OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

Void outside the 50 United States and where prohibited. Do not proceed to enter if you are not at least 21 years of age and a legal resident of, and located within, one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of entry.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
The Ladies’ Home Journal Personal Essay Contest begins at 12:01a.m. Eastern Time(“E.T.”) on August 9, 2011 and ends at 11:59 p.m., E.T. on December 13, 2011. Mail entries must be postmarked no later than December 13, 2011, and received no later than December 23, 2011. Sponsor: Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust St., Des Moines, Iowa.

ENTRY: THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO ENTER

1. Mail Entry: Write an essay (first-person narratives) of personal growth, for example: a life lesson or personal challenge at a minimum of 1,500 words and a maximum of 2,500 words, typed, double-spaced and page numbered on 8-1/2x11paper. Include your name, address, daytime telephone number and e-mail address (optional) on each page and send to: Personal Essay Contest, Ladies’ Home Journal, 805 Third Avenue, 26th Fl., New York, NY, 10017.
2. Online Entry: Visit www.lhj.com/essaycontest and complete the registration from, then follow the steps to submit your essay.

Entries must be original (written by entrant), unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Entries handwritten, fictional, or exceeding the required length may be disqualified. Entries may not contain brand names or trademarks. All entries are final upon submission. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject and/or disqualify any entries, subjects, or related materials that Sponsor deems to be obscene, defamatory, profane, offensive, lewd, pornographic, false, misleading, deceptive, or otherwise inconsistent with its editorial standards, audience expectations, or reputational interests or that Sponsor believes may violate any applicable law or regulation or the rights of any third party. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to verify any element of any entry or related materials, request additional information and to disqualify any entrant whose participation may subject the contest, Sponsor, or Sponsor’s advertisers, clients, or customers to controversy, negative publicity, scorn, or ridicule.

LIMIT: One entry per person, regardless of method of entry. Any attempt by an entrant, or any other person, to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations, logins, or any other methods may result in disqualification by Sponsor, in its sole discretion.

ELIGIBILITY: Legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, 21 years of age or older are eligible to enter, except employees of Sponsor, and any other organizations affiliated with the sponsorship, fulfillment, administration, prize support, advertisement or promotion of the Contest and/or their respective agents, affiliates, subsidiaries and members of their immediate families or household members. “Immediate family members” shall mean parents, step-parents, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, or spouses. “Household members” shall mean people who share the same residence at least three months a year.
WINNER SELECTION: On or about January 2, 2012, a qualified panel of judges appointed by Sponsor will select one (1) winner from among the eligible entries based on originality 25%, essay theme 25%, use of language 25%, and overall creativity 25%. In the event of a tie, the winner will be the entry among the tied entries with the higher score in overall creativity. Potential winner will be notified by phone and/or email and prize will be delivered approximately thirty (30) days from date of winner verification. Decisions of judges are final and binding in all respects.
PRIZING: One (1) winner will receive a check for $3000. Winner’s essay may be published in a future issue of Ladies’ Home Journal magazine. Publication of essay is at the sole discretion of the editors and is not guaranteed. This element of the prize has no retail value, and if it becomes impractical or impossible to fulfill this element, Sponsor will have fulfilled its prize obligation by having provided the remaining elements of the prize.

Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize (or portions thereof) of equal or greater value if prize (or portions thereof) cannot be awarded as described. Sponsor will determine all elements of prizing in its sole discretion. Prize may not be assigned, transferred, or changed, except at the sole discretion of Sponsor. Prize is awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee express or implied by Sponsor. Sponsor disclaims all and any liability for the actual provision, quality or nature of any third party product or service accepted by the winner. All taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. The awarding of any prize is contingent upon full compliance with these Official Rules.
CONDITIONS/WARRANTIES: Entrants agree to be bound by Official Rules and agree that if any winner fails to provide proof of identity, refuses to provide documentation, is found to have violated the Official Rules or otherwise does not meet eligibility criteria, prize will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner with the next highest score. Entrants understand that Sponsor is not liable for injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising from participation in this promotion and acceptance, possession and use of prize. Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the contest or in the announcement of the prize. Decisions of Sponsor are final and binding in all respects.
Sponsor assumes no responsibility for entries it is unable to process due to network, hardware or other technical failures; or any other reason, or incomplete, damaged, misdirected, illegible, stolen or lost online or mail entries. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process, the operation of the web site or otherwise in violation of these Official Rules. Sponsor further reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate or modify this promotion if not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, technical corruption, non-authorized human intervention, or any other causes beyond the control of the Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, or integrity of the contest. In the event of cancellation, Sponsor reserves the right to select winner from among all eligible entries received prior to date of cancellation. The use of automated entry systems or any other conduct that impedes the integrity of the contest is prohibited. In the event of a dispute regarding online entry, entry will be deemed made by the holder of an established e-mail account associated with the entry.
RELEASES: By participating in this contest and accepting any prize that they may win, entrants agree to release Sponsor, its parent, subsidiary, affiliated and successor companies, advertising and promotion agencies and prize suppliers, and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees, as well as each of their respective successors, representatives and assigns (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from any and all actions, claims, injury, loss or damage arising in any manner, directly or indirectly, from participation in this contest and/or acceptance or use of the prize.
Entrants authorize the Released Parties to use their name, voice, likeness, biographical data, city and state of residence and entry materials in all media now known or hereafter discovered, for any purpose, including without limitation, in connection with, and to promote, market or advertise, the contest, in whole or in part, without review, approval, credit or attribution, notification or payment from or to entrant or any person or entity, worldwide, in perpetuity, or on a winner’s list, if applicable, unless prohibited by law. Sponsor is not obligated to use any of the above-mentioned information or materials, but may do so and may edit such information or materials, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, without further obligation or compensation.
By submitting entry materials, entrants certify that such materials are original and created by entrant, that entrants have the necessary rights, permission and authority to submit such materials, and, if applicable, that entrants maintain a valid copyright in the materials.
By submitting entry materials, entrants acknowledge that they understand and agree that the Released Parties’ use of material containing features and elements similar to or identical with those contained in entrants’ entry materials does not entitle entrants to any compensation. By entering, entrants waive any right of action against the Released Parties in connection with the Released Parties’ use of any material (or any part thereof), whether or not the material contains features or elements similar or identical to those contained in entrants’ entry materials.
PRIVACY: Registration for Sponsor’s www.lhj.com website is required to enter the Contest online. When you register, we collect personally identifying information about you, including your name, mailing address, and email address. The information that you provide will be added to a centralized Sponsor database so that you will simultaneously be registered for Sponsor’s other websites as well.

By entering and/or providing the required registration information, you acknowledge that Sponsor may send you information, samples, or special offers it believes may be of interest to you about its publications or other complementary goods offered by Sponsor. Sponsor may also include your name and postal address in postal address lists that Sponsor sells or rents to third parties for marketing purposes. For more information about how Sponsor uses the information you provide, see Sponsor’s privacy policy at www.lhj.com. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO SHARE YOUR INFORMATION, PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THIS PROMOTION.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION: Except where prohibited, by participating Contest entrants agree that: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participant(s) and Sponsor and its agents shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law of any jurisdiction. Entrant agrees that any action at law or in equity arising out of or relating to this Contest, or awarding of the prize, shall be filed only in the state or federal courts located in the State of New York and entrant hereby consents and submits to the personal jurisdiction of such courts for the purposes of litigating any such action. Except where prohibited, by participating in this Contest, entrant agrees that: (a) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or awarding of the prize, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; and (b) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with participating in this Contest but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (c) under no circumstances will any participant be permitted to obtain awards for and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitations or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above may not apply to you.
GENERAL: Except where prohibited by law, potential winner will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and IRS W9 Form, Publicity Release and License of Pre-Existing Work within ten (10) days of notification or the entry with the next highest score may become an alternate winner. If winner notification is returned as undeliverable, the entry with the next highest score may become an alternate winner. Subject to all U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited. Taxes on prize are the sole responsibility of winner. Winner will be issued an IRS 1099 tax form in the amount of the prize retail value as stated herein. For winners’ list, available after March 1, 2012, send a separate, self-addressed, stamped envelope to Winners’ List/Essay Contest, Ladies’ Home Journal, 805 Third Avenue, 26th Fl., New York, NY 10017.