BUILD A BETTER BURGER: Rules

Sutter Home’s Build a Better Burger® Contest 2013
Official Rules

ELIGIBILITY

1. No wine purchase necessary to enter.

2. The Contest is open to U.S. residents, aged twenty-one (21) years or older, except for the following:
(a) Residents of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories or possessions;
(b) Employees or members and immediate families* of contest sponsors: Sutter Home Winery, Inc., California Milk Advisory Board, Fresherized Foods, Inc., Kettle Foods, Inc., King’s Hawaiian Bakery West, Inc., National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Weber-Stephen Products LLC and Whirlpool Corporation (the “Sponsors”);
(c) Members, employees, and immediate families* of the Contest judging panels;
(d) Members, employees and immediate families* of any state alcohol beverage commission;
(e) Any person or company and their employees and/or immediate families that holds an alcohol beverage license or permit issued by a federal or state agency;
(f) Employees and immediate families* of any company involved with the design, production, execution, or distribution of the Contest;
(g) Past winners of the $50,000 and $100,000 Grand Prize for Beef Burgers.
*Immediate families include spouses, parents, children, or any other household member.

3. Past winners, prior to 2004, of the Grand Prize for Beef Burgers may enter the Contest in either category. Past winners of the Best Alternative Burger are not eligible to enter the Alternative category, but may enter the Beef category.

4. Contest is governed by the laws of the United States and void where prohibited by law. All federal, state and local rules and regulations apply. The validity of the Contest shall be governed by the laws of the State of California. The Sponsors retain the discretion to make all decisions regarding the interpretation and application of these Official Rules, including any ambiguities. All decisions of the Sponsors are final and discretionary. With respect to any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or related to this Contest, the parties hereby submit to the jurisdiction and venue of the Superior Court of Napa County, State of California, or to the U.S. District Court-San Francisco.

CATEGORIES

1. Recipes may be submitted in two categories: Beef Burgers and Alternative Burgers.

2. To qualify in the Beef Burgers category, the patties must contain at least 75% beef (not veal).

3. To qualify in the Alternative Burgers category, the patties may be made from any ground food(s). Alternative patties may include beef, but beef must measure less than 75% of the patty ingredients.

GUIDELINES

1. All burgers must be composed of grilled patties (formed from ground beef or ground alternative foods) served on buns or other bread products (such as biscuits, focaccia, flatbreads, or tortillas). Burgers may include any combination of condiments (such as ketchup, mayonnaise, salsa, and mustard), spreads (such as tapenade and pesto), sauces (such as barbecue or hot sauce), cheeses, and toppings (such as bacon, onions, tomatoes, avocados, and lettuce). Every component of the burger must be placed between the bun or bread pieces, or served open-faced on a bread product. Side dishes and garnishes to plates or the tops of buns are not allowed. Unadorned wooden skewers may be used to hold burgers in place for presentation.

2. Each submitted recipe must be original and include the name of the recipe, readily available ingredients (found in most well-stocked supermarkets, specialty food markets, and local farmer’s markets), standard U.S. measurements, (such as cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, ounces, or pounds; please do not abbreviate), specific amounts for each ingredient (such as number of lettuce leaves or cup measurement of other greens and herbs, or teaspoons of salt and pepper; do not say “to taste” for any ingredient, but list exact amount so reviewers can judge how your burgers will taste), and be written to make six (6) regular-sized burgers or six (6) servings if making a single giant burger or multiple (12 or 18) small burgers or "sliders." Each ingredient, including the bread product and all other elements, must be listed, preferably in order of use, followed by complete, step-by-step cooking instructions, including timing for any cooked components. All recipes must be completely preparable within ninety minutes.

3. All cooked elements of the recipe must be prepared on a standard outdoor grill; fireproof pots and pans may be used on the grill for cooking components of the burgers. The heat level and cooking time should be written for the type of grill you use at home. Finalists will be required to use a gas grill during the Cook-Off Finals. The Sutter Home Culinary Center professionals will discuss any necessary differences or adjustments from charcoal to gas grills with the Finalists. Recipes containing directions that call for the use of conventional ovens, microwave ovens, or other cooking appliances will be disqualified. The use of small food preparation appliances, such as food processors or blenders, is acceptable.

