Official Rules

1. DESCRIPTION:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. The “Florida Future Chef” Student Chef Cook-Off Contest (“Contest”) begins at 12:01 a.m. [ET] on May 6, 2024 and ends at 11:59 p.m. [ET] on July 12, 2024 (“Contest Period”). The Sponsor of this Contest is the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (“FDACS”).

2. ELIGIBILITY:

The contest is open to legal residents of the state of Florida who are ages seven to thirteen at the time of entry, between the entry dates of 12:01 a.m. [ET] on May 6, 2024 and ends at 11:59 p.m. [ET] on July 12, 2024. Any individuals (including, but not limited to, employees, consultants, independent contractors and interns) who are employed with, or have within the past six months held employment with or performed services for the Sponsor, Contest Judges, (collectively, “Contest Entities”) or any organization affiliated with the sponsorship, fulfillment, administration, prize support, advertisement or promotion of the Contest are not eligible to enter or win. Immediate family and household members of such individuals are not eligible to enter or win. “Immediate Family Members” shall mean parents, step-parents, legal guardians, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, or spouses. “Household Members” shall mean those people who share the same residence at least three months a year. Void where prohibited.

3. HOW TO ENTER:

Entries will be accepted online at FloridaFutureChef.com. To enter online, visit the Contest website during the Contest Period by logging on to FloridaFutureChef.com. Follow the on-screen instructions and complete the entry form by providing all of the information and required materials for entry into the Contest. Each contestant’s entry must include an entry form, that includes their name, age, city, contact information, parental or legal guardian’s consent and contact information, and a video that includes a description and view of a prepared dish. Once all information and/or materials are complete, contestants must submit the entry by clicking the “Submit” button. Clicking the “Submit” button will provide one (1) entry into the Contest. Contestants are limited to one entry. If more than one entry is received from a contestant, only the last entry will be eligible. Entries generated by a script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified. Contestants must provide all information requested to be eligible to win. Incomplete, unreadable, or unintelligible entries will be disqualified. All information provided by the contestant becomes the property of the Sponsor.

All submitted videos and material (“Material”) becomes the sole property of the Sponsor. Material includes to the extent applicable, (a) any information and material (e.g., photo) submitted by Contestants in connection with the Contest; (b) Contestant’s name, likeness, voice, and image; and (c) all photographs, recordings, audiovisual materials, writings, statements, and quotations of or by Contestants and furnished to the Sponsor by Contestants. Do not submit any Material of anyone other than the Contestant. By submitting Material, Contestants represent and warrant to the Sponsor that (i) the Material is wholly original and does not infringe upon or otherwise violate any right of any third party, (ii) Contestants have all rights necessary to submit the Material in the Contest in accordance with these Official Rules, and (iii) no party other than the Contestant has any right, title or interest in and to the Material or any part of the Material. All tangible Material submitted will become the property of the Sponsor and will not be returned. By entering the Contest, Contestants grant the Sponsor a perpetual, fully-paid, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, display, exhibit, transmit, broadcast, televise, digitize, otherwise use, and permit others to use and perform throughout the world the Material in any manner, form, or format now or hereinafter created, including on the internet, and for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising or promotion of the Sponsor and their services, all without further consent from or payment to Contestants. Contestants agree that the Sponsor has no obligation to post the Contestant’s Material on their websites or other media. The Sponsor reserves the right to limit the number of Contestants whose Material is posted on their websites or other media and to remove Contestants whose entries have already been posted in the event of an error or determination that the contestant is ineligible to participate in the Contest. Contestants understand that their name and other Materials may be posted on websites or other media in connection with Contest.

4. SUBMISSION JUDGING CRITERIA

All Material submissions will be judged in the qualifying round by the following criteria: Appearance 50%, Presentation and Creativity 50%. The Sponsor will independently evaluate and judge all eligible entries received and select the Finalists on or about July 22, 2024. All judging for the qualifying round will be in the Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion and the Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding on all matters relating to the Contest.

5. PRIZES:

Finale contestants will receive accommodations, if necessary, to compete at the Florida Future Chef Finale Event. The Contestant that wins the Finale Event (“Winner”) will receive prizes as featured on FloridaFutureChef.com. Prizes are subject to change without notice at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Prize winners will be responsible for any and all federal, state and/or local taxes resulting from acceptance of the prize. Prize winners cannot assign or transfer the prize to another person. No cash or prize substitution is allowed except at the discretion of the Sponsor. The Sponsor intends to award all prizes. If prizes are awarded but are unclaimed or forfeited by prize winner(s), prizes may be re-awarded in the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Other restrictions may apply. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Limit one prize per person, per household.

6. WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION:

Contestants will be selected as finalists by the Sponsor during the qualifying round using the first Judging Criteria in Paragraph 4. All finalists will be notified by e-mail at the e-mail address included on their entry form that was submitted no later than July 22, 2024. Selected contestants will be required to respond (as directed) to the notification within 72 hours of attempted notification. Failure to respond timely to the notification may result in forfeiture of the prize described in paragraph 5 and, in such case, the Sponsors may select an alternate contestant to compete in the Finale event based on the stated Judging Criteria. Selected contestants or their parents or legal guardians may be required to verify their address and may be required to execute before a notary public and return within seven (7) days an affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release covering eligibility, liability, advertising, publicity and media appearance issues, unless prohibited by law. Contestants must provide, upon request, proof of age. All correspondences will be sent to the attention of the parent or legal guardian of such minor and the parent or legal guardian will be required to sign the affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release as stated above within the specified time period.

7. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION/RELEASES:

Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. The Sponsor reserves the right to change these Contest rules at any time. Notice shall be given to contestants at the e-mail address shown on the entry form within 24 hours of the change. By participating, Contestants agree to be bound by these official rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which shall be final in all respects. Contestants who participate in the Finale Event will be provided access to ingredients required. Prior to the Finale Event, Contestants will be provided with additional details. By participating in this Contest and/or by accepting any prize that they may win, Contestants agree to release the Sponsor; their employees, agents, volunteers, representatives, divisions and advertising and promotional agencies and prize suppliers; each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees; and each of these companies and individuals’ 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 the 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. The 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 the Sponsor’s sole discretion, without further obligation or compensation. The Released Parties shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, stolen, misdirected, postage-due, incomplete, unreadable, inaccurate, garbled or unintelligible entries, communications or affidavits, regardless of the method of transmission; (ii) telephone system, telephone or computer hardware, software or other technical or computer malfunctions, lost connections, disconnections, delays or transmission errors; (iii) data corruption, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to or alteration of entry or other materials; (iv) any injuries, losses or damages of any kind caused by the Contest, prize or resulting from acceptance, possession or use of a prize, or from participation in the Contest; or (v) any printing, typographical, administrative or technological errors in any materials associated with the Contest. The Sponsor disclaims any liability for damage to any computer system resulting from participating in, or accessing or downloading information in connection with this Contest, and reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend the Contest should a virus, bug, computer problem, unauthorized intervention or other causes beyond the

Sponsor’s control, corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Contest. The Sponsor may prohibit Contestants from participating in the Contest or winning a prize if, in their sole discretion, they determine Contestants are attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, hacking, deception, or any other unfair playing practices of intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other players or the Sponsor representatives. This Contest will be governed by the laws of the state of Florida. Any and all legal actions or claims arising in connection with this Contest must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in Leon County, Florida. Nothing herein shall be interpreted to alter or expand the limited waiver of the Department’s sovereign immunity pursuant to section 768.28, Florida Statutes. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY FEES) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

8. PRIVACY POLICY:

Any information and materials supplied to the Sponsor FDACS will be subject to the Florida Public Records Law, Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. The privacy policy for the Contest website is available at https://www.fdacs.gov/Privacy-Policy.

9. THE SPONSOR’S ADDRESS:

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 600 S Calhoun Street, H2, Tallahassee, Florida 32399.

10. DISPUTES:

As a condition of participating in this Contest, Contestants agree that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between the parties, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or any prize awarded, or the determination of winners shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively by informal hearing before an independent hearing officer appointed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services ; further, in any such dispute or proceeding, under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorney’s fees, other than the contestants’ actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e.; cost associated with entering the Contest), and contestants further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased; and the informal hearing shall be conducted at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services headquarters in Leon County, Florida.

11. GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION:

This promotion is governed by U.S. law and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. All issues and questions concerning construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant and the Sponsor in connection with this Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the state of Florida, U.S.A., and any matters of proceedings which are not subject to informal hearing, shall take place in Leon County, Florida.