Writing Contest Rules

Please read before entering

Kate Hannum avatar
Written by Kate Hannum
Updated over a week ago

ZINC TEEN WRITING CONTEST OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE REQUIRED

1. Eligibility: The Zinc Teen Writing Contest (the “Contest”) is contest is open to all students over the age of 13 currently enrolled in middle or high school as of the date of entry, except for the employees and their immediate family (spouses and parents, siblings, children and each of their spouses) of Zinc Learning Labs (“Zinc”). Void where prohibited by law.

2. How to Enter: You can enter the Contest by emailing a copy of your essay, poem, or story (“Essay”) to submissions@zinc.nyc. The entry period for the Contest commences on March 25, 2021. All Essays must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on May 31, 2021. You may enter the Contest only one time. Zinc is not responsible for printing or typographical errors in any Contest-related materials, or for any late, lost, misdirected, corrupted, improperly formatted or unprocessed Essays. Zinc is not responsible for any Essays that become lost or damaged for any reason. Zinc will not confirm receipt of any Essays, catalog or coordinate multiple entries, provide copies of any Essays or be responsible for archiving of any Essays.

3. Your Essays: By submitting an essay, you, and if you are under the age of 18, your parent or guardian, warrant and represent that (i) you are the sole author of the essay; (ii) the essay is original to you; (iii) you own all intellectual property and other rights in and to your Essay; (iv) the Essay does not infringe anyone’s copyrights or other intellectual property rights; and (v) the Essay is free and clear of any third party claims of copyright, ownership, authorship or any other intellectual property right. All intellectual property and any other property rights in any Essay that belongs to a contestant will remain with the contestant. Zinc reserves the right to edit the winning Essay for punctuation, grammar, spelling and clarity.

4. Prize: The contestant who submits the winning essay as determined by Zinc’s panel of judges will receive a prize of $100.00 and have the Essay featured on Zinc’s website.

5. Prize Release: The winning contestant, or the winner’s parent or guardian if the winner is under the age of 18, hereby (a) grants Zinc a perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, irrevocable and fully sublicensable right to use, distribute, publish, create derivative works from and publicly display the winning Essay throughout the world in any media to advertise, promote or publicize Zinc and the Contest. The winner, or the winner’s parent or guardian if the winner is under the age of 18, will be required to sign and return to Zinc, within 72 hours of receipt, (i) a statement of eligibility (the “Statement”); (ii) a publicity/liability release (the “Release”) unless prohibited by law and (iii) a royalty free, non-exclusive license to Zinc to use winner’s Essay to advertise, promote or publicize Zinc and this Contest. Failure to timely complete and submit the Statement, Release and License may result in disqualification and the selection of an alternate winner.

6. Taxes: Any tax liabilities are solely the responsibility of the winner and winners will be required to provide his/her social security number or taxpayer identification number to Zinc for tax purposes.

7. General: Zinc shall be deemed sole interpreter of the rules and conditions governing the Contest. By participating, contestants, or contestants’ parents or guardians if the contestants are under the age of 18, acknowledge and agree to be bound by these rules and that the decisions of the Zinc regarding the Contest are final. Contest is void where prohibited by law. Zinc reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate or suspend the Contest should virus, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes beyond its control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness or proper play of the Contest.

8. Dispute Resolution: Except where prohibited, as a condition of participating in the Contest, each contestant or the contestant’s parent or guardian if the contestant is under the age of 18, agrees that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between the parties, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or any prize awarded, or the determination of the winner shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will any contestant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, and each contestant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. All issues and questions rights and obligations of contestant in connection with the Contest shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A., without giving effect to the conflict of laws rules thereof and any matters or proceedings as set forth in these Official Rules, shall take place in the State of New York, County of New York. The parties waive rights to trial by jury in any action or proceeding instituted in connection with these Official Rules and/or the Contest.

9. Data Privacy: Each contestant, or the contestant’s parent or guardian if the contestant is under the age of 18, agrees that personal data, including name, age and contact information, may be processed, stored and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the Contest and any other purposes outlined in these Official Rules. The data may also be used by the Zinc in order to check contestants' identity, their postal or email address and telephone number, or to otherwise verify their eligibility to participate in the Contest and to receive a prize. Contestants have a right to access, review, rectify or cancel any personal data held by the Zinc by writing to Zinc care of (Attention: Writing Contest) at the address listed below. If a contestant's data required for entry in the Contest is not provided or is canceled, the contestant’s Essay will be ineligible.

10. Elimination: Any false information provided within the context of the Contest by any contestant concerning identity, postal or email address, telephone number, ownership of right or noncompliance with these rules or the like may result in the immediate elimination of the contestant from the Contest. Zinc further reserves the right to disqualify any contestant that it believes, in its sole and unfettered discretion, has infringed upon or violates the rights of any third party or otherwise does not comply with these Official Rules.

11. Severability: If any provision(s) of these Official Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect.

12. Winner’s List: To obtain a list of Grand Prize Winners send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Zinc Teen Writing Contest, 41 Union Square West Suite 602, New York, NY 10003 by September 15, 2021.

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