Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023

[Archaic]

The holiday season is once again upon us, and it's past time that we here at Bulbagarden got the ball rolling with our annual Holiday Contests!

This year, we have a total of three separate contests running over the holiday period, with over $2,250 USD worth of prizes up for grabs.

This year's contests are...

• 12 Days of Trivia: Our classic trivia contest, featuring 12 days worth of tricky trivia to test your knowledge of the Pokémon franchise (or at the very least, your ability to search for things on Bulbapedia).
  • This year's 12 questions will be posted up for you to puzzle over in the Bulbagarden Forums thread linked above on Tuesday December 12th. Entries will close on Sunday December 24th at 11:59pm (PST).
• Fantabulous Festivities – Corsola's Creative Holiday Challenge: To all you creative types out there, we've got a holiday themed challenge for you to pour your holiday spirit into, in collaboration with the team behind Corsola Cove, which you can now find hosted here on the Bulbagarden Forums!
  • You can start working on your entries immediately! The entry form for the Creative Holiday Challenge will be available later this month via the Bulbagarden Forums thread linked above, with entries closing on Sunday December 31st at 11:59pm (PST).
• Rapidash Trivia: A battle of wits and speed as you test your knowledge of the Pokémon franchise in a real time contest where only the fastest will win! You can either win a round to win an instant prize, or collect points during the second set of rounds after Christmas to claim a prize at the top of our leaderboard.
  • Rapidash Trivia in 2023 will be run over 20 rounds on the Bulbagarden Discord server. This year, we'll be doing two batches of rounds of Rapidash Trivia. The first set of 12 rounds will begin on Saturday December 16th at 6:00am (PST), with subsequent rounds following at 6 hour intervals. The second set of 8 rounds will begin on Thursday December 28th at 6:00pm (PST), with rounds again following at 6 hour intervals until the final round starts on Saturday December 30th at midday (PST). See the Bulbagarden Forums thread linked above for more details, including round times converted to several common timezones.

All prize winners this year will each receive a Pokémon Center Gift Card to the value of $60 USD (for winners in the United States), or an equivalent value in readily available Pokémon merchandise (for winners in other countries).

If you have any questions regarding any of these contests, please direct these either to the appropriate forums thread for that contest (linked above), or to the #bulbamas2023 channel on our Discord. An FAQ for more general questions can be found here.

Best of luck to everyone, and may the biggest Pokéfans win.

Happy holidays, everyone!

 

[Archaic]

* I have a question...
We’ll be happy to help! If you have a question about a specific contest, the best place to ask that is in the forums thread for that contest, or in the #bulbamas2023 channel on our Discord. If you have a more general question, read on!

* Who can enter the contest?
Our contests are open to anyone aged 18 or over.
If you are aged under 18 but over 13, then you may also enter, provided that you have the permission of your parent or guardian. If you do not have the permission of your parent or guardian, then you will forefit your prize should you be selected as a winner.
If you are aged under 13, then you should ask your parent or guardian to enter on your behalf.
Only 1 entry is accepted per contest, per household.

* I have a Brother / Sister / Parent / Cousin / Spouse / Other Relative / Roommate who wants to enter as well, can they?
Due to the need to prevent fraudulent entries, we’re afraid that we can accept only 1 entry per contest, per household.

* Can I enter more than one Bulbagarden Contest?
Yes, though you may only make 1 entry per contest.

* Can I win in more than one Bulbagarden Contest?
If you win in multiple contests, any subsequent prize wins will be reassigned to the next placed competitor.

* I can't remember if I entered a contest. Can you give me some confirmation to let me know you got my entry?
Assuming we've got everything configured correctly this year, you should now be able to double-check that for yourself! The online entry forms we’re using for the 12 Days of Trivia and Creative Holiday Challenge should email you to confirm your entry has been submitted. If you don’t receive an email, please let us know here in this thread or in the #bulbamas2023 channel on our Discord so we can investigate this for you.
For the Rapidash Trivia, we'd like to think our fastest finger first game is an unforgetable experience, so if you can't remember entering, you probably haven't yet! But if you had a bit too much of Shuckle's Berry Juice last night, you can always do a search for your account name in the #rapidashtrivia channel to make sure you did actually take part.

