The Basics
-
Lumberloft Press assumes all entries are original and therefore are not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the entrant and will not become involved in copyright disputes.
-
This contest is open to any U.S. resident provided the writer is over the age of 18 years at the time of the closing date.
-
There is no entry fee.
-
One submission per entrant.
-
Please do not simultaneously submit your contest submission to another contest or publication.
-
All short stories must be submitted via email, with the submission contained in the body of the email. Attachments will not be opened. Your email address will be used to notify you of any updates.
-
Contest participants will be judged on their quality of writing. All entries will be read blind, and all decisions are final.
-
Non-winning entries will be discarded after the winners have been chosen.
-
Your short story must be original, in English, not published, self-published or broadcasted on any media. The story must be no longer than 5,000 words, typed and double-spaced. There is no minimum word count.
-
Winners will receive a copy of the publication upon release and a contribution credit.
-
Contributors are not eligible for compensation or royalties resulting from the publication of their submissions, nor can they retract their material once they've accepted an agreement to be published as a part of the compilation.
​
The Official Contest Rules
​NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
ELIGIBILITY
The Lumberloft 2019 Short Fiction Contest (“Contest”) begins on March 1, 2019 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) and ends on July 30, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. PST (“Contest Period”). The time shall be determined by Sponsor’s timekeeping systems, and Sponsor may also rely on the time processing functions of third parties. Sponsor shall have the sole discretion in determining the timeliness of any action or inaction related to this Contest. The Contest is open to legal residents of the US and DC, who are at least 18 years old and the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence as of the date of entry. Void where prohibited. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws.
TO ENTER
You may submit an entry for this Contest between March 1, 2019 at 12:01 a.m. PST and July 30, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. PST (the “Entry Period”). To enter the Contest, complete the following steps during the Entry Period. Create one (1) original fiction text of less than 5,000 words that you believe exemplifies the 2019 contest prompt: DEATH FROM ABOVE. Please note: Entry submissions must be in the body of your email submission. Submissions can be emailed to hello@lumberloft.com and must include your name and contact information in the body of the email submission. No attachments will be accepted or opened. Ensure that your entry does not contain any third-party trademarks, artwork, or logos. Any Entrant’s failure or inability to receive any message(s) from Sponsor for any reason shall be deemed a failure by such entrant to comply with these rules, and any such entrant shall be disqualified from consideration. Similarly, Sponsor shall not be liable for any lost, misdirected, or otherwise unreceived or illegible messages from entrants. By entering this contest, each entrant agrees that the Sponsor may contact the entrant by direct message via entrant’s email accounts provided upon submission, to administer and fulfill this Contest. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected entries or entries not received regardless of cause. In the event of a dispute over who submitted an entry, the entry will be deemed to have been directly submitted by the authorized account holder of the relevant account used to enter the Contest. The authorized account holder is deemed to be the natural person who is assigned to the account by the relevant entity responsible for assigning those accounts. By entering and/or participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and Sponsor’s website Terms of Use Privacy Policy as set forth in these Official Rules.
REQUIRED REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
You must meet all of the following as applicable to your entry. Failure to do so may result in your disqualification. By entering, you represent and warrant with regard to your entry: It is your own original work or you must have all the rights necessary to post or re-post the content. Each entry must not contain any material that would violate or infringe upon the rights of any person or entity, including without limitation copyrights, trademarks or rights of privacy or publicity, or that is defamatory, threatening, indecent, obscene or offensive, or that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to any applicable laws or regulations, or which requires a license from any third party. You have the express written consent of any identifiable persons appearing or referenced in your entry or entries to their Persona (as defined below) being used in the ways set out in these Official Rules, including Sponsor’s right to use your entry or entries for any future commercial purpose without restrictions. Upon request, you will obtain written consent of any such persons for Sponsor in the form identified by Sponsor. If any person appearing in any entry is under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence, the written consent and signature of a parent or legal guardian is required. Except for the marks of the Sponsor (addressed below), the entry does not reference any person other than entrant, or any names, products or services of any company or entity or any third-party trademarks, logos, copyrights, trade dress or promotion of any brand, product, or service. Your entry is appropriate for public viewing. Without limiting the foregoing, your entry is not defamatory, libelous, or otherwise contains content which Sponsor in its sole discretion decides is inappropriate or objectionable. Your entry or entries must also not disparage or cast a negative light on any person, entity, or brand, product, or service. