Tony Hillerman Prize Contest opens

OFFICIAL RULES

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST. OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES, D.C. AND CANADA (EXCLUDING QUEBEC) WHO ARE AGE 18 OR OLDER AND OF THE LEGAL AGE OF MAJORITY, ARE NOT THE AUTHOR OF A PUBLISHED MYSTERY NOVEL AND ARE NOT PARTY TO ANY AGREEMENT WITH A PUBLISHER FOR THE PUBLICATION OF A MYSTERY NOVEL. U.S. LAW GOVERNS THIS CONTEST.

• ELIGIBILITY: The Hillerman Mystery Contest (the “Contest“) is open only to people who are 18 years of age or older and of the legal age of majority in the jurisdiction in which they reside and, as of the date of entry and the date on which the prize is offered (if applicable), are a legal resident of one of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia or Canada (excluding Quebec). In addition, to be eligible to enter the Contest, each potential entrant must not be the author of a published mystery novel and must not be a party to any agreement with a publisher pursuant to which a mystery novel written by the entrant may be published. For purposes of these Official Rules, “mystery novel” means a book of fiction in which murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story, and emphasis is on the solution rather than the details of the crime.of at least 40,000 words and “published” means a work that has been published or made publicly available, in whole or part, as a print book, e-book or in any other media. The publication on an entrant’s website of a single one-chapter excerpt from a work will not result in the work being deemed to be “published” for purposes of these Official Rules so long as (a) the excerpt is the only portion of the work that has been published or publicly released, (b) the excerpt is not for sale to the public, and (c) the number of words in the excerpt does not exceed 7,500 words or 10% of the total number of words in the work as a whole. Employees of St. Martin’s Press, LLC (“Sponsor“) or any of Sponsor’s affiliates, and members of the immediate family or household of any such employee, are not eligible. Eligibility determinations will be made by Sponsor in its discretion and will be final and binding. Void in Quebec and where prohibited by law.
• HOW TO ENTER: The entry period for the Contest begins at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on June 21, 2016 and ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on January 2, 2017 (the “Entry Period“). To enter the Contest, entrants must submit a manuscript of a fictional work written by the entrant (“Manuscript“) that complies with the following submission guidelines: (a) the Manuscript must be written in English and must be book length (approximately 60,000 words or 220 pages, using standard margins of approximately one inch and standard 10 or 12 point typeface style, or longer); (b) murder or another serious crime or crimes must be at the heart of the story contained in the Manuscript and the story should focus on the solving of the crime(s) rather than the details of such crime(s); (c) the story’s primary setting must be one or more of the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and/or Utah; and (d) the Manuscript must comply with all requirements set forth in these Official Rules, including the Submission Guidelines set forth in Section 3 below. Sponsor’s determination as to whether an entrant’s Manuscript complies with these Official Rules will be final and binding. There are two ways to enter the Contest.

Online Entry: To enter the Sweepstakes online, during the Entry Period, entrants must visit the website located at us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/tonyhillermanprize (the “Website“) and follow the on-screen entry instructions. Each entrant who enters online will be required to upload his or her Manuscript to the Website and complete and submit the Contest entry form. Online entries must comply with all technical specifications provided on the Website (including those relating to approved file formats for the Manuscript) and must be submitted and received by Sponsor prior to the conclusion of the Entry Period. Entry times will be determined using Sponsor’s computer, which will be the official clock for the Contest. Normal time rates, if any, charged by the entrant’s Internet service provider will apply. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of an entrant, the entry will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry (i.e., the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address).

