Don’t you hate contest rules that are full of boring and difficult legalese? With these new rules, we’re trying to change that. We make it easy for you to know how our contests are run, what the rules are, and what happens when something goes wrong.

Region And Other Eligibility Requirements

What if I live outside the US?

Then you need to check the eligibility requirements of the contest you’re entering. We list the countries that can enter each and every contest on the contest page. If your country isn’t on the list, it’s not eligible, and entering will not give you a chance to win anything. And if we do pick you as the winner and your country / region isn't eligible, we'll just pick another winner - there's no special treatment. So please, be considerate.

What does “US Only” really mean?

When we say a contest is for the “US only,” we mean the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Outlying islands and US territories, unless otherwise noted on the specific contest page, can’t enter. If a contest is US only, it’s for a reason, and that reason is almost always that the company providing the prize won’t ship it outside the US, something we can’t do anything about.

Do I have to be over 18?

Yep, or whatever the age of majority is in your respective country (if it’s an international contest).

How many entries do I get?

One for each method the contest allows you to enter with, unless otherwise specified. Cheaters (entering many times, for example) will be disqualified, and we’ll add you to an IP blacklist for future contests. Don’t cheat.

Collection of Information

What are you guys doing with my personal information?

Two things. First, if you win, we’re using it to get in contact with you. Second, once we make contact with you, we’re sending that information to the prize provider so they can send you your prize. We make it clear that we don’t want your information shared by our partners, and we trust them not to, though obviously we can’t guarantee they won’t. Once we have the info we need, we get rid of it. We don’t sell it, share it, or print it out and use it as wallpaper.

The Winner Selection Process

How do you pick winners?

However it says we’re going to on the specific contest page. If it doesn’t say, you should assume the selection process will be random.

What does “random” really mean?

We assign a unique number to each entry, and use a random number generator (or its equivalent) to select a winner. Again, this is only for contests where the winner is chosen at random - which means most of them.

How do I know if I won?

We’ll get in contact with you via email. If you didn’t use an email on the Rafflecopter widget or on the DISQUS comment you used to enter (depending on the contest), we can’t contact you. Winners selected without emails will be skipped over, and new winners chosen to replace them.

I entered, but something went wrong - like my entry went missing, or was a minute late!

We can’t take responsibility for technical glitches, whether on our end, your end, or somewhere in between. If your entry isn’t there when we pick winners, or shows up as submitted after the deadline, we can’t count it.

I won, and you’re asking me to sign something saying I did, what gives?

Occasionally, we may need you to sign a release that tells our prize provider you’re agreeing to their terms in order to accept the prize. Our hands are tied when this does happen, so read carefully. Really, it doesn’t happen all that often.

Liability (What if something goes wrong?)

I think you didn’t choose the winner fairly - prove you actually gave anyone anything!

We announce the names of the winners on the contest page shortly after we select them. Sometimes they even send us pictures of themselves with their prizes. Beyond that, you’ll have to trust us.

I think I won a contest, but you spelled my name or email wrong.

We’re happy to look into it, but it’s not likely. If you’re Steven M., and Steve M. is on the list of winners, that probably doesn’t mean we both misspelled “Steven M.” and typo’ed your email address. It just means you and the guy who actually won have similar names.

I won a contest, but my prize never arrived - help!

If this happens to you, first, our apologies. Second, get in touch with the person who sent you the email telling you that you won! We’re nice, we don’t bite (often), and we’re happy to help. We’ll give the company providing the prize a shout and see what’s up.

Whoah, whoah, whoah - I got my prize, but the delivery guy is asking me to pay taxes? I thought my prize was free!

By entering any of our contests, you agree to pay any taxes, customs duties, or any other fees associated with the receipt of your prize. If you're a US resident, it's pretty unlikely you'll ever be asked to pay anything (though you are responsible for any taxes associated with winning a contest in your respective jurisdiction). The fact is, we can't pay the taxes for you - that's generally not legal. We understand that means you may end up paying for something that's "free," but unfortunately, we don't write the laws - we just give away the stuff.

I won, but the shipment of my prize was lost / damaged / stolen.

If the shipment was lost or stolen, we can tell the prize provider that, but we wouldn’t bet on getting a replacement - your best chance is probably the shipping company. If it’s damaged/defective on arrival (or just plain broken), we’ll work with the prize provider to swap it out for a new one, if possible. Remember: they have to agree to replace it, not us.

OK, I won, but you can’t get me a replacement for my lost/damaged/stolen prize. What now?

Well, we’re sorry, but we explicitly disclaim all liability for lost, damaged, defective, or stolen prizes. We provide no warranties, express or implied, of fitness for a particular purpose, or implied warranties of merchantability (sorry, we have to say it just like that) for any of our prizes. We’ll work to make things right, but there’s only so much we can do. In the end, the prize provider is the one making the calls here.

Various Other Things

What country’s laws governs your contests?

Android Police is based in the United States, and we operate our contests in accordance with US law.

What if you change the rules during a contest?

We reserve the right to change the rules, entry requirements, prizes, or timing of any contest. We also reserve the right to cancel any contest. This doesn’t happen often - pretty much ever - but if we do need to change the rules, or cancel a contest, rest assured: it’s for a very good reason.