* My entry form timed out. Did my entry go through?
This problem can occasionally crop up during periods of especially high activity on the site. From past experience, your entry has almost certainly gone through, but feel free to reach out so we can check for you. Our policy is simply to discard repeat entries from the same person, so in the event you've submitted multiple times here because you were afraid that it hadn't gone through, we'll just trim those down to 1 entry when we process all the entries at the end.

* I live in (insert country here). Can I enter?
Our Holiday Contests are, generally speaking, open to entries globally. The only reason for us to reject a winner because of their country of residence would be if there were legal factors involved, such as ongoing sanctions which would prohibit import of video games into that country.

* I live in (insert country here). If I win, are you able to send me a game for my region?
Almost certainly yes. As a rule of thumb, we will order your prize from a retailer who ships to your region. If for some reason we aren't able to arrange for the game to be shipped to you, we can make alternative arrangements with you.

* I live in (insert country here). If I win, are you able to send me a game from a different region (e.g. a Japanese game for someone outside Japan)?
At this stage, we cannot guarantee this. Historically, we have made every effort to do this, though we are limited by being able to find an online retailer who’ll accept our payment, and who are able to ship it to you. Depending on what exactly you're looking for, it may not be possible to find an appropriate retailer able to ship the product. All we can promise at this point is that we'll do the best we can.

* Why are you giving Pokémon Center Gift Cards to all winners in the United States?
We've made the choice to give out these gift cards as they would significantly reduce our logistical burden for these competitions, while ensuring winners from the United States can select from a wider range of Pokémon merchandise.

* I live outside the United States. If I win, what sort of Pokémon merchandise can I request? Can you send me an eShop card instead?
This will typically rely on what's currently available to purchase from whichever Amazon stores service your region. While we can occasionally do special requests via other retailers, such as with a winner in a country that's historically had significant logistical issues with Amazon, this does pose additional burdens on us. If not too many winners are in this situation, then it should be possible for us to make some sort of arrangement with you so long as we can find a retailer who'll actually accept our credit cards.

For eShop cards in particular, while historically we’ve done our best to make this an option, year-on-year we’ve been frustrated in doing so by difficulty in sourcing digital eShop cards after Christmas, and by purchase limits set on both physical and digital eShop cards by Amazon (e.g. not allowing purchase of $USD eShop cards by people outside the US). If not too many winners are asking for eShop cards, then it may be possible for us to make some sort of arrangement. If lots of winners are wanting us to substitute eShop cards however, this could significantly lengthen the time it takes for us to fulfill all prizes, and we would likely not be able to honour all such requests due to the purchase limits imposed by Amazon.

* I live outside the United States. Can you send me a Pokémon Center Gift Card?
Currently, Pokémon Center gift cards are only available for purchase and use at the US Pokémon Center Online Store. However, if you have means to allow you to order from there and get it delivered to you via a proxy shipping service or similar, then we're happy to send you a gift card if that's your preference.

* When will winners be informed?
Winners of the 12 Days of Trivia and Creative Holiday Challenge will generally be informed over the week of January 1st via the contact details they included in their entry form. For preference, we will try to contact people via their Bulbagarden Forums or Discord accounts rather than email, as historically these have been the most reliable ways for us to get in touch with people.
Most Winners of the Rapidash Trivia will know as soon as the round is over. Winners for this contest will be contacted exclusively via Discord.

* How long will winners have to claim the prize?
We'll give you roughly two weeks to respond from when we formally announce the winners. We're aware things can happen, and we don't want to disadvantage anyone. Any prizes not claimed will be re-allocated to the next highest placed entrant.

* When will winners be publicly announced?
Winners will be announced publicly after winners have claimed their prizes and their details have been confirmed.
In past years, we've frequently had parents of winners under the age of 18 ask us to not disclose the details of winners. Our standard practice therefore is to only refer to winners by whatever pseudonym they are known by on the Bulbagarden Forums or Discord.

* How soon will my prize get to me if I win?
We’ll be starting to order prizes for the winners from January 7th. Ideally we’d send things out in one batch, but past experience has shown us that generally won’t be possible.
While it won't be possible for us to give any guarantees of specific timeframes for shipping, we will let you know the retailer's estimated shipping date after we've ordered your prize.
If you're in North America, Western or Central Europe, Australia, New Zealand, or Japan, there probably won't be any issues with us ordering from a retailer local to you, and you should get your prize within a week or two after we've received your address details (depending how backed up your local postal and courier services are after the holidays). If you're in another country, particularly where there may be issues with customs or the local postal system (Brazil and Indonesia in particular have been especially problematic for us on several occasions), we might need to make alternative arrangements with you to avoid things taking an excessively long time.