4. The recipe must not have knowingly been previously published or have won another award, and the right to submit the recipe to the Contest must not be restricted in any way. Submission of a recipe is a warranty by the contestant that the contestant owns all copyrights and other intellectual property rights to the recipe and constitutes an assignment by the contestant of these rights to Sutter Home Winery.

5. A contestant may re-submit an updated version of his/her own original recipe that was previously submitted to Build a Better Burger® Contests if the recipe was not chosen as a Finalist in past years.

ENTRY RULES

1. Contestants must enter either online OR by mail between April 1, 2013 and September 2, 2013. Early and late entries will not be considered. Each recipe must be submitted by an individual, not by a couple or a team. There is no limit on the number of recipes you may submit.

2. To enter online, log on to www.sutterhome.com and look for the Contest entry icon. Fill in the entry form, including your original recipe, and follow the on screen directions to submit. Online entries must be submitted between 9:00 AM PDT on April 1, 2013 and 9:00 AM PDT on September 2, 2013.

3. To enter by U.S. postal mail, type your name, complete address, and telephone number at the top of an 8 1/2 x 11-inch piece of paper (smaller-sized paper or cards will be disqualified). On the same page, type the category that you are entering: “Beef Burger” or “Alternative Burger,” followed by your recipe in accordance with the Contest Guidelines (see above). If necessary, use a second or third page of the same dimensions and staple the pages together (unstapled or paper-clipped recipes will be disqualified). Mail to: BUILD A BETTER BURGER CONTEST 2013, P.O. Box 844, St. Helena, CA 94574. All mail entries must be received via the U.S. Postal Service. Faxes, Federal Express, UPS or any other form of delivery will not qualify as a valid entry. All entries must be postmarked no earlier than April 1, 2013 and be received at the mailing address above by September 2, 2013.

4. In case of a dispute as to the identity of the entrant, the entry will be accepted or rejected at the absolute discretion of Sutter Home Winery.

SELECTION OF FINALISTS

1. Ten (10) contestants, five (5) from each category, and one in each category for each region [“Potential Finalist(s)”], will be selected by the Preliminary Judging Panel, from the following five regions: AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY (“Region 1”); AR, CO, IA, KS, LA, MN, MS, MO, NE, ND, OK, SD, TX, WI (“Region 2”); IL, IN, KY, MI, OH, PA, WV(“Region 3”); AL, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA (“Region 4”); CT, DE, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT (“Region 5”) to be considered to compete in the 2013 National Cook-Off Finals in Napa Valley, California on 4 (“Cook-Off Finals”).

2. Potential Finalists will be notified on or about December 2, 2013 regarding their eligibility to compete in the Cook-Off Finals. Potential Finalists will be required to complete and return by 5:00 PM (PST) on December 16, 2013, an Affidavit of Eligibility (“Affidavit”). If Sutter Home Winery does not receive the Affidavit by the deadline or, upon review of the Affidavit, the Sponsors, at their sole discretion, determine the Potential Finalist is ineligible under the Official Rules of the Contest, he/she will be disqualified and entitled to neither compensation nor prize, and another Potential Finalist will be selected. Once ten (10) Potential Finalists clear the review process, they will be announced as the Cook-Off Finalists (“Finalists”). Finalists will be officially notified on or about January 6, 2014 and receive instructions as to date, location, and availability of supplies for the Cook-Off Finals. Additional rules governing the Cook-Off Finals will be made available to the Finalists.

