Veterinarian of the Year Rules

The Westminster 2026 Veterinarian of the Year Award Contest presented by Purina Pro Plan (the “Contest”) Official Rules
VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

1. SPONSOR. The Westminster Kennel Club (hereinafter “Sponsor” or “WKC”)
2. DATES/CONTEST PERIOD. The Entry Period runs from 12:01 a.m. (ET) on April 25, 2026 to 11:59 p.m. (ET) on May 21, 2026 (the “Entry Period”). Only Nominations submitted during the Entry Period will be eligible to win the prize. Initial judging will take place from May 22, 2026 to May 29, 2026. Final judging (voting) will take place on or around June 7, 2026 to June 10, 2026.
3. WHO MAY ENTER: The Contest is open to veterinarians who are residents of one of the fifty (50) states of the United States of America or the District of Columbia (excluding, without limitation, overseas military installations, Puerto Rico, or other territories of the United States of America) who are 18 years of age or older. By submitting an Entry, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules. Nominators must be 18 years of age or older. Employees, officers, or directors of Sponsor or Purina Pro Plan and their respective administrative, advertising, and promotion agencies, and any other entity involved in the development, administration, promotion, or implementation of the Contest and their immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) are ineligible to enter, participate, or win.
4. HOW TO ENTER: Entries must be received during the Entry Period. To enter a veterinarian in the Contest (an “Entrant”), complete a nomination form on www.westminsterkennelclub.org which includes a written narrative describing how the Entrant has made a difference in his/her community and including any other information requested (completed nomination form and all submissions hereafter an “Entry” or “Entries”). Qualifying veterinarians may submit an Entry to nominate themselves, or be nominated by a third party (referred to as a “Nominator”). No other forms of entry are permitted.
5. SELECTION OF FINALISTS: Four (4) finalists (each a “Finalist”), one from each of the four (4) regions listed below will be selected from among the qualified Entries received during the Entry Period by a panel of judges consisting of four (4) representatives of WKC and three (3) qualified practicing veterinarians (the “Judging Panel”) based on the following criteria, all of which will be given equal weight:

• the veterinarian has actively improved the lives of pets and owners
• the veterinarian has elevated the bar for best treatments
• the veterinarian has mentored the next generation of veterinary professionals
• the veterinarian has pursued a passion to advance the profession.

For the purposes of this contest, the regions are as follows:

• Midwest Region: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin;
• Northeast Region: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia;
• Southern Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia;
• Western Region: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

In the event that no qualified Entries are received from one or more of the regions, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, either to select an additional Finalist from one of the other regions to advance, or to limit the total number of Finalists. Entrants, Nominators, and Finalists agree that the sole and final judgment as to all matters concerning the Contest are at the sole discretion of WKC, and their officers and staff.

The four Finalists will be contacted beginning on or about June 1, 2026. To proceed in the contest, Finalists must submit an affidavit of eligibility, a recent photograph solely of the Finalist (the “Finalist Photo”), and a publicity release (except where prohibited by law) and consent to the Official Rules by June 5, 2026. In the event that an Entry from a Finalist is deemed to be in violation of these Official Rules, or if Entrant, Nominator, or Finalist is unable or unwilling to provide any necessary Finalist Photo, affidavit or release, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, disqualify the entry, select an alternate Finalist, and solicit a Finalist Photo (and any necessary related materials) from that alternate.

6. WINNER SELECTION:
The four (4) Finalist Photos and summary of nominations will be shared on Sponsor’s Instagram account (@westminsterkennelclub) and Facebook page (@WKCDogShow) from June 7, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. (ET) to June 10, 2026 at 11:59:59 p.m. (ET) (the “Voting Period”).
The winner will be the Finalist who receives the most cumulative likes/votes during the Voting Period.

The potential winner will be contacted on or about June 11, 2026. If Sponsor is, for any reason, unable to contact the potential winner, or if the potential winner does not reply to notification within 48 hours of notification, is found to have violated these Official Rules, or is otherwise determined to be ineligible, the potential winner will be disqualified and Sponsor may, in their sole discretion, select the Finalist with the next highest number of votes.
The winner will be announced via posts on Sponsor’s Instagram account (@westminsterkennelclub), and Facebook page (@WKCDogShow) and be included in a press release on or around June 12, 2026.

