2012 Columbus Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award
Rules and Regulations
The Direct Energy Volunteer Citizen of the Year award is designed to honor an individual or individuals in
ThisWeek Community News’ coverage area who have made a significant contribution, as a volunteer, to
the community in which they live. Direct Energy Services, LLC and ThisWeek Community News are each
referred to as an "Award Sponsor" or collectively as the "Award Sponsors". The decisions of the Award
Sponsors regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the award program shall be final and
binding in all respects. Award Sponsors will not be responsible for typographical, printing or other
inadvertent errors in these Official Rules or in other materials relating to the award program.
The awarding of the Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award, consisting of a $1,000 personal prize to the
winning individual or group, and a $5,000 donation to the organization of their choice, will showcase the
significant contribution the spirit of volunteerism makes in our communities.
Eligibility
Nominee: Nominations are open to any individual or group of individuals residing or working in a
community served by a newspaper which is a member of This Week Community News’ group who are 18
years or older at the time of entry. Unfortunately, the following persons are not eligible:
(a) affiliates, employees, vendors, agents and representatives of an Award Sponsor and persons
in control of any such vendors, agents or representatives;
(b) advertising and promotional agencies of an Award Sponsor;
(c) members of the respective immediate families (“immediate family members” includes
spouses, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and grandchildren) of employees, vendors,
agents and representatives of an Award Sponsor, and anyone with whom such employees,
vendors agents and representatives are domiciled,.
Eligible nominee(s) must support the community in a volunteer/unpaid capacity. A nominee profile, of 750
words or less, highlighting the nominee’s contribution to the community, must accompany any nomination
form.
Designated Group: Each nomination form must also include the name of a designated charity, selected
by the nominee, as the potential recipient of the $5,000 donation. A designated group profile, of 250
words or less, detailing the group’s contribution to the community, and indicating how the designated
group would use the donation must accompany any nomination form.
Only those nomination forms which are fully completed will be considered.
Award Sponsors will not be responsible for incomplete, lost, late, postage-due, misdirected or illegible
entries, or for failure to receive entries due to transmission failures or technical failures of any kind,
including, without limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with
sender or Award Sponsors. In the event of a dispute, all online entries will be deemed to have been
submitted by the owner of the ISP account from which they were sent. For these purposes, an ISP
account holder shall mean the natural person assigned to such ISP account by the Internet access
provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning ISP addresses for the
domain associated with such ISP account. All entries become property of Sponsor and none will be
returned. Any questions regarding the number of entries submitted or the owner of an ISP account shall
be determined by the Award Sponsors in its sole discretion and Award Sponsors reserve the right to
disqualify any entries by persons determined to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the award
program.
Nomination Forms: Nomination forms are available by visiting http://www2.directenergy.com/vcoycolumbus
Participation: By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of
Award Sponsors. Award Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify persons found tampering with or
otherwise abusing any aspect of this award program as solely determined by the Award Sponsors. In the
event the award program is compromised by a virus, non-authorized human intervention, tampering or
other causes beyond the reasonable control of the Award Sponsors which corrupts or impairs the
administration, security, fairness or proper operation of the award program, the Award Sponsors reserve
the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the award program. Should the award
program be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, the Award Sponsors reserve the right to award
prizes based on the entries received before the termination date.
Deadline:
Nomination forms must be submitted by midnight on Thursday, October 18th, 2012 at 11:59 pm.
Nominations may be submitted online or by fax or mail to the following:

Internet Entry: Enter by visiting the Columbus Volunteer Citizen of the Year award official
registration page at http://www.directenergy.com/vcoy-columbus and completing all of the
required information and following all posted instructions.

Mail Entry: To enter, print and complete a nomination form and submit to the following:

Direct Energy
Attn: Julie Hendry
1001 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1200
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Fax Entry: Print and fax a completed nomination form to the following:
Attn: Julie Hendry
412-667-6109
Selection Process: A selection panel of representatives designated by the Award Sponsors will review
all nomination forms received. The panel reserves the right to reject any nomination form. The panel
further reserves the right to reject all nomination forms and not make any award. The selection panel will
review and assess not only the contribution made by the individual(s) being nominated, but the
contribution made to the community by the community group designated by the nominee, and the group's
proposed use of the program donation. The selection panel’s decisions are final and binding.
Prizes: The judging panel will select the winner from all eligible nominations received by the deadline of
Thursday, October 18th, 2012 at 11:59 pm. The Volunteer Citizen of the Year award winner, who may be
one person or a group of persons, will also receive from Direct Energy a total cash prize of $1,000 for
personal use. If the Volunteer Citizen of the Year award winner is comprised of a group of persons, Direct
Energy will split the total cash prize of $1,000 evenly among the group. The Volunteer Citizen of the Year
award winner will be profiled in promotional materials produced by the Award Sponsors. Finally, the
community group designated by the Volunteer Citizen of the Year award winner will be presented by
Direct Energy with a total donation of $5,000. The winning designated group will also be profiled in
promotional materials produced by the Award Sponsors.
Notification of Prize: Winners will be notified during the week of October 29th, 2012 by the telephone
number provided on winner’s entry form. Failure to reach winner may result in disqualification of winner,
forfeiture of his or her interest in all prizes, and selection of a substitute winner from among all remaining
eligible entries. Winners may waive their right to receive prizes. Prizes are nonassignable and
nontransferable. No substitutions allowed by winner(s). Winner(s) will be awarded with the price at a
special event ceremony that will be organized and hosted by the Award Sponsors by November 30th,
2012 in one of the communities that the Award Sponsors serve.