The winner of the Oktoberfest Stein Hoisting Contest receives four tickets to Lightscape.

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

Please read these rules before entering the Chicago Botanic Garden's Stein Hoisting Contest (the "Contest"). By submitting an entry, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules, and you acknowledge that you satisfy all Contest eligibility requirements.

ELIGIBILITY

If you are an individual and are 21 years of age or older at the time of entry, you are eligible to enter the Contest. Our employees are not eligible to enter the Contest.

HOW TO ENTER

You may enter the Contest beginning at 11:00 a.m. (CT) on September 11, 2026, and ending at 11:59 p.m. (CT) on September 18, 2026 (the "Contest Entry Period"). To enter, you must sign up at the signup link provided online by providing your name and email address. Limit one entry per person during the Contest Entry Period.

You must be present at the Festival Field at the Chicago Botanic Garden at 3:25 p.m. on September 19, 2026 to participate in the Contest. You must be able to present a valid government-issued ID. No late arrivals will be accepted.

We must receive eligible entries online during the Contest Entry Period for them to be eligible for participation. We will select an alternate participant in person if any potential participant is not present at the stage area at 3:25 p.m. on September 19, 2026, or does not meet eligibility criteria.

PRIZE

The selected judge(s) will award three prizes, with varied retail value, and participants must accept the ruling of the appointed judge(s). Prize items include: (first place) four tickets to Lightscape, valid on any event date; (second place) four tickets to Night of 1,000 Jack-o'-Lanterns, valid on any event date; and (third place) two beer steins.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is not responsible if any part of the Contest prize is lost, stolen, destroyed, or used without permission, and a lost or stolen prize will not be replaced. The prize will be awarded "AS IS" and WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, express or implied (including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose). Prizes may not be transferred, assigned, or redeemed for cash, and we may substitute a prize of equal or greater value.

STEIN USE

All participants expressly agree that they will not drink from the stein used during the Contest. Doing so will result in being removed from the Contest and the event.

ADDITIONAL TERMS

We may, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law and in our sole discretion, change these rules or cancel the Contest at any time, or modify, terminate, or suspend the Contest should unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond our control corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness, or proper play of the Contest or submission of entries.

We are not responsible for: (a) lost, misdirected, late, incomplete, or unintelligible entries, or for inaccurate entry information, whether caused by you or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest, or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of entries; (b) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Contest; or (c) any error in the operation or transmission, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries.

We may, in our sole discretion, disqualify any individual found to be: (x) tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest; (y) acting in violation of these rules; or (z) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person. If your entry is incomplete, your entry will be void. No greater than the number of prizes stated in these Official Rules will be awarded.

MISCELLANEOUS

The Contest is governed by the laws of the United States. The Contest and all accompanying materials are © 2026 by the Chicago Botanic Garden. All rights reserved.

Each winner agrees that, by accepting the prize, we, along with each of our respective affiliates and agents (collectively, the "Released Parties"), will have no liability, and will be held harmless by the winner, for any liability, loss, injury, or damage to property or person, including death, and reasonable attorney's fees and court costs, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, to the acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of the prize or participation in the Contest, even if caused or contributed to by the negligence of any of the Released Parties.

You agree that our decisions related to the Contest are final. The winner agrees that, by participating in the Contest, we may use the winner's name in any manner and in any medium for our promotional purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law.

SPONSOR

Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022.

PRIVACY NOTICE

All information submitted in connection with this Contest will be treated in accordance with these Official Rules and the Chicago Botanic Garden Privacy Policy.