If you are currently a student age 13 or older in the Chicagoland viewing area or NW Indiana, nominate a teacher who you feel makes a difference at your school or in your community. Parents can assist their children in the nomination process.

  1. Sponsors. This contest (“Contest”) is sponsored by WGN-TV (“the Station”), 2501 W. Bradley Place, Chicago, IL 60525 and Ankin Law, 10 N. Dearborn St. #500, Chicago, IL 60602 (collectively, the “Sponsor(s)”). This Contest is void where taxed, restricted, or prohibited and is subject to all local, state, and federal laws. By entering, each entrant accepts and agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor(s), which shall be final and not subject to appeal.
  2. Eligibility. No purchase necessary to enter. To nominate a teacher, you must be age 13 or older at the time of entry, be a permanent legal U.S. resident of Illinois or Northwest Indiana who resides within WGN-TV’s viewing area, have access to the internet, and be a student currently enrolled in a school in the Chicagoland viewing area or northwest Indiana. If you are under the age of 13 and want to nominate a teacher, your parent or legal guardian must fill out the form on your behalf. Parents may assist students in the nomination process. You may nominate as many teachers as you’d like, but you can only nominate the same teacher once. All information submitted in nomination forms will be subject to verification. Sponsors reserve the right to reject and disqualify any entry they discover to be false or fraudulent.

Current or former employees of WGN-TV, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, the other Sponsors, the other television and radio stations and multichannel video programming distributors in WGN-TV’s viewing area, their parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising or promotional agencies (including anyone who prepares and/or distributes Contest materials), and the immediate family members or persons living in the same household (whether related or not) of all the foregoing are not eligible to participate or win. The term “immediate family members” includes spouses, grandparents, parents, siblings, children and grandchildren. Text, data, or messaging rates may apply.

Who Can Be Nominated:  Any teacher who is currently employed by a school, private or public (kindergarten, elementary, junior high, high school, vocational, special education) in the Chicagoland viewing area or NW Indiana. College, graduate and student teachers are not eligible. If, during the Nomination or Voting Period (described below), the teacher nominee moves to a school outside of the Chicagoland/ Northwest Indiana area or otherwise ceases employment with any school in the Chicagoland/Northwest Indiana area, or is arrested or charged with a crime, then he/she will no longer be eligible for consideration for “Featured Teacher of the Month”. A nominee may be voted “Featured Teacher of the Month” only once during the Contest Period.

APPLE IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY WAY IN THIS CONTEST/SWEEPSTAKES. THE SPONSOR(S) IS/ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING THE PRIZE(S) LISTED HEREIN. THE PRIZE(S) WON ARE NOT APPLE PRODUCTS, NOR ARE THEY RELATED TO APPLE IN ANY WAY. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ORGANIZING THIS Sweepstakes AND DISTRIBUTING THE PRIZE(S) ARE THE SPONSORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES. APPLE DOES NOT SPONSOR THIS CONTEST/SWEEPSTAKES IN ANY WAY.

  1. Entry. This Contest will accept entries beginning on August 14, 2023 at 8am and ending on May 13, 2024 at 5pm. To enter the Contest to nominate a “Teacher of the Month,” entrants must visit www.wgntv.com/contests and fill out the entry form. Entrants must include their name, phone number, e-mail address, birth date and answer the following questions about the nominated teacher:

How has this teacher increased the educational achievements of his/her students in the classroom?  What has this teacher done to make an impact on the community, or the student body at large?  If applicable, please give at least one example of the groundbreaking or innovative teaching strategies this teacher has employed.  Are there any extracurricular activities this teacher has implemented? If so, what are they and what impact have they had on the student body?  List one or two activities that are most important to the teacher nominee and explain why?  Please give at least one example of how the teacher makes a difference in the lives of his/her students.  Are these examples given regarding the teacher still taking place today?

All essays answers must conform to the essay restrictions below in order to enter. Essays must be no longer than 100 words in length per question. Incomplete entries will not be considered. All entries must be received by May 13, 2024 at 5pm. One (1) entry per person per teacher will be accepted.

