Terms and Conditions

HARLEQUIN MILLS & BOON NEW VOICES WRITING CONTEST 31102
(the “Writing Contest”)

_OFFICIAL RULES_

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE OR RECEIVE PRIZES.
PURCHASE OR ACCEPTANCE OF A PRODUCT OFFER DOES NOT IMPROVE
YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

How to enter: During the First Chapter Submission Phase (as set out below), visit www.romanceisnotdead.com (the “Contest Website”) where directions will be provided on how to register as an entrant and upload one (1) eligible first chapter (see Submission Requirements below) of a story suitable for the Harlequin® Mills & Boon® series of books published by Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited (“Harlequin Mills & Boon” or the “Sponsor”) (the “First Chapter Submission”). First Chapter Submissions that do not comply with the Submission Requirements set out below will be disqualified. The Writing Contest begins at 9.00 (Greenwich Mean Time, or “GMT”) on September 13, 2011 and ends at 17:00 (GMT) November 4, 2011 (the "Contest Period"). The Writing Contest consists of the following six (6) phases:

Phase Start Date (at 09:00 GMT) End Date (at 17:00 GMT)
First Chapter Submission Phase September 13, 2011 October 10, 2011
First Chapter Judging Phase October 11, 2011 October 13, 2011
Second Chapter Submission Phase October 14, 2011 October 20, 2011
Second Chapter Voting and Judging Phase October 21, 2011 October 26, 2011
Pivotal Moment Submission Phase October 27, 2011 October 31, 2011
Pivotal Moment Voting and Judging Phase November 1, 2011 November 4, 2011

The Sponsor's computer is the official time-keeping device for the Writing Contest.

All First Chapter Submissions must be received by way of file upload only as directed on the Contest Website by 17:00 (GMT) on October 10, 2011. To obtain a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (postage not required from residents of the state of Vermont) to: Harlequin Mills & Boon New Voices Writing Contest 31002, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR, United Kingdom. Limit of one (1) entry per person. If more than one (1) entry is submitted by the same person, only the first eligible entry submitted will be considered. By entering the Writing Contest, entrant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules. In the event of a dispute regarding any aspect of the Writing Contest, Sponsor will make the final ruling in its sole discretion. Such ruling shall be final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into.

Submission Requirements: In order to be eligible, the First Chapter Submission, the Second Chapter Submission and the Pivotal Moment Submission (as defined below) (each, or together, the “Submission”) must meet the following requirements (collectively, the “Submission Requirements”):

(a) Each Submission has no word limit, however the total combined word count of the three Submissions (i.e., the total combined word count of the First Chapter Submission, Second Chapter Submission and Pivotal Moment Submission) must be less than ten thousand (10,000) words in length. The total combined word limit may be allocated between the First Chapter Submission, Second Chapter Submission and Pivotal Moment Submission at the entrant’s discretion;
(b) The Submission must be in English and typed;
(c) The Submission must not have been previously exploited in any form and rights must not have been granted, pledged or assigned to any third party which would interfere with or derogate from the rights granted to the Sponsor hereunder;
(d) The Submission (or any part thereof) must not infringe upon the intellectual property or other statutory or common law rights of any third party (including but not limited to copyright, trademark, personality and privacy rights); and
(e) The Submission must adhere to the writing guidelines for a Mills & Boon series of books available online at: www.romanceisnotdead.com.

By participating in the Writing Contest, each entrant represents and warrants that: (i) the Submission is original to the entrant, and all right, title and interest (including but not limited to copyright) therein and thereto, is exclusively owned and/or controlled by the entrant to the full extent necessary to enable the Sponsor to use the Submission as contemplated by these Official Rules and the Copyright Assignment and Waiver (described below); (ii) the Submission does not contain any material that is libelous, defamatory, profane or obscene, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion; (iii) the Submission does not contain any material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age; (iv) the Submission does not contain any material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws or regulations in any jurisdiction where the Submission is created; (v) the Submission does not infringe upon the intellectual property or other statutory or common law rights of any third party (including but not limited to copyright, trademark and privacy rights); (vi) the Sponsor’s use and re-use of the Submission in accordance with the terms set out herein will not infringe or violate the rights of any third party (including copyright), or require any payment to or consent/permission from any third party; (vii) the Submission has not been previously exploited or published in any form, and no rights in or to the Submission have been granted, pledged, or assigned to any third party which would interfere with or derogate from the rights granted to the Sponsor hereunder; and (viii) the Submission has not been previously submitted for review or publication to the Sponsor or its affiliates (e.g., Harlequin Enterprises Limited, Harlequin Magazines Inc., etc.) with respect to any of its and their imprints (e.g., Carina Press, MIRA, etc.).

