Contest Rules
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NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. MAKING A PURCHASE WILL NOT AFFECT YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. THIS CONTEST IS OPEN ONLY TO NATURAL PERSONS WHO ARE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WHO ARE AT LEAST EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AS OF JUNE 1, 2023. ENTRY IN THIS CONTEST CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES (“OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES”). VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
ADMINISTRATOR: This Contest is administered by Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. (the "Administrator"), 575 Herndon Parkway, Herndon, VA 20170, who is solely responsible for the administration of this Contest and the purchase, selection and awarding of the prizes, as defined below.
ELIGIBILITY: This Share Your Story Contest ("Contest") is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are eighteen (18) years of age or older as of June 1, 2023. Employees, officers, directors, agents and representatives of the National Park Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service, National Archives, and NOAA Marine Sanctuaries (collectively, the “Federal Recreation Agencies”), Administrator and their respective affiliates (including without limitation their parent, sister and subsidiary companies, partnerships, and other commercial entities providing administrative support to Recreation.gov), their advertising and promotion agencies and any other person directly connected with the production and distribution of or the supply of goods or services in connection with this Contest, their respective owners, directors, officers, employees and agents (the foregoing entities collectively, with the Federal Recreation Agencies and the Administrator, are hereinafter referred to as the “Released Parties”) and their respective immediate families (mother, father, sister, brother, child, husband or wife, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside), and those living in the same household of any such individuals, whether or not legally related are excluded from participation in the Contest and are ineligible to enter and win any prize awards. This includes former employees, part-time or seasonal employees and those individuals who will become employees during the Contest period.
The Contest is an amateur story writing contest, with stories based on actual experience(s) of the writer; professional writers are ineligible to enter and win any prizes. For the purposes of the Contest, a “professional writer” is defined as anyone who is or has been employed in a full or part-time capacity as a writer or literary author or in a similar capacity, where such person derives the majority of their income from such writing and/or authorship.
Entry in the Contest does not constitute entry into any other promotion, contest or sweepstakes. By participating in the Contest, each entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Administrator. By submitting an entry to the Contest or accepting any prize awarded to you, you are affirmatively representing to the Administrator that you are not prohibited from accepting the prize offered to you by any laws, regulations, policies, or these Official Contest Rules applicable to you (“Applicable Rules”), including any rule or policy imposed upon you by any employer or by any government entity with which you or a family member are affiliated. The Administrator reserves the right to require you to demonstrate, to its satisfaction, that no Applicable Rules prohibit you from accepting any prize and to withhold any prize offered under this competition if you cannot reasonably demonstrate your eligibility in a timely fashion. This Contest may only be entered from and in eligible jurisdictions. This Contest is void where prohibited by law.
PROMOTION PERIOD: This Contest begins on or about June 1, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on September 30, at 11:59 p.m. ET ("Promotion Period"). The Administrator's computer system is the official time-keeping device for this Contest.
TO ENTER: Eligible individuals may enter the Contest by visiting www.recreation.gov/ShareYourStory (the "Website") during the Promotion Period and completing the free online entry form in accordance with the instructions provided. Individuals may only submit up to two (2) stories (each, a “Story”) during the Promotion Period, and each Story may be submitted for consideration in up to two (2) categories, and each Story must be submitted with one (1) photograph, but no more than three (3) photographs each, (a “Photograph”, and collectively with the Story, the “Submission”). Each Submission must comply with the “Submission Requirements” (defined below).
Each Submission must be designate at least one (1), but no more than two (2) of the following categories ("Categories"):
Traditions (Old and New) - Do you have an annual adventure, or have you taken one that you hope will become a longtime tradition? Whether it's cutting down your own Christmas tree or a weekend reunion under the stars, "Share Your Story."
Reflection Journeys - Has your wanderlust led you on an inspirational outdoor adventure? Did you find yourself emotionally connecting with nature and your outdoor experience in a transformative way? "Share Your Story"
Reaching for the Stars - Did you summit a peak that you never thought was possible? Were you able to overcome a fear or tackle a challenge through planning and dedication? Did you accomplish your goals of adventure by harnessing your inner strength and diverse abilities? "Share Your Story."
Family or Group Trips - Do your campfire stories include roasting marshmallows with friends and/or family? Whether it was an RV trip or catching your first fish together, "Share Your Story."