Selecting the Teacher of the Month:  Essay entries will be judged by a panel of three judges, all employees of the Sponsors on or about the 15th of the month during the time this Contest is running, and choose the Teacher of the Month. The judges will use the following criteria to select the winner(s):

  • 40% educational achievements in the classroom
  • 30% community contributions/extracurriculars, and
  • 30% innovativeness of the program/techniques used by the teacher.
  • Note: If more than one student nominates the same teacher, WGN-TV will choose the student nomination that they believe shows the most human-interest appeal. The student who nominates the teacher does not receive recognition or a prize. The decision of Sponsors is final and binding.

If a tie breaker is necessary, the entry with the highest “innovativeness” score will be deemed the winner.

Sponsor(s) is/are not responsible for technical or computer, telephone service outages, delays, equipment malfunctions, busy signals, hang-ups, errors or data loss of any kind, lost or unavailable connections, or late, lost, failed, illegible, incomplete, garbled or deleted entries, transmissions, or voicemails or other network or technological difficulties that may prevent an individual from completing his/her telephone call or online entry, or for printing errors in any advertisement, entry form, or the rules.

An entrant may use only one email address to submit entries during the Contest. If an entrant uses multiple email addresses to submit more than one entry per day, the entrant will be disqualified. For entries submitted online, entries will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. The authorized account holder is the natural person who is assigned to the e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization that is responsible for assigning the e-mail address or the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Any automated or computer-generated entries, fake or duplicate identities, spam, or improper techniques (as determined by the Sponsor(s)) will be disqualified. Any questions regarding the validity, completeness, or number of entries submitted by an individual or the identity of the authorized account holder of an e-mail address, phone number, or social media profile shall be determined by Sponsor(s) in its/their sole discretion. The Sponsor(s) reserve(s) the right to disqualify any entrant who acts in a disruptive, harassing, vulgar, or unsportsmanlike manner, as determined by the Sponsor(s) in its/their sole discretion.

Entry materials that have been tampered with or altered are void. If the Sponsor(s) determine(s), in its/their sole discretion, that there is any suspected or actual tampering with the Contest (electronic or otherwise) or if technical difficulties (e.g. infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor(s)) compromise the security, fairness, integrity or administration of the Contest, the Sponsor(s) reserve(s) the right to void the entries at issue and/or modify, suspend, cancel or terminate the Contest and conduct a random drawing to award the prize among all eligible entries received as of the termination date. If the Contest is terminated due to tampering or technical difficulties prior to its expiration date, notice will be posted online at www. wgntv.com. Sponsor(s) reserve(s) the right to disqualify any entrant that tampers with the operation of the Contest or website or violates the Official Rules of the Contest. Entries not conforming to announced entry specifications will not be acknowledged or returned.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE PROMOTION MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND/OR CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO PROSECUTE OR SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

By entering this Contest online, participants agree to www. wgntv.com’s Terms of Use located at https://wgntv.com/terms-of-use/and the Privacy Policy located at https://www.nexstar.tv/privacy-policy/. All entry information becomes the property of the Sponsor(s), and entrants grant the Station the right to distribute all of their entry information to the other Sponsor(s). By entering, entrants grant the Sponsor(s) the right to broadcast and distribute their name, image, likeness, voice, entry materials, and biographical information in any media whatsoever, including on the air on the Station and on www. wgntv.com, for any purpose whatsoever, worldwide, in perpetuity, without any further authorization from or compensation to the entrant.

  1. Odds of Winning. The odds of winning depend on the number and caliber of eligible entries received.
  2. Essay Restrictions. Essays submitted by the entrants/participants may not contain, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, any content that:
  3. is obscene, offensive, sexually explicit or suggestive; violent; derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional or age group; endorses any form of hate or hate group; profane or pornographic; contains nudity;
  4. promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing); promotes any activities that may appear unsafe or dangerous; promotes any particular political agenda or message;
  5. contains products or trademarks of any Sponsor competitor;
  6. defames, misrepresents or contains disparaging remarks about any person or company;
  7. contains trademarks, logos, or trade dress (such as distinctive packaging or building exteriors/interiors) owned by others, without permission, to the extent permission is necessary; contains any personal identification, such as license plate numbers, personal names, e-mail addresses or street addresses;
  8. contains copyrighted materials owned by others (including, without limitation, photographs, sculptures, paintings, and other works of art or images published on or in websites, television, movies or other media), without permission, to the extent permission is necessary;
  9. contains materials embodying the names, likenesses, voices, or other indicia identifying any person, including, without limitation, celebrities and/or other public or private figures, living or dead, without permission, to the extent permission is necessary;
  10. contains look-alikes of celebrities or other public or private figures, living or dead;
  11. communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or good will to which Sponsor wishes to associate; and/or
  12. violates any law or regulation.

