Rules for 'GMA Weekend' Best Barbecue Challenge

April, 4, 2009— -- Is there a restaurant in your community that serves the best barbecue? The one place that captures the flavor and uniqueness of your town, but more importantly, has barbecue (ribs, chicken, beef, pork, etc.) that everyone lines up around the block for? If so, "Good Morning America Weekend" wants you to tell us about that restaurant and its signature dish.

If your entry gets the most votes from our panel of judges and viewers across America, the restaurant that you entered may be featured on national television, and you could win a free trip to New York and a chance to eat at a famous New York City restaurant.

Read the rules below and click here to enter the GMA Weekend Best Barbecue Challenge online.

CONTEST OVERVIEWEnter by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, April 19, 2009.

Send an essay of 300 words or less telling us about your favorite local restaurant and why its signature barbecue dish makes eating there such a memorable experience (what makes it so delicious and why it's a local favorite).

Include the name, address and phone number of the restaurant, as well as the name of the chef and owner if possible.

Include yourcontact information -- name, address, phone number and e-mail.

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.Challenge open to legal residents of the forty-eight (48) contiguous United States and District of Columbia, 21 years of age or older. Challenge sponsored by Good Morning America Weekend ("Show") and American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. ("Sponsor"). Challenge Entry Period: "Good Morning America Weekend's Best Barbecue Challenge" (the "Challenge" or "Contest") entry period begins 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time ("ET") on Saturday, April 4th 2009 and ends 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 19, 2009 (the "Challenge Period"). Sponsor computer is the official clock for this contest.

How to Enter:You may enter the Challenge by navigating the internet and visiting GMA.ABCNews.com. Click on the "Good Morning America Weekend" site, and then click on SITE. To enter, you must submit an essay of 300 words or less telling us about your favorite local restaurant and why its signature barbecue dish makes eating there such a memorable experience (what makes it so delicious and why it's a local favorite). Be sure to include the name, address and phone number of the restaurant in your entry, as well as the name of the owner and chef if possible. We also need your name, address, daytime phone number and an email address where we can contact you. The contact information for the restaurant and yourself does not count towards the 300 word limit in the essay.

Deadline for entries: All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET Sunday, April 19, 2009.

Eligibility Guidelines:

The restaurant you are submitting must be located in the forty-eight (48) contiguous United States or District of Columbia. Your favorite barbecue dish must be an original recipe. If you are a minor, you must include written permission from a parent or guardian to enter. Employees of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., its parent, subsidiary or affiliated companies, or the immediate family members or members of the same household of anyone so employed, are not eligible to enter or to win.

Judging Procedure:The entries will be judged on the basis of originality, creativity, potential for on-air appeal and appropriateness for the Show. Decisions of the judges are final as to all Contest related matters.

Notification and Finalists Judging:

Potential finalist entrants will be contacted between April 20 - 26, 2009. Good Morning America Weekend staff will then contact the restaurant these entrants have submitted to obtain the recipes for the dishes, and gain permission to video tape in the restaurant establishment. The top four entrants whose restaurants agree to comply with all the terms and requirements will be selected as finalists. Between April 27th and May 14th 2009, Good Morning Weekend crews and possibly Good Morning America Weekend anchor, Ron Claiborne will visit each of the four establishments to sample the cuisine, and video tape the exterior, interior and, if possible, the kitchen of the restaurant. On Saturday, May 16, 2008, Good Morning America Weekend may present on its broadcast video tape from each of the four establishments, as well as the barbecue dish. A panel of judges, consisting of Good Morning America Weekend anchors and possibly one or more guest judges, may sample each of the dishes and then score each finalist entry. The judging panel's scores will count towards fifty percent of the overall scoring. Viewers would then be asked to go to GMA.ABCNews.com to cast their vote on or about May 16, 23, 2009. The online voting will count towards the other fifty percent of the overall scoring. The restaurant receiving the highest cumulative score from the judging panel and on-line judging may be announced on Good Morning America Weekend on or about the weekend of May 23-24, 2009; the owner and/or chef from that restaurant must be available to appear via satellite from their establishment on the broadcast that day. The Winner is the person who submitted the entry.