Activities and Adventure - Did you have a unique experience while exploring the great outdoors? Whether it was an emotional connection with nature, an exhilarating trek, a check off your bucket list, or a funny attempt at putting up your first tent - "Share Your Story."
The “Submission Requirements” consist of the Story Requirements and the Photograph Requirements, collectively. The Story Requirements are as follows: each Story must: 1) be written in the first person; 2) contain at least 900 characters, but no more than 3,500 characters; and 3) depict your adventure(s) occurring between January 1, 2023 and September 30, at one of the federal public lands or waterways managed by one of the Federal Recreation Agencies. Stories depicting your experiences at a state, city, or other privately owned lands, waterways, or parks do not qualify, unless the underlying land or waterway is owned by one of the Federal Recreation Agencies and is being managed or administered by the state, city, or private individual or entity in partnership with a Federal Recreation Agency. Stories depicting anything that does not adhere to the rules of the Federal Recreation Agencies, contains unsafe acts, or that depicts or contains anything: illegal, highly controversial, overtly offensive, inappropriate, discriminatory, indecent or obscene, containing an apparent messaging for or against political or advocacy for a special interest, or otherwise containing hate speech, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, may be disqualified and the individual submitting the disqualified entry may be disqualified from submitting any future entries to this Contest or any future contests managed by the Administrator.
The “Photograph Requirements” are as follows: 1) photograph(s) submitted must be submitted in .jpg format not to exceed 10MB in size; 2) the Photograph must capture a moment that was experienced in your story and must be from the same federal public land(s) or waterway(s) depicted in your story, and from the same time period depicted; 3) No alteration or manipulation of photographs is permitted except for minor cropping, red eye removal, and/or adjustment of contrast and brightness(photographic techniques such as HDR, light-painting and long exposures are allowed). The Administrator retains the right to reject any photographs that, in their sole discretion, have been noticeably and/or excessively altered as determined by Administrator in its sole discretion. Photographs with watermarks, writing or symbols of any kind may be rejected. Photograph(s) depicting anything that does not adhere to the rules of the Federal Recreation Agencies, contains unsafe acts, or that depicts or contains anything: illegal, highly controversial, overtly offensive to most people, inappropriate, indecent or obscene, apparent promotion for or against political or advocacy for a special interest, or otherwise depicts discrimination of any kind, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, may be rejected.
All required fields on the online entry form must be completed. Incomplete entries will not be accepted and will be automatically rejected. Entrants must be the registered subscriber of the email account from which the entry is made. By submitting your Submission, you agree that the Submission conforms to the Submission Requirements set forth in these Official Rules. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may remove or reject your Submission(s) and disqualify you from this Contest if it believes, in its sole discretion, that the Submission(s) fail to conform to such guidelines and restrictions. Except where otherwise prohibited by law, the Administrator reserves the right, without any notification to the entrant, to notify and cooperate with law enforcement or other governmental authorities if, in Administrators sole discretion, any Submission to the Contest depicts any situation that illegally violate the safety, health, or wellbeing to any individual(s) or entity(s).
There is a limit of two (2) entries per individual for the duration of the Promotion Period. Additional entries received from any individual beyond the first two (2) entries received will be void. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means and entries by any means which, in the opinion of the Administrator, are intended to subvert the entry process will be void. All entries, including story(s) and photograph(s) submitted, become the property of the Administrator and its respective designees, and none will be acknowledged or returned. All Submissions must be received by the end of the Promotion Period. No substitutions or new versions of Submissions will be accepted once the original Submission is submitted for consideration. Any Submission that is considered by Administrator in its sole and absolute discretion to violate the Submission Requirements, in whole or in part, may be disqualified and will not be eligible for entry.