Eligibility: The Writing Contest is open only to legal residents of the U.K., U.S., Canada (excluding Quebec), Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa who have reached the age of majority in their country, state, province or territory of residence at the time of entry. Void where prohibited by any law, regulation, rule or authority. The following individuals are not eligible to participate in the Writing Contest: (i) Professionals (as defined below); (ii) employees of the Sponsor and its parent company, affiliates, and subsidiaries; (iii) all agencies, entities and persons engaged in the marketing and/or administration of the Writing Contest; and (iv) Immediate Family members of any of the foregoing. For the purpose of these Official Rules, the term “Immediate Family” shall mean husband, wife, spouse, mother, father, brother, sister, son and/or daughter, whether or not they reside in the same household. Furthermore, the term “Professional” shall mean any person who is represented by a literary agent at the time of entry, or is receiving or has received a salary, fee, or other financial compensation from the Sponsor or any of its affiliates (including but not limited to Harlequin Enterprises Limited and Harlequin Books S.A.), or any other publisher, in connection with the publication or distribution of a full-length book, whether fiction or non-fiction. The final decision as to an entrant’s Professional status shall be at Sponsor’s sole discretion.

The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to immediately disqualify, without notice, any and all Submissions that do not comply with the Submission Requirements set out above, as determined in the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Submissions shall not be returned to entrant for any reason. No communication or correspondence will be exchanged with entrants except with the entrants selected for the Grand Prize, a Second Prize or a Third Prize (as defined below).

Entries shall be deemed to be submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the entry (i.e., the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet service provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address). A potential winner may be required to provide the Sponsor with proof that the potential winner is the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the winning Submission.

Prizes: One (1) grand prize will be awarded consisting of: (i) the services of a Harlequin Mills & Boon editor (or other qualified individual to be selected at the Sponsor’s sole discretion) for a period of one (1) year, beginning on or about December 1, 2011 and ending on or about November 30, 2012 (specifically, an editorial evaluation of the Submission (by telephone, email, or in person, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion), including advice and guidance with respect to the strengths and weaknesses of the Submission, and suggested revisions to the Submission, as applicable); (ii) the opportunity to enter into a publishing contract with the Sponsor, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, without prejudice; (iii) one (1) Apple iPad 2 64 G Wi-Fi (ARV: £599.00); and (iv) a Mills and Boon prize hamper containing 36 books from various Mills & Boon series as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion (ARV: £155.00) (collectively, the “Grand Prize”). Total ARV of Grand Prize: £754.00.
Three (3) second prizes will be awarded consisting of: (i) a one-time editorial consultation regarding the Submission to be conducted via telephone with a Harlequin Mills & Boon editor (or other qualified individual to be selected at the Sponsor’s sole discretion); (ii) one (1) Kindle 3G Wireless Reading WiFi Device (ARV: £152.00); and (iii) a Mills and Boon prize hamper containing 36 books from various Mills & Boon series as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion (ARV £155.00) (each, a “Second Prize”). Total ARV of Second Prize: £307.00.
Sixteen (16) third prizes will be awarded consisting of: (i) a letter of editorial advice from a Harlequin Mills & Boon editor (or other qualified individual to be selected at the Sponsor’s sole discretion); and (ii) a Mills and Boon prize hamper containing 36 books from various Mills & Boon series as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion (ARV £155.00) (each, a “Third Prize”). Total ARV of Third Prize: £155.00.
The Grand Prize, Second Prizes and Third Prizes must be accepted as awarded and cannot be transferred, assigned, substituted or redeemed for cash, except at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. Winning entrants are solely responsible for any and all costs associated with claiming and using a prize. Odds of winning are dependent on the total number of eligible entries received, the quality of each Submission and the Judges’ and the Voters’ application of the Judging Criteria (described below). ARV of Grand Prize, Second Prizes and Third Prizes do not include applicable taxes.
By accepting a prize, each winning entrant acknowledges and agrees that the Sponsor is under no obligation to publish any Submission. In the event that the Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion, that a Submission may be published, such winning entrant will be required to enter into a publishing agreement with the Sponsor in its standard form.