 

[Archaic]

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

1. Sponsor: The Sponsor of the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 is Bulbagarden.
2. Eligibility: The Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 are only open to those who enter via the methods specified for each contest. Contestants aged under 18 but over 13 may enter only with the permission of their parent or guardian, and will be required to indicate this permission has been given before receiving any prize.Entries will not be accepted from contestants aged under 13, who are instead urged to ask their parent or guardian to enter on their behalf. Except where otherwise stated (e.g. contests held over multiple rounds, giveaways giving multiple entries, etc), only 1 entry will be accepted per contest, per household. The use of any automated or similar means to enter is prohibited and will void all entries by the culprit and their associates. All entries must be “manual”. Individuals who are currently banned or suspended from one or more Bulbagarden platforms for any reason (including but not limited to the Bulbagarden Forums, Bulbapedia, and the Bulbagarden Discord) are not eligible to participate in these contests. The contests are open worldwide, and void where prohibited by law. Current and former employees, independent contractors, interns, officers, directors, and agents of Bulbagarden (the "Sponsor"), their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, suppliers, and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are not eligible to participate in these contests. The Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 are subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited.
3. Agreement to Rules: By entering the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023, the contestant ("You") agree to comply with and abide by these Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, and you represent and warrant that you meet the eligibility requirements. In addition, you agree to accept the Sponsor's decisions as final and binding as it relates to the content of this campaign. Entrants should look solely to the Sponsor with any questions, comments or issues related to the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023.
4. Entry Period: The Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 as a whole begins on 10 December, 2023, and ends on 31 December, 2023 at 11:59PM PST (the "Entry Period"). Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. Individual contests within the broader Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 may have more restrictive entry periods. Please consult the posted information about those contests for more information.
5. Prizes: The winners of the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 will receive the following prizes
   • 12 Days of Trivia
     • 12 winners will receive a Pokémon Center Gift Card to the value of $60 USD (for winners in the United States), or an equivalent value of Pokémon Merchandise (for winners outside the United States)
   • Fantabulous Festivities – Corsola's Creative Holiday Challenge
     • 2 winners will receive a Pokémon Center Gift Card to the value of $60 USD (for winners in the United States), or an equivalent value of Pokémon Merchandise (for winners outside the United States)
   • Rapidash Trivia
     • 20 round winners will receive a Pokémon Center Gift Card to the value of $60 USD (for winners in the United States), or an equivalent value of Pokémon Merchandise (for winners outside the United States)
     • 4 points winners will receive a Pokémon Center Gift Card to the value of $60 USD (for winners in the United States), or an equivalent value of Pokémon Merchandise (for winners outside the United States)
   Actual/appraised value of prizes may differ at time of prize award. The specifics of the prize shall be solely determined by the Sponsor. The Sponsor reserves the right to substitute the prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the original prize is no longer available, or cannot be provided to the winner due to logistical and/or legal complications. No cash or other prize substitution shall be permitted except for at the Sponsor's discretion. The prize is non transferable. Substitution of the prize or transfer/assignment of the prize to others or request for the cash equivalent of the prize by the Winner is not permitted. Any and all prize related expenses, including without limitation any and all federal, state, and/or local taxes shall be the sole responsibility of the Winner.
6. Odds of Winning: The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received.
7. Winner Selection and Notification: Winners for each contest as part of the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 will be selected by methods specified by each contest. Winners will be notified by January 7th, 2023. The Sponsor shall have no liability for a Winner's failure to receive notices due to spam, junk e-mail or other security settings or for a Winner’s provision of incorrect or otherwise non-functioning contact information. If the Winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim the prize within 14 days from the time award notification was sent, or fails to timely return requested information needed to send them their prize, the prize may be forfeited and an alternate Winner selected. Receipt of the prize offered in this Campaign by the Winner is conditioned upon compliance with any and all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Any violation of these official rules by the Winner at the Sponsor's sole discretion will result in the Winner's disqualification as winner, and all privileges as winner will be immediately terminated.
