Who's Bringing the Heat? Car Showdown: official rules
No purchase or payment is necessary to enter or to win People's Choice. Gifts do not count as votes.
About the main prizes: the full gift cards are paid when the whole contest raises its prize goal of $5,000. Below that they're scaled down, and Top Fundraiser needs at least $500 raised. See Terms and conditions, sections 1 and 2.
Sponsor
Youngpreneur Academy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 93-2657679), PO Box 56, Saint George, SC 29477. Contact: live@youngp.org.
Who can enter
Adults 18 or older who live in the 50 United States, D.C. or Puerto Rico, with a car, truck or motorcycle they own or have the owner's permission to enter. Up to 4 photos of the same vehicle per entry; up to 5 entries per email. You don't have to register for the in-person car show to enter. Employees, volunteers and judges of the sponsor and their immediate families may enter but are not eligible to win the overall prizes.
Entry period
From the day the contest opens on youngplive.com until March 31, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET. No new entries are accepted after that.
How to enter
Free, at youngplive.com/heat. Upload photos of the vehicle and give it a name. At least one photo must show you in or with the vehicle, together; entries without one may be declined. The entry's page is named after the vehicle and shows your first name and state. Photos must be your own, family-friendly, and must not show license plates, addresses or anyone's personal details. The sponsor reviews every entry and may decline any entry for any reason.
Real photos only (no AI)
Photos must be real, unaltered photos of the actual vehicle (basic cropping and brightness are fine). Any entry with a photo the sponsor determines to be AI-generated or AI-edited is disqualified and removed. The sponsor's decision is final.
The two overall prizes
People's Choice (the vote)
Free voting is held during Final Week, from the close of entries until April 7, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET. Only Final Week votes count; if the sponsor opens voting earlier, those votes are just for fun and do not count toward any prize. Every entry starts at zero. Anyone may cast one free vote per day per email address in this contest (Eastern Time), confirmed by a link sent to that email. Votes made with fake or automated accounts, or that the sponsor finds unfair, may be removed. The entry with the most Final Week votes wins People's Choice: a $350 gift card, plus the People's Choice award presented on stage at Youngpreneur MotorFest: Spring Heat on April 17, 2027 in St. George, SC. The winner does not have to attend to win the gift card. Ties are broken by the most money raised, then by the sponsor's judges.
Top Fundraiser (the money)
Supporters may give to an entry's fundraiser. Gifts are donations to the sponsor, tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law (if you give to your own entry, the deductible amount may be reduced by the value of rewards you receive). Gifts are non-refundable; a gift that is refunded is removed from the total, and the sponsor may remove a disputed gift. Gifts already made stay with the sponsor if an entry is later declined or disqualified. The entry that has raised the most by the end of fundraising (April 8, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET) is the Top Fundraiser and wins a $250 gift card. Ties are broken by the most Final Week votes. An entry can win only one of the two overall prizes: if the People's Choice winner also raised the most, Top Fundraiser goes to the entry with the next-highest amount raised. Gifts never count as votes. Fundraising runs from entry until April 8, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET, one day after voting closes; gifts received after that still support the sponsor but do not count toward Heat Levels, Top Fundraiser or any contest total.
Heat Levels (rewards for every fundraiser)
Heat Levels are thank-you rewards, not a contest: every entry that reaches a level by the end of fundraising (April 8, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET) earns its reward, plus the rewards of every level below it.
- $100 Spark: an official Car Showdown certificate.
- $250 Flame: 2 general admission tickets to Spring Heat.
- $500 Blaze: a free show entry for your vehicle at Spring Heat.
- $1,000 Inferno: a Spring Heat tee, and 4 tickets instead of 2.
- $1,500 Firestorm: a $50 gift card.
- $2,500 Legend: a $100 gift card, on top of the $50 card from Firestorm ($150 in gift cards total), and a shout-out from the stage at Spring Heat.
The People's Choice and Top Fundraiser winners also receive their Heat Level rewards. The free show entry is for the same vehicle at Spring Heat on April 17, 2027 and follows the car show's rules and waiver; the entry and tickets are sent by email before the event, travel is not included, and they can't be exchanged if you can't attend.
Claiming rewards and fine print
After the contest, the sponsor emails each entrant who earned a reward a private link to confirm the US shipping address (and shirt size, if needed), with their OK to ship there, and to claim their tickets. Rewards not claimed within 30 days of that email may be forfeited. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks after the contest ends for mailed rewards and prizes to arrive. Gift cards are delivered as digital gift cards by email; physical rewards ship free within the US. The approximate retail value of each prize is its stated value (a tee is about $20; a certificate and shout-outs have no cash value). Winners are responsible for any taxes. No substitutions, except that the sponsor may substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Prizes and rewards can't be transferred or exchanged for cash.
Winners
People's Choice and Top Fundraiser are notified by email by April 10, 2027 and announced on youngplive.com/winners. Winners may need to confirm eligibility. If a winner doesn't respond within 5 days, the next-highest entry may be chosen.
Photos and privacy
By entering, you allow the sponsor to show the photos with the vehicle's name, your first name and state on youngplive.com and the sponsor's social media, for this contest and to promote its events. Your last name and contact details are kept private and used only to run the contest. Photos of entries that are declined or disqualified are deleted.