Entry must be made by the entrant, only through the entry methods described above. Entries made by any other individual or any entity, and/or originating at any other web site or e-mail address, including but not limited to commercial sweepstakes subscription notification and/or entering service sites, will be declared invalid and disqualified for this Contest. Tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest, including but not limited to the use of any device to automate the entry process, is prohibited and any entries deemed by Administrator, in its sole discretion, to have been submitted in this manner will be void. In the event a dispute regarding the identity of the individual who actually submitted an entry cannot be resolved to Administrator's satisfaction, the affected entry will be deemed ineligible. The Released Parties shall not be responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by Internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or used in the Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in processing of the entries in the Contest. The Released Parties assume no responsibility or liability for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Any entrant who incorporates any intellectual property or material owned by a third party into his or her Submission does so at his or her own risk. If the Administrator is duly notified that any element of an entrant's Submission infringes upon the rights of another person and/or receives a legally valid request to remove the affected Submission from the Website because of such infringement, such Submission may be removed from the Website and/or disqualified from the Contest, as Administrator may determine in its sole discretion. Further, no entrant will be eligible to receive a prize unless Administrator determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that such entrant's Submission has been or can be sufficiently cleared for legal purposes.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES/INDEMNIFICATION: Each entrant (and any minor entrant's parent or legal guardian) represents and warrants as follows: (i) the Submission does not and will not violate or infringe upon the intellectual property rights or other rights of any other person or entity; (ii) the Submission meets the Submission Requirements, and does not and will not violate any applicable laws, and is not and will not be defamatory or libelous. Each entrant (and any minor entrant's parent or legal guardian) agrees to indemnify the Released Parties and hold them harmless from and against any and all third party claims, liability, judgments, losses, damages, costs, and expenses, including penalties, interest and reasonable outside attorney's fees and costs in the defense and disposition of such matters arising out of, resulting from, based upon or incurred because of a breach or allegation that, if true, would constitute a breach by entrant of his or her representations, warranties, covenants or obligations hereunder, including, without limitation, any action or statement made by entrant while participating in the Contest.
RIGHTS IN SUBMISSIONS: For good and valuable consideration, the receipt and legal sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, each entrant (and any minor entrant's parent or legal guardian) hereby irrevocably grants to the Released Parties, and their successors, licensees and assigns, a non-exclusive license (but not the obligation) to reproduce, publicly perform, publicly display, stream, exploit, make derivative works of and otherwise use the Submission, in whole or in part, for any purpose, including without limitation commercial purposes, in any and all media now or hereafter devised throughout the universe in perpetuity. The Released Parties shall have the right, in their sole discretion, to edit, composite, morph, scan, duplicate, or alter the Submission for any purpose which the Released Parties deem necessary or desirable, and each entrant irrevocably waives any and all so-called “moral rights” they may have therein. The Released Parties shall retain the rights granted in each Submission even if the Submission is disqualified or fails to meet the Submission Requirements or even if it determined that the entrant who made the Submission is ineligible to enter the Contest.
WINNER SELECTION AND JUDGING: Contest entries will be judged by a panel of judges selected by the Administrator and will be judged on the stories submitted only; photographs will not be judged. For each Contest phase, as described below, stories will be judged based on the following criteria: 1) the originality and creativity of the story; 2) the clarity and organization of the story composition; 3)the content of the story and it appropriateness for the category against which it was submitted; and 4) whether the story showcases the best of America's recreational opportunities (the “Judging Criteria”). Each of the criteria will be given equal consideration.
Winners will be selected in accordance with the following:
Monthly Promotion Prize: Four (4) monthly first prize winners and four (4) monthly second prize winners will be selected using the Judging Criteria from eligible entries submitted during each calendar month of the Contest (i.e., June, July, August, September). Monthly promotion winners will be automatically included as a finalist in this Contest for an opportunity to become the overall winner of that category at the end of the Promotion Period. In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest score in the “showcase America's recreational opportunities” Judging Criteria will receive the prize award. Winners will be announced on or about the 15th of the month following the month being judged (e.g., June winners will be announced on or about July 15, 2023; July winners will be announced on or about August 15, 2023; August winners will be announced on or about September15, 2023, and September winners will be announced on or about October 15, 2023).
Overall Category Prize: At the end of the Promotion Period, a judging panel will review the Submissions and scores and will select a first prize and second prize winner for each Category based on the Judging Criteria. In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest score in the “showcase America's recreational opportunities” Judging Criteria will receive the prize award. Winners of the overall category prizes will be announced on or about October 15, 2023.
Honorable Mention Prize: At the end of the Promotion Period, a judging panel will review all eligible entries and will determine the top ten (10) entries that submitted noteworthy submissions but did not win a first or second prize in any Category according to the Judging Criteria. The honorable mention prize is not tied to any Category and is limited to a total of ten (10) winners. In the event of a tie, the entry with the highest score in the “showcase America's recreational opportunities” Judging Criteria will receive the prize award. Winners of the overall honorable mention prize will be announced on or about October15, 2023.
Grand Prize Winner: At the end of the Promotion Period, the judging panel will choose the first grand prize winner, second grand prize winner, and third grand prize winner from all of the eligible submissions received based on the Judging Criteria. The grand prize winner will be the Submission that scores the highest and also has the highest score in the “showcases America's recreational opportunities” in the Judging Criteria.
Winners agree to conduct any and all media interviews related to the Contest and promotion if requested by the Administrator and not to criticize or disparage any of the Released Parties during interviews. All judging decisions are final and not subject to appeal or challenge.
PRIZES
Grand Prizes
One (1) First Grand Prize comprising of: one (1) One Thousand Five Hundred Dollar ($1,500.00) Gift card from an outdoor retailer and one (1) America the Beautiful: National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass (or Interagency Annual Pass) (the approximate retail value (“ARV”) of this prize Eighty Dollars ($80.00)) will be awarded to the grand prize winner.
One (1) Second Grand Prize comprising of: one (1) One Thousand Dollar ($1,000.00) Gift card from an outdoor retailer and one (1) America the Beautiful: National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass (or Interagency Annual Pass) (ARV Eighty Dollars ($80.00) will be awarded to the grand prize second place winner.
One (1) Third Grand Prize comprising of: one (1) Five Hundred Dollar ($500.00) Gift card from an outdoor retailer and one (1) America the Beautiful: National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass (or Interagency Annual Pass) (ARV Eighty Dollars ($80.00) will be awarded to the grand prize third place winner.
Overall Category Prizes
Five (5) Overall Category First Place Prizes comprising of one (1) Three Hundred Dollar ($300.00) Gift card from an outdoor retailer and one (1) America the Beautiful: National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass (or Interagency Annual Pass) (ARV Eighty Dollars ($80.00) will be awarded to each of the first place winners for the overall category prize (one first place prize per category).
Five (5) Overall Category Second Place Prizes comprising of one (1) One Hundred Fifty Dollar ($150.00) Gift card from an outdoor retailer and one (1) America the Beautiful: National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass (or Interagency Annual Pass) (ARV Eighty Dollars ($80.00) will be awarded to each of the second place winners over the overall category prize (one second place prize per category).
Monthly Prizes
Four (4) Monthly First Place Prizes comprising of one (1) One Hundred Fifty Dollar ($150.00) Gift card from an outdoor retailer and one (1) America the Beautiful: National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass (or Interagency Annual Pass) (ARV Eighty Dollars ($80.00) will be awarded to each of the first place winners for the monthly promotion prize (one first place prize per month).
Four (4) Monthly Second Place Prizes comprising of one (1) One Hundred Dollar ($100.00) Gift card from an outdoor retailer and one (1) America the Beautiful: National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass (or Interagency Annual Pass) (ARV Eighty Dollars ($80.00)) will be awarded to each of the second place winners over the monthly promotion prize (one second place prize per month).
Honorable Mention Prizes
Ten (10) honorable mention prizes will be awarded comprising Recreation.gov branded gear selected by the Administrator with an approximate retail value of $21.00. The approximate aggregate retail value of these items will depend on the item, and the Administrator reserves the right to select the item awarded based on availability at the time of award.
No cash alternative or substitution of prizes will be allowed, except Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to substitute prize(s) of comparable value if any prize listed is unavailable, in whole or in part, for any reason. Applicable portions of the prizes will be delivered only to an address in the United States. Total Estimated approximate retail value of all Prizes: $ 8,110.00.
Monthly promotion winners are eligible also to win the overall category and grand prizes. Excluding the monthly promotion prizes, entrants may only win one prize in the Contest. Gift certificates are subject to restrictions as stipulated in the gift card by the retailer. ATB Passes are subject to the rules and regulations of the National Park Service. Lost or stolen prize(s) will not be replaced. No assignment, transfer, conversion to cash or cash redemption or substitution of the prize is permitted, except the Administrator reserves the right to substitute the prize(s) with a prize(s) of comparable or greater value should the prize, or any portion thereof, become unavailable. All prize details are at the sole discretion of the Administrator and subject to change at the Administrator's discretion. Any changes to the prizes will be published wherever these Official Contest Rules are available. The winner agrees to accept the prize “as is”, and entrants hereby acknowledge that Administrator has neither made nor is in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize, including express warranties (if any) provided exclusively by a prize supplier that are sent along with the prize. Any valuation of the prize(s) stated above is based on available information provided to the Administrator and the value of any prize awarded to a winner may be reported for tax purposes as required by law. The winner(s) will be solely responsible for all applicable state, federal, and local taxes associated with the acceptance and use of any awarded prize.
