WRITING CHALLENGE: TERMS & CONDITIONS
These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”), together with the Terms of Service (Sections A and D), govern participation in writing challenges organized by WOODLAND WRITERS (“Company”). By registering for or participating in a writing challenge, each participant agrees to be bound by these Terms.
1.ELIGIBILITY
1.1 The Challenge is open to individuals who are at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of entry, unless otherwise stated in the specific challenge announcement.
1.2 The Company reserves the right to verify at any time.
2.REGISTRATION AND ENTRY FEES
2.1 Participants must complete registration through the designated platform and pay the applicable entry fee, in order to participate.
2.2 Registration is considered complete only once payment has been successfully processed and the participant has received confirmation of registration.
2.3 Entry fees are non-transferable except as expressly stated in these Terms.
3. SUBMISSIONS
3.1 All submissions must be submitted through the designated submission platform (currently Award Force).
3.2 Participants are solely responsible for ensuring that their submission is successfully uploaded and received prior to the applicable deadline. Late submissions past the deadline will not be accepted, no exceptions.
3.3 The Company is not responsible for technical issues, internal failures, platform errors, or other issues that may prevent a submission from being received.
4.SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES
4.1 Submissions must comply with all guidelines, prompts, formatting requirements, and word limits provided in connection with the Challenge.
4.2 Unless otherwise stated:
Submissions must be original works created by the submitting Author;
Submissions must not infringe upon the intellectual property or other rights of any third party;
Submissions must not contain plagiarized material, and
Submissions must not have been generated primarily by artificial intelligence tools unless expressly permitted in the challenge rules.
4.3 The Company reserves the right to determine whether a submission complies with the applicable guidelines.
5. CONTENT STANDARDS
5.1 Submissions must not contain content that is unlawful, defamatory, discriminatory, abusive, threatening, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate.
5.2 Submissions that include bigotry, hate speech, harassment, or other offensive material may be rejected or disqualified at the Company’s sole discretion.
5.3 The Company reserves the right to remove, reject, or disqualify any submission that it determines violates these Terms or is inconsistent with the spirit or integrity of the Challenge.
6. JUDGING AND SELECTION OF WINNERS
6.1 Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges selected by the Company.
6.2 Submissions may be evaluated based on criteria including, but not limited to:
Originality;
Creativity;
Adherence to the prompt;
Quality of writing, and
Overall impact.
6.3 Judges will use a scoring rubric or evaluation guidelines determined by the Company.
6.4 All judging decisions are final and binding.
6.5 The Company reserves the right to interpret judging criteria and resolve any disputes relating to the judging process.
7. AUTHOR OWNERSHIP AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
7.1 Authors retain full ownership and copyright in their submitted work.
7.2 Nothing in these Terms transfer ownership of any submission to the Company or the judges.
7.3 The Company claims no ownership interest in participant’s stories.
8. LIMITED LICENSE TO THE COMPANY
8.1 By participating in the Challenge. Authors grant the Company a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:
Publish winning submissions;
Display or promote winning entries;
Reference story titles and author names, and
Share excerpts of submissions.
For purposes related to: announcing winners; promoting the Challenge; marketing future challenges, or documenting the results of the Challenge
8.2 The license does not grant the Company the right to commercially exploit or sell participant’s work without additional written permission from the Author.
9. PROTECTION OF PARTICIPANT’S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
9.1 The Company respects the Intellectual Property rights of the Authors and takes reasonable steps to protect submitted materials.
9.2 Submissions will only be shared with the Judges or personnel involved in the administration of the Challenge.
9.3 Judgers and administrators may be required to agree to confidentiality obligations relating to submissions. However, the Company cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality or protection against unauthorized copying by third parties. Participants submit their work at their own risk.
10. USE OF PARTICIPANTS NAMES AND TITLES
10.1 Participants acknowledge that the Company may publicly reference the following information in connection with the Challenge:
Participant names;
Story titles;
Rankings or awards, and
Participation in the Challenge.
This may occur in the Company’s website, newsletters, social media channels, or promotional materials.
11. REFUND POLICY
11.1 Participants may request a refund up to seventy-two (72) hours prior to the official start of the Challenge, defined as the time when prompts are distributed to participants.
12. WINNER AWARDS
12.1 Prizes will be distributed within thirty (60) days following the official announcement of winners.
12.2 Payments may be made via check, PayPal, or another payment method determined by the Company.
12.3 Winners are solely responsible for any taxes, reporting obligations, or banking fees associated with receiving prize payments.