By entering this Contest, entrant acknowledges and agrees that all entries become the property of the Sponsors and will not be returned or acknowledged. To be eligible, an entry must be the entrant’s original essay, may not have been entered in any other contest, won any other prize or have been previously published in any other medium. If the essay contains any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant, and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties (e.g., essay contains portions written by someone other than entrant), the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the entry, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the use and exhibition of the entry by Sponsor(s) in the manner set forth in these Official Rules, including, without limitation, permission from the owner to use the content and permissions from any person (or, if a minor, his/her parent or legal guardian) who appears in or is identifiable in the entry. Sponsor(s) reserve(s) the right to request proof of these permissions in a form acceptable to Sponsor(S) from any entrant at any time. Failure to provide such proof will render entry null and void.

  1. Prize(s). There will be up to 9 winning Teachers in this Contest, one for each month that this Contest is in effect. On or about the 15th of each month starting in September 2023, that month’s winner will be selected by a panel of judges as detailed above and notified that they won by phone or e-mail. The winner(s) will receive a profile detailing their achievements which may air on WGN-TV News. The approximate retail value of the prize(s) is $0. Entrants can win only once.

Each Teacher of the Month will receive a Certificate of Recognition, and the school, which employs the teacher, will receive a $1,000 donation check from Ankin Law, to purchase school supplies. The donation to the winner’s school will be delivered to the winner’s school at a time to be determined between the winner’s school and Ankin Law. Sponsors are not responsible for the safe arrival of a certificate or school supplies. Station is not involved with the delivery or donation of the check, as that is the sole responsibility and obligation of the Ankin Law.

The potential teacher winners will be contacted by a representative of the Sponsors, and must reply within 48 hours or two days to maintain eligibility. If a potential winner cannot be contacted within this time period or fails to respond to any attempted contact, such potential winner will be disqualified, his/her entry will be declared null and void and the Sponsors reserve the right, in their sole and absolute discretion, to choose another potential winner by the process referred to above.

All results are unofficial until winner(s) is/are verified by the Sponsor(s). Prizes may not be exchanged, substituted, transferred or redeemed for other prizes by winner. Cash will not be awarded as a substitute for prize. Prizes are awarded ‘as is’ with no guarantees or warranties as to use, merchantability, or fitness for a specific purpose, and the Sponsor(s) is/are not responsible for defective prizes. Sponsor(s) reserve(s) the right to substitute a prize in their sole discretion without an on-air or off-air announcement, in which case a prize of equal or greater value will be awarded. Other terms and conditions may apply.

  1. Conditions for Acceptance of the Prize(s).

The school’s principal will be contacted to verify the eligibility and the qualifications of the teacher. The principal must agree to let WGN-TV tape in the school during the teacher’s ceremony.  In the event the school is not available for taping, the school must make the teacher and any other administrators available for skype interview or other method of “virtual” interview.

Payment of all federal, state and local taxes is the sole responsibility of the winner(s) and the winner(s) may receive an IRS 1099 Form or equivalent from the Sponsor(s). The Sponsor(s) will report any individual winnings over $600 (in cash or fair market value of goods or services) in a one year period to the Internal Revenue Service. Winner(s) is/are required to fill out any tax forms requested by the Sponsor(s) in order to receive their prize(s).

