Hot Country’s Search for the Route 905 Breakout Artist

Official Contest Rules & Regulations (the “Rules”)

  1. The Hot Country’s Search for the Route 905 Breakout Artist Contest (the “Contest”) is brought to you by CKDX-FM Hot Country 88.5 and CFWC-FM Hot Country 93.9 (separately and collectively, the “Station”), of CKDX Radio Limited and Dufferin Communications Inc. (separately and collectively, the “Contest Organizer”). The Contest starts on Monday, April 27, 2026, at approximately 6:00 a.m. ET and closes on Friday, May 15, 2026, at approximately 12:00 p.m. ET (the “Contest Period”). No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.
  2. ELIGIBILITY. This Contest is open to individuals who are a legal resident of Ontario, Canada and are nineteen (19) years of age or older at the start of the Contest Period and are able and willing to travel to Ancaster, Ontario at their own expense for any required in-person components of the Contest. Employees and their parents, siblings and children, and individuals domiciled with an employee of the Contest Organizer, its agents, parent, affiliated or related companies, subsidiaries, divisions, prize sponsors, and promotional and advertising agencies and administrators, are ineligible to enter. A winner of a Station contest or a contest, promotion, or giveaway administered by CIDC-FM (Z103.5), CHLO (CHLO AM530 Multilingual), CKPC-FM (Lite 92.1), CJGB-FM (Lite 99.3), CFJL-FM (HOT 100.5), CHWE-FM (ENERGY 106.1), CKJS-FM (CKJS 92.7 Multilingual), CHSV-FM (Lite 106.7), and CFMB (CFMB AM1280 Multilingual) within the thirty (30) days preceding the start of the Contest Period (including any individuals designated by such winners to take ownership of prizes) and individuals domiciled with such a winner are ineligible to enter and may be disqualified. The winner of this Contest is ineligible to win any subsequent iterations of this Contest in future years.
  3. TO ENTER. During the Contest Period, individuals must visit one (1) of the corresponding Station’s website (for CKDX-FM Hot Country 88.5, https://hotcountry885.ca; for CFWC-FM Hot Country 93.9, https://hotcountry939.com) and submit a link to a YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com) of the entrant singing or performing an original song created by the entrant, with all required information and technical specifications set out by the Station and in accordance with Sections 4 and 5 of these Rules, to be considered for the Top 20 Vote (defined below) (each a “Video Submission”).
  4. VIDEO SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS. The Contest Organizer has the full and absolute discretion to determine if a Video Submission meets the requirements set out in these Rules and on the Station website. Video Submissions that do not include all Contest requirements or do not adhere to these Rules will be considered void. Each Video Submission must meet the following criteria to be eligible for entry:
    1. A Video Submission must contain a valid and publicly accessible link to a video on YouTube. Any Video Submission that includes an invalid, broken, or inaccessible link, or a video that has been removed, taken down, made private, or otherwise restricted on YouTube, or that is affected by any technical error that prevents the Contest Organizer from accessing or viewing the Video Submission at any time during the Contest Period, will be deemed ineligible for entry.
    2. A Video Submission must comply with the terms of service, community guidelines, and content policies of YouTube. The Contest Organizer is not liable for any Video Submission that violates such policies, or for any consequences arising therefrom, including but not limited to, removal, restriction, or account action by YouTube.
    3. A Video Submission must be of sufficient resolution and visual quality to clearly depict and allow identification of the entrant.
    4. A Video Submission must contain clear audio in which the entrant’s singing can be distinctly heard and must not contain excessive background noise or distortion.
    5. A Video Submission must be within the duration limits specified on the Station’s website.
    6. A Video Submission must include the entrant performing or singing an original musical work that has been created, written, and performed by the entrant. Cover songs, derivative works, or third-party materials are strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification.
    7. A Video Submission must not be generated by artificial intelligence or contain any content or musical work that is generated or materially altered by artificial intelligence. Any Video Submission determined, in the Contest Organizer’s sole discretion, to have been created or developed in whole or in part using such systems will be deemed ineligible and may be disqualified without notice.
  5. In addition to the representations and warranties set out in Section 29 of these Rules, by participating in this Contest and sending a Video Submission, each entrant represents and warrants that:
    1. The Video Submission does not contain confidential information and does not infringe on any copyrights, trademark rights, or any intellectual property rights belonging to any person or entity other than the entrant, unless a suitable licence, clearance or permission has been obtained by the entrant, proof of which may be required by the Contest Organizer.
