Official Sweepstakes Rules and Information “Young Lives, BIG Stories” Promotion

ELIGIBILITY:

• The “Young Lives, BIG Stories” promotion (the “Sweepstakes”) is open to all children and youth of service members (Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve, and Retirees) enrolled in Army CYS Programs.
• Parents 18 years or older with a military/Government ID card may submit an entry form on behalf of more than one child.  
• At the time of entry all participants must be in high school or younger.
• All entries must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian.  
• Employees, their family members and other individuals engaged in the development and implementation or direct execution of this promotion, including Army senior leadership, and the marketing staff, may not participate in this promotion.  
• By entering, you understand that you are providing your information to US Army IMCOM Family and MWR (the “Sponsor”).  
• By submitting entries to Family and MWR, you are warranting that your child is the creator of the work.  You also grant Family and MWR the right to publish any submission, including written submissions and drawings in perpetuity.  You further acknowledge that your work will always be credited to the name included with your submission.  Last names will not be publicized unless the parent consents in writing.

SWEEPSTAKES TIMING/DESCRIPTION: The Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:00 AM Central Time (CST) 1 April 2023 and submissions must be received/post marked by 11:59 p.m. CST on 30 April 2023 (the "Promotion Period").  All entries must be received within the Promotion Period to be eligible for prizes. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges from IMCOM Headquarters Child and Youth Services staff. There will be an overall winner for the contest, and a first-place winner for each age category.

All winners will also receive a Certificate of Achievement. Winners will be announced on or about 31 May 2023.

HOW TO ENTER:

Entries can be submitted online at www.armymwr.com/momc by clicking the  Young Lives Big Stories the enter button on the webpage and following the submission instructions or through email to usarmy.jbsa.imcom-hq.mbx.g9-cys-services@army.mil

If entrants cannot submit online or via email, submissions will be accepted by mail, postmarked no later than 30 April 2023 11:59 p.m. CST to:

Department of the Army

IMCOM G9 - Child and Youth Services

ATTN: CYS Programs Branch ATTN: Denise Faison

2405 Gun Shed Road, Building 2266, 2nd Floor

JBSA, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234

General Entry Guidelines:

• All submissions must be related to the question: “What does it mean to you to be a military child or youth?”
• Only original work will be accepted.  Do not submit any work that is copied from the web, a movie or clip art.  Online/Email submissions should be titled “Young Lives, BIG Stories” with the sponsor’s and child’s name in the subject line.
• One (1) Entry per participant may be submitted.  Participants may choose from the following based on age:

Drawings

• Ages 3-4 years old
• 5 years old – Grade 1
• Grades 2 – 3

Written Submission

• Grades 4 – 5
• Grades 6 – 8
• Grades 9 – 12

Audio/Video Submission

• Grades 2 - 3
• Grades 4 - 5 
• Grades 6 - 8 
• Grades 9 – 12

• Prize winners will be chosen by our panel of judges from IMCOM G9 Child and Youth Services. There will be an overall winner for the contest and a first place winner for each age category.
• All entrants must submit an entry form to enter the contest. Entry forms may be downloaded at http://www.armymwr.com/momc.
• Any reference to use of drugs, violence, profanity, tobacco and/or alcohol substances in submissions will disqualify the entry from the contest.
• Submissions must be received/post marked by 11:59 p.m. CST on 30 April 2023.
• Parents 18 years or older with a military/Government ID card may submit an entry form on behalf of one or more than one child. 
• Entrants must have primary creative control of their submission, and all submission materials must be original. In the case of age categories 3 years through 3rd grade, parents may assist with the 2-3 sentence description of submission.

Incomplete entry packets will not be accepted. All forms must be submitted together as one packet.