Entry by Mail or Delivery: To enter the Contest by mail or delivery, entrants must send to Sponsor at the address specified in Section 12 below a package containing a printed copy of the entrant’s Manuscript and a legibly completed Contest entry form. The package must be sent either via U.S. or Canadian mail with proper postage affixed, or by a major courier that regularly delivers to New York City (for example, FedEx or U.P.S.) with all delivery charges prepaid. Contest entry forms will be made available on the Website and in some promotional materials for the Contest. Entrants can also request a printed copy of the Contest entry form by sending Sponsor a self-addressed, stamped envelope as described in Section 12 below. Mailed entries must be postmarked or provided to the courier service by 11:59 p.m. ET on January 2, 2017 and must be received by Sponsor by no later than January 16, 2017.

General Entry Terms and Conditions: Completion of the Contest entry form will require that the entrant provide his or her name, address, e-mail address (optional for entrants submitting the Contest entry form by mail or delivery), telephone number and such other information as Sponsor may require. There is a limit of one entry per person. Each Manuscript may be submitted only once. If a particular Manuscript is submitted more than once, Sponsor will have the right to disqualify all entrants who submitted the Manuscript. Manuscripts will not be returned. Each entrant must keep a copy of his or her Manuscript for his or her own records. Sponsor will not be responsible for lost, damaged, stolen or mislaid Manuscripts.

• 
 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: All Manuscripts submitted in the Contest must comply with the following guidelines: (i) the Manuscript must be double-spaced and typed with pages numbered consecutively from beginning to end; (ii) the first page of the Manuscript must be a cover page containing the title of the Manuscript, the entrant’s name, address, e-mail address and telephone number, and the entrant’s previous writing credits, if any; (iii) the second page of the Manuscript must be a title page containing only the title of the Manuscript and the entrant’s name, and no other information; (iv) the entrant’s name must not appear anywhere within the Manuscript other than on cover page and the title page as provided in this Section 3; (v) Manuscripts submitted online must be uploaded to the Website in a single electronic file in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF file format, and named in accordance with the following naming convention: “[MANUSCRIPT TITLE] – [FULL NAME OF ENTRANT]”; (vi) Manuscripts submitted by mail or courier must not be bound; (vii) the Manuscript must be original and have been written solely by the entrant; (viii) the entrant must own 100% of the copyright in the Manuscript; (ix) the Manuscript must not previously have been published or won any award; (x) the Manuscript must not contain any material that violates or infringes upon the rights of any third party, including without limitation any copyright, trademark or rights of privacy or publicity, or that is defamatory, unlawful or in violation of or contrary to any applicable law or regulation; and (xi) the Manuscript must not contain any material that Sponsor, in its sole discretion, deems inappropriate for public viewing. By submitting a Manuscript, the entrant represents and warrants that he or she has complied with all of the foregoing requirements and has obtained all permissions, licenses and consents that are necessary for the submission of the Manuscript in the Contest and to verify compliance with the foregoing requirements. Each entrant agrees to provide to Sponsor at Sponsor’s request copies of all such permissions, licenses and consents and, if requested by Sponsor, to obtain additional permissions, licenses and consents from the applicable parties in a form specified by Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any Manuscript that Sponsor determines does not comply with these guidelines, to make such changes to any Manuscript as are necessary to make it compliant, or to require the entrant to do so.