Administrator makes no warranties, and hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, concerning any prize furnished in connection with the Contest.WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, SUCH PRIZES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPONSOR HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL SUCH WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND/OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.
ENTRANTS' AGREEMENT: The submission or attempted submission of an entry for this Contest constitutes the entrant's full and unconditional agreement to these Official Contest Rules and to any decisions made by the Administrator; all decisions of which pertaining to this Contest shall be final and binding without any right of appeal. Winning a prize is contingent upon entrant fulfilling all the requirements of and all terms and conditions provided in these Official Contest Rules. Failure to comply with these Official Contest Rules may result in disqualification from this Contest.
All entries, including story(s) and photograph(s) submitted, and any Request for Information and Waiver or Affidavit document provided to the Administrator become the property of the Administrator and will not be returned.
NOTIFICATION: The potential winner will be notified via email. Three (3) contact attempts will be made in a 48-hour period to contact a potential winner. If a potential winner does not respond within the 48-hour allotted time period from the first entry notification, Administrator reserves the right to select another potential winner from all eligible entries, and the same process will be repeated until each winner is contacted and the prizes are awarded. Administrator is not responsible for contacting an entrant if that entrant has changed contact information and failed to provide Administrator the proper contact information when such information is required. Administrator may successively attempt to contact up to two (2) potential winner(s) of an applicable prize in accordance with such procedure, and if there is still no confirmed winner(s) of such applicable prize after such attempts have been made, if any, the corresponding prize may go unawarded.
VERIFICATION OF POTENTIAL WINNERS: An entrant who is selected pursuant to the process set forth above is not considered a winner of any prize unless and until the entrant's eligibility has been verified by the Administrator and the entrant has been notified that verification has been completed. In connection with such verification, the potential winner will be required to execute and return a Request for Information and Waiver form or Affidavit, within ten (10) days of the date that such form is sent by the Administrator to the potential winner. Non-compliance with the foregoing or with any of these Official Contest Rules, or failure to return to the Administrator a properly executed Request for Information and Waiver form or Affidavit will, at the Administrator's sole option, result in disqualification of the potential winner and, at the Administrator's sole option, an alternate winner being selected by the judges from the remaining eligible entries.
In the event of a dispute over the identity of a potential winner, the entry will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry, and the potential winner may be required to provide identification sufficient to show that he/she is the authorized account holder of such email address. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the person assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the email address in question. Proof of sending or submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by the Administrator.
NATURE OF RELATIONSHIP/WAIVER OF EQUITABLE RELIEF: Each entrant (and any minor entrant's parent or legal guardian) hereby acknowledges and agrees that the relationship between the entrant and the Released Parties is not a confidential, fiduciary, or other special relationship, and that the entrant's decision to provide the entrant's Submission (if applicable) to Sponsor for purposes of the Contest does not place the Released Parties in a position that is any different from the position held by members of the general public with regard to elements of the entrant's Submission. Each entrant understands and acknowledges that the Released Parties have wide access to ideas, stories, designs, and other literary materials, and that new ideas are constantly being submitted to the Released Parties or being developed by their own employees. Each entrant also acknowledges that many ideas may be competitive with, similar or identical to the Submission and/or each other in theme, idea, plot, format or other respects. Each entrant acknowledges and agrees that such entrant will not be entitled to any compensation as a result of any Released Party's use of any such similar or identical material. Each entrant acknowledges and agrees that the Released Parties do not now and shall not have in the future any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of the copyright in and to the Submission. Finally, each entrant acknowledges that, with respect to any claim by entrant relating to or arising out of a Released Party's actual or alleged exploitation or use of any Submission or other material submitted in connection with the Contest, the damage, if any, thereby caused to the applicable entrant will not be irreparable or otherwise sufficient to entitle such entrant to seek injunctive or other equitable relief and entrant's rights and remedies in any such event shall be strictly limited to the right to recover damages, if any, in an action at law.
