Romance Includes You Mentorship – Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE OR RECEIVE PRIZES. PURCHASE OR ACCEPTANCE OF A PRODUCT OFFER DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

APPLICATION OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES

These Official Rules apply to this Contest offered by Harlequin Enterprises ULC (“Sponsor”) that refers to these Official Rules (the “Contest”). The Entry Method(s), Maximum Entries Allowed, Entry Period, Selection Date, and Prize for each Contest are as specified in these Official Rules and on the website promoting that Contest (“Promotions Website”).

ELIGIBILITY

Contest is open to debut romance writers who are legal residents of the U.S. and Canada, excluding Quebec, who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence or older at the time of entry who are unpublished or self-published and not already represented by a literary agent. (“Eligible Entrant”). Employees and immediate family members of the Sponsor and its parent company, affiliates, and subsidiaries, and all agencies, entities and persons engaged in the marketing and/or administration of the Contest, are not eligible. For this Contest mentorship opportunity, Harlequin is interested in submissions by authors in underrepresented communities, including but not limited to: writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color, biracial and multiracial; writers in 2SLGBTQ+ communities; members of marginalized ethnic and religious cultures; and writers living with disabilities and neurodiversity.

ENTRY METHOD

Eligible Entrants can enter the Contest by submitting through Harlequin.Submittable.com and upload the required submission items to the “Romance Includes You Mentorship” inbox with the following:

  • the first 5,000 words of a romance novel
  • a one paragraph summary of the story’s pitch and a story synopsis outlining the story arc, characters, plot, themes and ending (maximum 1,000 words)
  • a cover letter that includes a personal statement explaining why the Entrant applied, what they hope to get out of this mentorship if selected, and what greater diversity and representation in the romance genre means to them (maximum 300 words)

Entry must be submitted in Word format only. Entries will be accepted in the romance genre for adult readers only. Entries of young adult romance, other fiction genres and nonfiction are not eligible. Entry submission must be in the English language. Entry must be entirely the Entrant’s own original content; Entrant must own all rights in the Entry submission; and Entrant should not have previously sold or licensed those rights in the Entry submission to anyone else. Entrants will be asked to verify eligibility of submitted work at the time of entry via Harlequin.Submittable.com.

One (1) entry per person during Entry Period. If more than one entry is made by and Entrant, only the first submission will be considered.

ENTRY PERIOD

May 1, 2024 at 12:01am Eastern Standard Time (“EST”) to May 31, 2024 at 11:59pm EST. Entries must be received by close of the Entry Period.

PARTICIPATION

To participate in the Contest, an Eligible Entrant must perform the Entry Method(s) during the Entry Period.  No other methods of entry will be accepted, and each Eligible Entrant may not exceed the Maximum Entries Allowed (any entries in excess of the Maximum Entries Allowed will be disqualified).  The computer of the Sponsor is the official time-keeping device for the Contest.

Entrants who do not meet the criteria for an Eligible Entrant will be disqualified.  The Sponsor may further, in its sole discretion, disqualify any individual who tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of Contest.

By entering a Contest, all Eligible Entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions theSponsor, which are final and binding.  A copy of these Official Rules is available online via the Promotion Website.

Entries shall be deemed to be submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address and/or social media account associated with the entry.  Potential winners may be required to verify that they are the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the winning entry.

The Sponsor will have no obligation to communicate with Eligible Entrants except with the Eligible Entrants selected for a Prize.

GRAND PRIZE

One (1) Grand Prize winner will be offered:

  • the chance to work one-on-one with a Harlequin editor for a year to complete a romance novel for publication;
  • a publishing contract with a standard advance; and
  • a writing grant.

The total approximate retail value (“ARV”) of the Grand Prize is $5,000 USD.

WINNER SELECTION

On or about September 30, 2024 one (1) potential winner will be selected by the judges, in their absolute discretion based on the following criteria (“Judging Criteria”):

  • The writing quality of the sample and story synopsis;
  • The creativity of the story, characters and ideas and the strength of the romantic element;
  • Suitability to be published in Harlequin’s category romance publishing program; and
  • Personal interest and commitment, toward completing and publishing a romance novel as demonstrated in the personal statement included with the submission.

The winner will be announced on WriteforHarlequin.com provided that suitable submissions are received for publication.

Any potential winners will be notified by email and must respond within fourteen (14) days of notification. If a potential winner fails to respond within the stated timeline, or if a prize notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable, the potential winner may be disqualified, and an alternate potential winner will be selected.

Before the potential winner is offered a contract, the Sponsor will arrange a discussion with potential winner and one of Sponsor’s editors to discuss the opportunity to publish the Entry. Once agreed, Sponsor will forward a standard publishing agreement to potential winner.

The publishing agreement will include an advance against royalties and standard royalty terms for one novel. The potential winner will have the chance to review the contract before signing. Submitting an entry puts Entrants under no obligation to accept the mentorship or publishing contract. 

Once a potential winner has responded with all required documentation in good order, they will be awarded the Grand Prize. The publishing advance will be paid according to the payment schedule for the imprint that acquires the story, provided that the terms of the contract are met. An initial payment is made upon signature of the contract, for some imprints a second payment is made for the partial manuscript, and the full amount is paid out when the final manuscript is received for publication. The grant is payable upon signature of the contract with Harlequin.

