1. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.  The National Association of REALTORS® 2025 Fair Housing Champion Award Contest (the “Award”) is open only to members of the National Association of REALTORS® who are legal U.S. residents 18 years of age or older at the time of entry (an eligible “Nominee”). CONTEST NOT OPEN TO STAFF OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (“NAR”) AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES AND INSTITUTES, AND IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS AND HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS OF SUCH STAFF. The nomination period starts on or about 12:00am on 05/01/2024 and ends on or about 11:59pm 06/15/2024 ("Nomination Period").
  2. Official Rules. The rules, terms and conditions specified herein for the Award comprise its official rules (“Official Rules”) and will govern all participation in the Award. Please take a moment to review these Official Rules which Nominees agree will govern all matters relating to the Award through their participation in the Award. These Official Rules may not be modified or superseded except by NAR, in its sole, reasonable discretion, through a written revision to these Official Rules, which will be posted to nar.realtor/champion.
  3. Important Notice. Nominees and Nominators are responsible for compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations (“Laws”) regarding eligibility to participate in this Award. NAR disclaims any and all liability and responsibility for disputes related to this matter.
  4. Prize.The prize (“Prize”) will consist of $5,000 that NAR will donate to the 501(c)(3) organization (“Organization”) of the winner’s choice that complies with the criteria set forth herein. One Prize will be awarded. The Organization must focus on the advancement of fair housing or otherwise be making significant contributions in expanding housing opportunities to traditionally disadvantaged groups, such as community reinvestment organizations, landbanks, organizations that promote, develop and preserve housing and real property for historically disadvantaged groups and neighborhoods, and organizations that offer housing counseling and/or mobility counseling. The Organization may not be owned by or otherwise affiliated with NAR or any of its subsidiaries, institutes or affiliates, or local or state associations. The Organization must be recognized as a tax-exempt organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and must be organized for a charitable purpose as defined therein. The Organization must submit proof of its tax- exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in order to receive the Prize. The Organization may not engage in discriminatory behavior based on race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or any other characteristic protected by law. The Organization may not be a political or fraternal organization. NAR reserves the right to refuse to grant the Prize to the winner’s selected Organization for any reason in its sole discretion. In that case, NAR will ask the winner to select a different Organization to receive the Prize.
  5. How to Enter. Nominees may be nominated by submitted an award entry forms (“Entry Form”). Entry Forms may be submitted by a Nominee or by a third party on behalf of a Nominee (“Nominator”). All required fields on the Entry Form must be completed in full to be considered. Incomplete or fraudulent Entry Forms will be disqualified and void. NAR assumes no responsibility for any late, lost, damaged, incomplete, or illegible Entry Forms. The Award is intended to recognize individual brokerage or company-wide contributions. If the achievements of two people cannot be separated, they may be nominated via a single Entry Form. By submitting an Entry Form, the Nominees and Nominator expressly authorize NAR to contact the Nominee and Nominator at the contact information listed in the Entry Form. This authorization overrides any “do not contact” or solicitation preference Nominees and Nominators have previously expressed to NAR. NAR is not responsible for a Nominee’s failure to receive a Prize notice due to Nominee’s spam, junk e-mail, or other security settings or for Nominee’s incorrect or otherwise non-functioning contact information as included in the Entry Form.
  6. Judging Panel and Criteria. To determine the winner (“Winer”), eligible submissions will be judged by a qualified panel of judges appointed by NAR (“Judging Panel”). The Judging Panel will review all eligible entries and select the Winner based on the criteria listed below. There will be only one Winner. Decisions of the Judging Panel are final and binding in all respects. Any Winner is subject to verification by NAR.

a. Nominees should have made a significant impact on efforts to advance fair housing and expand homeownership to traditionally underserved communities, either through their business or as a volunteer or advocate. Eligible activities are limited to real estate or housing issues.

b. Nominees should have made a significant contribution of personal time, or time working at a brokerage or real estate affiliated business, to advance fair housing and expand homeownership. Contributions of money, materials, and other resources will also be considered by the judges.

c. Nominees will be judged on level of personal contribution, broadness of impact, innovation in advancing fair housing and expanding homeownership, and the project's suitability as a role model for other REALTORS®.

d. Working to advance fair housing for the purposes of this award is defined as: innovating in implementing best practices that curtail discrimination and bias in real estate, and working to educate other REALTORS® on such best practices.

e. There is no specific timeframe during which the fair housing work must be completed. Work done at any point in the past is eligible, as is work that is current and ongoing. Please note, however, that ongoing efforts, recent experience, or work of significant, lasting effect will be given more weight.