Winner(s) will be solely responsible for any and all license and registration fees, accommodations, transportation costs, gratuities and all other items of an incidental nature. All expenses on receipt and use of prize(s) are the sole responsibility of the winner(s), the Sponsor(s) is/are not responsible for any weather changes or extenuating circumstances relating to a prize received. The Sponsor(s) is/are not responsible for replacing or reimbursing winners with any form of compensation for events that are delayed or canceled. All delays and cancellations are deemed beyond the control of the Sponsor(s). This includes, but is not limited to, event cancellations, trip schedule changes, flight cancellations, changes in travel arrangements, travel delays of any form and duration, game cancellations and delays, as well as all acts of nature. The Sponsor(s) is/are not responsible for any expenses incurred by Contest winners as a result of such delays or cancellations. Sponsor(s) will not be responsible for failure to supply the prize(s) by reason of any force majeure events, such as acts of God, war, terrorist attacks, unusually severe weather, labor strikes, or other causes beyond the control of the Sponsor(s).

By accepting the prize, the winner or winners (or, in the case of a minor, their parent/legal guardian) agree to have their name, voice, likeness, biographical information, and entry materials used in any advertising or broadcasting material relating to this Contest, and in any media whatsoever, including the Station and on www. wgntv.com, for any purpose whatsoever, worldwide, in perpetuity, without any further authorization or compensation to the winner(s).

  1. Social Media. For contests or sweepstakes conducted or promoted on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, or any other social media website (each a “Social Media Site” and collectively the “Social Media Sites”), the Sponsors reserve the right to void any entrant’s entry in the Contest for failure to abide by the guidelines, policies, or procedures of the applicable Social Media Site, and to delete or remove any of entrant’s related “Likes,” comments, posts, tweets, videos, photos, user generated content, or other electronic messages, communications, or submissions at their discretion. The Sponsors also reserve the right to block, ignore, report, and/or completely prevent any entrant, account, user, or profile from accessing the Contest and/or the Sponsors’ profile(s), account(s), website(s), blog(s) or handle(s). This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with the Social Media Sites. By entering this Contest, entrants agree to release and hold the Social Media Sites harmless from any or all claims, liability, damages, judgments, fines, costs, expenses related to or associated with their participation in this Contest. Entrants understand that by logging-in to the applicable Social Media Site, that they agree to comply with the Social Media Site’s Terms of Service, and that their personal information is subject to the Privacy Policies and information collection practices of the Social Media Site. Entrants agree that the Sponsors are not responsible for the collection, disclosure, transfer, or dissemination of their personal information, whether directly or indirectly, by third party advertisers, marketers, or any other transferees. For entries submitted through the Social Media Sites, the Sponsors may be limited to using the information in a manner set forth by the Social Media Sites and in no other way.
  2. Limitation on Liability. Sponsor(s) disclaim(s) all liabilities to the winner(s) with respect to receipt and use of the prize(s). Winners and their guests or travel companions, by acceptance of their prize(s), agree to release and hold the Sponsor(s) and its/their affiliated companies, their advertising, promotion and production agencies, and their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, shareholders, directors, employees, agents and representatives harmless from any and all liability, claims, causes of actions, damages, fines, and costs of any kind whatsoever (including reasonable attorney’s fees) which may be sustained directly or indirectly to persons or property in connection with the receipt, ownership or use of the prize or while preparing for, participating in, and/or traveling to any Contest or prize-related activity.
  3. Reservation of Rights. Sponsor(s) reserve(s) the right to make changes to these Official Rules in their sole discretion which will become effective upon announcement. Sponsor(s) reserve(s) the right to cancel or terminate this Contest for any reason in the event that it cannot be run or administered as intended by the Sponsor(s). Any such changes or termination will be announced on www. wgntv.com.
  4. Contact Information. For questions or more information about this Contest, please contact WGN-TV at 2501 W. Bradley Place, Chicago, IL 60618. For a copy of these rules, addendum, go to www.wgntv.com/contests. For featured teachers and/or list of winners please go to https://wgntv.com/news/teacher-of-the-month/
  5. INTERNET/FORCE MAJEURE: If for any reason, school closing issues, a computer virus, tampering, fraud, technical failure, or any other cause corrupts or threatens the administration, security or integrity of the contest, WGN-TV reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate, modify, or suspend the Teacher of the Month program in whole or in part. ANY ATTEMPT TO DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE FAIR AND LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS PROGRAM WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.