The Great Goodwill® Halloween Costume Contest

Goodwill Industries of Tenneva Area, Inc. Official Contest Rules, Terms, and Conditions

Please read these Official Rules, Terms, and Conditions before submitting an entry. By submitting an entry, the person submitting it agrees to these rules. For an individual participant under 18, a parent or legal guardian must submit the entry and agree to these rules on the participant’s behalf.

1. ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open to legal residents of the following counties and independent cities in Goodwill Industries of Tenneva Area, Inc.’s service area:

Tennessee: Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties.

Virginia: Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, and Wise counties; and the independent cities of Bristol and Norton.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Every individual participant and every person pictured as a participant in a group entry must reside in one of the eligible counties or independent cities. Employees, officers, and contractors of Goodwill Industries of Tenneva Area, Inc., Goodwill Industries International, and their related affiliates and organizations (collectively, “Related Entities”), and their immediate family members, are not eligible to participate. A parent or legal guardian must submit an individual entry for a participant under 18 and authorize that participant’s entry and the use of their photo and likeness described in these rules. A group representative must be at least 18 years old and reside in an eligible county or independent city. The representative does not have to appear in the photo, but must meet the employee and family eligibility restrictions above. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

2. SPONSOR: The Sponsor of this Contest is Goodwill Industries of Tenneva Area, Inc. (“GITA”).

3. CONDITIONS AND METHOD OF ENTRY: Entrants may submit an individual costume or a group costume. A “group costume” is an entry featuring two (2) or more costume participants in the submitted photo. A participant may enter once as an individual and may also appear in one group entry. A participant may not appear in more than one group entry. Each group entry must be identified as a group entry and have one adult group representative who submits the entry, provides their contact information, and serves as GITA’s contact for the group. The group representative may also be a participant.

Each entry must incorporate at least one item purchased from a Goodwill Industries of Tenneva Area, Inc. retail store. For a group entry, at least one Goodwill purchase must be incorporated into the group costume; each participant does not need a separate Goodwill purchase. Each entry must identify the Goodwill item used, explain how it was incorporated into the costume, and name the Goodwill store where it was purchased.

The submitted photo must show only the costume participant or participants identified in the entry. The person submitting the entry must have each pictured person’s permission to submit the photo and permit its use as described in these rules. For anyone pictured who is under 18, that permission must come from the person’s parent or legal guardian. GITA may request confirmation of these permissions. By submitting an entry, the submitter confirms that these permissions have been obtained and authorizes GITA to display the photo and the participants’ likenesses, first names, cities, and states of residence on GITA’s website and social media pages in connection with the Contest. A parent or legal guardian provides this authorization for a participant under 18. GITA will use a separate, private electronic gallery for judging; entry in that gallery does not guarantee public display.

The photo must have been taken by the submitter or submitted with the photographer’s permission to use it for the Contest and for the uses described in these rules. Photos must be unaltered (no filters, retouching, AI tools, or other image editing) and family-friendly. Prohibited content includes gore, nudity, hate or harassment, illegal acts, drugs or alcohol, weapons or unsafe behavior, profanity, and third-party branding or trademarks. GITA may decline to display or disqualify an entry that violates these standards or contains other content GITA deems inappropriate or offensive. GITA has final approval over content displayed on its website and social media pages. Submission does not guarantee publication.

Via Our Website Form: Submit a photo using the online form at https://www.goodwilltnva.org/the-great-goodwill-halloween-costume-contest/. The submission must include the submitter’s name and contact information, eligible county or independent city, and state of residence; the Goodwill item and store information described above; and whether the entry is individual or group. For an individual participant under 18, the submitting parent or legal guardian must provide their (the parent or legal guardian's) name and contact information. For a group entry, the adult group representative must provide their name and contact information. The submitter must confirm that all required permissions have been obtained. Photos will be managed in a private electronic judging gallery accessible to GITA and its selected judges.

Via Mail: Mail the photo and a signed copy of these Official Rules to: Goodwill Industries of Tenneva Area, Inc., ATTN: Halloween Costume Contest, 2745 East Stone Drive (Building B), Kingsport, TN 37660. Include the submitter’s name, mailing address, phone number or email address, eligible county or independent city, and state of residence; the Goodwill item and store information described above; and whether the entry is individual or group. For a group entry, include the adult group representative’s name and contact information. The submitter must confirm in writing that permission has been obtained from each person pictured, or from their parent or legal guardian if under 18. For an individual entry by a participant under 18, the parent or legal guardian must sign the rules and provide their contact information. For a group entry, the group representative must sign the rules. Entries missing required information may be disqualified. Mailed photos will be scanned into a private electronic judging gallery accessible to GITA and its selected judges. Mailed entries must be received by the deadline in Section 5; a postmark alone does not qualify an entry.