General
Void where prohibited. The sponsor may change, pause or end the contest if something outside its control affects its fairness. This contest is not sponsored by or associated with any vehicle maker, gift card issuer, Apple, Google, Facebook or any other social media platform. By entering, you agree to these rules and the sponsor's decisions, which are final. These rules are governed by the laws of South Carolina.
Terms and conditions
These terms are part of the official rules. By entering, the entrant agrees to them. If anything here differs from another page on the site, these official rules and terms control.
1. The prize goal (how big the main prizes are)
The People's Choice and Top Fundraiser gift cards are funded by the contest itself. They are paid in full only if the contest as a whole raises at least $5,000 in gifts (the "prize goal") by the end of fundraising (April 8, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET). If the contest raises less than the prize goal, each gift card prize is reduced to the same share of its full amount as the share of the goal that was raised, rounded down to the nearest $5. For example, if half the goal is raised, each gift card is half its stated amount. If nothing is raised, no gift cards are owed. The title, the People's Choice award presented at the show, a certificate, and any Heat Level rewards the winner earned are still given. The amount raised so far is shown on the contest page. The sponsor may, at its sole choice, award more than the reduced amount, but is never required to.
2. Top Fundraiser minimum, and one overall prize per entry
To win Top Fundraiser, the entry with the most raised must have raised at least $500 by the end of fundraising. If no entry reaches that amount, no Top Fundraiser prize is awarded. An entry can win only one of the two overall prizes: if the People's Choice winner also raised the most, Top Fundraiser goes to the entry with the next-highest amount raised that meets the minimum (ties go to the most Final Week votes). The prize goal in section 1 also applies.
3. Heat Level rewards
Heat Level rewards are thank-you gifts for money actually received by the sponsor and not refunded or disputed. They are based on the amount raised by the end of fundraising; gifts received after fundraising ends do not count. Rewards that depend on Spring Heat (tickets, a show entry, the stage shout-out) are for the event on April 17, 2027 only; if the event is postponed they move to the new date, and if it is cancelled they have no cash value and are not replaced. Items may be substituted with items of equal or greater value.
4. No purchase necessary
No purchase, gift or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or to win People's Choice. Gifts never count as votes and do not improve the chance of winning People's Choice. Top Fundraiser and Heat Levels recognize fundraising and are not games of chance.
5. Verification and winners
Winners must respond to the sponsor's email within 5 days and may be asked to confirm eligibility, identity and the shipping address. Votes, gifts and entries may be reviewed before winners are confirmed. Votes or gifts that the sponsor believes are fake, automated, refunded, disputed, made with someone else's payment method, or otherwise unfair are removed, and the related entry may be disqualified. A prize that can't be delivered, isn't claimed within 30 days, or goes to an ineligible entrant is forfeited, and the sponsor may award it to the next eligible entry or not at all.
6. The sponsor's rights
The sponsor may refuse, remove or disqualify any entry, photo or story for any reason, including content that is unsafe, offensive, misleading, AI-generated or AI-edited, or that shows personal details. The sponsor may change these rules, the dates, the prize goal (never above what's posted when entries close) or the rewards, or pause, extend or end the contest early, if it decides this is needed, including because of fraud, technical problems, too few entries, events beyond its control, or anything that affects the fairness or proper running of the contest. If the contest ends early, winners may be chosen from eligible entries and amounts raised up to that point, using these rules. The sponsor's decisions are final.
7. No other obligation
The sponsor's only obligations are the rewards and prizes described in these rules, as limited by the prize goal and the other conditions here. Nothing on the site, in an email or in social media posts creates any other promise. Prizes and rewards are not transferable, can't be exchanged for cash, and are not owed until all conditions are met.
8. Gifts
Gifts go to Youngpreneur Academy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 93-2657679), are tax-deductible as allowed by law, and support its programs whether or not any prize is awarded. Gifts are non-refundable except where the law requires otherwise. If the contest is cancelled, gifts are not returned; they still support the mission.
9. Taxes
Winners are responsible for any taxes on prizes and rewards. The sponsor may require a completed tax form (such as a W-9) before awarding any prize worth $600 or more in a year, as the law requires.
10. Release and limits of liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, the entrant releases the sponsor, its officers, directors, volunteers and partners from any claim, loss or injury arising from the contest, the use of any prize or reward, or attending Spring Heat, except where caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct. The sponsor is not responsible for lost, late or incomplete entries, votes, emails or gifts; technical failures of any kind; or errors on the site or in emails. If the sponsor is ever found liable, its total liability is limited to the value of the prize or reward in question.
11. Publicity and privacy
Winners agree that the sponsor may share their first name, state and vehicle and entry photos to announce the results, without payment. Contact details are used only to run the contest and send rewards; shipping addresses are used only to ship rewards and are shared only with the carrier. See the site's privacy policy.
12. Disputes and governing law
These rules are governed by the laws of South Carolina. Any dispute is handled individually (not as part of a class) in the courts of Dorchester County, South Carolina. If any part of these rules is found invalid, the rest still applies. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
13. Contact
Questions about the contest: live@youngp.org, PO Box 56, Saint George, SC 29477.