• SUBMISSION RELEASE: By submitting a Manuscript, and in consideration of the review by the Judges (as defined in Section 5) of such Manuscript, each entrant irrevocably agrees to the following: The entrant understands and agrees that Sponsor does not undertake to consider the Manuscript in confidence. The entrant acknowledges that Sponsor must disclose the Manuscript to various employees of Sponsor, and may disclose the Manuscript to those outside Sponsor’s employ, in connection with the judging and winner selection process pursuant to these Official Rules. It is understood that no confidential or fiduciary relationship is entered into by reason of Sponsor’s receipt or consideration of the entrant’s Manuscript. The entrant’s submission is made with the understanding that the Judges will give his or her Manuscript such consideration as it merits based on the Judging Criteria (as defined in Section 5) in Sponsor’s sole and final judgment. Other than with respect to the Publishing Offer (as defined in Section 6), if any, made to the Grand Prize winner, Sponsor will not be obligated to consider or use any Manuscript or to offer, negotiate with or enter into an agreement with any entrant pertaining to his or her Manuscript or otherwise. The entrant acknowledges that no obligation of any kind is assumed by, or may be implied against, Sponsor unless and until such time, if ever, as a formal written contract has been entered into between the entrant and Sponsor. The entrant shall not be entitled to any compensation from Sponsor with respect to the review by the Judges of his or her Manuscript. Consideration of the Manuscript for purposes of the Contest is not an admission by Sponsor or the Judges of the novelty, propriety or originality of the entrant’s Manuscript. The entrant acknowledges that other persons, including Sponsor’s employees, may have previously originated and/or submitted to Sponsor or to others, or made public, or may hereafter originate and/or submit or make public, similar or identical material, which Sponsor will have the right to use. The entrant understands that he or she will not be entitled to any compensation because of Sponsor’s use of such other similar or identical material. Without limitation of the foregoing, Sponsor may use, without any payment or other obligation whatsoever to the entrant, any part of his or her Manuscript, and any idea or concept contained therein, that (a) is similar or identical to, or contains significant elements encompassed in, a concept that is under consideration or in development by Sponsor before or at the time of the submission, (b) is not unique, novel, original, and concrete so as to be entitled to intellectual property protection under applicable laws, (c) has been made public by anyone at the time of its submission to Sponsor, or otherwise is in the public domain, (d) would be freely usable by a third person if it had not been accepted as a submission or the subject of any agreement, (e) is not protected by copyright law in the pertinent territory, or (f) is similar or identical to, or contains significant elements encompassed in, an idea, concept or material that is independently created by Sponsor or its employees or contractors or those of third parties. Sponsor shall be entitled to all rights of exploitation in accordance with all applicable laws, in any ideas, concepts or materials that are created independently by Sponsor, even if similar or identical to the entrant’s Manuscript. The entrant agrees that his or her agreement to the foregoing is a prerequisite to Sponsor’s review of his or her Manuscript.
• WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION: Following the conclusion of the Entry Period, one potential Grand Prize winner will be selected by judges designated by Sponsor (the “Judges“) from among all eligible entries received during the Entry Period, by assessing each Manuscript based on the following criteria (the “Judging Criteria“), weighted as indicated: publishable quality of manuscript (60%); creativity (20%); and originality (20%). In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken based on the higher score in the “publishable quality of manuscript” category. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to select one or more additional Grand Prize winners if, in the sole opinion of Sponsor and/or the Judges, the quality of the eligible entries submitted warrants selection of more than one Grand Prize winner. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to not select any winner if, in the sole opinion of Sponsor and/or the Judges, none of the Manuscripts submitted are of publishable quality. The odds of winning depend on the number and quality of eligible entries received. Potential winner(s) will be notified by mail, telephone and/or e-mail, at Sponsor’s discretion on or about May 5, 2017. Each potential winner is subject to verification of eligibility. If a potential winner cannot be reached or does not respond within 10 days of the initial notification attempt, or if any attempted notification is returned as undeliverable, or if a potential winner is deemed ineligible by Sponsor, or if a potential winner does not otherwise comply with these Official Rules and/or cannot accept the Publishing Offer as awarded for any reason, then the potential winner may be disqualified and an alternate winner may, at Sponsor’s discretion, be selected from among the remaining eligible entries as specified in these Official Rules (in which case the foregoing provisions will apply to such newly-selected entrant).