Winner Selection: The winners will be determined though the following process:

i. First Chapter Submission Phase: During the First Chapter Submission Phase, a panel of qualified judges chosen by the Sponsor in its sole discretion (which will include at least one (1) judge who is independent of the Sponsor and its affiliates) (the “Judges”) will review and post all eligible First Chapter Submissions to the Contest Website for public viewing and comment.

ii. First Chapter Judging Phase: During the First Chapter Judging Phase, the Judges will select the First Chapter Submissions of twenty (20) entrants (each, a “Finalist”) from among all eligible Submissions, based on the following judging criteria (the “Judging Criteria”):

• Voice (33%);
• Content (33%); and
• Writing Skills (34%)

The Judges may also take into account the length of the Submission, if they feel that the entrant will not be able to meet the combined word limit of 10,000 words.

In the event of a tie in selecting the Finalists, the entrant whose First Chapter Submission received the highest score for the Voice criteria, as determined by the Judges, will be deemed a Finalist. On or about October 13, 2011, the Finalists will be identified on the Contest Website. Each Finalist will be notified by the Sponsor via telephone or email at least 24 hours prior to being announced as a Finalist on the Contest Website. The Sponsor reserves the right to select greater or fewer than twenty (20) Finalists, if, in its sole discretion, the Sponsor either receives greater quality of eligible submissions than expected or does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Submissions. Each Finalist will be assigned a Harlequin Mills & Boon author and editor (the “Mentor Team”), as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, to critique the Second Chapter Submission and the Pivotal Moment, if applicable.

iii. Second Chapter Submission Phase: During the Second Chapter Submission Phase, each Finalist will be required to upload one (1) eligible second chapter (see Submission Requirements above) of his/her story suitable for the Harlequin® Mills & Boon® series of books published by Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited U.K. (the “Second Chapter Submission”). Second Chapter Submissions that do not comply with the Submission Requirements set out above will be disqualified.

iv. Second Chapter Voting and Judging Phase: During the Second Chapter Voting and Judging Phase, the Finalists’ First Chapter Submissions and Second Chapter Submissions (collectively, the “Second Submission”) will be posted on the Contest Website. Individuals who have reached the age of majority in their country, state, province or territory of residence in any country throughout the world, excluding those individuals set forth in (i) to (iv) of the Eligibility section (each, a “Voter”), will be invited to register at www.romanceisnotdead.com and vote for their favorite Second Submission from among the Finalists’ Second Submissions. Subject to each Finalist’s compliance with these Official Rules and the Submission Requirements, each Finalist will be awarded points ranging from 20 to 1, with 20 points being awarded to the Finalist whose Second Submission receives the highest number of valid votes during the Second Chapter Voting and Judging Phase and 1 point being awarded to the Finalist whose Second Submission receives the lowest number of valid votes during the Second Chapter Voting and Judging Phase. The Judges will rank each Second Submission based on the Judging Criteria and will award points ranging from 20 to 1, with 20 points being awarded to the Finalist whose Second Submission receives the highest score and 1 point being awarded to the Finalist whose Second Submission receives the lowest score. The four (4) Finalists with the highest combined number of points from the Second Chapter Voting and Judging Phase will advance to the Pivotal Moment Submission Phase (as described below). The sixteen (16) Finalists with the lowest combined number of points will be deemed potential Third Prize winners. In the event of a tie, the Finalist whose Second Submission received the lowest score for the Voice criteria category during the Second Chapter Voting and Judging Phase, as determined by the Judges, will be deemed the potential Third Prize winner. Sponsor reserves the right to award greater or fewer than the stated number of Third Prizes, if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Second Submissions or there is a greater number of Finalists selected than anticipated. Sponsor also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to select an alternate Third Prize winner should the voting appear to have been tampered with or manipulated in any way.

