OFFICIAL RULES

SPONSOR: The sponsor of the Contest is Thomas A. Barron, LLC (“Sponsor”).

PROMOTION DESCRIPTION: The Contest shall begin immediately after Sponsor posts the “Contest Question” (as defined herein) on the official sponsor website at https://www.tabarron.com/fun-games/contest (“Sponsor Website”) and shall conclude at 11:59 p.m. on November 23rd, 2025 (the “Contest Period”). The Contest involves posting a short story to Sponsor’s Entry Page as explained in more detail below. Each entrant shall post an original response to the opinion question posted by Sponsor on the Sponsor Entry Page as described more fully below. Sponsor will select three (3) winners from among all eligible applications to receive one of three gift card prizes, as described more fully below. By participating in the Contest, each entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final and binding in all respects.


ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to residents of the 50 United States of America or the District of Columbia who are 13 years of age or older as of their time of entry. Entrants under the age of majority must receive prior permission from a legal parent or guardian to enter, and their legal parent or guardian must also agree to these Official Rules. If an entrant under the age of majority wins a prize, the prize will be awarded to the parent or legal guardian upon receipt of all required documents. Employees of Sponsor, its prize providers and licensors, and each of the foregoing entities’ affiliates, authorized designees and other related entities, and any other individual or entity associated with the development, judging or administration of the Contest (collectively, the “Contest Entities”), as well as members of such employees’ immediate families (spouses, children, siblings, parents), and persons living in the same household as such persons, whether or not related, are not eligible to participate in the Contest. The Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Meta or any other social media platform, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.


HOW TO ENTER: To enter the Contest, during the Contest Period, go to the Sponsor Contest Page located at https://tabarron.com/fun-games/contest and submit an original short fiction story in 200 words or fewer in response to the provided prompt (each an “Response”). Sponsor’s website is the official timekeeper for the Contest. Personal information collected in connection with the Contest will be used in accordance with the online privacy policy available at https://tabarron.com/privacy-policy/. Proof of submission is not considered proof of delivery or receipt of a Response. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the individual who actually submitted a Response cannot be resolved to Sponsor’s satisfaction, the affected Response will be declared invalid and disqualified. Any Response that is considered by Sponsor in its sole and absolute discretion to be obscene, pornographic, libelous, hate speech or otherwise objectionable, in whole or in part, will be disqualified.
      

(a) General Website Entry Terms.

Proof of submission is not considered proof of delivery or receipt of a Response in connection with Website Entries. In the event that a dispute regarding the identity of an individual who actually submitted a Response cannot be resolved to Sponsor’s satisfaction, the affected Response will be declared invalid and disqualified. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify (and refuse to accept or remove) any Response that Sponsor, in its sole discretion, deems to violate these Official Rules. Without limiting the foregoing, any Response that is considered by Sponsor, in its sole and absolute discretion, to be obscene, pornographic, libelous, hate speech or otherwise objectionable, in whole or in part, will be disqualified. All Website Entries must be recorded prior to the end of the Contest Period to be considered valid Website Entries. Each entrant may receive only one (1) Website Entry. Any Website Entry(ies) submitted by the same individual in excess of the aforementioned limit of one (1) entry or bonus entries will be discarded.

Each entrant must ensure that her/his Response complies with the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials and Native Advertising: A Guide for Businesses (the “FTC Guidelines”) by including any necessary caveats and disclaimers.

ENTRANTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO OPEN ANY ADDITIONAL AND/OR SEPARATE EMAIL ADDRESSES, OR OTHERWISE SUBMIT WEBSITE ENTRIES UNDER ALIASES, IN ORDER TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL WEBSITE ENTRIES (“ALIAS ENTRIES”). SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO INVALIDATE ANY PROSPECTIVE WEBSITE ENTRY WHERE SPONSOR DETERMINES, IN ITS SOLE AND ABSOLUTE DISCRETION, THAT THE PROSPECTIVE WEBSITE ENTRY IS AN ALIAS ENTRY, WAS OBTAINED USING ANY FRAUDULENT OR DECEPTIVE METHOD, WAS OBTAINED IN BAD FAITH OR WAS OTHERWISE OBTAINED IN VIOLATION OF THESE RULES.

