WHAT CAN I WIN?

Twenty (20) National Recipe Winners (“National Winners”) will each win a cash prize of  $5,000 and marketing support valued at $5,000 .  One (1) of the 20 National Winners will also be named the Grand Prize Recipe Winner (“Grand Prize Winner”) with the “People’s Choice” award if their recipe is chosen as a favorite on our social media Facebook page and will receive an additional $5,000.00 to donate to a local food bank of their choice and a VIP marketing package valued at $8,000 (the “Grand Prize Package”).  Approximate retail value (ARV) of the Grand Prize is $13,000.

PRIZE STRUCTURE 

Twenty (20) National Winners will receive $5,000.00 (awarded as a check) and a marketing package, valued at $5,000, including:

  • Ad in their local newspaper
  • Marketing and social media tools they can use to promote their restaurant in their community
  • Promotion of their restaurant via PR, online and social media
  • Professional photography of their recipe. Approximate retail value (ARV) of each National Winner’s Prize is $10,000.
One (1) Grand Prize Recipe Winner One National Winner will be awarded the Grand Prize and will receive a $5,000.00 charity donation by General Mills on Grand Prize Winner’s behalf to a mutually agreed upon 501c food bank charity. The Grand Prize Winner will also receive a VIP marketing package including a menu consult with our culinary team (menu evaluation, profitable takeout offerings and more).  Approximate retail value (ARV) of Grand Prize is $13,000. 

Total value of all prizes: $213,000. Contest prizes are not transferable, except at the sole discretion of General Mills. General Mills reserves the right in its sole and absolute discretion, to substitute any prize or prize component with a prize or prize component of equal or greater value. Limit one National Winner prize per person. All taxes and other expenses, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winners.  This contest is void where prohibited or otherwise regulated. All federal, state and local laws apply.

WHO CAN ENTER?

You are eligible to enter if you are 21 years of age or older as of August 1, 2020, are a foodservice operator, chef or line cook who develops recipes for menu items served to paying guests at an independent, commercial restaurant or food truck operation as your primary form of employment and are a legal United States resident residing in one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of contest entry.

An independent, commercial restaurant operation is defined as a restaurant owned and operated by an individual, family, or group of people. Independent, commercial restaurant enterprises with nineteen (19) or fewer restaurant units are eligible to enter the contest.

An independent, commercial food truck operation is defined as a mobile vehicle equipped to cook and sell food that is owned and operated by an individual, family or group of people. A commercial kitchen may be used for food prep. Independent, commercial food truck enterprises with nineteen (19) or fewer trucks are eligible to enter the contest.

You are not eligible to enter and will be disqualified if:

  • Entering this contest is in violation of your employer’s policies;
  • You have previously won the Grand Prize in a General Mills Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest;
  • You have previously been a finalist or winner in 3 or more prior General Mills Recipe Contests
  • You are an employee of a consumer and/or foodservice packaged goods manufacturing company;
  • You are an owner, operator, or employee of an independent bed and breakfast commercial operation as your primary form of employment;
  • You or a member of your immediate family (parent, children, siblings, spouse, regardless of where they live) are an employee of General Mills or any of their respective parents, subsidiaries and affiliated companies, or any promotion, advertising, judging or public relations company doing business with any of the above, or any of their respective parents, subsidiaries and affiliated companies, or you live in the same household of such employees (whether related or not).

HOW DO I ENTER?

To enter, go to www.neighborhoodtonation.com  and submit a photo of your original recipe using the online entry form and share your story.  Briefly (200 words or less) share how you used our product(s) in a creative way and what inspired you to create this recipe. This could be a takeout recipe you created that helped (or is helping) your business or a recipe that brings comfort, joy or other benefits to your patrons and community during this challenging time. Is this recipe a menu staple or new creation? Let us know how it’s serving you, your restaurant, and community.

The top  entrants will be asked to submit their recipe details to be tested, tasted and photographed for PR, media and social media.

Entry requirements:

  • Photo must clearly show your creation as it would be served, with all toppings included.
  • Recipe must be original.
  • Recipe must use at least one product from the list of General Mill’s Foodservice eligible products as a recipe ingredient.
  • Recipes must use ingredients that are easily accessible and not cost prohibitive in a foodservice operation.
  • Must have an active business Facebook page.
  • Contest entries will be accepted from 8:00am PST on August 1, 2020 to 11:59pm PST on September 30, 2020 (the “Entry Period”). You may only submit one entry.

Recipe requirements (if requested to submit):

  • Eligible product(s) and the amount used must be listed in your recipe ingredient list.
  • In the ingredient list, include amounts of any toppings, garnishes or accompaniments used in the recipe.
  • Recipes using eggs, flour, baking mixes or frozen biscuits or any other dough or batter products must include a baking step in the preparation instructions.

The first one hundred (100) eligible entrants will receive a Pillsbury Doughboy swag bag and marketing tools for their restaurant/food truck.

As part of the entry process, you will also be required to agree to receive emails from General Mills, including communication on the Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest. If you do not agree to receive emails, your entry will not be an eligible entry.

Only entries submitted via the electronic entry form provided on the website listed above during the Entry Period will be accepted. Entries submitted via any other method, including but not limited to U.S. Postal Service, facsimile or other express delivery services, will NOT be accepted. Use of automated processes and devices to submit electronic entries is not permitted. General Mills is not responsible for any changes or effects caused to the entrant's computer system as a result of submitting electronic entries. General Mills and its promotion agencies are not responsible for phone, network, electronic or computer hardware or software failure, or technical failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, fraud, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions, whether caused by General Mills, entrants or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the promotion or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions which may damage a user’s system or limit a participant’s ability to participate in the promotion.