vi. Pivotal Moment Submission Phase: During the Pivotal Moment Submission Phase, each eligible Finalist will be required to upload one (1) pivotal moment from his/her story suitable for the Harlequin® Mills & Boon® series of books published by Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited U.K. (the “Pivotal Moment Submission”). Pivotal Moment Submissions that do not comply with the Submission Requirements set out above will be disqualified.

vii. Pivotal Moment Voting and Judging Stage: During the Pivotal Moment Voting and Judging Phase, the Finalists’ eligible Second Submissions and the Pivotal Moment Submissions (collectively, the “Final Submissions”) will be posted on the Contest Website. Voters will be invited to vote for their favorite Final Submission from among the Finalists’ Final Submissions. Subject to each Finalist’s compliance with these Official Rules and the Submission Requirements, each Finalist will be awarded points ranging from 4 to 1, with 4 points being awarded to the Finalist whose Final Submission receives the highest number of valid votes during the Pivotal Moment Voting and Judging Phase and 1 point being awarded to the Finalist whose Final Submission receives the lowest number of valid votes during the Pivotal Moment Voting and Judging Phase. .The Judges will rank each Final Submission based on the Judging Criteria and will award points ranging from 4 to 1, with 4 points being awarded to the Finalist whose Final Submission receives the highest score and 1 point being awarded to the Finalist whose Final Submission receives the lowest score. The Finalist with the highest combined number of points from the Pivotal Moment Voting and Judging Phase will be deemed the potential Grand Prize winner. The three (3) Finalists with the lowest combined number of points will be deemed potential Second Prize winners. In the event of a tie, the Finalist whose Final Submission received the highest score for the Voice criteria category during the Pivotal Moment Voting and Judging Phase, as determined by the Judges, will be deemed the potential Grand Prize winner. Sponsor reserves the right to award fewer than the stated number of Grand Prizes and Second Prizes, if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Submissions. Sponsor also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to select an alternate Grand Prize or Second Prize winner should the voting appear to have been tampered with or manipulated in any way.

Decisions of the Judges are final and binding in all respects. In the event of a tie, duplicate prizes may be awarded at the sole discretion of the Sponsor.

Voting: Limit: Each Voter may vote one (1) time per day during the Second Chapter Voting and Judging Phase and the Pivotal Moment Voting and Judging Phase. Votes received from any Voter or Voter’s email address in excess of the stated number will be void. The Sponsor will not accept Votes intended to subvert the voting process or those generated by script, macro, or other automated means. Finalists are prohibited from obtaining votes by any fraudulent or inappropriate means, including, without limitation, offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public.

Notification: On or about October 24, 2011, sixteen (16) potential Third Prize winners will be notified by telephone or email. On or about November 4, 2011, one (1) potential Grand Prize winner and three (3) potential Second Prize winners will be notified by telephone or email. Each potential winner will be required to sign and return (to be received by Sponsor within fifteen (15) business days of notification) a Copyright Assignment and Waiver, and an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release that confirms his/her: (i) eligibility for the Writing Contest and compliance with these Official Rules; (ii) acceptance of the Grand Prize, Second Prize, or Third Prize, as the case may be; (iii) release, to the fullest extent permitted by law, of the Sponsor and its parent company, subsidiaries and affiliates, and its and their respective employees, directors, officers, suppliers, agents, sponsors and administrators (collectively, the “Releasees”) from any and all liability for any loss, harm, damages, cost or expense arising out of participation in the Writing Contest, participation in any contest-related activity or the acceptance of any prize, including but not limited to costs, injuries, losses related to personal injuries, death, damage to, loss or destruction of property, rights of publicity or privacy, defamation, or portrayal in a false light, or from any and all claims of third parties arising there from; and (iv) grant to the Sponsor and its affiliates of the unrestricted right, in the Sponsor’s sole discretion, to publish, reproduce, convert, broadcast, communicate by telecommunication, exhibit, distribute, translate, adapt and otherwise use and re-use the winner’s Submission, name, photograph, likeness, voice and biographical material in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, in connection with the Writing Contest and the promotion and exploitation thereof. If a potential winner fails to respond within the stated timeline or refuses to sign a Copyright Assignment and Waiver and an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release in the form provided, or if a prize notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable, the potential winner will be disqualified and an alternate potential winner will be selected by a process determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. Notification is deemed to have taken place at the time Sponsor contacts a potential winner, either by telephone or by email, at the telephone number or email address provided by the entrant at the time of registration.