    2. The Video Submission does not violate the terms of service, community guidelines, and content policies of YouTube.
    3. The Video Submission itself and the musical work in the Video Submission are created and produced by the entrant and are not generated or materially influenced by artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automated content-generation system.
  6. IMPLIED CONSENT. By participating in this Contest and sending a Video Submission, each entrant acknowledges and agrees that the actual video contained in their Video Submission, along with the supplementary information provided by the entrant, will be utilised in the promotional materials of this Contest and to administer the Contest’s voting system. The entrant gives their consent to the Contest Organizer and the Station to collect, store, reproduce, edit, modify, use, post, share, and broadcast the video in the Video Submission and any information included therein, in whole or in part, in any manner and any media, including but not limited to, on-air broadcast and online digital platforms, including social media pages, without further notice, approval, or compensation to the entrant. In addition, the entrant also acknowledges and agrees that the Video Submission is not anonymous, and that they have provided consent to the Contest Organizer and the Station to publicly broadcast, post, or share the entrant’s non-sensitive information, such as the entrant’s name, age, social media handle, stage name, and any other non-sensitive information contained in the entrant’s submission. Each entrant acknowledges and agrees that they are not entitled to, and will not receive, any compensation, payment, royalties, reimbursement, or other consideration of any kind from the Station or the Contest Organizer or its affiliates in connection with the entrant’s Video Submission, or the use of the video contained in the Video Submission and any information included therein.
  7. This Contest is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with YouTube. By entering, entrants acknowledge and agree that YouTube bears no responsibility or liability in connection with this Contest.
  8. Those listening via the on-demand player online or via a mobile app may experience a delay of five (5) minutes or more than that of the terrestrial radio feed.
  9. Contest entrants shall be responsible for any long-distance charges, text message fees, data charges, or other fees charged by their service provider in connection with entering the Contest.
  10. Limit one (1) Video Submission per individual during the Contest Period. If it is discovered that an individual has attempted to enter a Video Submission more than once or enter a Video Submission on more than one Station website whether using falsified information, fraudulent conduct, or other means, all of the individual’s entries will be void and a police report will be filed documenting the conduct.
  11. TOP 20 VIDEO SUBMISSIONS. After the close of the Contest Period, up to twenty (20) eligible Video Submissions will be entered into the Top 20 Vote (defined below) (the “Top 20 Video Submissions”). If there are twenty (20) or fewer eligible Video Submissions, all eligible Video Submissions will be entered into the Top 20 Vote. If there are more than twenty (20) eligible Video Submissions, then twenty (20) Video Submissions will be randomly selected from among the eligible Video Submissions for entry into the Top 20 Vote.
  12. After an entrant's Video Submission has been selected as a Top 20 Video Submission, the entrant must provide and make available to the Contest Organizer the actual video file contained in their initial Video Submission, in order to be included in the Top 20 Vote (defined below). The submitted video file must be the same video as that accessible via the provided YouTube link and must be complete, unaltered, and fully playable. A video file that is corrupted, incomplete, or materially different from the entrant’s video on YouTube may be deemed ineligible at the sole discretion of the Contest Organizer.
  13. TOP 20 VOTE. From Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at approximately 8:00 a.m. ET until Friday, May 29, 2026, at approximately 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Top 20 Voting Period”), the Top 20 Video Submissions will be posted on the Station’s website for public voting (the “Top 20 Vote”). Vote tallies will not be posted or otherwise made available on the Station website or elsewhere.
  14. TOP 10 VIDEO SUBMISSIONS. On Monday, June 1, 2026, at approximately 8:00 a.m. ET and after the close of the Top 20 Voting Period, the ten (10) Top 20 Video Submissions that received the greatest number of votes in the Top 20 Vote will be entered into the Top 10 Vote (defined below) (the “Top 10 Video Submissions”).
  15. TOP 10 VOTE. From Monday, June 1, 2026, at approximately 8:00 a.m. ET until Saturday, June 20, 2026, at approximately 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Top 10 Voting Period”), the Top 10 Video Submissions will be posted on the Station’s website for public voting (the “Top 10 Vote”). Each vote submitted on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 12:00 a.m. ET to 11:59 p.m. ET, will be doubled and counted as two (2) votes. Vote tallies will not be posted or otherwise made available on the Station website or elsewhere.
  16. Limit one (1) vote per individual per day on one (1) Station website. If it is discovered that an individual has attempted to vote more than once a day, or has attempted to vote on more than one Station website a day, whether using falsified information, fraudulent conduct, or other means, all of the individual’s votes will be void and a police report will be filed documenting the conduct.
