THE MYSTERIES OF HARRIS BURDICK STORY WRITING CONTEST OFFICIAL RULES

Sponsor: Houghton Mifflin Company, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR CLAIM PRIZE.

1. ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal residents of the 50 United States or District of Columbia (“U.S.”) who are in grades 2-8 as of date of entry at a public, private or parochial school in the U.S.. Not open to members of the immediate families of, and persons living in the same households as, Houghton Mifflin Company employees or employees of Houghton Mifflin Company’s subsidiaries, affiliates, parent companies, retailers, advertising, or promotion agencies. Void where prohibited.

2. TO ENTER: Write a story based on one of the 15 illustrations in THE MYSTERIES OF HARRIS
BURDICK by Chris Van Allsburg. E-mail your entries to childrens_books@hmco.com or mail them to: Harris Burdick Story Writing Contest, Houghton Mifflin Children’s Marketing Dept. 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116. Entries must include the entrant’s grade level and must also include the following information so that we may notify winners: if entering by mail, the entrants’ name, school name and school address; if entering by e-mail, the entrant’s name and e-mail address to use for notification purposes. Submission must be received no later than January 15, 2008. Limit one entry per person.

3. JUDGING CRITERIA: Winning stories will be selected by a panel of two judges selected by the Sponsor. Stories will be judged on the following criteria: creativity; story elements; grammar and spelling.
Maximum length: 250 words.

4. PRIZES: On or about February 1, 2008, winners will be notified. Winners will be
awarded the following prizes:
Three Grand Prize Winners (one selected from grades 2-3, one from grades 4-5, and one from grades 6-8) will receive a complete Chris Van Allsburg library.

Three First Place Winners (one selected from grades 2-3, one from grades 4-5, and one from grades 6-8) will receive a limited edition signed print from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.
Three Honor Winners (one selected from grades 2-3, one from grades 4-5, and one from grades 6-8) will receive a signed copy of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.
All winning entries will be posted on www.chrisvanallsburg.com and
www.mysteriesofharrisburdick.com.
Odds of winning will be determined by the number of eligible entries received.

5. GENERAL: Taxes on prizes and all expenses related to acceptance and use of prizes and not specified are the sole responsibility of winners. By participating, entrants agree [a] to these rules and decisions of Sponsor and judges which shall be final in all respects; [b] to release, discharge and hold harmless the Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, retailers, advertising and promotion agencies and their directors, officers, shareholders and employees (collectively the “Releasees”) from any and all injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind resulting from their participation in the contest or their acceptance, use, or misuse of prize including, without limitation, personal injury, death and property damage; and [c] if a winner, to use of their name and/or photograph for advertising, publicity and promotional purposes in all media without compensation or limitation (unless prohibited by law) and agree to execute specific consent to such use if asked to do so. Winners will be required to complete and execute a declaration of eligibility, a liability release and (where legal) a publicity release and comply with any IRS requirements. All required documents must be returned within the time period specified by Sponsor or an alternate winner may be selected. All required documents shall be executed by both the entrant and the entrant’s parent or legal guardian. If a prize notification or prize is returned as undeliverable for any reason, the prize will be awarded to an alternate winner. Releasees are not responsible for and shall not be liable for [a] any error which may occur in the processing of entries; [b] lost, late, misdirected, stolen, mutilated, incomplete, damaged, illegible or postage-due entries or mail; or [c] any condition caused by events that may cause the contest to be disrupted or corrupted. Proof of mailing entry is not considered proof of delivery or receipt. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend the contest or any portion thereof should any causes beyond the control of Sponsor corrupt the administration of the contest. Entry information becomes property of Sponsor. Personal information supplied by entrants shall be used only as stated herein and shall be destroyed on completion of the contest. No prize transfer or cash redemption. No prize substitution except by Sponsor due to unavailability, security or safety considerations as determined by Sponsor, in which case a prize of comparable or greater value will be awarded. Limit one prize per person. False, fraudulent or deceptive entries or acts shall render entrants ineligible. By entering the contest, entrants affirm that they have read and accepted these Official Rules.

LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY: Releasees shall not be liable to winner or any other person for failure to supply the prize or any part thereof, by reason of any acts of God, any action(s), regulation(s), order(s) or request(s) by any governmental or quasi-governmental entity (whether or not the action(s), regulation(s), order(s) or request(s) prove(s) to be invalid), equipment failure, terrorist acts, earthquake, war, fire, flood, explosion, unusually severe weather, hurricane, embargo, labor dispute or strike (whether legal or illegal), labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down, civil disturbance, insurrection, riot, or any other cause beyond Releasees’ sole control.

6. WINNERS’ LIST: For a list of winners, mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope to be received by March 1, 2008, to: Houghton Mifflin Children’s Marketing: 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116.

7. SUBMISSIONS: Submissions will not be returned. Submission of an entry constitutes entrant’s irrevocable assignment, conveyance, and transference to Sponsor of all right, title, and interest in the entry, including without limitation all copyrights. Therefore, Sponsor shall be free to post any and all submitted stories online. In addition, by entering, contestants represent and warrant that the entries they submit are their own original creations; do not infringe on any other person’s or entities rights; and have not been submitted previously in a contest of any kind. Winners will be required to execute documents confirming such assignment and warranties.