3. Sponsors will provide round-trip coach airfare for each Finalist and a guest (guest must be twenty-one years of age or older) from the gateway city nearest the Finalist’s home to a major airport near Napa Valley, accommodations for four (4) nights (double occupancy), and $430.00 in cash to cover meals and various travel expenses (excluding any alcohol beverage purchases) while at the event. In the event a Finalist’s residence is close enough to Napa Valley, such that air transportation is deemed by Sponsor in its sole discretion to be unnecessary, the trip will not include air transportation and no other substitution or compensation will be provided in lieu thereof. Sponsor will reimburse car rental expenses up to $415.00 after car rental receipts are submitted to Sponsor. The value of the trip will be determined by the Finalist’s geographic location, but is approximately $4,030.00. Total value of trips: approximately $40,300.00.

JUDGING

1. The following guidelines will be used to judge recipes in both preliminary and final rounds:

Creativity
Taste
Visual appeal

2. Recipes that do not follow Contest rules will be disqualified by Sutter Home screeners. Sponsors, at their sole discretion, reserve the right to make minor edits to recipes. Qualified recipes in each category will be reviewed by an independent panel of judges, (“Evaluation Panel”), which will select the recipes in each category deemed worthy of consideration as finalists. The Evaluation Panel will select and then test recipes to determine the ten (10) Potential Finalists (two from each region, five from each category). At the Cook-Off Finals the Finalists will prepare their recipes and the burgers will be tasted and scored by an independent panel comprised of culinary professionals (‘Cook-Off Judging Panel”) to determine the winners. In both the preliminary judging and the Cook-Off Finals, the decisions of the judges are final and binding.

PRIZES

1. The Cook-Off Judging Panel will select:
(a) A Grand Prize Winner for the Best Beef Burger, who will receive a cash prize of $100,000 (one hundred thousand dollars).
(b) A Best Alternative Burger Winner, who will receive a cash prize of $15,000 (fifteen thousand dollars).
(c) A First Runner-Up for both Best Beef and Best Alternative Burgers, who will each receive a cash prize of $500 (five hundred dollars).
(d) A Second Runner-Up for both Best Beef and Best Alternative Burgers, who will each receive a cash prize of $250 (two hundred fifty dollars).

2. People’s Choice Award - Guests attending the Cook-off will vote to choose their favorite burger from each category. The winner from each category will receive a cash prize of $2,500 (two thousand five hundred dollars).

3. Total Cook-Off prize awards: $121,500 (one hundred twenty-one thousand five hundred dollars).

4. No cash or other substitution may be made, except by the Sponsors, who reserve the right to substitute a prize in whole or in part with another prize of comparable or greater value if the intended prize is not available for any reason as determined by the Sponsors in their sole discretion.

CONDITIONS

1. Entrants agree to be bound by the terms of these Official Rules. All entries become the property of Sutter Home Winery and will not be returned. Finalists will be required to execute documents of eligibility, release from liability, and transfer of their winning recipes. By entering the Contest, all participants consent to the commercial use of their names, pictures, likenesses, recipes (with rights to edit or adapt those recipes) without further attribution, notification or compensation. By entering, participants release and hold harmless Sponsors, their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, shareholders, employees, and agents, the members of the Evaluation Panel and the Cook-Off Judging Panel from any and all liability (including but not limited to claims of infringement of copyright or other intellectual property) or any injuries, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Contest or any prize won. Sponsors and their agents are not responsible for unauthorized human intervention, phone, technical, network, electronic, computer, hardware or software failures, malfunctions or disconnects of any kind, or misdirected, illegible, incomplete, stolen, garbled, fragmented or delayed internet/e-mail computer transmissions or network/ISP/website internet accessibility; or for inaccurate, incorrect or incomplete capture of entry information.

REQUESTS

1. To receive Contest rules visit our website at sutterhome.com or send a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope to Sutter Home Winery’s BUILD A BETTER BURGER RULES, P.O. Box 248, St. Helena, CA 94574-0248.

2. For the ten (10) Finalists’ recipes, visit our web site at sutterhome.com on or about the January 23, 2014. For the Contest prize winners, visit our web site on May 18, 2014.

3. Telephone requests for rules, Finalist’s list, and recipes cannot be accommodated.

©2013 Sutter Home Winery, Inc., St. Helena, CA