The following Contest is intended for viewing and participation in the 50 states of United States and the District of Columbia only. Do not enter this Contest if you are not located within one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.
A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.
How to Enter: Submit an original essay of no less than 500 words and no more than 600 words about your most heartfelt Raggedy Ann memory. The following information MUST be included along with the essay: name and address of entrant; date of birth, entrant's e-mail address (if available); and where (name of newspaper or website) entrant learned of contest. Submit your essay via email at raggedyann@unitedmedia.com or mail your essay with stapled cover sheet to:
Raggedy Ann's 90th Birthday Essay Contest
United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
200 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10016
Essay must be the sole and original work of the entrant. Essays must be in English. Please retain a copy of your submission. More than one entry from any person or e-mail address will void all entries from that person or e-mail address. No automated entry devices permitted for entry.
Eligibility: All entrants must be at least 13 years or older as of February, 14 2005 and legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. Employees of Sponsors, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliated companies, and agents and the immediate family (defined as parents, spouse, children, siblings, grandparents) of each such employees, and all those with whom such employees are domiciled, are NOT eligible. Void outside of the U.S. and the District of Columbia, in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited or restricted by law.
Timing: Contest begins at 12:00:01 a.m. E.T. on Monday, February 14, 2005 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. E.T. on Friday, May 27th, 2005. Ten finalists will be judged and announced no later than July 4th, 2005. The grand prize winner will be judged from the 10 finalists by October 15, 2005.
Judging Criteria: Each entrant selected as a potential winner must comply with all terms and conditions set forth in these Official Rules, and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all such requirements. Essays will be judged on the equally-weighted criteria of style, content and clarity of expression. In the event of a tie, tied-entries will be re-judged on the basis of style criterion. The contest will take place under the supervision of Sponsors. Participants agree to be bound by these rules and the decision of the judges, whose decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest. Finalists will be notified by e-mail or mail before July 4, 2005. Grand prize winner will be notified by mail before October 15, 2005. If a potential winner cannot be contacted within fourteen (14) days after the first attempt to contact such potential winner, an alternate entrant may be selected.
Prizes: The following prizes will be awarded:
Ten finalists will be awarded a Raggedy Ann limited edition 2005 doll. Approximate Retail Value ("ARV"): $15 each. The grand prize winner will win a selection of Raggedy Ann & Andy themed items worth at least $100 and a trip for two to Arcola, Illinois, home of the Raggedy Ann Museum, from May 19 - 21, 2006 during the Raggedy Ann Arcola Festival. The dates are subject to change should the date of the Raggedy Ann Arcola Festival change. The trip will include round-trip coach airfare for two to Chicago, Illinois, from the major airport nearest the winner's residence as well as local car rental transportation in and around Arcola and hotel accommodations for three days and two nights (single room, double occupancy). Car rental is a compact car and includes CDW and tax. All travel is subject to airline flight and hotel availability. Blackout dates and restrictions apply. All expenses not specified are the sole responsibility of the participants including meals, ground transfers, travel upgrades, personal incidentals and gratuities. ARV: $1,000. Actual value will depend on point of departure and airfare fluctuations. In the event winner cannot travel on dates designated by Sponsors, prize will be forfeited in its entirety. Further conditions may apply. Total value of all prizes to be awarded $1,100.
Sponsors are not responsible for lost or mutilated prizes and none will be replaced. Prize is nontransferable and must be accepted as awarded. No cash redemptions or other substitution may be made, except by Sponsors in the event that the prize cannot be awarded for any reason, in which case, Sponsors will substitute a prize of equal or greater value. All taxes, fees and surcharges on prizes are the sole responsibility of winner.
Other Terms and Conditions: All entries must be completely original, may not have won previous prizes and must not infringe on any third party rights. Submission of entry constitutes entrant's consent (or that of their parent/legal guardian should they be a minor in their state of residence) to irrevocably assign to Sponsors any and all rights to their entry including, but not limited to, intellectual property rights. By entering, entrants agree to abide by these rules and grant to Sponsors the right to edit, publish, display, promote, and otherwise use their submissions without further permission, notice, or compensation for any lawful purpose.
Potential winners and any guest who will share in the prize will each be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability Release, and where lawful, a Publicity Release, within fourteen (14) days of notification, failing which the potential winner will be disqualified and another winner will be selected in the place of the disqualified person. In the event any winner is a minor in his/her jurisdiction of residence, such winner's parent/legal guardian will be required to sign and return all required documents. If grand prize winner or grand prize winner's guest is a minor, such person must be accompanied by his/her parent/legal guardian on the grand prize trip, and any expenses incurred or resulting from more than two people participating in the grand prize will be the sole responsibility of the grand prize winner and his/her parent/legal guardian. If any prize or prize notification is returned as non-deliverable, the potential winner will be disqualified and another potential winner will be selected in the original potential winner's place. By accepting the prize, the winner agrees that the Sponsors and those acting under the Sponsor's authority, may use winner's name, picture/portrait likeness, essay and/or voice, for advertising and promotional purposes without further consideration, unless prohibited by law. BY ACCEPTING THE PRIZE, THE WINNER AGREES THAT THE SPONSORS, THEIR SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION AGENCIES, AND ALL OF THE SPONSOR'S OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS, WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR, AND WILL BE HELD HARMLESS BY WINNER FOR ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY INJURY, LOSS OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND TO PERSONS, INCLUDING DEATH, AND PROPERTY, DUE IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM THE ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, USE OR MISUSE OF THE PRIZE OR PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONTEST OR PARTICIPATION IN ANY CONTEST OR PRIZE RELATED ACTIVITYOR CLAIMS BASED ON PUBLICITY RIGHTS, DEFAMATION OR INVASITION OF PRIVACY, MERCHANDISE DELIVERY OR THE VIOLATION OF ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, INCLUDING. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT AND TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT. Subject to all federal, state and local laws. Void where prohibited.
Miscellaneous: All entries become the sole property of Sponsors and none will be acknowledged or returned. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of online entrant, entries made by Internet will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. The "authorized account holder" is deemed the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, service provider or other online organization that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. A potential winner may be requested to provide Sponsors with proof that the potential winner is the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the winning entry. If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failure, human error or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest, Sponsors reserve the right in their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. The Sponsors are not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or entry to be received by Sponsors on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any web site, any combination thereof, or otherwise, including any injury or damage to entrant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in the Contest. Sponsors are not responsible for late, lost, illegible, incomplete, stolen, mutilated, technically corrupted or misdirected entries. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
Winners List: A complete list of the 10 finalists will be available at www.raggedyann-museum.org and www.theofficialraggedyann.com no later than July 4, 2005 or by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope postmarked July 4, 2005 or after to Raggedy Ann's 90th Birthday Essay Contest, United Feature Syndicate, Inc., 200 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016. The grand prize winner will be announced by October 15, 2005 on www.raggedyann-museum.org and www.theofficialraggedyann.com or by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope postmarked October 15, 2005 or after to Raggedy Ann's 90th Birthday Essay Contest, United Feature Syndicate, Inc., 200 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016.
Entrant's personal information will not be shared with any third parties, except for (i) the identity of the finalists and the grand prize winner and their guest and (ii) third party prize fulfillment partners who are contractually obligated to treat entrant's personal information confidentially and who will only use such information in connection with the fulfillment of the prizes for this Contest.
Sponsors: The Sponsors of this Contest are United Feature Syndicate Inc. and Simon & Schuster. Sponsors addresses are: United Feature Syndicate, Inc., 200 Madison Ave. New York, NY 10016 and Simon & Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
