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Rules of Play
Entrant Eligibility
To enter, an individual must:
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Be at least 18 years old
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Own, rent or have permission to submit the decorated property
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Submit a residential property located within the City of Brantford
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Agree to these official rules
Businesses and commercially operated properties are not eligible.
Employees and contractors directly involved in administering the Showdown, and members of their households, are not eligible to enter.
Prohibited Content
Entries must not include:
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Actual violence or illegal activity
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Hate symbols or discriminatory content
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Sexually explicit content
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Content that targets or harasses an identifiable person
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Copyrighted material used without permission
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Advertising or promotion unrelated to the residential display
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Content that could reasonably damage the reputation or safety of the contest, its participants or the community
Simulated horror imagery and theatrical gore are permitted when appropriate for a Halloween display.
The Organizer may request a replacement photo or reject content that clearly violates these requirements.
Voter Eligibility
Voting is open to Canadian residents who are at least 18 years old.
A voter may cast one vote in each of the six categories.
Each vote must be connected to a valid, verified email address. One individual may not use multiple email addresses or accounts to vote more than once in the same category.
Voting totals will remain hidden until the results are announced.
Winner Selection
The eligible entry receiving the highest number of verified votes in each category will be the provisional category winner.
Results are not final until the Organizer completes its audit and confirms the winner’s eligibility.
If two or more eligible entries receive the same highest number of verified votes, they will be declared co-winners and each will receive the full category prize.
No judge or sponsor selects the winners.
Complaints and Disputes
Questions or concerns should be submitted to info@halloweenshowdown.ca.
The Organizer may request supporting information and will review complaints using the published rules and available records.
The Organizer’s decision is final once the voting audit has been completed, subject to applicable law.
Acceptance of Rules
Submitting an entry or casting a vote confirms acceptance of these official rules.
The Organizer may disqualify an entry or remove votes that do not comply with these rules, provided the decision is documented and applied consistently.
The 2026 Brantford Halloween Showdown is presented by Five Nineteen Productions.
Entry Limits
Each residential property may submit one entry and compete in one category.
If multiple entries are received for the same property, only the first eligible submission approved by the Organizer will remain.
An entrant may request a category change before voting begins. The Organizer may recommend a more appropriate category but will not move an entry without the entrant’s permission.
Entry Approval and Publication
All entries are reviewed before publication.
The Organizer may contact an entrant to request missing information, replacement photos or clarification. An entry is not eligible for voting until approved.
Public entry listings will display:
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The entry title
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The entry first name
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The selected category
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The submitted photos
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A general neighbourhood description
The entrant’s full name, email address and exact street address will not be published as part of the entry.
Permitted Promotion
Entrants may:
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Share their entry or category voting page
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Ask friends, family members and social-media followers to vote
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Promote their participation through personal or community channels
Entrants may not:
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Purchase votes
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Offer money, prizes, discounts or compensation in exchange for votes
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Use automated voting tools
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Create or direct others to create false accounts
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Submit votes on behalf of other individuals
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Organize any activity intended to defeat the voting limits
Marketing Consent
Entering or voting does not require an individual to subscribe to marketing messages.
Entrants and voters may separately choose to receive news about future Halloween Showdowns, community events and Five Nineteen attractions.
Marketing consent is optional and will be collected through a separate unchecked checkbox. Consent may be withdrawn at any time using the unsubscribe option provided in marketing messages.
Sponsors do not receive entrant or voter email addresses.
Technical Problems
If a technical failure, security incident or other event materially affects the integrity of entries or voting, the Organizer may pause, extend or modify the affected period as reasonably necessary.
Any material schedule change will be announced through the contest website and official social-media channels.
The Organizer will not change the rules merely to favour a participant, sponsor or entry.
Photo Requirements
Each entry may include up to three photos.
All submitted photos must:
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Show the entrant’s current-year Halloween display
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Be owned by the entrant or submitted with the photographer’s permission
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Accurately represent the physical display
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Be suitable for publication on the contest website and social-media channels
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Avoid prominently displaying identifiable people, licence plates or unrelated personal information
Normal cropping and adjustments to brightness or colour are permitted.
AI-generated images and edits that add, remove or materially alter decorations are prohibited.
Video submissions are not accepted.
Permission to Use Submitted Material
By submitting an entry, the entrant confirms that they have the right to provide the photos and information included in the submission.
The entrant grants the Organizer a non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to display, reproduce and promote the submitted entry in connection with:
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The current Brantford Halloween Showdown
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Future Halloween Showdown promotion
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Five Nineteen Productions’ website, social media and marketing materials
The entrant retains ownership of their original photos.
Voting Review
The Organizer may review email-verification data, timestamps, technical information and voting patterns to protect the integrity of the contest.
Unverified, duplicate, automated or otherwise invalid votes may be removed.
An entry will only be disqualified for voting misconduct when the Organizer has reasonable evidence that the entrant organized, directed or knowingly participated in the misconduct.
The Organizer will not publicly identify suspected fraudulent voters or publish private voting information.
Winner Verification
Provisional winners will be contacted using the information provided with their entry.
A provisional winner must:
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Respond within seven calendar days
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Confirm their identity and eligibility
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Confirm that they own, rent or had permission to submit the property
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Provide the information reasonably required to issue the prize
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Agree to the publication of their entry title, category and submitted photos as a winning entry
If a provisional winner cannot be verified, does not respond within seven days or is found ineligible, the eligible entry with the next-highest verified vote total may be selected.
The winner’s exact residential address will remain private.
Privacy
Personal information is collected only for purposes that include:
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Verifying eligibility
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Administering entries and votes
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Detecting duplicate or fraudulent activity
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Contacting entrants and winners
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Delivering prizes
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Reporting contest performance
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Sending marketing messages where separate consent has been provided
Personal information will not be sold to or shared with sponsors for their independent marketing.
Exact residential addresses will not be publicly displayed.
Voting-verification information that is no longer required for administration, auditing or a legal obligation should be deleted or anonymized after the applicable retention period.
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