  17. PRIZE QUALIFIERS. On Sunday, June 21, 2026, and after the close of the Top 10 Voting Period, the three (3) Top 10 Video Submissions that received the greatest number of votes in the Top 10 Vote will be entered into the Qualifier Showcase (defined below) (each, a “Qualifier”) for their chance to win the Prize (defined below).
  18. QUALIFIER CONTACT. On Monday, June 22, 2026, between approximately 6:00 a.m. ET and 10:00 a.m. ET, the Contest Organizer, acting reasonably, will attempt to contact each Qualifier by telephone to notify them that they have been entered as a performer in the Qualifier Showcase (defined below). In the event that a Qualifier cannot be contacted immediately, they may be disqualified and an alternate Qualifier may be selected at the Contest Organizer’s sole discretion. The Qualifier will be announced on-air and will be required to chat on-air. The Qualifier will then be required to provide a representative of the Contest Organizer with their name, address, telephone number, and such other information as may be required to administer the Contest.
  19. If a Qualifier does not answer the Station’s telephone call immediately or if there is not a clear telephone connection between the Contest Organizer and a Qualifier, such that one or each other cannot hear the other, such Qualifier will be disqualified, and the Contest Organizer will not be liable in any way for such failed connection. In conducting the Contest, the Contest Organizer and its representatives have the full and absolute discretion to disqualify any Qualifier whose response cannot be heard by the Contest Organizer’s representative, and the Contest Organizer shall have no liability or responsibility to any individual so disqualified.
  20. QUALIFIER SHOWCASE. On Saturday, June 27, 2026, a special live showcase will be held at Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. at 65 Hatt Street, Dundas, Ontario, L9H 0C1 (the “Qualifier Showcase”). Each Qualifier must perform an original musical work at the Qualifier Showcase, which can either be the musical work contained in their Video Submission or another musical work created entirely by the Qualifier, to be considered for the Prize (defined below). Each Qualifier will perform in front of a panel of judges and will be evaluated based on predetermined judging criteria. The judging criteria will be provided to each Qualifier in advance of the Qualifier Showcase. After all Qualifiers have performed at the Qualifier Showcase, the panel of judges will select one (1) Qualifier to be the potential winner of the Prize (defined below) (the “Potential Winner”). The Potential Winner will be announced at the Qualifier Showcase.
  21. Each Qualifier is solely responsible for their transportation to and from the Qualifier Showcase and must be willing to travel at their own expense. The Contest Organizer is not required to provide travel arrangements to and from the Qualifier Showcase. The Contest Organizer is not responsible for any costs, fees, or expenses incurred by the Qualifiers in relation to their participation in the Qualifier Showcase. Any Qualifier who fails to attend and fully participate in the Qualifier Showcase, for any reason whatsoever, will be disqualified and will not be eligible to win the Prize (defined below). No substitutions or rescheduling of the Qualifier Showcase will be permitted.
  22. PRIZE. There is one (1) prize available to be won, consisting of:
    1. One (1) performance slot at the Route 905 Country Festival on Friday, July 24, 2026;
    2. One (1) recorded interview with a host on the Hot Country Countdown on the Contest Organizer’s Hot Country Radio; and
    3. One (1) consulting session about artist management and career growth, called “Management and Career 101”, courtesy of Birthday Cake Records

(collectively, the “Prize”). The approximate retail value of the Prize is $1,900.00.

  1. The Prize must be accepted as awarded. The Prize may not be sold or transferred, is non-refundable, non-reloadable, and is not substitutable by the Prize winner or convertible to cash. The Contest Organizer reserves the right to substitute a Prize in whole or in part in the event that all or any component of the Prize is unavailable. The Prize will not be replaced if lost or stolen. Additional terms and conditions may be imposed by the Prize Supplier, including in relation to the use of the Prize.
  2. The Prize winner is solely responsible for any and all costs not expressly described herein, including, but not limited to, items of a personal nature, souvenirs, taxes, insurance, gratuities, and all personal expenses of any kind or nature. The Contest Organizer is not responsible for any delay, postponement, suspension, rescheduling or cancellation, for any reason, of the Prize, and the Prize winner will not be compensated in the event of such delay, cancellation, or other event described herein.
  3. PRIZE SUPPLIER. The suppliers of the Prize are the Contest Organizer, Route 905 Country Festival, and Birthday Cake Records (each, a “Prize Supplier”).
