The Meltdown & Miracle Awards — Official Rules

No purchase necessary · Last updated August 21, 2026

1. Sponsor

Joy Family LLC, doing business as VIP Holiday Photos, 12703 Haynes Road, Houston, Texas 77066 (the "Sponsor").

The Joy Shop is operated by Sponsor's parent company, Joy, which also operates the Joy Parenting Club. Grand prize credit is redeemable at the Joy Shop and is subject to its terms of sale.

2. No purchase necessary

No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Any photograph of a child with Santa is eligible, from any year, taken anywhere, by anyone. It does not have to be a VIP Holiday Photos photograph and it does not have to be from the 2026 season. See Section 5.

3. Eligibility

• Open to legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.
• An entrant who submits a photograph depicting a minor must be that minor's parent or legal guardian, and by entering confirms they are.
• Employees, officers and directors of the Sponsor, of the Joy Shop, and of their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and agencies, and the immediate family and household members of each, are not eligible.
• Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

4. Promotion period

The promotion begins Thursday, November 5, 2026 and entries close Thursday, December 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Season winners are announced Saturday, January 2, 2027. Sponsor's computer is the official timekeeper.

Rounds, the entries each covers, and when winners are announced:

• Opening round — entries received Nov 5 – Nov 29; winners announced Mon Nov 30.
• Round 2 — Nov 30 – Dec 6; announced Mon Dec 7.
• Round 3 — Dec 7 – Dec 13; announced Mon Dec 14.
• Round 4 — Dec 14 – Dec 20; announced Mon Dec 21.
• Final round — Dec 21 – Dec 24; announced Mon Dec 28.
• Finalist vote — ten finalists; public vote Wed Dec 30, open for 24 hours.
• Grand prize — announced Sat Jan 2, 2027.

5. How to enter

Send your photograph to @vipholidayphotos on Instagram, either as a direct message or as a reply to one of our Stories, during the promotion period. Tell us which category you are entering. One photograph per message; you may enter as many separate photographs as you like.

Your photograph does not need to be from a VIP Holiday Photos session. Any photo of a child with Santa qualifies, whatever year it was taken, wherever it was taken, and whoever took it. This is the free method of entry and it is available to everyone equally.

An Instagram account is required to enter, and is free to create. Entries must be received by the Sponsor during the promotion period; proof of sending is not proof of receipt.

Before we post anything

After you enter, we will reply asking you to confirm in writing that we may feature your photograph. Nothing is posted until that confirmation is received. If you do not reply, your photograph is not featured and is not eligible to win.

6. Categories

• Most Unhinged — the spectacular meltdowns.
• Miracle Shot — the ones that somehow came out beautifully.

Winners are selected separately in each category at every stage.

7. Entry requirements

By entering, you represent and warrant that:

• The photograph is one you own or otherwise have the full right to submit, and submitting it does not infringe anyone's rights.
• You are the parent or legal guardian of every minor depicted, and you have the authority to grant the rights in Section 11 on their behalf.
• Every adult identifiable in the photograph has consented to its submission and use.
• The photograph has not been altered in a way that misrepresents what it shows, beyond ordinary cropping and color correction.

Sponsor may refuse or remove any entry, at any time and at its sole discretion, including any entry it considers unsuitable for a family audience, distressing rather than lighthearted, or otherwise inconsistent with the spirit of the promotion.

8. How winners are chosen

Daily features

Each day during the promotion period, Sponsor may feature one entry from each category on its Instagram Story. A daily feature is recognition only and carries no prize.

Round winners

At the end of each round, Sponsor selects one winner in each category from the entries received during that round. Selection is made by Sponsor's judges in their sole discretion, on the basis of how well the photograph captures the spirit of its category. This is a skill-based determination and is not a random drawing.

Season winners

The ten round winners become finalists. On Wednesday, December 30, 2026, all ten are posted in a 24-hour Instagram Story poll and the public votes. The finalist receiving the most votes in each category is that category's season winner. Voting is open to anyone with an Instagram account; no purchase or entry is necessary to vote and voting does not affect anyone's chance of winning.

In the event of a tie, Sponsor's judges will select the winner from the tied finalists. Sponsor's decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to this promotion.

9. Prizes

• Round winner (10 prizes) — One free digital package on a future visit, issued as a promotional code. Approximate retail value $40 to $42 depending on location.
• Season winner (2 prizes) — $500 in credit to spend at the Joy Shop. Approximate retail value $500.

Total approximate retail value of all prizes: $1,410. Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of entries received.

• Prizes are not transferable and no cash alternative or substitution is offered, except that Sponsor may substitute a prize of equal or greater value if the stated prize becomes unavailable.
• The round prize covers the digital package only. A winner applying it toward a larger package pays the difference.
• The round prize is redeemable at a VIP Holiday Photos location during the Easter 2027 or Christmas 2027 season, at the winner's choice. It expires after that and has no cash value.
• Joy Shop credit is subject to the Joy Shop's own terms of sale and expires December 31, 2027. It has no cash value and cannot be redeemed for cash.
• All taxes on prizes are the winner's responsibility.
• A person may win no more than one round prize and one season prize.

10. Winner notification

Winners are notified by Instagram direct message within three business days of selection, at the account from which they entered. A winner must respond within fourteen days to claim the prize. If a winner cannot be reached, does not respond in time, is ineligible, or declines, the prize may be forfeited and awarded to an alternate at Sponsor's discretion.

Sponsor may require a winner to sign an affidavit of eligibility and a liability and publicity release before the prize is awarded.

11. Rights you grant us

By entering and confirming as described in Section 5, you grant Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to reproduce, display, publish, adapt and distribute your photograph, in whole or in part, on Sponsor's social media accounts, website, email and marketing materials, in connection with this promotion and with Sponsor's business generally.

You keep ownership of your photograph. This license does not transfer copyright, and it does not permit Sponsor to sell your photograph as a product.

You may withdraw at any time. Ask us and we will remove your photograph from our accounts, without question and without needing a reason, during the promotion or after it. We cannot recall copies others have already saved or shared.

12. What we will never publish

Captions accompanying featured photographs will not include a child's name, the name of a school, the mall or location where a photograph was taken, or any location tag. Winners are identified by Instagram handle only, and only after they have agreed to that in writing.

13. Privacy

Information you provide is used to administer this promotion and is handled in accordance with Sponsor's privacy policy. Entering does not subscribe you to marketing email.

14. General conditions

• By entering, you agree to these Official Rules and to Sponsor's decisions, which are final.
• Sponsor may disqualify any person it believes is tampering with the promotion, acting in bad faith, using multiple accounts, or acting in a way that is abusive or disruptive to other entrants or to Sponsor's staff.
• Sponsor is not responsible for entries that are lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or not received for any reason, including any failure of Instagram.
• If the promotion cannot run as planned for any reason, Sponsor may modify, suspend or terminate it, and award prizes from eligible entries received to that point.
• To the fullest extent permitted by law, entrants release Sponsor and the Joy Shop from any liability arising out of participation in this promotion or acceptance or use of a prize.

15. Governing law

These Official Rules are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions. Any dispute will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Harris County, Texas.

16. Instagram

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram or Meta Platforms, Inc. You are providing your information to the Sponsor and not to Instagram. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding this promotion must be directed to the Sponsor.

17. Winners list

For the names of the season winners, email jhardin@viprec.com by March 31, 2027.