(b) Alternative Means of Entry. As an alternative means of entry in the Contest, prospective entrants may submit e-mail Responses to promotions@tabarron.com (each, an “AMOE Entry E-mail”). The information that you must provide in the AMOE Entry E-mail in order to submit an entry (each, an “AMOE Entry,” and together with the Response, the “Entries”) includes your: (i) full name; (ii) e-mail address; and (iii) Response (“AMOE Registration Data”). Where an entrant submits a valid AMOE Entry E-mail during the Contest Period, that entrant will automatically receive one (1) AMOE Entry. All AMOE Entries must be received by Sponsor prior to the end of the Contest Period to be considered valid AMOE Entries. Entrants must update their AMOE Registration Data, as necessary, to remain eligible to win a Prize. Any improperly submitted AMOE Entry E-mails (i.e. any potential AMOE Entry E-mails having invalid or incomplete AMOE Registration Data) will be VOID. Limit: Each entrant may receive only one (1) AMOE Entry in the Contest, and any AMOE Entry(ies) submitted by the same individual in excess of that AMOE Entry limit will be discarded.

(c) General Entry Terms. You may submit either one (1) Website Entry or one (1) AMOE Entry during the Contest Period, but not both, or more than one (1) of either category during the Contest Period. Entries submitted by the same individual in excess of the aforementioned limit, either directly or by using numerous social media accounts, e-mail addresses, registrations, identities or other methods, will be voided. Sponsor reserves the right to reject any Entry that it believes, in its sole discretion, is fraudulent, incomplete or otherwise invalid. By entering the Contest, you consent to Sponsor collecting and storing your personal information which may include your AMOE Registration Data and/or social media account information (collectively, “Registration Data”). Registration Data collected in connection with the Contest will be used in accordance with the online Privacy Policy available at https://tabarron.com/privacy-policy/.

SPONSOR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REGISTRATIONS, RESPONSES, SOCIAL MEDIA ENTRIES, AMOE ENTRIES, CLAIMS OR NOTICES THAT ARE LOST, LATE, ILLEGIBLE, MISDIRECTED, DAMAGED, INCOMPLETE OR INCORRECT. IF YOU FAIL TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY DURING THE CONTEST PERIOD FOR ANY REASON INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WHERE YOU CANNOT ACCESS SPONSOR WEBSITE, FACEBOOK®, INSTAGRAM® OR TIKTOK®, YOU WILL NOT QUALIFY FOR A PRIZE.

GRANT OF RIGHTS. Each entrant shall be deemed the owner of the Response submitted in connection with the Contest. Notwithstanding the foregoing, by submitting a Response in connection with the Contest, (a) each entrant hereby grants to Sponsor an unrestricted, perpetual, non-exclusive, fully-paid and royalty-free, license to use, copy, perform, display, and distribute such Response throughout the world, including, but not limited to, to display the Response on Sponsor’s Facebook Page, TikTok profile, Instagram feed and on http://tabarron.com/; and (b) each person who enters the Contest represents and warrants that (i) the Response is the entrant’s own, original work; (ii) the Response does not contain any harmful computer code and is not otherwise corrupted; (iii) the Response is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim; and (iv) the Response does not and will not violate or infringe other people’s intellectual property rights, privacy, publicity, or other legal rights. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify (and refuse to accept or remove) any Response that Sponsor, in its sole discretion, deems to violate these Official Rules. You are providing your information to Sponsor and not to Meta. Sponsor shall have the right to modify and make derivative works of the Response and to use any ideas, concepts, know-how, or techniques contained in the Response for any purpose. Sponsor shall retain the rights granted in each Response even if the Response is disqualified or fails to meet the Response requirements.

PRIZE: Prizes will consist of:

• 1st Place: $150 bookshop.org gift card
• 2nd Place: $100 bookshop.org gift card
• 3rd Place: $50 bookshop.org gift card

GENERAL PRIZE CONDITIONS:  All results of the selection are final and binding, subject to these Official Rules.  In the event an entry is discovered to be invalid for any reason whatsoever or the person who submitted the entry fails to comply with these Official Rules prior to delivery of the prize, the prize may be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner.  Prize will be delivered only to an address in the United States.  No cash alternative or substitution of prizes will be allowed, except Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to substitute prizes of comparable value, in whole or in part, for any reason. All details of the prize not specified in these Official Rules will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Any prize pictured in advertising and other Contest materials is for illustrative purposes only.   THE WINNER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR REPORTING AND PAYING ANY INCOME TAXES OR OTHER TAXES THAT MAY APPLY TO ACCEPTING A PRIZE; SPONSOR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR AND WILL NOT PAY ANY SUCH TAXES.