  4. ODDS OF WINNING. The odds of being entered into the Top 20 Vote will depend on the number of eligible Video Submissions received during the Contest Period. The odds of being entered into the Top 10 Vote will depend on the number of eligible votes a Top 20 Video Submission receives in the Top 20 Vote and shall be ten (10) in twenty (20). The odds of becoming a Qualifier will depend on the number of eligible votes a Top 10 Video Submission receives in the Top 10 Vote and shall be three (3) in ten (10). The odds of winning the Prize among the eligible Qualifiers will be one (1) in three (3).
  5. AWARDING OF PRIZES. Proof of identification must be provided upon request and must be in the form of a valid government-issued identification card. In order to be declared a winner, Potential Winner must first correctly answer, unaided, a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question administered by the Contest Organizer. Before being awarded the Prize, the Potential Winner will be required to sign and return within the time stipulated by the Contest Organizer a full release and indemnity form stating, among other things, that: they have read, understood and complied with the Rules; they accept the Prize as awarded; they are responsible for any additional fees or charges associated with the Prize; they grant permission for the Contest Organizer to use any or all of their name, photograph, and likeness for publicity purposes; and they release the Contest Organizer from any and all liability of any kind arising out of the Potential Winner’s participation in this Contest and receipt and use of the Prize. In the event that the Potential Winner does not comply with all the provisions as contemplated in these Rules, the Contest Organizer shall have the right to disqualify the Potential Winner, and the Contest Organizer shall be fully and completely released and discharged from any liability or responsibility in this regard.
  6. CLAIMING PRIZE. The Potential Winner will be provided with the contact information of the Prize Suppliers for the purposes of arranging Prize fulfillment and coordinating the logistical details related to the Prize. The Potential Winner must be in contact with the Prize Suppliers within seven (7) days of being selected as the Potential Winner. If the Potential Winner does not claim the Prize within this prescribed time period, the Prize will be considered forfeit and the Contest Organizer may, at its sole discretion, select an alternate winner. The Potential Winner is solely responsible for their transportation to and from any Prize pickup location designated by the Station, and must be willing and able to travel to and from Ancaster, Ontario, at their own expense, in order to claim the Prize. The Contest Organizer is not responsible for any Prize that goes unclaimed and is not required to provide alternative pickup or delivery arrangements or travel arrangements to and from any Prize pickup location. The Contest Organizer is not responsible for any costs, fees, or expenses incurred by the Potential Winner in connection with the pickup or fulfillment of any Prize. The Potential Winner is responsible for providing the Contest Organizer with the accurate and complete information required for the digital delivery and transfer of the Prize. The Contest Organizer is not responsible for any failure to receive the Prize due to incorrect, incomplete, or outdated information provided by the Potential Winner. No credit or reimbursement will be provided if the Prize is not claimed.
  7. PHOTO, VIDEO OR WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS. From time to time, a Contest entry mechanism may require entrants to submit an original submission, such as an original photograph, video, or written composition, (each, a “Submission”) to the Contest Organizer, subject to instructions provided by the Contest Organizer or its representatives. Submissions must be original and must not include any third party’s proprietary content. The Contest Organizer may, in its sole and absolute discretion: (i) disqualify any entrant who uses third party proprietary content, at any time; (ii) edit any Submission to blur out any trade-marks or to remove any copyrighted content; or (iii) disqualify any Submission that involves anything illegal, potentially or actually dangerous or harmful or containing any element of physical risk. Submissions must not contain any reference to, or likeness of, any identifiable third parties, unless consent has been obtained from all such individuals and their parent or legal guardian if they are under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence. Submissions must not include any illegal, defamatory or in any way obscene content. Submissions cannot be a parody or derogatory. Submissions remain the property of the entrant; however, by entering a Contest, each entrant: (i) represents and warrants that their Submission is their original work and does not infringe on any third party rights, including, without limitation, copyright, trade-mark or any other intellectual property rights; (ii) represents and warrants that they have all necessary rights from any third party that appears, or is mentioned, in the Submission, including those from the parent or legal guardian if third party is under the age of majority; (iii) grants the Contest Organizer an unlimited, royalty free, irrevocable, right and license to reproduce, post and broadcast the Submission in any form of media now known or hereinafter developed; (iv) waives all moral rights in the Submission in favour of the Contest Organizer; (v) agrees to release, indemnify, discharge and hold harmless the Contest Organizer from any claim or liability arising from or related to the Submission; and (vi) consents to the publication or use, in any medium of the Submission for the purpose of administering the applicable Contest and publicity purposes carried out by the Contest Organizer without payment or compensation of any kind. Submissions may be showcased by the Contest Organizer at its sole and absolute discretion on a public viewing gallery. The Contest Organizer assumes no responsibility for any claims against infringement of the right of privacy with respect to any Submission.