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to not consider any entry for the Contest if it believes the entry violates or potentially violates any of the foregoing requirements or otherwise fails to comply with any provision of these Official Rules. You agree to reimburse Sponsor in full in respect of any losses, damages, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees (including, where permitted, reasonable attorney fees) that they may sustain from the breach of a representation or warranty made by you or the use of any rights granted by you to Sponsor hereunder. By entering, you warrant that your entry or entries comply with the requirements set out above including those at (i)-(v) above. By entering, you will and hereby do assign to Sponsor your full right, title and interest over your entry, including any and all trademark, copyright, publicity and other intellectual property rights related thereto. Whenever requested by Sponsor, you will provide the necessary documents regarding the assignment to Sponsor and you will execute any documents that Sponsor might reasonably request for such assignment. In the event, and to the extent, that you cannot assign your entry as a matter of law, you hereby grant to Sponsor a perpetual, irrevocable, exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sub-licensable, freely assignable license to reproduce your entry and to otherwise use, exploit, copy, modify, adapt, edit, publish and display the entry in any form, manner, venue, media or technology now known or later developed for any and all purposes, including, without limitation, for purposes of commercial or trade purposes, advertising, and promotion as Sponsor and its licensees or assignees determine, without further compensation, notification, or permission. Further, by entering, you hereby waive any moral rights you may have in any entry in favor of the Sponsor. By submitting your entry you also grant to Sponsor the worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, fully sub-licensable, and freely transferable right, but not the obligation, to use any and all names, identities, titles, likenesses, distinctive appearances, physical likenesses, voices, vocal styles, statements, gestures, mannerisms, personalities, performance characteristics, biographical data, signatures, and any other indicia or imitations of identity or likeness listed, provided, referenced, or otherwise contained in the entry and/or image (all attributes, collectively, per person, a “Persona”) for purposes of advertising and trade, in any format, medium, or technology now known or later developed without further notice, approval, or compensation, unless prohibited by law.
WINNER SELECTION
The Contest consists of one (1) General Round and one (1) Grand Prize Round. On or about September 30, a qualified Judging Panel chosen by Sponsor in its sole discretion will select up to 15 Finalists from the General Round from among the eligible entries. Additionally, in the Grand Prize Round, the Judging Panel will also select one “Grand Prize Winner” from among the eligible entries. The Judging Panel will judge the entries based on the following criteria (“Judging Criteria”) as follows: (a) creativity (33%); (b) relevance to the theme (33%); (c) writing style (34%). The fifteen (15) Finalists are subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these rules. The Final Round will be judged by the Judging Panel using the same Judging Criteria as all the General Round. One (1) Grand Prize winner will be selected from the Grand Prize Round. To be clear, the Judging Panel may review multiple entries that submit similar entries; in such a case, the judges may consider the timing of such entries in making its decision but will not be bound to designate as a potential winner the first submission of such similar entries. The selected winner is subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules.
PRIZES
Upon verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules, the fifteen (15) selected winners for the General Round, and the Grand Prize winner, will receive the following prizes: publication in a forthcoming compilation of short stories to be published by Lumberloft Press, and a copy of the publication upon availability.
Upon verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official rules, the one (1) winner of the Grand Prize Round will receive the Grand Prize award of $1,000 (USD). Neither Sponsor nor Sponsor Affiliates make or offer any warranty or guarantee, either express or implied (including, without limitation, quality, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose) in connection with this Contest or any prize. No issuer of any offered prize is sponsoring this Contest. Prize details and availability are subject to change, in which case a prize of equal value may be substituted at Sponsor's sole discretion. Prizes consist only of the items listed, are non-transferable, with no cash redemption or substitution except at Sponsor's sole discretion. Federal, state, or local taxes on prizes, if any, and any other costs, fees or expenses not listed above are the sole responsibility of each winner.
NOTIFICATION
Potential Round winner(s) will be notified by Sponsor via email, on or about October 1, 2019. Potential Grand Prize winner will be notified by Sponsor via the same methods noted above on or about October 1, 2019. If potential winners do not respond to the notification within a timely manner, as determined solely by Sponsor, Sponsor may conduct additional random drawings to select additional potential winners. Potential winner must respond to the notification message within seventy-two (72) hours of the announcement and provide all requested information within seven (7) days of the first contact or attempted contact from Sponsor. Sponsor may require winner(s) to complete, sign, and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release/Publicity Release forms and other applicable documents. All required documents must be completed and returned to Sponsor within two (2) days of the date and time listed on the documents, but in no event later than the start of the Event. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, is disqualified, fails to timely execute and return any required forms, an alternate winner may be selected from among the remaining eligible entries. To be eligible to be declared the winner, you must transfer all intellectual property rights that you do or may have in the entry to sponsor. By entering potential winner expressly agrees to complete all paperwork required to complete this transfer (the “Intellectual Property Assignment”) before he or she will be permitted to claim any part of the prize or be declared the Winner.