7. PRIZES: The winner will be bestowed the title “Westminster Kennel Club Veterinarian of the Year presented by Purina Pro Plan Veterinary” (the “Title”) and will be granted a limited license to use the Title from June 12, 2026 – June 12, 2027 in promoting their veterinary practice. Sponsor will also make a donation in the amount of $10,000 to one of Purina Pro Plan’s Veterinary Support Mission charity partners in the winning veterinarian’s name.
Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any portion or all of the prize with a prize of equal or greater value. No other substitution is permitted.
8. ENTRY/PHOTO LICENSE/PUBLICITY: By submitting an Entry, Nominators grant Sponsor and its respective affiliates and successors a non-exclusive, royalty-free, and irrevocable license to use, reproduce, copy, publish, display, distribute, perform, translate, adapt, modify, create derivative works from, and otherwise exploit the Entries.
Finalists hereby grant WKC an unlimited license to copy, display, edit, and distribute the Finalist Photo and Entry or elements thereof on social media, on WKC’s website, and by any other means now known or hereinafter developed, for any purpose related to the conduct and promotion of the Contest. Finalists represent and warrant that WKC’s reproduction, publishing, displaying, and/or other use of the Finalist Photo or Entry (or any element thereof) will not infringe on any rights of third parties, including, without limitation, copyright, trademark, privacy, or publicity, or create claims for defamation, false light, idea misappropriation, intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress, or breach of contract. The Finalist Photo and Entry shall also not contain material that is potentially offensive or immoral, or that may hold WKC or any other person or entity up to potential ridicule, embarrassment, contempt or scandal, or that otherwise potentially denigrates or compromises the reputation, integrity, image, or goodwill of WKC, or any other person or entity. Nominators, Entrants, and Finalists warrant that they have been granted the right to use the likeness of any person appearing in an Entry in all manners granted to WKC by Nominators, Entrants, and Finalists herein, along with the right to sublicense those rights to WKC.
9. PRIVACY AND THIRD-PARTY TERMS: By participating in the Contest, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to Sponsor’s Privacy Policy. You also acknowledge that Sponsor and Purina Pro Plan are not responsible for the privacy policies of X, Instagram, or Facebook, or any other third-party website to which Sponsor may link, and you should review the relevant policies so you understand the information that is shared by the social media sites or other third-party website.
10. GENERAL TERMS: Participation in this Contest constitutes full acceptance of all of these rules. Failure to comply with these Official Rules or the taking of any action which is contrary to the fair administration of this Contest shall result in disqualification of the entry. By entering the Contest, Entrants, Nominators, and Finalists release Sponsor, Purina Pro Plan, Instagram, Facebook, affiliates, successors and their agents and employees from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, or damages to any person or property of any kind that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from such Nominator’s, Entrant’s, or Finalist’s participation in the Contest or resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize or any portion thereof.
Decisions by Sponsor regarding eligibility, Finalists, and winner shall be final. This Contest may be withdrawn or canceled by Sponsor at any time without any obligation. If, in its sole discretion, Sponsor deems the Contest is not capable of running as planned, or Sponsor believes that conditions, including computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control, such as earthquake, flood, fire, storm or other natural disaster, act of God, labor controversy or threat thereof, civil disturbance or commotion, disruption of the public markets, act of terrorism, war or armed conflict (whether or not officially declared), may corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right, to terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. Notice of cancellation will be posted on Sponsor’s X feed (@wkcdogs), Instagram account (@westminsterkennelclub) and Facebook page (@WKCDogShow).
Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Nominator, Entrant, or Finalist it finds to be tampering with the entry process or operation of the Contest; to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner; or to have otherwise violated any of the Official Rules.
ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT, NOMINATOR, NOMINEE, OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION TO DELIBERATELY UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.  The failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not be deemed a waiver of that provision.
Sponsor, X, Instagram, Facebook, and their employees, affiliates, contractors, representatives and legal advisors, are not responsible for: (1) technical, hardware or software malfunctions, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete or garbled or delayed electronic communications, whether caused by the Entrant, Nominator, Finalist, or by the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Contest or by any human error or unauthorized intervention which may occur in the processing of the Entries or administration of this Contest; (2) Entries which are not received or accounted for due to the foregoing technical issues or any other reason whatsoever; (3) any printing or typographical errors in any material related to the Contest; or (4) any injury or damage resulting directly or indirectly from an Entrant’s, Nominator’s, or Finalist’s participation in the Contest, including, but not limited to downloading any materials, files or software in connection with the Contest, nor acceptance, receipt, use or misuse of any prize or any portion thereof.
Under no circumstances will any Entrant, Nominator, or Finalist be permitted to recover, and Entrants, Nominators, and Finalists hereby waive all rights to claim, punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses associated with entering this Contest, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Under no circumstances shall any Entrant, Nominator, Finalist, or other entity or person have any right to audit Sponsor’s records in connection with this Contest.
The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein. Headings and captions are used in these Official Rules solely for ease of reference, and shall not be deemed to affect in any manner the meaning or intent of these Official Rules or any provision hereof. These Official Rules cannot be modified or amended in any way except in writing by a duly authorized representative of Sponsor.
Entrants, Nominators, and Finalists agree that any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction sitting in New York County, New York. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the Entrant, Nominator, Finalist, and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York.
Any and all disputes arising out of this Contest shall be brought within one year of the end of the Entry Period, notwithstanding any contrary statute of limitations.
11. ACCEPTANCE AND USE/TAXES: Acceptance and use of a prize arising from this Contest is the sole responsibility of the winner. Income and any other taxes on the value of the prize are the sole responsibility of the winner.
12. WINNER’S NAME: The winner’s name will be available upon conclusion of the Contest at https://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/veterinarian-of-the-year-rules/ and on Westminster’s Facebook and Instagram pages. You may request the name of the winner for up to six weeks following the announcement of the winner by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Veterinarian of the Year Contest – Winner Listing, 111 Broadway, Suite 805, New York, NY 10006.
13. SPONSOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Westminster Kennel Club, 111 Broadway, Suite 805, New York, NY 10006 is the Sponsor of this Contest. The contest is being administered jointly by Westminster Kennel Club and Beekman Social (the “Contest Administrators”).  This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, or Instagram.
14. RULES REQUEST: Official Rules may be viewed at Sponsor’s website at https://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/veterinarian-of-the-year-rules/. You may also receive an electronic copy by emailing [email protected]. To receive a printed copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Veterinarian of the Year Contest – Rules, 111 Broadway, Suite 805, New York, NY 10006.