NO OBLIGATION TO USE: The Released Parties shall have no obligation (express or implied) to use any Submission, or to otherwise exploit any Submission or, if commenced, to continue the distribution or exploitation thereof, and the Released Parties may at any time abandon the use of the Submission for any reason, with or without legal justification or excuse, and entrants shall not be entitled to any damages or other relief by reason thereof.
DATES & DEADLINES/ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF CONTESTANTS: Because of the unique nature and scope of the Contest, Administrator reserves the right, in addition to those other rights reserved herein, to modify any date(s) or deadline(s) set forth in these Official Rules or otherwise governing the Contest. Administrator cannot accurately predict the number of entrants who will participate in the Contest.
FURTHER DOCUMENTATION: If Adminsitrator shall desire to secure additional assignments, certificates of engagement for the Submission or other documents as Adminsitrator may reasonably require in order to effectuate the purposes and intents of these Official Rules, then each entrant agrees to sign the same upon Adminsitrator's request therefor.
GENERAL LIABILITY RELEASE/FORCE MAJEURE: Each entrant (and any minor entrant's parent or legal guardian) agrees that the Released Parties (A) shall not be responsible or liable for, and are hereby released from, any and all costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including, without limitation, death and bodily injury, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, to participation in the Contest or any Contest-related activity, or from entrants' acceptance, receipt, possession and/or use or misuse of any prize, and (B) have not made any warranty, representation or guarantee express or implied, in fact or in law, with respect to any prize, including, without limitation, to such prize's quality or fitness for a particular purpose. The Released Parties assume no responsibility for any damage to an entrant's, or any other person's, computer system which is occasioned by accessing the Website or otherwise participating in the Contest, or for any computer system, phone line, hardware, software or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures, delayed computer transmissions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Released Parties are not responsible for incomplete, illegible, misdirected, misprinted, late, lost, damaged, stolen, or postage-due entries/Submissions or prize notifications; or for lost, interrupted, inaccessible or unavailable networks, servers, satellites, Internet service providers, websites, or other connections; or for miscommunications, failed, jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected computer, telephone or cable transmissions; or for any technical malfunctions, failures, difficulties or other errors of any kind or nature; or for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of information, or the failure to capture any information. Administrator reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or the Website, to be acting in violation of these Official Rules, or to be acting in an unsportsman-like or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest, or to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, and Administrator reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. No mechanically reproduced, illegible, incomplete, forged, software-generated or other automated multiple entries will be accepted. If a dispute as to the identity of the individual who actually submitted an entry cannot be resolved to Administrator's satisfaction, the affected entry may be deemed ineligible. Administrator reserves the right to modify, extend, suspend, or terminate the Contest if it determines, in its sole discretion, that the Contest is technically impaired or corrupted or that fraud or technical problems, failures or malfunctions or other causes beyond Administrator's control have destroyed or severely undermined or to any degree impaired the integrity, administration, security, proper play and/or feasibility of the Contest as contemplated herein. In the event an insufficient number of eligible entries are received and/or Administrator is prevented from awarding prizes or continuing with the Contest as contemplated herein by any event beyond its control, including but not limited to fire, flood, earthquake, windstorm, epidemic, pandemic, public health crisis, disease, virus, sickness or outbreak or other similar or dissimilar natural disaster; act of God or public enemy; riot or civil disturbance, act of any government or governmental authority, power failure, satellite or equipment failure, failure of telecommunications lines or failure or breakdown of plant, machinery or vehicles operated by a third party; labor dispute, strike, or lockout; actual or threat of war, armed conflict, terrorist attacks, war (declared, undeclared or threatened), explosion, nuclear, or chemical or biological contamination; or a government imposed travel ban, restriction on movement or gatherings, or other government imposed mandate of any kind, order of any court or jurisdiction, or other cause not reasonably within Administrator's control (each a “Force Majeure” event or occurrence), Administrator reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest. If the Contest is terminated before the designated end date, Administrator may (if possible) select the winner from all eligible, non-suspect entries received as of the date of the event giving rise to the termination. Only the type and quantity of prizes described in these Official Rules will be awarded. These Official Rules cannot be modified or amended in any way except in a written document issued in accordance with law by a duly authorized representative of Administrator. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. If any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.
GOVERNING LAW/JURISDICTION: ALL ISSUES AND QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY, INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEABILITY OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES OR THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF ENTRANTS OR ADMINISTRATOR IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INTERNAL LAWS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY CHOICE OF LAW OF CONFLICT OF LAW RULES OR PROVISIONS THAT WOULD CAUSE THE APPLICATION OF ANY OTHER STATE'S LAWS.
