[quote name='DT778']when is the winner(s) anounced?[/QUOTE]
pulled from the contest site:
Finalist and Winner Determination. There are three (3) stages (in order): Preliminary Voting; Semi-Finalist Judging; and Finalist Voting.
Preliminary Voting: Starting on or about January 4, 2006, through 12:00 p.m. PT (noon) January 17, 2006 ("Preliminary Voting Period"), online visitors to the Web Site and persons with WAP/text message capable mobile phones will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Submission posted on the Web Site.
Online Voting. Access the Voting page of the Web Site and follow the online instructions to vote for your favorite Submission. After you vote, you can opt in to be notified of the Finalist Voting. Submissions will be randomly arranged on the Voting page.
Text Message Voting. Sponsor will send each participant that provided a WAP/text message capable mobile phone number on his/her entry form a text message, from which such participant can follow the directions to vote for his/her Submission and notify friends to vote for his/her Submission. Text message votes will only be accepted from the Contest's WAP site. In order to visit the Contest's WAP site, a user's mobile phone must be WAP enabled, and able to receive the WAP URL from the Sponsor's text message. To text message vote, follow the instructions in the text message. Standard text messaging charges apply.
Participants may vote for their own Submissions. All Preliminary votes by either method must be received by 12:00 p.m. (noon) PT on January 17, 2006. Limit one (1) vote for a Semi-Finalist Submission per person per day. Any attempted form of voting other than as described herein is void. The fifty (50) participants whose Submissions receive the most votes as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion, will be declared "Semi-Finalists," subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the Official Rules. In the event of a tie to determine a "Semi-Finalist," Sponsor may judge the tying Submissions by the Semi-Finalist Judging criteria described below. Sponsor has the right, in its sole discretion, to declare fewer than fifty (50) Semi-Finalists based on lack of Submissions.
Semi-Finalist Judging: On or about January 18, 2006, the fifty (50) Semi-Finalists chosen from the Preliminary Voting Stage will be judged by Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc. ("CTMG") based upon the following criteria: 1) Marketability - 10 points; 2) Creativity - 10 points; 3) Originality - 10 points; and 4) Effective use of content - 10 points (40 points maximum). The five (5) Semi-Finalists whose Submissions receive the highest point totals will be declared "Finalists", subject to written verification of eligibility, and will move on to the Finalist Voting Stage (described below). CTMG has the right, in its sole discretion, to select fewer than five (5) Finalists based on insufficient number of eligible Semi-Finalists. In the event of a tie to determine a Finalist, the tied Semi-Finalist whose Submission scored higher in "Marketability" will be declared a potential Finalist. In the event of a further tie, the tied Semi-Finalist whose Submission scored higher in "Creativity" will be declared a potential Finalist. Any further ties will be broken by the points earned by remaining tied Semi-Finalists respectively in each of the following categories, in order, as necessary: "Originality" and "Effective use of content". If needed, Sponsor will re-score Semi-Finalist Submissions until any tie(s) is/are broken and the tied Semi-Finalist whose Submission scored higher in "Marketability" will be declared a potential Finalist.
Finalist Voting: Starting on or about January 20, 2006, through February 17, 2006 ("Finalist Voting Period"), online visitors to the Web Site and persons with WAP/text message capable mobile phones will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Finalist Submission. To vote for your favorite Finalist Submission, follow the Preliminary Voting procedure described in Section 3.a. above. Finalists' Submissions will be randomly arranged on the Finalist voting page of the Web Site. Finalists may vote for their own Submissions. All Finalist votes by either method must be received by 12:00 p.m. (noon) PT on February 17, 2006. Limit one (1) vote for a Finalist Submission per person per day. Any attempted form of voting other than as described herein is void. The one (1) Finalist whose Submission receives the most votes as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion, will be declared the "Winner", subject to his/her compliance with the Official Rules. In the event of a tie to determine the Winner, Sponsor may judge the tying Finalist Submissions using the Semi-Finalist Judging criteria described above.
Thanks to everyone for voting, today is the last day!