• Online/Email submissions must have entry documents attached.  Shared documents, such as Google docs cannot be accepted.     
• Entries submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

Guidelines for Drawings (Ages 3 through Grade 3 Only):

• Drawings must reflect the question, “What does it mean to you to be a military child?”
• Word .doc, .pdf, .jpeg, .png files accepted (max of 5MB online/email submissions accepted).
• Title your submission Young Lives, BIG Stories Contest and provide a brief description of your drawing (2-3 sentences).

Guidelines for Written Submissions (Grades 4 through 12 Only)

• Written submissions must answer the question: “What does it mean to you to be a military child?”
• Submissions must be at least 50 up to 500 words in length.
• Written submission may be an original essay, poem, song, lyrics, etc.
• Title your submission Young Lives, BIG Stories Contest.
• Word .doc, .pdf, .jpeg, .png files accepted (max of 5MB online/email submissions accepted).

Guidelines for Audio/Video Submissions (Grades 2 through 12 Only)

• Audio/Video Submissions must answer the question: “What does it mean to you to be a military child?”
• Submission cannot be larger than 18,000 kb.
• Submission cannot be longer than 3 minutes.
• Submission may be an original poem, song, lyrics, or play.
• Submission must be QuickTime Movie compatible.
   

Entries that have been generated by a script, macro, bot or any other automated means will be deemed void.  Entries that are mechanically reproduced, copied, illegible, incomplete, postage due, late or inaccurate are void.  Incomplete entries or entries not complying with these Official Rules are subject to disqualification, at IMCOM, Family and MWR’s sole discretion.  Entries become the property of IMCOM, Family and MWR and will not be acknowledged or returned.  Sponsor’s decisions are final on all matters relating to this Sweepstakes.  Entry must be in keeping with IMCOM, Family and MWR’s image, and may not be offensive, nor can it defame, or invade upon the publicity rights or privacy of any person or otherwise infringe upon any person or entity’s intellectual property, personal or proprietary rights, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor is not responsible for late, lost, incomplete, illegible, damaged, or misdirected entries.  Sponsor reserves all rights, including the right to edit, publish, use, adapt, modify, or dispose of any entry.  An Eligible Participant may be required to provide a release to IMCOM, Family and MWR for the submission, at IMCOM, Family and MWR’s sole discretion.

In the event the likeness of a minor is included in an Entry, Eligible Participant must receive a legal release from the parent/legal guardian of the minor depicted in the Entry.

ALL ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ALL ENTRY MATERIALS SUBMITTED IN CONNECTION WITH THIS SWEEPSTAKES ARE SUBMITTED ON A NON-CONFIDENTIAL AND NON-PROPRIETARY BASIS AND MAY BE USED BY SPONSOR, ITS AGENTS AND SUBSIDIARIES, FOR ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES INCLUDING (BUT NOT LIMITED TO) IN CONNECTION WITH THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

Eligible Participant represents and warrants that: 1) the entry complies with these Official Rules; 2) the entry will not infringe any third party’s copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other intellectual property or proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy; 3) the entry is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim; 4) the entry is not obscene, offensive, libelous, pornographic, threatening, abusive, contain illegal content, or otherwise objectionable; 5) the entry does not encourage a criminal offense or otherwise give rise to liability or violate any law; 6) the entry does not include any disparaging remarks relating to IMCOM, Family and MWR or any 3rd Party.

DETERMINATION OF WINNERS: Prize winners will be chosen by our panel of judges from IMCOM G9 Child and Youth Services. There will be an overall winner for the contest and a first place winner for each age category.

All winners will also receive a Certificate of Achievement. Winners will be announced during the month of June 2023.

Parent/Legal guardian will be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility/liability release and where legal, a publicity release, and Federal and State tax release, and prize winners may be required to verify their mailing address, and return any documents, properly executed, within 7 days of issuance of notification. Non-compliance within this time frame or with the Official Rules, or if prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, will result in the entrant being disqualified, and the prize will be awarded to a potential alternate winner.  Allow 6-12 weeks for delivery of a prize.  Odds of winning a prize depend upon the number of eligible entries received for Entry.  All claimed prizes will be awarded.