4. JUDGING: Individual entries will be considered for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Group entries will be considered for the Best Group Costume award. An entry is eligible for judging only in its designated category. Individual and group entries will be scored using the same criteria: 40% creativity, 40% thrifted resourcefulness, and 20% presentation. A panel selected by GITA will judge eligible entries. Entries that do not meet the requirements in Sections 1 and 3 may be disqualified. GITA will determine winner eligibility, and the judges’ decisions are final.

5. CONTEST PERIOD: Online entries may be submitted beginning Thursday, October 1, 2026, and must be received by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Saturday, October 31, 2026. Mailed entries must be received at GITA’s address by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Friday, October 30, 2026. GITA will notify potential winners on or before Monday, November 2, 2026. After they respond and GITA confirms that their entries meet these rules, winners will be publicly announced on or before Friday, November 6, 2026.

6. CLAIMING PRIZES: GITA will contact potential winners using the information provided with their entries. For a group entry, GITA will contact the adult group representative. Potential winners must respond by 12:00 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, November 5, 2026, to accept the prize and arrange pick-up. A parent or legal guardian must respond on behalf of an individual winner under 18. The group representative will respond and arrange pick-up on behalf of a group. GITA may ask for confirmation of eligibility or the permissions described in Section 3 if needed. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, does not respond by the deadline, or does not meet these rules, GITA may select an alternate winner. Prizes will be awarded if a sufficient number of eligible entries are received and claimed. GITA will coordinate prize pick-up with each winner or group representative.

7. PRIZES AND WINNING PHOTOS: Judges will select one (1) 1st place individual winner, one (1) 2nd place individual winner, one (1) 3rd place individual winner, and one (1) Best Group Costume winner.

The 1st place individual winner will receive one (1) $75 Goodwill Tenneva gift card and one (1) Prize Pack containing a T-shirt, stickers, a pen, a bottle of olive oil from the Abingdon Olive Oil Company, and a $25 Blackbird Bakery gift card. The approximate retail value of the Prize Pack is $75.

The 2nd place individual winner will receive one (1) $50 Goodwill Tenneva gift card.

The 3rd place individual winner will receive one (1) $25 Goodwill Tenneva gift card.

The Best Group Costume winner will receive one (1) $100 Goodwill Tenneva gift card and one (1) group Prize Pack containing an assortment of T-shirts, stickers, and pens; a bottle of olive oil from the Abingdon Olive Oil Company; and a $25 Blackbird Bakery gift card. The approximate retail value of the group Prize Pack is $100. This is one Prize Pack for the entire group, and its contents are not guaranteed to provide one item of each type to every participant. GITA will award the gift card and Prize Pack to the adult group representative on behalf of the group. The group is responsible for deciding how to share them.

Goodwill Tenneva gift cards may be redeemed only at Goodwill Industries of Tenneva Area, Inc. retail stores. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash, substituted, or transferred by a winner, except as required by applicable law. GITA may substitute a prize of equal or greater value if an offered prize becomes unavailable.

GITA may display winning photos and the first names, cities, and states of residence of the pictured participants as described in Section 3.

8. RELEASE AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: By entering this Contest, each adult entrant or group representative agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless GITA and the Related Entities from third-party claims, losses, and damages arising from the entry or participation in the Contest, including claims involving copyright infringement or a person’s privacy or publicity rights, to the extent permitted by applicable law. A parent or legal guardian agrees on behalf of an individual entrant under 18 to the extent permitted by applicable law. Each person submitting an entry is responsible for having the rights and permissions necessary to submit the photo. The Contest is subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws and is void where prohibited.

9. WINNERS LIST AND OFFICIAL RULES: To request a winners list (available after Friday, November 6, 2026) or a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope so that it is received by January 16, 2027, to: Goodwill Industries of Tenneva Area, Inc., ATTN: Halloween Costume Contest Winners, 2745 East Stone Drive (Building B), Kingsport, TN 37660. Specify “Official Rules” or “Winners List” on the outer envelope.