WINNER SELECTION; JUDGING CRITERIA:  A judging panel selected by Sponsor in its sole discretion will select three (3) winning Entries from among all eligible Entries received based on the following criteria: Each Entry will be awarded a total score out of one hundred points based on the following criteria: Originality (75%), Creativity (25%). The entrants who submit the Entries with the highest scores will be the potential winner of one of the three (3) prizes. In the event of a tie, the Response that scored the highest points in the originality category will be selected. If a tie still remains, the Response that scored the highest points in the creativity category will be selected.

The judging criteria are to be applied in the sole discretion of Sponsor and the individual judges.  By entering the Contest, entrants acknowledge that such evaluations may differ from person to person and agree to be bound by and not challenge the final decisions of Sponsor and the individual judges.  In the event a winning entry is discovered to be invalid for any reason whatsoever or the person who submitted the winning entry fails to comply with these Official Rules prior to delivery of the prize, the prize may be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner.

The judging criteria are to be applied in the sole discretion of Sponsor and the individual judges.  By entering the Contest, entrants acknowledge that such evaluations may differ from person to person and agree to be bound by and not challenge the final decisions of Sponsor and the individual judges.  In the event a winning entry is discovered to be invalid for any reason whatsoever or the person who submitted the winning entry fails to comply with these Official Rules prior to delivery of the prize, the prize may be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner.

ODDS:  Many will enter, only three (3) will win.  The odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received.  Sponsor cannot accurately predict the number of entrants who will participate in the Contest.

DATES AND DEADLINES:  Because of the unique nature and scope of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right, in addition to those other rights reserved herein, to modify any dates or deadlines set forth in these Official Rules or otherwise governing the Contest.

NOTICE TO WINNERS:  Attempts to notify potential winners and provide Sponsor’s contact information will be made via email to the email address provided during Contest Entry. Sponsor is not responsible for communication problems of any kind.  If, despite reasonable efforts, a potential winner does not respond, using the contact information provided by Sponsor in its notification, within five (5) days of the first notification attempt (or such shorter time as exigencies may require), or if the prize or prize notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to such potential winner, such potential winner will forfeit his or her prize and an alternate winner may be selected.

FURTHER DOCUMENTATION:  Potential winners may be required to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability Release, a parent/guardian affidavit of eligibility and release if the potential winner is under the age of eighteen (18), and (where imposing such condition is legal) a Publicity Release (collectively, “Prize Claim Documents”). If the potential winner is under 18 years of age, then a parent or legal guardian must execute all Prize Claim Documents and accept the prize on the potential winner’s behalf.  If any potential winner (or a parent or legal guardian of any potential winner, if and as applicable) fails or refuses to sign and return all Prize Claim Documents within five (5) days of prize notification (or such shorter time as exigencies may require), the winner may be disqualified and an alternate winner may be selected.

GENERAL LIABILITY RELEASE/FORCE MAJEURE:  Entrants agree that the Contest Entities and Meta (a) shall not be responsible or liable for any losses, damages, or injuries of any kind (including death) resulting from participation in the Contest or any Contest-related activity, or from entrants’ acceptance, receipt, possession, 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, regarding such prize’s quality or fitness for a particular purpose.  Entrants hereby release Contest Entities and Meta from and against any liability, including, without limitation, liability for any property damage, property loss, bodily injury, or death resulting from participation in the Contest or any Contest-related activity, or from entrants’ acceptance, receipt, possession, use, or misuse of any prize.  Entrants will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Contest Entities from and against all third party claims arising from or relating to entrant’s participation in the Contest.  Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any damage to an entrant’s computer system which is occasioned by accessing Contest-related websites or 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, Sponsor is not responsible for incomplete, illegible, misdirected, misprinted, late, lost, postage-due, damaged, or stolen entries 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, cable transmissions or other communications; 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.   Sponsor 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 Contest-related websites, to be acting in violation of these Official Rules, or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike 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 Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.  In the event an insufficient number of eligible entries are received or Sponsor is prevented from awarding prize(s) or continuing with the Contest as contemplated herein by any event beyond its control, including, without limitation, fire, flood, natural or man-made epidemic, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, satellite or equipment failure, riot or civil disturbance, terrorist threat or activity, war (declared or undeclared) or any federal state or local government law, order, or regulation, public health crisis, order of any court or jurisdiction, or other cause not reasonably within Sponsor’s control (each a “Force Majeure” event or occurrence), Sponsor shall have the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest.  If the Contest is terminated for Force Majeure before the end of the Contest Period, Sponsor will (if possible) select winners from all eligible, non-suspect entries received as of the date of the event giving rise to the termination.  These Official Rules cannot be modified or amended in any way except in a written document issued in accordance with the law by a duly authorized representative of Sponsor.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official 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 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.