Prizes:The Winner and one guest will receive roundtrip airfare between a major metropolitan airport closest to the Winner's town and New York City; two (2) nights stay in a double occupancy standard room at a New York City hotel; and a $450 gift certificate for dinner for two (2) at one of New York City's fine restaurants. All travel arrangements, and choice of restaurant, and reservations for, the dinner will be made at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Estimated total value of prize package: $2500

Final actual value at time of booking and travel may be substantially more or less depending on dates of travel, point of origin and ticket availability. Some restrictions apply.

All expenses not specifically provided for herein are the winner's sole responsibility. Some restrictions may apply.

Federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner, who will receive an IRS Form 1099 reflecting the final actual value of any prize valued at $600 or more.

Winners are not entitled to exchange or transfer prizes or to obtain cash or other substitutes, but Sponsor in its sole discretion may substitute prizes of equal or greater value.

If won by a minor, prize will be awarded in parent's or guardian's name.

Prize is subject to availability. Sponsor is not responsible for cancellation or preemption of any segment or for other circumstances that make it impractical or impossible to fulfill this element of the prize. If it becomes impractical or impossible to fulfill this element, Sponsor's only obligation will be to provide the remainder, if any, of prize.

Releases:

By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these official rules and the decisions of the Sponsor/Judges and the contest administrator, which shall be final in all respects.

By participating in this contest and accepting any prize that they may win, entrants agree to release American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., its parent, subsidiary, affiliated and successor companies, advertising and promotion agencies and prize suppliers, and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees, as well as each of their respective successors, representatives and assigns (collectively, the "Released Parties") from any and all actions, claims, injury, loss or damage arising in any manner, directly or indirectly, from participation in this contest and/or acceptance or use of any prize.

Entrants authorize the Released Parties to use their name, voice, likeness, biographical data, city and state of residence and entry materials in programming or promotional material, worldwide in perpetuity, or on a winner's list, if applicable, without further compensation unless prohibited by law. Sponsor is not obligated to use any of the above mentioned information or materials, but may do so and may edit such information or materials, at Sponsor's sole discretion, without further obligation or compensation.

By submitting entry materials, entrants certify that such materials are original and created by entrant, that entrants have the necessary rights, permission and authority to submit such materials, and, if applicable, that entrants maintain a valid copyright in the materials. Entrants acknowledge that such materials may be included and/or discussed in a broadcast, that such discussion may include statements or opinions by the broadcast talent or others about the entrants, the entrants' appearances and/or the materials, and that those statements and opinions may be considered surprising, humiliating, embarrassing, derogatory, defamatory or otherwise offensive or injurious to them, Sponsor's employees, its studio or at-home audience and/or other third parties. Entrants release the Released Parties from any actions, claims, injury, loss or damage allegedly caused, directly or indirectly, by any such statements or opinions made during a broadcast.

Sponsor is not responsible for failed, partial or garbled computer transmissions, or for technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to electronic malfunction or damage of any network, hardware or software. If for any reason the contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or other causes that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the contest, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest. No responsibility is assumed for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries; or any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or electronic entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web-site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation in or downloading any materials from this contest. In the event of a dispute over an electronic entry, prize will be awarded to the owner of the e-mail account, not the name on the entry form.

To claim prize: (a) winner must provide proof of age, identity and residency; (b) winner must sign and return affidavit of eligibility/compliance with rules, publicity/liability release and indemnification; and (c) winner's intended guest(s) or travel companion(s), if any, must sign liability/publicity release, all within the time period specified by Sponsor.

Miscellaneous; Winner Posting: Void where prohibited. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.

Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and to cancel, terminate, modify and/or suspend the contest in the event of tampering or other circumstances, including but not limited to acts of God or civil disturbance that render it impractical or impossible to complete or fulfill the contest as originally planned.

Official rules will be posted on the GMA page (abcnews.com.) The name of the winner, restaurant and chef will be posted on the same Web site and announced on the broadcast.