• PRIZE: One Grand Prize will be offered (unless Sponsor elects in its discretion to increase the quantity of Grand Prizes offered). The Grand Prize consists of an offer to have the winner’s Manuscript published by Sponsor under the imprint name Minotaur Books on terms and conditions determined by Sponsor (the “Publishing Offer“). The terms of the Publishing Offer will be as set forth in Sponsor’s standard form author agreement and will include an advance against future royalties (if any) in the amount of $10,000. Any terms of the Publishing Offer not specified in the printed text of Sponsor’s standard form author’s agreement will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. The entrant may request reasonable changes to the Publishing Offer, but Sponsor will not be obligated to agree to any such changes. The Grand Prize winner will not receive any part of the advance unless and until the standard form author’s agreement has been signed by both parties. If the Grand Prize winner has not signed and returned to Sponsor the standard form author agreement within 30 days after the date on which Sponsor provides the standard form author agreement to the winner, the Publishing Offer will be deemed to have been withdrawn and Sponsor will have no further obligation or liability to the Grand Prize winner. No substitution, cash redemption or transfer of the right to receive the Grand Prize is permitted. The Grand Prize consists only of those items expressly specified in these Official Rules as being part of the Grand Prize. Sponsor and the Judges will not provide any evaluation of or commentary on Manuscripts submitted in connection with the Contest. All expenses or costs associated with the acceptance or use of the Grand Prize are the responsibility of the winner. All federal, state, provincial/territorial and local taxes on the value of the Grand Prize, if applicable, are the responsibility of the winner. FOR U.S. RESIDENTS: An IRS form 1099 will be issued in the winner’s name if required by law.
• GRANT OF RIGHTS: By entering the Contest, each entrant, if selected as a potential Grand Prize winner, irrevocably grants to Sponsor and its affiliates, and the successors, agents, licensees, marketing contractors and assigns of each of the foregoing and Western Writers of America (all of the foregoing, the “Contest Entities“) the right to use the entrant’s name, likeness, voice and/or biographical information, and the title of the Manuscript submitted by the entrant, in perpetuity, throughout the world, in all media and formats whether now or later known or developed (including without limitation on Sponsor’s websites and social media channels), for the purpose of announcing the winner(s) and administering and publicizing the Contest and future contests, without further compensation. In addition, by entering the Contest and submitting a Manuscript, the entrant, if selected as a potential Grand Prize winner, irrevocably grants to Sponsor, in perpetuity, the non-exclusive right, and the right to authorize others, to copy, publish, display, distribute, modify, edit, create derivative works based on and otherwise use an excerpt of the entrant’s Manuscript consisting of not more than 7,500 words or 10% of the total number of words in the Manuscript, whichever is greater, throughout the world, in all media and formats whether now or later known or developed (including without limitation on Sponsor’s websites and social media channels), for the purpose of announcing the winner(s) and administering and publicizing the Contest and future contests, without further compensation.
• RELEASE AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: The Contest Entities, all other companies involved in the development or operation of the Contest or the provision of the Grand Prize, and the directors, officers, employees and agents of each of the foregoing (collectively, the “Released Parties“) are not responsible for, and will have no liability for, (a) late, lost, delayed, illegible, stolen, mislaid, damaged, corrupted, postage-due or incomplete entries or Manuscripts, incorrect or inaccurate capture of, damage to, or loss of entries or Manuscripts, or any other human or technical errors of any kind relating to the operation of the Website, communications or attempted communications with any entrant, the submission, collection, storage or processing of entries or Manuscripts or the administration of the Contest, (b) undeliverable e-mails resulting from any form of active or passive e-mail filtering by a user’s Internet service provider and/or e-mail client or for insufficient space in user’s e-mail account to receive e-mail or (c) any damage to any computer system resulting from participation in or accessing or downloading information in connection with the Contest. By entering, each entrant releases and agrees to hold each of the Released Parties harmless from and against any and all claims and liabilities of any kind that the entrant ever had, now has or might in the future have arising out of or relating to the Contest, participation in the Contest, the use of the Website, the Manuscript (including any loss or damage to the Manuscript), the acceptance of the Grand Prize and/or any use of the entrant’s name, likeness, voice and/or biographical information as permitted pursuant to these Official Rules, including without limitation all claims and liabilities based on any violation of the right of privacy or right of publicity, copyright infringement, misappropriation or violation of any other personal or proprietary right. Entrants assume all liability for any injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused, by participation in the Contest, the Manuscript, the use of the Website, the acceptance of the Grand Prize and/or any use of the entrant’s name, likeness, voice and/or biographical information as permitted pursuant to these Official Rules. The Released Parties are not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the Contest or in the announcement of the Publishing Offer. In no event will more than one prize be awarded.
