All vaccinated Oregonians 12 and older eligible for cash prizes or scholarships. One $1 million prize, 36 $10,000 county winners, and five $100,000 scholarship winners.
Salem, OR—Governor Kate Brown announced today the launch of the Take Your Shot Oregon Campaign for all vaccinated Oregonians. Oregonians 18 and older will have the chance to win $1 million or one of 36 $10,000 prizes––with one winner in each county in Oregon. Oregonians age 12 to 17 will have a chance to win one of five $100,000 Oregon College Savings Plan scholarships. All Oregonians who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the draw date will be entered to win.
“Vaccines are the best tool we have to protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19, and our fastest way to end this pandemic,” said Governor Kate Brown. “The Take Your Shot Oregon Campaign is a way to thank Oregonians for stepping up and keeping our communities safe. It’s never been easier to get a vaccine, so don’t miss your shot to enter!”
The campaign is a collaboration between the Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Lottery, and the Oregon State Treasury, and is funded with $1.86 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Act dollars. With the help of the Oregon Lottery, the Oregon Health Authority will draw names for winners in each category. No personal identifying information will be shared with the Oregon Lottery, and winners will be given the option to opt out in order to preserve patient privacy. Current employees and family members of the Oregon Lottery, the Governor’s Office, the Treasurer’s Office, and the Oregon Health Authority will be ineligible to win.
“We are excited that Treasury’s College Savings Plan can help with the effort to increase vaccination rates in Oregon,” said State Treasurer Tobias Read. “This is a win-win: get vaccinated now to protect yourself and others, and get the chance to fund your future through a scholarship that can be used for higher education and job training.”
The drawing will take place on June 28, with names announced the following week. The cut off for names being added to the vaccine database is midnight on June 27.
Governor Brown made the announcement today in a press conference with Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen, Oregon Lottery Director Barry Pack, and Dr. Ashby Monk, Executive Director for the Global Projects Center at Stanford University.
Have questions? More details on “Take Your Shot Oregon” campaign.
What is the “Take Your Shot, Oregon” campaign? Governor Brown unveiled her “Take Your Shot, Oregon” campaign on May 21, 2021, encouraging Oregonians age 12+ to get vaccinated for the chance to win money and education scholarships.
- There will be ONE $1 million winner
- There will be FIVE $100,000 Oregon College Savings Plan education scholarship winners
- There will be THIRTY-SIX $10,000 winners (one in each county)
What is the date of the drawing? The drawing will take place on June 28th and names will be announced the following week.
How much money is being given away and where is the money coming from? The total amount being given away during this promotion is $1.86 million, and the money is coming from Oregon’s Coronavirus Relief Act dollars.
How will Oregonians enter to win? If Oregonians have received at least a first dose of Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson, they are automatically entered to win through the state’s vaccine database. All vaccinations registered through June 27 will be eligible.
How will Oregonians whose names are drawn be notified? With the help of the Oregon Lottery, the Oregon Health Authority will draw names of winners in each category. Winners will be contacted and will have the opportunity to opt out or to provide their consent to move forward in the prize process.
Who will be ineligible? Employees and family members of the Oregon Lottery, the Oregon Governor’s Office, the Oregon Treasurer’s Office, and the Oregon Health Authority will be ineligible.
Who is responsible for auditing the process? The Oregon Lottery will be overseeing this entire process to ensure that it is completed within the same rigorous standards as all other Oregon Lottery drawings.
How will you be sure the Oregon College Savings Plan winners spend the money on college expenses? The Oregon Treasurer’s Office will oversee the college savings prizes. Those prize dollars will be placed in an Oregon College Savings Plan account with the Oregon Treasurer’s Office listed as the account owner and the youth receiving the prize listed as the beneficiary. A parent or legal guardian will be listed as the successor owner so that they have access to view the account information but not the ability to prematurely withdraw the funds.
What if the youth are not planning to attend college? As a 529 plan, the Oregon College Savings Plan is extremely flexible and can be used at any institution that accepts federal financial aid. This includes public and private colleges and universities, community colleges, and even trade schools, such as culinary institutions.
What if I am an Oregon resident but was vaccinated out of state? Oregon’s vaccine database will register Oregon residents who received the vaccine in another state.
Will you be making an accommodation for Oregonians who do not get vaccinated for health or religious reasons? No.
How will you maintain the privacy of my information? Every vaccinated Oregonian has been added to a vaccination database or list. Each name on that list is assigned a number and that number (only that number, zero private data) is passed over to the Oregon Lottery for a random, secure drawing. After the drawing, that winning number is passed back over to the Oregon Health Authority to match back up with the database to inform the prize winners.
How do you choose winners in specific counties? Again, every vaccinated Oregonian is logged as a record in a vaccination database. Officials at the Oregon Health Authority sort that list by age or county of residence and generate a unique number or ID for each vaccinated individual, so absolutely no private data ever leaves the Oregon Health Authority. Once the random drawings are complete, the winning, anonymous IDs pass securely back to officials at the Oregon Health Authority so they can contact, and award prizes to, the winners.
How do you choose 12 to 17-year-old individuals for the college scholarships? Oregon law dictates that the Oregon Lottery may only conduct business with those over the age of 18. Therefore, a secure, third-party company will conduct a drawing with the same rules, integrity, and process as the one administered by the Oregon Lottery to arrive at a group of randomly selected scholarship winners.
Will the winners’ names be made public? Any prize winner is subject to public record laws in Oregon. Therefore yes, upon prize acceptance, the winners’ names will be made public. Anyone has the right to decline the prize, precluding them from public record.
Will the prizes be taxed? Yes, just like any prize, these values are subject to appropriate federal and state taxes. The tax implications will be explained to the winner by an official from the Oregon Department of Revenue prior to prize acceptance.
What if I was vaccinated at a site managed directly by the federal government, such as the VA? Will I be in your database? Oregonians vaccinated at a federal site will not appear in our vaccine database, so we are exploring alternate ways to collect that information. Check back on the Governor’s website next week for further details.
