Sponsor: Redemption Plus Inc., 6800 College Blvd, Suite 700, Overland Park, KS 66211 ("Sponsor," "we," "us")
Last updated: 9/2/2026
| Phase | Dates | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| The Open Call | Sept 2, 2026, 5:00:00 PM ET – Sept 11, 2026, 11:59:59 PM ET | Entries accepted |
| The Cut | Sept 12–14, 2026, 11:59:59 PM ET | Sponsor selects twelve (12) semifinalist entries ("The Dozen") |
| The Vote | Sept 21–25, 2026, 11:59:59 PM ET | Public voting narrows The Dozen to four finalists ("The Last Four Standing") |
| The Final | Sept 27–30, 2026, 11:59:59 PM ET | Public voting selects the Champion; the result is kept sealed |
| The Reveal | Wednesday, Nov 18, 2026, ~11:00 AM ET | Champion announced at IAAPA Expo 2026, booth S3026, Orlando, FL |
All times are Eastern Time.
We may correct typos and update administrative details (like contact information or the voting platform) at any time. We will not change the eligibility rules, the judging criteria, or the prizes after the Open Call opens, unless the law requires it or Section 11 allows it. The current version of these Official Rules, with the date it was last updated, is posted at Custom Plush Battle Royale - Official Contest Rules.
To enter, you must — at the time you enter — be all of the following:
Not eligible: residents of Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or any other U.S. territory or possession; residents of Canada or any other country outside the United States.
Also not eligible, wherever you live: employees, officers, and directors of Sponsor and its parent companies, subsidiaries, and affiliates; employees, officers, and directors of any manufacturer or distributor of plush, toys, or redemption merchandise that competes with Sponsor; anyone involved in running or judging the Contest; and the immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling, and their spouses) and household members of any of these people. For clarity: employees and owners of distributors that buy from Sponsor are eligible.
Voting is separate and is covered in Section 5.
By submitting an entry, you agree to these Official Rules, including the ownership terms in Section 6. If you don't agree to them, don't enter.
During the Open Call, go to the entry form: Custom Plush Battle Royale — Submit Your Concept and fill in the required information, including a written description of your plush concept.
Entries are written descriptions only. The form does not accept file uploads, and no sketch, drawing, photo, or mockup is required. Our design team — not you — will create any artwork for entries that advance past the Open Call.
Limit: three (3) entries per person. Entries submitted by automated or robotic means, or on someone else's behalf without their knowledge and consent, are void. We may ask you to verify your identity, eligibility, and residency at any point.
Our internal panel reviews every eligible entry and picks twelve to advance. Entries are scored on:
There is no random drawing at any stage. Our judges' decisions are final on all matters relating to the Contest.
The Dozen will be posted for public voting. Voting instructions and a ballot link will be provided when The Vote opens. Each voter may pick up to three of the twelve entries. The four entries with the most votes become the Last Four Standing.
The Last Four Standing will be posted for a final round of voting. Each voter may pick one entry. The entry with the most votes goes to our judging panel, which confirms the Champion after a final check on manufacturability, product safety, and third-party rights. If the top entry can't be manufactured or cleared, we may select the next-highest-voted entry. The result stays sealed until the Reveal.
Voting is open to anyone 18 years of age or older. You don't have to be an entrant or live in the Contest Territory to vote. We collect a voter's email address only to enforce the one-ballot limit and — if the voter separately opts in — to send marketing emails. See Section 14.
One ballot per person per round. Votes cast by automated, robotic, or scripted means, or using disposable, auto-generated, or multiple email addresses controlled by the same person, are void. Entrants may encourage people to vote but may not offer money, discounts, products, prizes, or any other inducement in exchange for votes. We may void any votes we believe break this rule and may disqualify any entry we determine benefited from them.
If entries tie for the last advancing spot in The Vote, or tie for first in The Final, our judging panel breaks the tie by re-scoring the tied entries against the criteria above. The panel's decision is final.
If fewer than twelve eligible entries are received, we may extend the Open Call, reduce the number of semifinalists or finalists, or cancel the Contest.
Odds depend on the number of eligible entries received and on the judging and voting described above.
Please read this section before you enter. By entering, you are agreeing to it.
When you enter, you give Redemption Plus ownership of your entry — anything you write, draw, or send us about your idea. This applies to every entry, not just the winner's.
That means we can use, change, make, sell, and advertise your entry, or anything based on it, anywhere in the world, for as long as we want, without paying you again or asking your approval — apart from the prizes described in Section 8.