General Mills may prohibit any individual from participating in the contest or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said individual is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the contest by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair practices; violates the Official Rules; or acts in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner at any time during the contest, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. By submitting your recipe, you accept all contest rules and agree to be bound by the decisions of the Judges, which will be final. You also agree that your recipe(s) becomes the sole property of General Mills, and General Mills reserves the right to edit, adapt, modify, copyright, publish, transfer and use any or all of them, without compensation.  If a National or Grand Prize Winner requests their recipe be kept confidential General Mills will not publish the winning recipe ingredients and preparation.  General Mills reserves the right to publish photos and descriptions of the confidential recipe.

CAUTION -- ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY’S FEES) FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

HOW WILL NATIONAL WINNERS BE SELECTED?

Winners will be selected by the Judges based on :

  • Use of eligible product in recipe (25% weight)
  • Foodservice Viability of recipe (35% weight)
  • Recipe inspiration (Story shared) (40% weight)

The top forty (40) entrants will be asked to submit full recipe details to General Mills to verify and test for foodservice viability between October 2020 and December 2020.  If you are one of the twenty (20) Winners, you will be notified via phone and/or email in or around January 2021.

How will recipes be judged?

All entries must meet the requirements of the contest entry criteria. Recipes not meeting contest entry criteria will be disqualified.   Entries must be the original recipe of the entrant. Judging of the recipe will be done by culinary professionals (the “Judges”) to confirm appropriate use of one or more eligible products in addition to consideration of the criteria outlined below (collectively, the “Judging Criteria”) and weighted equally:

  • Taste
  • Appearance
  • Creativity
  • Foodservice Viability

Judges will disqualify previously published recipes, such as but not limited to those in cookbooks, in magazines, online, from food companies, and winners in recipe contests, unless the recipe features changes considered significant by the Judges in their sole and absolute discretion. Finalists will be required to certify, on information or belief, that their recipes are their original creation and have not been published or publicized and have not been recognized as a winner in a recipe contest. Judges reserve the right to change recipe names, edit, adapt or modify entries as  they deem appropriate. Decisions of the Judges are final in all matters relating to this contest.

What happens if I BECOME A NATIONAL WINNER?

The twenty (20) Winners will be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility, a confidentiality agreement and a liability release/assignment of rights giving General Mills and its nominees full rights to use the National Winner's name, likeness, image and voice for contest-related advertising and publicity, including such usage on the Internet, and return it within five (5) business days of receipt of notification. General Mills will advise National Winners of their status and of further contest procedures and policies after review of all documents submitted.

Once confirmed by General Mills as an official National Winner, General Mills may advise Winners of further contest procedures and policies, and all National Winners agree to comply with such procedures. Winners may not participate in any third-party promotional efforts during the six (6) months following their receiving notification of winning without General Mills’ permission. Winners may be asked to participate in the prize announcement in their hometown during the months of February and March 2021. Any Winner who does not comply with these requirements, cannot be easily located at the address or phone number provided, or who is unable to attend the prize announcement, should they be asked,  will not be allowed to compete and will not be eligible for any prize. If a  Winner becomes unable to compete for any reason, General Mills may attempt to replace that Winner with an alternate, provided that the alternate can comply with the conditions stated above. General Mills in its sole discretion may also choose not to replace any Winner.

HOW WILL THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER BE SELECTED?

Photos taken by General Mills of all the National Winning Recipes will be posted on the Neighborhood to Nation Facebook page on or about February 1, 2021 for a one (1) week period.  The public will be encouraged to “comment”  on their favorite National Winning Recipe photo and to “follow” the entrants Facebook page.   The photo that receives the most “comments” during that one (1) week period will be awarded with the “People’s Choice” award and named Grand Prize Winner which includes $5,000 for a local food bank in their community and a VIP marketing package for their restaurant/food truck, including a menu consult with our culinary team (menu evaluation, profitable takeout offerings and more).  Winner will be announced on the Neighborhood to Nation Facebook page at the end of the voting period (week).

HOW WILL THE NATIONAL RECIPE WINNERS AND GRAND PRIZE RECIPE WINNER BE ANNOUNCED?

The twenty (20) National Winners will be notified by General Mills of their prize-winning status in January 2021.  A social media kit will be provided to each National Winner on how to share their news. The National Winners will also receive a publicity package that includes a promotional material, a newspaper ad capped at $5,000, coordination of press releases with local media and will be featured in General Mills marketing.

The National Winner selected by the Judges as the Grand Prize Winner and will be announced on Facebook Live by General Mills’ Chef Ted.

In the event the Grand Prize Winner engages in behavior that (as determined by General Mills in its sole discretion) is obnoxious or threatening, illegal or that is intended to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, General Mills reserves the right to terminate the promotion or other applicable experience early, in whole or in part, and with no further compensation.

All issues and disputes regarding any aspect of the contest, including, but not limited to the construction, interpretation and enforceability of these official rules, shall be governed by the laws of the state of Minnesota, without regard to principles of conflicts of laws. All suits and claims shall be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction situated in Minneapolis, MN. General Mills reserves the right to cancel this promotion at its sole discretion. Winners will be posted on the Internet at www.neighborhoodtonation.com following the Hometown Celebration Events.

The Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest is sponsored by General Mills, One General Mills Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55426.

Entrant's Personally Identifiable Information: Information collected from entrants is subject to General Mills’s Privacy Policy (http://generalmills.com/company/privacy-policies/privacy-policy-us).

This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. By entering, you understand that you are providing your information to Sponsor and not to Facebook.