13. DISQUALIFICATION
13.1 The Company reserves the right to disqualify any participant who:
Violates these Terms;
Submits plagiarized content;
Attempts to manipulate the judging process;
Engages in harassment or misconduct related to the Challenge, or
Provides false or misleading information.
13.2 Disqualification may result in forfeiture of prizes and exclusion from future challenges.
14. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
14.1 To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Company shall not be liable for:
Lost or corrupted submissions;
Technical failures or platform outages;
Internet disruptions;
Administrative errors, or
Delays in prize delivery.
14.2 To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall the Company, its affiliates, officers, employees, contractors, judges, or partners be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, loss of opportunity, or reputational harm, arising out of or related to participation in the Challenge, even if the Company has been advised of the possibility of such damages.The total liability of the Company arising out of or related to the Challenge shall not exceed the amount of the entry fee paid by the Participant, if any.
15. INDEMNIFICATION
15.1 Participants agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Forest & Fawn, its officers, employees, contractors, judges, affiliates, and partners from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to:
The Participant’s submission;
Any alleged infringement of intellectual property rights;
Any violation of these Terms, or
The Participant’s participation in the Challenge.
15.2 By participating in the Challenge, participants agree to release and hold harmless the Company, its affiliates, officers, employees, contractors, judges, and partners from any claims, demands, or causes of action arising out of or relating to participation in the Challenge, including but not limited to disputes regarding judging decisions, rankings, or prize awards.
16. IDEA DISCLAIMER
16.1 The Company received numerous creative submissions. Participants acknowledge that ideas contained in submissions may be similar to ideas independently developed by other participants or by the Company.
16.2 Participation in the Challenge does not create any obligation for the Company to use or develop any submitted ideas.
17. MODIFICATION OR CANCELLATION
17.1 The Company reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the Challenge at any time if necessary due to technical issues, fraud, legal concerns, or other circumstances that may affect the fairness or administration of the Challenge.
17.2 The Company reserves the right to substitute judges or modify the judging panel if necessary.
17.3 The Company shall not be liable for any delay, interruption, or failure to perform its obligations under these Terms due to events beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, acts of government, war, terrorism, internet outages, technical failures, labor disputes, or other unforeseen circumstances.
17.4 In such events, the Company reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the Challenge.
18. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
18.1 Participant represents and warrants that:
The submitted work is the Participant’s original creation;
The submission does not infringe upon the intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights of any third party;
The submission does not contain any unlawful, defamatory, or harmful material;
The Participant has full right, power, and authority to submit the work and grant the rights described in these Terms; and
The submission complies with all applicable laws and regulations.
18.2 Participants acknowledge that any breach of these representations may result in disqualification and potential legal liability.
19.RIGHT TO INVESTIGATE
19.1 The Company reserves the right to investigate any suspected violation of these Terms or misconduct related to the Challenge.
19.2 Participants agree to cooperate with any such investigation and provide additional information if reasonably requested by the Company.
20.NO EMPLOYMENT OR AGENCY RELATIONSHIP
20.1 Participation in the Challenge does not create any partnership, joint venture, employment, or agency relationship between the Participant and the Company.
21. PRIVACY
21.1 Personal information collected in the Challenge will be used solely for purposes of administering the Challenge and communicating with participants.
22. GOVERNING LAW
22.1 These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Challenge shall be resolved through binding arbitration rather than in court, except that either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court if eligible. The arbitration shall be administered by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its applicable rules. The arbitration shall take place in the State of Delaware unless otherwise agreed by the parties. Participants agree that any dispute resolution proceedings will be conducted on an individual basis and not as part of any class, collective, or representative action. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.
22.2 Participants agree that any disputes shall be resolved on an individual basis only and waive any right to participate in any class action, class arbitration, or representative proceeding.Participants waive any right to a trial by jury in any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Challenge.
23. MISCELLANEOUS
23.1 If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
23.2 The failure of the Company to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not be deemed a waiver of that provision or of the right to enforce it at a later time.
23.3 The Company may assign or transfer its rights and obligations under these Terms at its discretion. Participants may not assign or transfer their rights or obligations under these Terms without the prior written consent of the Company.
23.4 These Terms constitute the entire agreement between the Company and participants regarding the Challenge and supersede all prior or contemporaneous communications or agreements relating to the subject matter.
24. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS
24.1 By registering for or participating in the Challenge, participants acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.