This also covers any sketch, drawing, photo, or other material about your entry that you send us by any other route, including email, social media, or in person at a trade show.
By entering, you confirm that:
We may also use your name, city and state, company or venue name, and likeness to promote the Contest and our products, except where the law doesn't allow it.
If you win, you will sign one short ownership form before production begins (see Section 9).
We may modify, adapt, or alter any entry, including the Champion's, as we determine necessary for manufacturability, safety, cost, or any other reason, without further approval from or payment to you.
Total approximate retail value of all prizes: To be determined based on winning concept. Cost will be based on various factors such as material, size, manufacturing process, etc.
Prizes do not include travel, lodging, meals, or any other cost of attending IAAPA Expo 2026, and we are not responsible for them. You do not need to attend IAAPA Expo to win or to receive a prize. If the Champion is not at the Reveal, we will notify the Champion by email and ship the prize to their address in the Contest Territory. Production timelines vary and will be shared with the Champion at the time of notification.
No cash or other substitution, except at our discretion, in which case we may substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Prizes are non-transferable and awarded "as is," with no warranty except any manufacturer's warranty that may apply. All federal, state, and local taxes are the winner's responsibility. We will issue tax paperwork where the law requires it.
We will notify the Last Four Standing privately by email or phone before any public announcement. We will notify the Champion privately before the Reveal.
You have three (3) business days from notification to respond and, if we ask, to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility, a liability release, and a publicity release. The Champion must also sign our short ownership form and an IRS Form W-9 before production begins. If you don't respond or return the documents in time, we may disqualify you and select an alternate.
Keep it quiet. As a condition of receiving any prize, the Champion agrees not to disclose, post, or otherwise publicize the result before our public announcement at the Reveal. We may disqualify a Champion who breaks this and select an alternate.
Except where the law doesn't allow it, accepting a prize means you agree we may use your name, city and state, company or venue name, photograph, and statements about the Contest to advertise and promote our products, in any medium, worldwide, without further payment.
By entering, you release Sponsor and its parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, and their officers, directors, employees, and agents (the "Released Parties") from any liability, claim, or action for injury, loss, or damage of any kind arising from the Contest, from accepting or using a prize, or from your entry (including our use of it under Section 6), whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, and even if caused by the Released Parties' negligence, to the fullest extent the law allows. Nothing here limits liability where the law doesn't permit it, including for gross negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud.
In no event will the Released Parties' total liability to any entrant or voter exceed the greater of (a) the approximate retail value of the prize you were eligible for, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
You agree to indemnify and hold the Released Parties harmless from any third-party claim arising from your breach of what you confirmed in Section 6, including any claim that your entry infringes someone's intellectual property rights.
We are not liable for any technical, hardware, or software malfunction that limits anyone's ability to take part.
These Official Rules, and any dispute relating to the Contest, are governed by the laws of the State of Kansas, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules.
Before starting formal proceedings, you and we agree to try to resolve any dispute informally by giving written notice and negotiating in good faith for thirty (30) days.
If that doesn't work, the dispute will be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Commercial Arbitration Rules, held in Johnson County, Kansas, or by phone or videoconference if you prefer. Each side pays its own costs, except where the arbitration rules or the law require otherwise. YOU AND SPONSOR EACH GIVE UP THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL AND TO TAKE PART IN A CLASS ACTION. ALL CLAIMS MUST BE BROUGHT INDIVIDUALLY. Either side may instead bring an individual claim in small-claims court.
You may opt out of this arbitration and class-waiver section by email by writing to: sdisaia@redemptionplus.com within thirty (30) days of your first entry, giving your name and saying you want to opt out. Opting out does not affect your eligibility.
Information collected from entrants and voters is covered by our Privacy Policy.
We collect entrant contact and eligibility information to run the Contest, and we collect voter email addresses to enforce the one-ballot-per-person limit. We will send marketing emails only to people who separately opt in. To ask us to delete your information, contact: sdisaia@redemptionplus.com — we may need to keep Contest records.
Redemption Plus Inc., 6800 College Blvd, Suite 700, Overland Park, KS 66211. Questions about these Official Rules: smile@redemptionplus.com or 1-888-564-7587.
We may assign our rights and obligations under these Official Rules, including the rights we receive under Section 6, to any successor, affiliate, or acquirer of our business, without your consent. We are not liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by anything beyond our reasonable control, including the events listed in Section 11.
These Official Rules are the entire agreement between you and Sponsor about the Contest. If any part is found invalid or unenforceable, it will be enforced as far as possible and the rest stays in effect. If we don't enforce a provision, that doesn't waive it.