the use of any device to automate the entry process, is prohibited and any entries deemed by Sponsor, in its sole discretion, to have been submitted in this manner will be void. In the event a dispute regarding the identity of the individual who actually submitted an entry cannot be resolved to Sponsor's satisfaction, the affected entry will be deemed ineligible. The Promotion Entities shall not be responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by Internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in the Sweepstakes. The Promotion Entities assume no responsibility or liability for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries.

WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION: On or about April 22, 2013 one (1) Grand Prize winner will be selected in a random drawing conducted by Sponsor from all eligible entries received throughout the Promotion Period. The potential prize winner will be notified by e-mail and/or telephone using the contact information provided at the time of entry. Sponsor shall have no liability for any winner notification that is lost, intercepted or not received by a potential winner for any reason. If, despite reasonable efforts, a potential prize winner does not respond within seven (7) days of the first notification attempt, or if a prize or prize notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to such potential prize winner, such potential prize winner will forfeit the applicable prize and an alternate prize winner may be selected. If any potential prize winner is found to be ineligible, or if he or she has not complied with these Official Rules or declines the applicable prize for any reason prior to award, such potential prize winner will be disqualified and an alternate winner may be selected. Actual odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period.

PRIZE/S: One (1) Grand Prize is available. The Grand Prize consists of a Kindle e-reader and two AARP e-books, each currently available and offered at a value of $2.99 or less. The approximate retail value ("ARV") of the Grand Prize is $100.

GENERAL PRIZE CONDITIONS: No cash alternative or substitution of prizes will be allowed, except Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to substitute prizes of comparable value if any prize listed is unavailable, in whole or in part, for any reason. Gift cards are subject to the terms and conditions provided by issuer and generally applicable thereto. Prizes will be awarded only if the potential prize winner fully complies with these Official Rules. All portions of the prize(s) are non-assignable and non-transferable. Any prizes pictured in point-of-sale, online, television and print advertising, promotional packaging, and other Sweepstakes materials are for illustrative purposes only. All details and other restrictions of the prize(s) not specified in these Official Rules will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Each prize winner shall be solely responsible for all federal, state and/or local taxes, and the reporting consequences thereof, and for any other fees or costs associated with the applicable prize. The potential prize winner may be required to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability Release, and (where imposing such condition is legal) a Publicity Release (collectively, " Prize Claim Documents"). If any potential winner fails or refuses to sign and return all Prize Claim Documents within seven (7) days of prize notification, the winner may be disqualified and an alternate winner may be selected.

GENERAL LIABILITY RELEASE/FORCE MAJEURE: Acceptance of a prize constitutes winner's permission for the Promotion Entities to use winner's name, photograph, likeness, voice, biographical information, statements and address (city and state) for advertising and/or publicity purposes worldwide and in all forms of media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity, without further compensation. Entrants agree that the Promotion Entities, Amazon and Facebook (A) shall not be responsible or liable for, and are hereby released from, any and all costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including, without limitation, death and bodily injury, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, to participation in the Sweepstakes or any Sweepstakes-related activity, or from entrants' acceptance, receipt, possession and/or use or misuse of any prize, and (B) have not made any warranty, representation or guarantee express or implied, in fact or in law, with respect to any prize, including, without limitation, to such prize's quality or fitness for a particular purpose. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any damage to an entrant's, or any other person's, computer system which is occasioned by accessing the Website or otherwise participating in the Sweepstakes, or for any computer system, phone line, hardware, software or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures, delayed computer transmissions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Sponsor is not responsible for incomplete, illegible, misdirected, misprinted, late, lost, damaged, stolen, or postage-due prize notifications; or for lost, interrupted, inaccessible or unavailable networks, servers, satellites, Internet service providers, websites, or other connections; or for miscommunications, failed, jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected computer, telephone or cable transmissions; or for any technical malfunctions, failures, difficulties or other errors of any kind or nature; or for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of information, or the failure to capture any information. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes or the Website, to be acting in violation of these Official Rules, or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes, or to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, and Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. No mechanically reproduced, illegible, incomplete, forged, software-generated or other automated multiple entries will be accepted. Sponsor reserves the right to modify, extend, suspend, or terminate the Sweepstakes if it determines, in its sole discretion, that the Sweepstakes is technically impaired or corrupted or that fraud or technical problems, failures, or malfunctions or other causes beyond Sponsor's control have destroyed or severely undermined or to any degree impaired the integrity, administration, security, proper play and/or feasibility of the Sweepstakes as contemplated herein. If the Sweepstakes is terminated before the designated end date, Sponsor will (if possible) select the winner in a random drawing from all eligible, non-suspect entries received as of the date of the event giving rise to the termination. Only the type and quantity of prizes described in these Official Rules will be awarded. These Official Rules cannot be modified or amended in any way except in a written document issued in accordance with law by a duly authorized representative of Sponsor. 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.

WINNER'S LIST/OFFICIAL RULES: To obtain any legally-required winners list (after the conclusion of the Sweepstakes) or a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed envelope with the proper postage affixed to: AARP Massachusetts One Beacon Street #2301, Boston, MA 02108. Please specify "winners list" or "Official Rules" and the name of the Sweepstakes in your request.