• GENERAL RULES: Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify these Official Rules (including without limitation by adjusting any of the dates and/or timeframes stipulated in these Official Rules) or cancel, modify or suspend this Contest at any time in its discretion, including without limitation in the event that a virus, bug, technical problem, entrant fraud or misconduct, or other cause beyond the control of the Sponsor corrupts the administration, integrity, security or proper operation of the Contest or if for any other reason Sponsor is not able to conduct the Contest as planned (including without limitation in the event the operation of the Contest is interfered with by any fire, flood, epidemic, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or of public enemy, communications failure, riot or civil disturbance, war (declared or undeclared), terrorist threat or activity, federal, state, provincial/territorial or local law, order or regulation or court order). In the event of termination of the Contest, a notice will be posted on the Website and if Sponsor has received Manuscripts of publishable quality, a winner will be selected in accordance with the procedures set forth in these Official Rules from among all eligible entries received prior to the time of termination. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify or prohibit from participating in the Contest any individual who, in Sponsor’s discretion, Sponsor determines or believes (i) has tampered with the entry process, or has undermined the legitimate operation of the Website or the Contest by cheating, hacking, deception or other unfair playing practices, or (ii) has engaged in conduct that annoys, abuses, threatens or harasses any other entrants or any representative of Sponsor, or (iii) has attempted or intends to attempt any of the foregoing. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAW. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. The use of agents or automated devices, programs or methods to submit entries is prohibited and Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any entry that it believes may have been submitted using such an automated device, program or method. All federal, state, provincial/territorial and local laws and regulations apply. All entry materials become the property of Sponsor and will not be verified or returned. By participating in this Contest, entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor and the judges, which are final and binding in all respects. These Official Rules may not be reprinted or republished in any way without the prior written consent of Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right to, but is not obligated to, consider for publication Manuscripts submitted by entrants other than the Grand Prize winner.
• DISPUTES: By entering the Contest, each entrant agrees that, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, (a) any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Contest, the Manuscript or the Publishing Offer, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action (Note: Some jurisdictions do not allow restricting access to class actions. This provision will not apply to you if you live in such a jurisdiction.); and (b) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering the Contest, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (c) under no circumstances will any entrant be permitted to obtain any award for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, punitive, special, incidental or consequential damages and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the entrants and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York. Any legal proceedings arising out of this Contest or relating to these Official Rules shall be instituted only in the federal or state courts located in the State of New York, waiving any right to trial by jury, and each entrant consents to jurisdiction therein with respect to any legal proceedings or disputes of whatever nature arising under or relating to these rules or the Contest. In the event of any conflict between these Official Rules and any Contest information provided elsewhere (including but not limited in advertising or marketing materials), these Official Rules shall prevail. All entries are subject to verification at any time.
• USE OF INFORMATION: Sponsor and/or its agents or contractors will collect information regarding Contest entrants via the Website. Such information will be subject to Sponsor’s privacy policy available at http://us.macmillan.com/privacy-notice. By entering the Contest, each entrant agrees that information submitted via the Website therewith may be used as permitted pursuant to such Privacy Policy and may also be used in connection with the administration of the Contest. In addition, each entrant who enters by mail or delivery agrees that Sponsor will have the right to use information submitted by the entrant in connection with the administration of the Contest.
• REQUESTS FOR WINNER’S NAME, RULES AND ENTRY FORMS: For additional copies of these Official Rules, copies of the Contest entry form and/or the name of the winner (which will be available after approximately May 5, 2017), send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Hillerman Mystery Contest, Minotaur Books, c/o St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010.
• SPONSOR:St. Martin’s Press, LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.