Submit your story to us via email and explain why this year has been difficult and what this opportunity could mean for you. Be creative! We welcome photo montages, videos, poems, artwork, songs, etc. Please conclude your submission with at least five reasons for which you have to be thankful, despite the difficulties you’re experiencing (think back to our “I Get to…” blog entry).
Send your Round 1 submissions to us at: alifeunexpected.jtm@gmail.com
A Life Unexpected will pick the finalists for the second round of the competition, during which our readers will have an opportunity to vote for the most compelling submission and ultimately help determine our winner!
Important dates to know:
1) Round 1: Submissions due by 11:59pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 15th
2) Round 2: Finalists will be posted by11:59pm Eastern Time on Sunday, December 19th
3) Voting will Close at 11:59pm Eastern Time on December 24th. The ‘Get to’ Giveaway” winner will be announced on Saturday, December 25th!
The Prizes:
One lucky winner will receive:
- A gift certificate from The Heldrich Hotel (New Brunswick, New Jersey), good for a one night (weekend) stay at this luxurious hotel. In addition to the overnight stay, our lucky winner will also receive breakfast for two the following morning at Christopher’s Restaurant and Bar.
- A bi-weekly (every-other-week) guest blog spot on “A Life Unexpected”, providing an opportunity to share your perspective on your “unexpected life” for the next three months.
- If unemployed/underemployed, an opportunity for you to post your resume, personal/professional statement and cover letter on our blog, to increase your visibility and job prospects.
Official Contest Rules
Phase 1: The “Get to” Giveaway (the "Contest") nomination entry period commences at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time December 7th, 2010, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on December 15th, 2010 (the "Contest Entry Period"). The Contest is sponsored by A Life Unexpected: One Man's Journey Through Life and Fatherhood (The Sponsor).
Phase 2: The “Get to” Giveaway (the "Contest") finalist will be posted on the website and voting commences at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time December 19th, 2010, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on December 24th, 2010 (the "Contest Entry Period"). The Contest is sponsored by A Life Unexpected: One Man's Journey Through Life and Fatherhood.
ELIGIBILITY:
This Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, 21 years or older as of date of entry. Employees of the Sponsor; any promotional companies or advertising agencies participating in the Contest and employees of their respective subsidiaries and affiliates; any persons involved in the creation, development, or implementation of this Contest; and any other persons or entities directly associated with this Contest and any members of their immediate families or households ("Contest Parties") are ineligible to participate. Entries for the Contest drawing must be received prior to the expiration of the Contest Entry Period. This Contest is void in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and wherever prohibited or restricted by law, and is subject to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. By submitting an entry form, entrants agree to abide by these Official Rules and all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations that govern contests. The winner will be responsible for travel to/from The Heldrich Hotel, on-site parking, any childcare services necessary, etc.
Approximate retail value (“ARV”) of the Grand Prize: $300. Actual retail value may vary.
The submissions entered by finalists (including without limitation, the winning submission) will be featured on Sponsor’s website.
The guest blog feature has no cash value. The prizes are not transferable or assignable, cannot be redeemed for cash, and no substitutions will be allowed. The prize winner is responsible for compliance with all applicable federal, state, and/or local laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the payment of all applicable taxes.
HOW TO ENTER:
Submit your story to us via email and explain why this year has been difficult and what this opportunity could mean for you. Be creative! We welcome photo montages, videos, poems, artwork, songs, etc. Please conclude your submission with at least five reasons for which you have to be thankful, despite the difficulties you’re experiencing (think back to our “I Get to…” blog entry).
Include your full name, address, city, state, zip code, phone number, date of birth, and email address. Incomplete or late entries will be disqualified. Entries must comply with file specifications and must be in English. Entries must not infringe on, misappropriate or otherwise violate any third-party rights (including but not limited to copyright, trademark, rights of publicity or privacy or any other proprietary right), and must be deemed suitable by Sponsor. Entrant agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Sponsor and each of its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents from any losses, damages, or expenses arising from or in connection with infringement, misappropriation or violation of any third party rights. Entries deemed lewd or offensive may be disqualified, in Sponsor’s sole discretion. Entries that comply with format specifications may be acknowledged by e-mail, but remain subject to full eligibility determinations at the sole discretion of Sponsor. Normal Internet access and usage charges imposed by your online carrier apply. An entry that does not comply with entry guidelines will be deemed void and of no effect. An entry made will be deemed to have been made by the "authorized account holder" of the email address utilized at the time the entry is made. For purposes herein, the "authorized account holder" refers to the person assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses. All entries will become the property of A Life Unexpected: One Man's Journey Through Life and Fatherhood, and will not be returned. Sponsor is not responsible for transmission and/or computer error. For the avoidance of doubt, acceptance of entries or submissions will not be deemed to waive any provisions of these contest rules, and the entrant may subsequently be disqualified.