Where a Prize requires delivery by mail, delivery requires a full street address (P.O. boxes are not accepted), which may be requested by the Sponsor. Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery. Mailed Prize will not be insured and the Sponsor will not assume any liability for any lost, damaged, or misdirected Prize.

Winner(s) will be responsible for all applicable taxes associated with their acceptance of the Prize and any other expense not explicitly included in the description of the Prize.

The Prize (and any and all portions thereof) must be accepted as awarded and cannot be transferred, assigned, substituted or redeemed for cash, except at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. In the event that a specific prize item is discontinued or otherwise unavailable, a prize item or cash of equal or greater value may be awarded to a winner in the Sponsor’s sole discretion.  In no event will the Sponsor be obligated to award more than the stated number of prizes.

CONDITIONS, RELEASE AND INDEMNITIES

A potential winner may be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release that confirms the potential winner’s:

  1. Eligibility, compliance with these Official Rules, and acceptance of the Prize as offered;
  2. Release and indemnification of the Releasees as set out below; and
  3. Consent to Sponsor’s use of his/her name, photograph, likeness, and biographical material for purposes of advertising and publicity relating to the Contest, without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. 

Canadian residents may further be required to answer a skill testing question.

Contest is void, in whole or part, wherever prohibited by law and is subject to all applicable laws and regulations.

Releasees shall mean the Sponsor and its parent company, affiliates and/or subsidiaries, agents and promotion agencies and each of their respective employees, directors, officers, suppliers, agents and administrators.

Entrants acknowledge and agree that the Releasees:

  1. Are not responsible for printing, clerical or typographical errors of any kind or nature relating to entries.
  2. Shall not be liable for damages, injuries or losses of any kind resulting in whole or in part from participation in the Contest, or from acceptance and/or use or misuse of the Prize.
  3. Assume no liability for lost, late, incomplete, inaccurate, undeliverable or misdirected entries, notifications and/or responses, or for any computer, online, software, hardware or technical malfunctions that may occur, including but not limited to malfunctions that may affect the transmission or non-transmission of an entry.
  4. Are not responsible for damage to any Entrant’s computer system/software related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in connection with the Contest.
  5. Assume no responsibility or liability in the event that the Contest cannot be conducted as planned for any reason whatsoever, including but not limited to reasons beyond the control of the Sponsor, such as infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes outside the control of the Releasees which impair or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest.
  6. Assume no responsibility for undeliverable e-mails resulting from any form of active or passive e-mail filtering by an Entrant’s Internet service provider and/or e-mail client or for insufficient space in Entrant’s e-mail account to receive e-mail.

Entrants further acknowledge and agree that by participating in the Contest they:

  1. Release the Releasees from and against any and all claims, actions, liabilities, judgments, damages, penalties, and expenses of any kind (including legal fees) in any way arising from or in relation to the Entrant’s participation in the Contest or any Prize-related activity, the acceptance, receipt, use or misuse of any Prize, or any of Entrant’s representations or warranties.
  2. Will indemnify and hold harmless the Releasees from and against any and all claims, actions, liabilities, judgments, damages, penalties, and expenses of any kind (including legal fees) in any way arising from or in relation to the Entrant’s participation in the Contest, any Prize-related activity, or the acceptance, receipt, use or misuse of any Prize, or any of Entrant’s representations and warranties.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND/OR CIVIL LAWS.  SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

PRIVACY AND USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

By participating in a Contest, each Entrant consents to the Sponsor’s collection and use of the Entrant’s name, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, photograph and likeness  for the purpose of administering the Contest (including but not limited to contacting and announcing the winner); for publicity and promotional purposes relating to the Contest, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised, without further compensation; and in accordance with these Official Rules, unless prohibited by law. The Sponsor will use the Entrant’s Personal Information only for identified purposes, and will protect the Entrant’s Personal Information in a manner that is consistent with the Sponsor’s privacy policy located online at: www.harlequin.com/shop/pages/privacy-policy.html.

TERMINATION 

Subject to any governmental approval which may be required, the Sponsor reserves the right to terminate or suspend Contest, in whole or in part, without prior notice.  In the event that a Contest is terminated or suspended, the Sponsor will select winners from all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to such action.

APPLICABLE LAW AND FORUM

Each Entrant agrees that all matters arising out of or relating to this Contest and these Official Rules will be interpreted and construed in accordance with the laws of Ontario, without regard to conflict of laws, and all claims arising out of or relating to the Contest and these Official Rules will be brought solely in the court located in Ontario.

DISCREPANCY

In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between the terms and conditions of these Official Rules and other Contest-related materials, the terms and conditions of these Official Rules shall prevail, govern, and control.

NO RELATIONSHIP

The Contest is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube in any manner. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding the Contest must be directed to the Sponsor and not Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. By entering a Contest, the Entrant acknowledges and agrees that he/she is providing his/her information to the Sponsor and not to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. Twitter, Tweet and Twitter.com are the trademarks and service marks of Twitter, Inc. All rights reserved. YouTube, the YouTube logo, and Youtube.com are the trademarks and service marks of Google LLC. All rights reserved.

WINNER’S LIST 

To receive the official name of the winners for the Contest, send a self-addressed stamped envelope within one (1) month after the end of the applicable Entry Period for the Contest to Harlequin Enterprises ULC, Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower, 22 Adelaide St. W, 41st Floor, Toronto, ON, CA, M5H 4E3, quoting the Contest name.