  8. RELEASE AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. BY PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST, PARTICIPANTS WILL WAIVE CERTAIN LEGAL RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO SUE OR CLAIM COMPENSATION FOLLOWING AN ACCIDENT. The entrants and participants of the Contest, including without limitation the Prize winner, acknowledge that participation in this Contest and the collection or use of the Prize may be inherently dangerous and agree to release, indemnify and hold harmless the Contest Organizer and its parent, affiliated or related companies, and subsidiaries, and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives, agents, and advertising and promotional agencies, from any and all claims, damages, injuries or losses of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in the Contest or any Contest-related activity, or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of the Prize.
  9. By entering this Contest, the entrants and participants automatically agree to accept and abide by these Rules. All decisions of the Contest Organizer with respect to any aspect of this Contest, including, without limitation, the eligibility of entries, are final and binding on all entrants in all matters as they relate to this Contest.
  10. All entries become property of Contest Organizer. The Contest Organizer assumes no responsibility for garbled, lost, late, delayed, destroyed or misdirected entries, mail, voice messages, e-mail or any computer errors or malfunctions. No correspondence will be entered into except with entrants requesting a copy of these Rules by mail, for which a self-addressed, postage paid envelope must be included. The Contest Organizer does not assume any responsibility for incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry information, technical malfunctions, human or technical error, seeding or printing errors, lost, delayed or garbled data or transmissions, omission, interruption, deletion, defect or failures of any telephone or computer line or network, computer equipment, software or any combination thereof. Entry materials or data that have been tampered with or altered are void.
  11. The Contest Organizer reserves the right to withdraw, cancel, terminate, modify, amend, extend or suspend this Contest at any time without prior notice. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if, in the opinion of the Contest Organizer, in its sole discretion, the Contest is not capable of running as originally planned for any reason, or if the administration, security, fairness, integrity or the proper conduct of the Contest is corrupted or adversely affected, including by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond its control, the Contest Organizer reserves the right to withdraw, cancel, terminate, modify, amend, extend or suspend the Contest without prior notice, including by selecting a Potential Winner from previously received eligible entries. The Contest Organizer reserves the right to modify the Rules without materially affecting the terms and conditions hereof.
  12. The Contest Organizer reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of the Rules or otherwise in a disruptive manner, including any automated, macro, script, robotic or other system(s) or program(s) to enter. Any attempts to deliberately damage the Contest website or to undermine the legitimate operation of this Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and, should such an attempt be made, the Contest Organizer reserves the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent of the law. The Contest Organizer shall not be held responsible for any errors or negligence that may arise or occur in connection with the Contest, including any damage to an entrant’s computer equipment, system, software or any combination thereof, as a result of their participation in this Contest or from downloading any material from the Contest website.
  13. The Contest Organizer is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, the administration of the Contest, or any announcements related to the Contest or the Prize.
  14. In no event shall the Contest Organizer be obligated to award more prizes than is set out in these Rules or to award prizes otherwise than in compliance with these Rules.
  15. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations. These Rules will be interpreted according to the laws of Ontario, Canada.
  16. By entering this Contest, each entrant consents to the collection, use and distribution of their personal information (information that identifies an entrant as an individual, such as their name, telephone number, age, address and e-mail address) by the Contest Organizer for the purposes of implementing, administering and fulfilling this Contest. The Contest Organizer will not sell or transmit this information to third parties except for the purposes of administering this Contest. Any inquiry concerning the personal information held by the Contest Organizer should be addressed to the Contest Organizer’s General Counsel at 5312 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON, M9B 1B3 or via e-mail at privacy@evanov.ca.
  17. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between the terms and conditions of these Rules and disclosures or other statements contained in any Contest-related materials, including but not limited to the Contest entry form, or point of sale, radio, television, print or online advertising, the terms and conditions of the Rules shall prevail, govern and control.
  18. All intellectual property, including but not limited to trade-marks, trade-names, logos, designs, promotional materials, web pages, source codes, drawings, illustrations, slogans and representations are owned by the Contest Organizer, the Prize Supplier(s), and/or their affiliates. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized copying or use of any copyrighted material or intellectual property without the express written consent of its owner is strictly prohibited.