f. Entry Forms must include documentation of a Nominee’s individual involvement though reports and/or testimonials from the organizations they served or the people they helped.

g. Working to expand homeownership to traditionally underserved communities for purposes of this award means: to implement business practices that encourage and support homebuyers from groups that have been discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity; and to expand the brokerage’s business to neighborhoods that have traditionally been underserved by the real estate industry. The terms “traditionally underserved groups,” “traditionally disadvantaged groups,” “disadvantaged groups,” “underserved groups,” and “underserved neighborhoods” that are used throughout this document all refer to the same groups and individuals that are delineated by the “traditionally underserved communities” definition above.

h. Eligible activities include but are not limited to: implementing a culture that embraces fair housing at your brokerage or office; innovative efforts to expand homeownership to disadvantaged groups; expanding homeownership in underserved neighborhoods; opening an office that offers real estate services in an underserved neighborhood with the express intent of serving the residents of that neighborhood; actively recruiting agents from disadvantaged groups for your real estate business; promoting or supporting housing counseling and/or mobility counseling for traditionally underserved groups; educating other real estate professionals about the importance of fair housing and best practices for expanding homeownership to underserved groups; educating clients and the community about fair housing; fair housing advocacy on a local, state, or federal level; authoring fair housing education related curriculum; serving as an active member of a REALTOR® Association Fair Housing or Diversity Committee; serving as an active member of a local or state Fair Housing/Civil Rights/Human Rights/Disabilities Services related agency or commission; and serving as a Fair Housing, Implicit Bias and/or At Home with Diversity education instructor. Fair housing work that is performed in a business setting or in a volunteer capacity is eligible.

  1. Winner Notification. The Winner will be notified on or about July 1, 2024. NAR will notify the Winner via the email provided on the Entry Form. Failure to reach any Winner by e-mail after three (3) attempts may result in disqualification of the Winner, forfeiture of their interest in the Prize, and selection of a substitute Winner from among all remaining eligible Nominees.
  2. Affidavit of Eligibility. The Winner may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility, a liability release, and, where lawful, a publicity release within seven (7) days of notification. If the affidavit and release are not signed and returned within seven (7) days, or if the prize notification is returned to NAR as undeliverable, then an alternative Winner will be selected. The Winner, where lawful, grants permission for the use of Winner’s name, voice, city, state, and photograph for advertising and promotional purposes in conjunction with the Award and similar promotions without additional compensation.
  3. Organization Notification. The Organization chosen by a Winner to receive the Prize must provide NAR with certain information in order to receive the Prize. If the Organization does not provide NAR with that information within seven (7) days of notification, NAR will ask the Winner to select a different Organization to receive the Prize.
  4. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. By completing an entry or accepting a Prize, all Nominees and Nominators release and hold harmless NAR, and its subsidiaries, affiliated companies, officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees from any and all liability for any loss, harm, injuries, damages, cost or expenses arising out of or relating to the participation in this Award or the acceptance, use or misuse of the Prize, including, without limitation, failed or delayed electronic communications whether caused by Nominee, Nominator, or NAR, any human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in this Award, and typographical, technological or other error in the promotion or administration of this Award. Nominees and Nominators further acknowledge that NAR is not responsible or liable for the warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or law, related to the Prize. By participating, Nominees and Nominators agree to these Official Rules. Any taxes imposed upon a Prize will be the sole responsibility of the Organization.
  5. Cancellation of Award: If, for any reason, the Award is not capable of running as planned, including, without limitation, due to tampering, unauthorized intervention, or fraud beyond the control of NAR, which corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Award, NAR reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Award. Persons found tampering with or abusing any aspect of this Award, as solely determined by NAR in its discretion, will be disqualified from the Award. Any attempt to damage NAR’s websites, or tamper with or undermine the legitimate operation of the Award, is a violation of these Official Rules.
  6. Governing Law: The Promotion is governed by, and will be construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Illinois, and the forum and venue for any disputes will be in federal court located in Cook County, Illinois.
  7. Personal Data: Any personal data collected by NAR from Nominees and Nominators will be collected in accordance with NAR’s privacy policy available on www.nar.realtor (“Privacy Policy”). By participating in the Promotion, Nominees and Nominators agree to NAR’s collection and use of the personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted the Privacy Policy.
  8. REALTOR® Trademarks: REALTOR® and REALTORS® are federally registered collective membership marks owned by NAR which identify real estate professionals who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribe to its strict Code of Ethics.
  9. Winner List. For a list of the Winners, please contact by April, 2025 Alexia Smokler, National Association of REALTORS® at asmokler@nar.realtor.
  10. Sponsor:
    National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)
    430 N. Michigan Ave.
    Chicago, Illinois 60611
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