ARBITRATION PROVISION: By participating in this Contest, each entrant (and any minor entrant's parent or legal guardian) agrees: (i) that any and all disputes the entrant may have with, or claims entrant may have against, the Released Parties relating to, arising out of or connected in any way with (a) the Contest, (b) the awarding or redemption of any prize, and/or (c) the determination of the scope or applicability of this agreement to arbitrate, will be resolved exclusively by final and binding arbitration administered by JAMS and conducted before a sole arbitrator in accordance with the rules of JAMS; (ii) this arbitration agreement is made pursuant to a transaction involving interstate commerce, and shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), 9 U.S.C. §§ 1-16; (iii) the arbitration shall be held in Arlington, Virginia; (iv) the arbitrator's decision shall be controlled by the terms and conditions of these Official Rules and any of the other agreements referenced herein that the applicable entrant may have entered into in connection with the Contest; (v) the arbitrator shall apply Virginia law consistent with the FAA and applicable statutes of limitations, and shall honor claims of privilege recognized at law; (vi) there shall be no authority for any claims to be arbitrated on a class or representative basis, arbitration can decide only entrant's and/or the Released Parties' individual claims; the arbitrator may not consolidate or join the claims of other persons or parties who may be similarly situated; (vii) the arbitrator shall not have the power to award punitive damages against the entrant or the Released Parties; (viii) if the entrant is able to demonstrate that the costs of arbitration will be prohibitive as compared to the costs of litigation, Administrator will pay as much of entrant's filing and hearing fees in connection with the arbitration as the arbitrator deems necessary to prevent the arbitration from being cost-prohibitive; and (ix) with the exception of subpart (vi) above, if any part of this arbitration provision is deemed to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, or otherwise conflicts with the rules of JAMS, then the balance of this arbitration provision shall remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with its terms as if the invalid, unenforceable, illegal or conflicting provision were not contained herein. If, however, subpart (vi) is found to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, then the entirety of this arbitration provision shall be null and void, and neither entrant nor the Released Parties shall be entitled to arbitrate their dispute. For more information on JAMS and/or the rules of JAMS, visit their website at www.jamsadr.com.
TRADEMARKS: Unless noted otherwise, all trademarks used herein are the property of the Administrator. The names of individuals, groups, companies, products and services mentioned herein, and any corresponding likenesses, logos and images thereof reproduced herein, have been used for identification purposes only and may be the copyrighted properties and trademarks of their respective owners. The mention of any individual, group or the Released Parties, or the inclusion of a product or service as a prize, does not imply any association with or endorsement by such individual, group or the Administrator, or the manufacturer or distributor of such product or service and, except as otherwise indicated no association or endorsement is intended or should be inferred.
WINNERS' LIST: For a complete list of the names of the winners (available after October 31, 2023) send a self- addressed, postage pre-paid envelope (residents of Vermont may omit pre-paid envelope) to: Booz Allen Hamilton, Attn: Recreation.gov/ShareYourStory, 575 Herndon Parkway, Herndon, VA 20170. All winners' list requests must be received prior to Decemer 31, 2023.
PUBLICITY; GENERAL: Each entrant grants the Administrator, and its respective designees, a perpetual, worldwide, sublicensable, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use, broadcast, publish and otherwise use the entrant's name, address of residence, statements regarding this Contest, image, photograph, video, voice and/or likeness for advertising and promoting Recreation.gov and this Contest, and reporting the winners, in any and all media now or hereafter devised without additional compensation, notification or permission, unless prohibited by law. This Contest and all entries are subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON is a registered trademark of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc, in the United States and other countries; all other marks belong to their respective owners.
SECTION HEADINGS: The headings of the sections are inserted for reference only and are not intended to be part of nor affect the meaning or interpretation of these Official Contest Rules.
SEVERABILITY: The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official 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 Official Contest Rules shall otherwise remain in effect and be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision was not contained herein. Administrator's failure to enforce any term of these Official Contest Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.
PERSONAL INFORMATION: Unless the entrant has otherwise authorized the Administrator or another entity related to the Administrator to contact him or her, the personal information gathered from entrants in connection with this Contest is subject to the Contest privacy policy (available at ).