PUBLICITY & MARKETING
Submission of an entry and/or Image in the Contest constitutes permission, but not the obligation, to the Sponsor to use entrants’ name, identity, title, likeness, distinctive appearance, physical likeness, image, portrait, picture, photograph (whether still or moving), screen persona, voice, vocal style, statements, gesture, mannerism, personality, performance characteristic, biographical data, signature, and any other indicia or imitation of identity or likeness for purposes of advertising and trade, in any medium, without further notice, approval, or compensation, unless prohibited by law. Submission of contact information in connection with this Contest (whether or not required), including, without limitation, mailing address, phone number, email address, etc. during entry constitutes permission for Sponsor to use entrant’s personal information for purposes of administration of the Contest. You also may opt-in to be added to Sponsor’s customer database and to permit Sponsor to contact you in the future for promotional and other reasons. You may opt-out of receiving such communications as set forth in Sponsor’s Privacy Policy or as provided within any such marketing materials (e.g., using the “Unsubscribe” feature provided in the footer of Sponsor’s e-mails). You understand that you are providing your information to Sponsor. The information you provide to Sponsor will only be used in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy.
NO LIABILITY & INDEMNIFICATION
By entering this Contest, you agree to release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor, Sponsor Affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and assigns (the “Released Parties”) from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of, or relating to, your participation in this Contest or any Contest-related activities (including, without limitation, the concert) and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder (including, without limitation, any misrepresentation made by you in connection with the Contest; any non-compliance by you with these Official Rules; claims brought by persons or entities other than the parties to these Official Rules arising from or related to your involvement with the Contest; acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize or participation in any Contest-related activity or participation in this Contest; any malfunction, error or other problem arising in connection with the collection, processing, or retention of entry information; or any typographical or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any winner). The foregoing includes, without limitation, any claim for personal injury, property loss or damage, or death arising in any way in connection with the Contest. If Sponsor’s use of your entry causes Sponsor to be subject to a claim by any third party (including, but not limited to, a claim of infringement), you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Released Parties, and all persons acting by, through, under or in concert with them, against any and all damages, costs, judgments and expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees) which the Released Parties (or any one of them) may incur as a result of the use of your entry.
OTHER TERMS
Decisions of Sponsor on all matters related to the Contest are final and binding. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify the Contest for any reason, including but not limited to, if fraud, misconduct or technical failures destroy the integrity of the Contest, or if a computer virus, bug, or other technical problem corrupts the administration, security, or proper administration of the Contest as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify or prohibit the participation of an individual if fraud or tampering is suspected, or if the individual fails to comply with any requirement of participation or with any provision in these Official Rules. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL & CIVIL LAWS. SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY AND/OR SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY INDIVIDUAL MAKING ANY SUCH ATTEMPTS TO THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
GOVERNING LAW & MANDATORY ARBITRATION
Any disputes arising under this Contest and/or these Official Rules will be governed by relevant U.S. federal statutes and regulations and the internal laws of the State of California. Sponsor and each entrant agree that any such claim or dispute between the parties, or between a party and any agent, employee, successor, or assign of the other, related to this Contest and/or these Official Rules (including the applicability of this arbitration clause) shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the JAMS under its rules and procedures in effect when the claim is filed. The rules and procedures and other information, including information on fees, may be obtained from JAMS’ website or by calling JAMS at 949-224-1810. Any award by the arbitrator(s) may be entered as a judgment in any court having jurisdiction.
RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY
Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify or prohibit the participation of an individual if fraud or tampering is suspected; if the individual fails to comply with any requirement of participation or with any provision in these Official Rules; if the individual’s behavior or communication at any point is disruptive, may or does cause damage or to any person, property, or reputation of Sponsor, or is otherwise not in accordance with all applicable laws and generally accepted social practices as determined in Sponsor’s sole discretion.
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.
WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT
To obtain a list of finalists and round winners, as well as the Grand Prize winner, visit the Lumberloft Press website after October 1, 2019.
SPONSOR
Lumberloft, Inc., 648 Palms Blvd., Venice, CA, 90291