PRIZES: One (1) Grand Prize: The grand prize winner will receive Exchange Gift Cards totaling $1500. First place prize winners (1 from each age category) will receive the following:

All winners will also receive a Certificate of Achievement.

All taxes and any other costs not specifically stated within these Official Rules are the sole responsibility of a winner.  A prize may not be transferred, substituted or redeemed for cash, except at IMCOM, Family and MWR’s sole discretion.  Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if advertised prize is unavailable at the time the prize is awarded.  Once the prize is awarded, there will be no substitutions or exchanges.  Sponsor reserves the right to modify or cancel this promotion at any time.  All prizes will be awarded, providing there are a sufficient number of eligible entries received.  All claimed prizes will be awarded.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: AUTHORITY: Section 552a, Title 5, United States Code; Section 3013, Title 10, United States Code; Executive Order NO. 9397; Army Regulation 215-1.  PRINCIPAL PURPOSES: The primary use of the information provided by promotion participants is to select and contact potential winners, and to determine whether potential winners are authorized participants.  Additionally, the information will be used to issue any 1099 required for reporting of prizes to the IRS.  All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winners.  DISCLOSURE IS VOLUNTARY: There is no obligation to provide any information; however, failure to provide the requested information may result in the promotion participant being deemed ineligible to win or to be awarded a prize.

In the event IMCOM Family and MWR is prevented from continuing with the promotion, or the integrity of the promotion is severely undermined by any event beyond the Army’s control, including but not limited to fire, flood, epidemic, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, satellite or equipment failure, riot or civil disturbance, war (declared or undeclared), terrorist threat or activity, or any federal, state or local government law, order or regulation, order of any court or jurisdiction, or other cause not reasonably within the Army’s control (each a “Force Majeure” event), the Army shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to abbreviate, modify, suspend, cancel or terminate the promotion without further obligation. If the Army, in its sole discretion, elects to abbreviate the promotion as a result of a Force Majeure event, IMCOM, Family and MWR reserves the right, but not the obligation, to award the prizes from among all valid and eligible participants received up to the time of such Force Majeure event.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Participants agree to hold harmless IMCOM Family and MWR as part of the Army and DoD, for any liability of any kind resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in the promotion or acceptance/misuse or nonuse of the prizes awarded.  Winners assume all liability for any injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused, by participation in this promotion or use or redemption of any prize.  IMCOM Family and MWR, the Department of Defense and the Army are not responsible for any defective prizes.  By accepting a prize, the winner grants the Promotional Entities the right to use winner’s name for purposes of advertising in any and all media, now known or hereafter devised, without notice, review or approval, without compensation, unless prohibited by law.  IMCOM, Family and MWR is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the promotion or in the announcement of prizes.

IMCOM, Family and MWR will not be held responsible for entries which may be lost in transit, undelivered, delayed or illegible entries.  IMCOM, Family and MWR reserves the right at their sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and/or void any entries submitted fraudulently; to modify or suspend the sweepstakes; or to terminate the sweepstakes and conduct a random drawing using all eligible non- suspect entries received as of the termination date.  Sponsor reserves the right to modify prize award procedures.  IMCOM, Family and MWR is not responsible for technical, hardware or software malfunctions, telephone failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, inability to access a website, inability to submit an entry, or fraud, incomplete, garbled, or delayed computer transmissions or inaccurate transcription of entry information, whether caused by Sponsor, users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions which may damage a user’s system or limit an Eligible Participant’s ability to participate in the Sweepstakes.

WINNERS LIST: Winners’ names will be posted on the armymwr.com website.  Prizes do not imply endorsement by the Army or any other party.

SPONSOR & ADMINISTRATOR: The Sponsor of this contest is US Army IMCOM, Family and MWR Marketing 2450 Connell Road, Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234-7664.

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