PUBLICITY RELEASE:  By participating in the Contest, in addition to any other grants which may be granted in any other agreement entered into between Sponsor and any entrant in the Contest, each entrant irrevocably grants the Contest Entities and their respective successors, assigns, and licensees, the right to use such entrant’s name, likeness, image, and biographical information in any and all media for any purpose, including, without limitation, advertising and publicity purposes, as well as in connection with the Contest and hereby releases the Contest Entities from any liability with respect thereto.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: The Official Rules and all related web pages and content are the property of the Sponsor or authorized third party. The copy or unauthorized use of any of those materials, associated trademarks or any other intellectual property without the express written consent of its owner is strictly prohibited.

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 and Sponsor in connection with the Contest shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of laws rules or provisions.  Any legal claims arising out of or relating to the Contest or these Official Rules must be brought in the federal or state courts located in Denver, Colorado or Boulder, Colorado.

CHOICE OF LAW/DISPUTE RESOLUTION: These Official Rules shall be treated as though they were executed and performed in Denver, CO and shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado (without regard to conflict of law principles). The parties hereby agree to arbitrate all claims that may arise under and/or relate to the Contest and/or these Official Rules. Without limiting the foregoing, should a dispute arise between the parties including, without limitation, any matter concerning the Contest, the Prizes, the terms and conditions of these Official Rules or the breach of same by any party hereto: (a) the parties agree to submit their dispute for resolution by arbitration before the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) in Denver, CO, in accordance with the then current Commercial Arbitration rules of the AAA; and (b) you agree to first commence a formal dispute proceeding by completing and submitting an Initial Dispute Notice which can be found here. The Released Party(ies) named in your Initial Dispute Notice may choose to provide you with a final written settlement offer after receiving your Initial Dispute Notice (“Final Settlement Offer”). If the applicable Released Party(ies) provide(s) you with a Final Settlement Offer and you do not accept it, or such Released Party(ies) cannot otherwise satisfactorily resolve your dispute and you wish to proceed, you must submit your dispute for resolution by arbitration before the AAA, in your county of residence, by filing a separate Demand for Arbitration, which is available here. For claims of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) or less, you can choose whether the arbitration proceeds in person, by telephone or based only on submissions. If the arbitrator awards you relief that is greater than the applicable Final Settlement Offer, then the Released Party(ies) will pay all filing, administration and arbitrator fees associated with the arbitration and, if you retained an attorney to represent you in connection with the arbitration, the Released Party(ies) will reimburse any reasonable attorneys’ fees that your attorney accrued for investigating, preparing and pursuing the claim in arbitration. Any award rendered shall be final and conclusive to the parties and a judgment thereon may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. Although the Released Party(ies) may have a right to an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses if Released Party(ies) prevail(s) in arbitration, the Released Party(ies) will not seek such an award from you unless the arbitrator determines that your claim was frivolous.

To the extent permitted by law, you agree that you will not bring, join or participate in any class action lawsuit as to any claim, dispute or controversy that you may have against any of the Released Parties. You agree to the entry of injunctive relief to stop such a lawsuit or to remove you as a participant in the suit. You agree to pay the attorney’s fees and court costs that any Released Party(ies) incur(s) in seeking such relief. This provision preventing you from bringing, joining or participating in class action lawsuits: (i) does not constitute a waiver of any of your rights or remedies to pursue a claim individually and not as a class action in binding arbitration as provided above; and (ii) is an independent agreement. You may opt out of these dispute resolution provisions by providing written notice of your decision within thirty (30) days of the date that you first enter the Contest.

WINNERS LIST/OFFICIAL RULES:  To obtain any legally-required winners list (after the conclusion of the Contest) or a copy of these Official Rules, send a self-addressed envelope with the proper postage affixed to:  PO Box 18750 Boulder, CO 80306.  Please specify “winners list” or “Official Rules” and the name of the Contest in your request.