Each entrant and winner (which term, as used herein, includes finalists) acknowledges and agrees that his/her entry submission and all related materials created in or arising out of such submission, and all right, title and interests in and to them shall be and hereby are, effective upon creation, assigned to and become the property of Sponsor. Without limiting the foregoing, The Sponsor will have the irrevocable, royalty-free, fully paid-up worldwide, perpetual right (and if necessary, license) to edit, re-edit, adapt, modify, reproduce, promote, distribute create derivative works and otherwise use the entry and related materials in any way it sees fit and in any form or media whether now or hereafter known or developed. Entrant hereby gives The Sponsor and its agents and assignees, full permission and authority to use, publish and display the submission, as well as entrant’s (and any other person included in the submission) name, voice and photograph or other likeness for advertising or other related purposes in any media whether now or hereafter known or developed without additional compensation.
ONLINE VOTING/JUDGING:
All eligible entries will be judged/voted on to determine the Semi-final winners and the Grand Prize winner as follows:
All eligible submissions will be judged/voted by the sponsor and or sponsor panel and finalist will be chosen. The finalists will then be judged/voted on to determine the Grand Prize winner.
A panel of judges, determined by Sponsor, will choose finalists based on the nature, subject matter, content and quality of the submission and the reason the entrant believes he or she deserves to win the Contest. The number of finalists will be determined in judges’ sole discretion based on the number of eligible entries. In the event of a tie during the judges’ phase of judging, tied entries will be rejudged based solely on the quality of the content of the submission. The finalists’ entries will be displayed on A Life Unexpected: One Man's Journey Through Life and Fatherhood, beginning on or about Midnight. Eastern Standard Time on December 19th, 2010 and ending on or about 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 24th, 2010, and visitors to the site will have the opportunity to vote for his/her favorite entry. The entrant with the most votes will be deemed the Prize winner. Decisions of judges are final on all matters relating to Contest. In the event of a tie during any online voting portion of the Contest, the Contest judges will make the final determination from among all tied entries/finalists.
Finalists will be contacted via email and/or phone on or about December 25th, 2010, using the contact information provided on the winner's entry form. The prize winner may be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability Release, Copyright Release, Assignment of Rights and where legal, a Publicity Release within five (5) days of notification attempt. Noncompliance within this time period, or if notification is returned as non-deliverable, regardless of whether or not the applicable entry has been posted as a Finalist, will result in disqualification and forfeiture of any prize by the applicable entrant, and an alternate finalist may be selected by the Contest judges based on the judging criteria set forth above. Each entrant is responsible for the accuracy of the information included in his/her entry.
Award of the Grand Prize and Category Prizes will be contingent on Sponsor’s ability to obtain permission to feature the submission by entrant without any payment or other consideration to any person or entity (as evidenced such documentation as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion). In the event that the Sponsor is unable to obtain such permission in a timely manner, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, choose an alternative winner. The names of the winners of the Contest will be available after December 25th, 2010.
CAUTION:
Any attempt by any person to deliberately damage any web site or undermine legitimate operation of a contest may constitute a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from and/or to prosecute any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Any such tampering also will result in ineligibility to win a prize in the Contest.
CONDITIONS:By participating in this Contest, entrants and winners agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor, which are final in all matters relating to this Contest and acknowledge compliance with these Official Rules. Each entrant and winner acknowledges that the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use are hereby incorporated by reference and apply to the submission of entries pursuant to these Official Rules. By participating in this Contest, each entrant and winner hereby agrees to Sponsor’s collection and usage of the entrant’s and winner’s personal information and acknowledges that entrant has read and accepted the above-referenced Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Sponsor and its affiliates are in no way liable for any damage, loss, or injury resulting from computer malfunctions, misdirected or incomplete entries, or acceptance and use of a prize. Sponsor and its agents shall have no liability or responsibility for injuries, damages or liabilities caused or claimed to be caused by participation in the Contest or the use or misuse of a prize. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend the Contest should virus, bugs, or other causes beyond the control of Sponsor corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the Contest and award the prizes from all eligible entries received prior to cancellation or suspension.
By entering this Contest or accepting a prize, each entrant and winner hereby voluntarily and irrevocably releases, holds harmless and agrees not to institute any claim against Sponsor, The Heldrich Hotel, or any of their respective parents or affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents from any losses, damages, or expenses from any and all injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising from or in connection with, either directly or indirectly, (1) the awarding, acceptance, receipt, possession, use and/or misuse of any prize awarded herein; and/or (2) participation in the Contest or any prize related activities.
Under no circumstances will any entrant or winner be permitted to obtain awards for, and each entrant and winner hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, and entrant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
By entering the Contest, accepting a prize or otherwise submitting information in connection with this Contest, entrants and winners shall be deemed to have agreed to have their entry information made available to the Sponsor. The Contest is subject to these Official Rules. By entering the Contest, entrants and the winners agree to waive any right to claim any ambiguity, inequity or error in the Official Rules of the Contest, and/or of the Contest itself, and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and by all decisions of, and interpretations of these Official Rules by, the Contest judges, which in all respects shall be final and binding.
All rights reserved. Official Rules may be copied for personal use only and not for any commercial purpose whatsoever.
THE NEW JERSEY COURTS (STATE AND FEDERAL) SHALL HAVE SOLE JURISDICTION OF ANY CONTROVERSIES REGARDING THE CONTEST AND THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICTS OF LAWS PRINCIPLES, SHALL GOVERN THE CONTEST. ENTRANTS WAIVE ANY AND ALL OBJECTIONS TO JURISDICTION AND VENUE IN THESE COURTS AND HEREBY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THOSE COURTS.