Conditions: Neither the Sponsor nor its parent company, affiliates and/or subsidiaries, are responsible for printing, clerical or typographical errors of any kind or nature relating to entries. In no event will the Sponsor be obligated to award more than the stated number of prizes. By accepting the Grand Prize, Second Prize or Third Prize, each winner consents to the Sponsor’s (or its affiliate’s) use of his/her name, city and country, state, province or territory of residence, photograph and likeness throughout the world, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, for purposes of advertising, trade and promotion on behalf of the Sponsor (or its affiliates), without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Entrants agree that neither the Sponsor nor its parent company, affiliates and/or subsidiaries shall be obligated to publish or otherwise exploit any Submission (including a winning Submission) in any manner. Entrants agree that the Sponsor and its parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates, agents and promotional agencies shall not be liable for negligence, gross negligence, damages, injuries or losses of any kind resulting in whole or in part from participation in the Writing Contest, or from acceptance, use or misuse of any prize. By participating in the Writing Contest, entrants agree to indemnify the Sponsor and its parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates, agents and promotional agencies from any claims incurred as a result of such damages, injuries and losses. Neither the Sponsor nor its parent company, affiliates and/or subsidiaries assume any liability for lost, late, incomplete, inaccurate, undeliverable or misdirected entries, notifications and/or responses, or for any computer, online, software, hardware or technical malfunctions that may occur, including but not limited to malfunctions that may affect the transmission or non-transmission of an entry. Entrants are responsible for all costs associated with participation in the Writing Contest, including but not limited to computer equipment and internet connection charges. Neither the Sponsor nor its parent company, affiliates and/or subsidiaries is responsible for damage to any participant’s computer system/software related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in connection with the Writing Contest. Neither the Sponsor nor its parent company, affiliates and/or subsidiaries assumes any responsibility or liability in the event that the Writing Contest cannot be conducted as planned for any reason whatsoever, including but not limited to reasons beyond the control of the Sponsor, such as infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes outside the control of the Sponsor which impairs or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Writing Contest. The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Writing Contest. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE CONTEST WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE WRITING CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND/OR CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. Neither the Sponsor nor its parent company, affiliates and/or subsidiaries assume any responsibility for undeliverable e-mails resulting from any form of active or passive e-mail filtering by a participant’s Internet service provider and/or e-mail client or for insufficient space in participant’s e-mail account to receive e-mail. The Writing Contest is void, in whole or part, where prohibited by law and is subject to all applicable laws and regulations.

Privacy and Use of Personal Information: By participating in the Writing Contest, each entrant grants to the Sponsor and its parent company, affiliates and/or subsidiaries, the right to use his/her name, mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address (if applicable) (collectively, “Personal Information”) as follows: (i) for the purpose of administering the Writing Contest, including but not limited to contacting and announcing the winners; (ii) for publicity and promotional purposes relating to the Writing Contest, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, without further compensation unless prohibited by law; and (iii) for the purpose of contacting an entrant with respect to the submission of additional literary works unrelated to the Writing Contest, at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. The Sponsor and its parent company, affiliates and/or subsidiaries will use the entrant’s Personal Information only for identified purposes, and will protect the entrant’s Personal Information in a manner that is consistent with Harlequin Enterprises Limited privacy policy located online at: www.eHarlequin.com and www.romanceisnotdead.com.

Termination: Subject to any governmental approval which may be required, the Sponsor reserves the right to terminate or suspend the Writing Contest, in whole or in part, and/or amend the Official Rules in any way, at any time, for any reason, without prior notice. Any amendments to the Official Rules will become binding upon all entrants at the time they are posted to the Contest Website.

Governing Law: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrant or Sponsor in connection with the Writing Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the United Kingdom.

Winner’s List: To receive the names and countries of residence of the official winners, send a self-addressed stamped envelope, after January 31, 2012, to: Harlequin Mills & Boon New Voices Writing Contest 31102, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR, United Kingdom.

Sponsor: Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR, United Kingdom.

iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Kindle is a trademark of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries.