Pride 2021 Terms & Conditions

Section I – General Rules

From Monday, April 12, 2021, through Friday, May 14, 2021 (the “Contest Period”), Hope in a Box will conduct an essay contest in the United States, including the District of Columbia and the U.S. Territories, focusing on the impact LGBTQ-inclusive literature has had on students in grades K-12 (the “Contest”). To enter, eligible students (see Section II for eligibility requirements) must submit an entry via the submission portal (linked here) that follows the Submission Guidelines as detailed in Section III. We will not accept or consider entries that are mailed-in. As further detailed in Section VII, entrants agree to accept and be bound by all terms of these Official Rules and Regulations and to accept and be bound by the decisions of Hope in a Box, whose decisions are final with respect to all matters of the Contest. Up to two entries per student are permitted. Entries that are incomplete, are submitted late, do not answer all required questions, contain information other than as requested, or otherwise do not comply with these Official Rules and Regulations will not be accepted. By entering the Scholarship Contest, entrants agree that Hope in a Box will own and administer 100% of the copyright in all entries submitted, with the perpetual right to use such entries and that said entries are solely the work of the entrant for whom they are submitting an entry. Hope in a Box may edit for grammar, modify for style, and distribute the submitted entries, without any requirement of additional notification to or permission from the entrant. Entries will only be used to further the educational mission and goals of Hope in a Box (please see Section VI for a Privacy Statement).

Section II – Eligibility

The Contest is open to all United States citizens or residents who are students who are no older than 19 and no younger than 5 as of the end of the Contest Period who (1) attend school in the United States, one of its territories or districts, or an American Armed Forces School Abroad, and (2) who are in grades K -12 attending public, private, religious, or charter schools, or (3) are enrolled in a GED or correspondence school program, or (4) are attending a home school program.

Section III – Submission Guidelines

Each submission must adhere to the topics and should fully answer the question and all sub-parts. Each submission must adhere to the word limits for essay submissions (between 300 and 500 words) or time limits for video submissions (between 2-4 minutes), and must be submitted by 11:59 pm PT on May 14, 2021. Only online submissions will be accepted for the contest.

Section IV – Judging and Timing

After the Contest Period, the judges selected by Hope in a Box will review and select finalists from all the eligible entries received. The judges will then select the prize-winners. Entries will be evaluated based upon the following criteria: adherence to the Submission Guidelines (as stated in Section III), originality, organization, style, and depth of response. Winners will be announced on the contest site on or before June 30, 2021. Hope in a Box reserves the right in their administration of the Contest to disqualify any individual they find or believe to: (i) be tampering with the entry process or the administration of the Contest, (ii) be acting in violation of these Official Rules and Regulations, or (iii) plagiarizing content in any form. The selection of the judges is within the discretion of Hope in a Box. The judges who are selected by Hope in a Box will not have a direct connection to the student who has submitted the entry or be in a position to affect the objectivity and impartiality of any judge with respect to a submission.

Section V – Awards

Winners will be announced on the contest site on or before June 30, 2021. Winners must provide publicity photos and information as well as Social Security numbers in order to receive prize money. Social Security numbers are requested from winners for tax purposes only. Hope in a Box does not sell, nor use student Social Security numbers for any reason other than the required reporting for Federal tax purposes. Winners will receive the following prizes based upon the judges’ evaluations as outlined in Section IV.

Prizes for students in the contest:

Cash Prize – One at $500.

Gift Cards – Up to five at $100 each for use at Barnes & Noble.

Prizes will be awarded within three (3) months of the close of the Contest. Prizes not claimed within 180 days of the check date or the end of the Contest will be void. Hope in a Box will make commercially reasonable efforts to send the prize to the winner and is not responsible for incorrect address provided by the contestant. All entrants are solely responsible for understanding and complying with any and all federal, state, and local laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances that may apply to the entrants and the activities or business in which such entrants may engage. There may be tax consequences associated with the prizes and income received by a Contest winner, which may include, without limitation, an obligation to report as income and to pay taxes on such income to federal, state, or local authorities. Each Contest winner is responsible to determine the tax consequences of the income received and to comply with all applicable laws in all respects. All prize-winning teachers are solely responsible for understanding and complying with any and all federal, state, and local laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances, as well as school policies that may apply.

Section VI – Privacy Statement

Upon submission of an entry, the submission (including any and all intellectual property rights therein) becomes the property of Hope in a Box. By entering the Contest, entrants and their submitting teachers each grant Hope in a Box an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide and royalty-free right, unless prohibited by law, to use their respective names, states of residence, videos, and writing without compensation and without any requirement of notification or permission, for the express purpose of advertising and publicity of Hope in a Box and the Contest in any and all media, now or after. Entrants also grant Hope in a Box permission to use their name and entry to further its educational mission.

Section VII – Availability Disclaimer

The administration of the Contest, including, without limitation, determining the eligibility of a student or entry, selecting of a judge, evaluating any submitted entry, and awarding of the prizes, is within the sole and absolute discretion of Hope in a Box. No student or teacher, or person or organization related thereto, has a right to appeal, contest, dispute, or otherwise challenge any aspect of the administration of the Contest, and any decision of Hope in a Box is final in all respects. No responsibility is assumed for incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized by this contest or by any human error which may occur in the processing of entries into this Contest. Hope in a Box is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, or delayed entries or any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of players on account of technical problems, or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Hope in a Box, which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this contest or for any reason Hope in a Box deems it necessary, Hope in a Box reserves the right to cancel, modify, or delay the Contest.

Section VIII – Nondiscrimination Policy

In administering the Contest, Hope in a Box will not discriminate in any manner, including on the basis of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, nationality, or disability.

Section IX – Limitation of Liability, Governing Law, and Venue

By participating, entrants release Hope in a Box and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, and their members, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability with respect to all aspects of the Contest including all losses, damage or bodily injury resulting from participation in this Contest, and the possession, acceptance, or misuse of prizes. By participating In the Contest, entrants and submitting teachers agree that (a) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected to the Contest shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (b) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering the Contest but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (c) under no circumstances will any entrant be permitted to obtain any award for, and each hereby waives all rights to, any claim; punitive, incidental, or consequential damages; and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Contest rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrants, submitting teachers, and Hope in a Box in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of New York without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York. Any legal proceedings arising out of this Contest or relating to these Contest rules shall be instituted only in the federal courts located in the Southern District of New York, and the parties consent to jurisdiction therein with respect to any legal proceedings or disputes of whatever nature arising under or relating to these Contest rules. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Contest rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Contest rules shall otherwise remain in effect and be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained in these Contest rules.