Paw Mayor is a light-hearted community popularity contest for household animals. It is not a government election and its results carry no legal, civic, or official effect of any kind. No animal elected in Paw Mayor holds any real public office.
These Official Rules govern every Paw Mayor contest. By nominating a candidate or casting a vote, you accept these rules in full.
1. Sponsor
Paw Mayor is operated by the developer of the Paw Mayor iOS application ("the Sponsor"). Questions may be sent to pawmayorsupport@gmail.com.
Apple Inc. is not a sponsor of, and is in no way involved in, any Paw Mayor contest. Apple is not responsible for any aspect of the contest, including entry, judging, or prizes.
2. Eligibility
- You must be 13 years of age or older and hold a valid Paw Mayor account.
- You must be the owner of, or have permission from the owner of, any animal you nominate.
- Nominated candidates must be household animals living in the town or area selected on the nomination.
- Employees of the Sponsor, and members of their immediate households, may nominate candidates but are not eligible to be declared a winner.
- Void where prohibited or restricted by law. You are responsible for complying with the laws of your own country or region.
3. How to enter
Create an account in the Paw Mayor app, tap Nominate, complete your candidate's profile, and pay the one-time nomination entry fee through Apple's in-app purchase system. Every nomination is reviewed by the Sponsor before it appears on the public ballot.
Limit: one entry per animal, per contest period. Duplicate entries for the same animal may be removed without refund.
4. Voting — free and paid
- Voting is free. Every signed-in account receives a set allowance of free votes each day at no cost. No purchase is necessary to vote, and no purchase improves your own chance of being declared a winner.
- Additional vote packs may be purchased through Apple's in-app purchase system. Purchased votes carry exactly the same weight as free votes.
- Votes are cast for a candidate. They are not wagers, they are not entries into a drawing, and no outcome is determined by chance.
- Automated voting, scripts, bots, multiple accounts, or any other manipulation of the vote count is prohibited.
5. Fees and refunds
The nomination entry fee and all vote packs are digital in-app purchases sold by Apple. They are non-refundable by the Sponsor and are consumed on use. All refund requests must be made to Apple through reportaproblem.apple.com, and are granted at Apple's sole discretion.
Prices are shown in your local currency in the App Store before you confirm any purchase.
6. How winners are determined
Winners are determined solely by the total number of valid votes a candidate has received when the contest period closes, as recorded by the Sponsor's servers. The Sponsor's records are final. In the event of a tie, the candidate who reached that vote total earliest is declared the winner.
Contest periods, including the town election, monthly leaderboards, and the annual competition, are shown in the app with their closing dates. The Sponsor may extend or reschedule a contest period and will announce any change in the app.
7. Prizes
Paw Mayor awards digital recognition only. There is no cash prize and no prize of monetary value. Winners receive:
- The in-app title of Paw Mayor for their town or area, for the duration of that term;
- A shareable digital certificate;
- A winner's badge on their candidate profile;
- A permanent listing in the in-app Hall of Fame.
If a sponsored or physical prize is ever offered for a specific contest, its full details, value, and any applicable terms will be published on this page as a dated addendum before that contest opens. Winners are responsible for any taxes that may apply to any prize they accept.
8. Content standards
Photos, names, campaign messages, and platform highlights are submitted by users. By submitting content you confirm you own it or have the right to use it, and you grant the Sponsor a licence to display it in the app and on shared campaign cards.
Content that is abusive, harassing, sexual, hateful, deceptive, infringing, or that depicts animal cruelty is prohibited. Every candidate profile can be reported from within the app, and users can block other users. The Sponsor reviews reports and removes violating content, typically within 24 hours.
9. Disqualification
The Sponsor may remove a candidate, void votes, suspend an account, or withhold a title if it reasonably believes these rules have been broken — including vote manipulation, fake accounts, impersonation, or prohibited content. Entry fees are not refunded on disqualification for rule-breaking.
10. Limitation of liability
Paw Mayor is provided for entertainment. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Sponsor is not liable for technical failures, lost or delayed votes, network outages, or any loss arising from participation. Nothing in these rules limits any right you have that cannot be limited by law.
11. Changes and contact
The Sponsor may update these Official Rules. The "Last updated" date above will change, and continued participation after an update means you accept the revised rules. For any question about a contest, email pawmayorsupport@gmail.com.