8. Rights Granted by the Entrant: The Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 includes one contest, Corsola's Creative Holiday Challenge, which involves the creation and entry of original content by the entrant. By entering this contest, you represent and warrant that your entry is an original work of authorship, and does not violate any third party’s proprietary or intellectual property rights. If your entry infringes upon the intellectual property right of another, you will be disqualified at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. If the content of your entry is claimed to constitute infringement of any proprietary or intellectual proprietary rights of any third party, you shall, at your sole expense, defend or settle against such claims. You shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Bulbagarden from and against any suit, proceeding, claims, liability, loss, damage, costs or expense, which Bulbagarden may incur, suffer, or be required to pay arising out of such infringement or suspected infringement of any third party’s right.
9. Terms and Conditions: The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 should virus, bug, non-authorised human intervention, fraud, or other cause beyond the Sponsor’s control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, or proper conduct of the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023. In such cases, the Sponsor may select a winner(s) from eligible entries received before and/or after the action taken by the Sponsor if appropriate. The Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 or website or violates these Terms & Conditions. The Sponsor has the right, in its sole discretion, to maintain the integrity of the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023, to void entries for any reason, including, but not limited to: multiple entries from the same user from different IP addresses; multiple entries from the same computer in excess of that allowed by Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 rules; or the use of bots, macros, scripts, or other technical means for entering. Any attempt by an entrant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 may be a violation of criminal and civil laws. Should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law.
10. Limitation of Liability: By entering the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 you agree to release and hold harmless Bulbagarden and its subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers and directors from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, litigation, claim or damage that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from (i) such entrant’s participation in the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2022 and/or his/her acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any prize or any portion thereof; (ii) unauthorised human intervention in any part of the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023; (iii) electronic or human error in the administration of the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 or the processing of entries; (iv) technical errors of any kind, including but not limited to the malfunction of any computer, cable, network, hardware, or software, or other mechanical equipment; (v) the unavailability or inaccessibility of any transmissions, telephone, or Internet service; (vi) printing errors; (vii) lost, late, postage due, misdirected, or undeliverable mail.
11. Disputes: The Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 are governed by the laws of Australia, without respect to conflict of law doctrines. By participating in this Campaign, you agree that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved between the parties, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Campaign, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively before a court located in Australia having jurisdiction. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances shall You be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to, punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, including reasonable attorney’s fees, other than actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e. costs associated with entering the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023). You further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
12. Privacy Policy: Information submitted with an entry is subject to the Privacy Policy stated on the Bulbagarden Website. To read the Privacy Policy, click here. By entering Bulbagarden contests, users consent to the use of their name (or pseudonym) in the announcement of the winners on the Bulbagarden website, and use of their name (or pseudonym) and likeness for advertising and/or promotional and/or marketing purposes. Users' contact information may also be used by the Sponsor to notify the user they have won and to confirm their mailing address.
13. Winners List: To request a copy of the winners list please contact the Sponsor. Requests must be sent within four (4) weeks of the end of the Entry Period.
14. The Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Bluesky, Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Tumblr, Twitch, X (formerly known as Twitter), YouTube, or any other websites, apps, or social networks that are used to share the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023. You understand that you are providing your information to the owner of the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023 and not to Bluesky, Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Tumblr, Twitch, X (formerly known as Twitter), YouTube, or any other websites, apps, or social networks.
15. Acceptance of Rules: By participating in the Bulbagarden Holiday Contests 2023, You have affirmatively reviewed, accepted, and agreed to all of the Official Rules, Terms and Conditions.

 

[Archaic]

Please be aware that judging for the Creative Contest will be slightly delayed, due to the extension that was given to entries for that contest.

12 Days judging is on track to be completed before the end of the 7th (PST).

 

[Archaic]

All prize winners from Rapidash Trivia have been contacted.
12 Days judging is complete. We had 27 people who achieved a score of 7 or better, which goes down to 18 people eligible for prizes from this after we exclude people who've already won a prize for Rapidash.
Some of the people who won in Rapidash are also on the shortlist for Creative. Should any of them win that prize, the Creative prize takes precedence, and their Rapidash prize would go to the next person on the points standings.
Once we've finalized the Creative prizes (which should be within the next day or so), we'll finalize all remaining prizes and contact those winners.