The winner must be officially announced in the finale or via official channels immediately following. Multiple joint winners each resolve to Yes with split payouts ($1 divided by number of winners). If no winner is declared, all markets resolve to No. Winners who decline the award still count unless acceptance was a condition of victory. Disqualifications or withdrawals before the finale resolve to No. Later title stripping doesn't affect resolution - the original finale announcement governs. Fan favorite or other secondary awards don't count as winning. For couples/teams competitions, being part of the winning unit counts.