“On Courage” – A Nonfiction Writing Contest Sponsored by Tortoise and Finch – No Entry Fee

Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC is pleased to announce its first Nonfiction Writing Contest, “On Courage,” which will run from 9:00 a.m. (PST) on October 31st, 2015 until 11:59 p.m. on December 31st, 2015. There is no entry fee for this contest.

Each of the films currently in development or in release with Tortoise and Finch are focused, in some way, on courage. We are continually inspired in our work by the strength and bravery of the individuals we are privileged enough to speak with and interview, and this made us want to learn more about how others see and experience courage in their daily lives.

We decided to sponsor a writing contest on the topic of courage during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month because we have been especially moved over the past seven years by the incredible courage of those who have lived with and survived domestic abuse in its myriad forms. This is one small way of acknowledging how their courage has inspired us.

Courage comes in many forms. Sometimes it involves leaving everything you know behind, or letting go of someone or something you love, or of someone who—or something that—is not very good for you. Courage can involve great sacrifice, including the ultimate sacrifice of one’s life. Other times, it involves taking the risk of learning or trying something new, making a new home in a new place, or pushing one’s self beyond physical or mental limitations to achieve a personal goal one has set for his or her self.

Courage can also involve the simple act of getting out of bed every day, or of smiling and trying to remain positive despite immense fear, suffering, pain, or grief. It takes courage to face the loss of job, the loss of a place to live, or the loss of a loved one—a partner, a parent, a sibling, a child. It takes courage to speak up for another person when they are being treated unfairly or unkindly. Courage can exist in saying that you are sorry to someone you have hurt. It can involve asking a loved one or a stranger for help when you know help is what you need. It can take courage to freely be who you are in this world and to treat yourself with love and compassion, even when others don’t.

No matter who we are or where we come from, we all experience fear, doubts and sad, frightening, or challenging situations in our lives. How we choose to deal with these experiences matters for ourselves and for others. When dealing with the unknown, unexpected, uncomfortable, and unnerving, courage can be our most important resource. Sometimes it is the only resource we have.

So, we want you to tell us about what courage has looked and felt like for you. We want you to share with us a time in your life when you have had to develop, lean on, or rediscover your courage. You can choose to tie your submission to any of the themes of our current projects—domestic violence, postpartum depression, love, serious illness, death and dying, or aging as a woman—or not. It’s entirely up to you.

We wish you luck and we thank you for sharing a bit of yourselves with Tortoise and Finch through our first nonfiction writing contest. We look forward to reading your submissions.

Click here to learn more about the talented and courageous people behind the prizes being offered.

First Place (1) Winner – will receive $50.00 USD and have their entry and a short interview conducted by Sponsor published on the Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC website (www.tortoiseandfinch.com). First place winner will also receive a personalized “I AM Love” 45-min Power Session with Jennifer Gabiola of Dawning Soul (phone or Skype), a copy of Jennifer’s Spirit of Style e-book, a copy of the book Still Here Thinking of You: A Second Chance with Our Mothers by Lori Toppel, Susan Hodara, Vicki Addesso, and Joan Potter (signed by all four authors), a copy of the book Time Bomb by Richard H. Fox, a copy of the book Penelope’s Song by Lois Cuddy, a copy of the book Once the Storm is Over by Nina Bingham, and a copy of the two-disc special edition DVD of You Look a Lot Like Me.

Second Place (1) Winner – will have their entry published on the Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC website (www.tortoiseandfinch.com), and will receive a Love, Me Manifesto from Shavonne Broom of StyleChurch, a copy of the book The Flaws That Bind by Rebecca Leo, a copy of the book Blue or Blue Skies by Robin Stratton, a copy of the book Peek by Paul Beckman, and a two-disc special edition DVD of You Look a Lot Like Me.

Third Place (1) Winner – will have their entry published on the Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC website (www.tortoiseandfinch.com), and will receive a copy of the book Once the Storm is Over by Nina Bingham, plus a two-disc special edition DVD of You Look a Lot Like Me.

Honorable Mentions (3) – will have their name(s) and entry title(s) published on the Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC website (www.tortoiseandfinch.com) and will receive one (1) of the following books each, at Sponsor’s sole discretion:

• Peek by Paul Beckman
• wandering in puzzle boxes by Richard H. Fox
• Penelope’s Song by Lois Cuddy

 

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING, NOR WILL WRITING ABOUT ANY OF THE TOPICS RELATED TO TORTOISE AND FINCH’S CURRENT FILM PROJECTS. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

1. Eligibility

“On Courage” (the “Contest”) is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. Employees of Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC (the “Sponsor”) and other companies associated with the promotion of the Contest, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and advertising and promotion agencies as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. The Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

2. Sponsor

The Contest is sponsored by Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC (PO Box 144, Burbank, California 91502).

3. Agreement to Official Rules

Participation in the Contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon being compliant with these Official Rules and fulfilling all other requirements set forth herein.

4. Contest Period

The Contest begins on October 31, 2015 at 9:00 AM PST and ends on December 31, 2015 at 11:59 PM PST (the “Contest Period”). Entries that are submitted before or after the Contest Period will be disqualified. Submissions will be accepted for the duration of the Contest using any of the following methods:

Online

5. How to Enter

Entries must be submitted with two cover pages: the first must include entrant’s complete name, mailing address, e-mail address, phone number, total word count, and title of his/her entry. The second should contain entrant’s entry title only. Judging is anonymous and entrant’s personal information should not appear anywhere else on the entry.

• Entries should be typed and double-spaced.
• Entries should contain a maximum of 1,500 words. Entries longer than 1,500 words will be disqualified.
• Entries should be submitted as a MS Word document. Entries should not be posted in the body of the entrant’s e-mail.
• Sponsor will only accept entries that are typed using black typeface in 12-point Times New Roman or Arial.

Incomplete entries and entries that do not meet these formatting and submission requirements are subject to disqualification.

Entries should be submitted via e-mail only to contest(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)tortoiseandfinch.com and should include the text “On Courage Submission” in the subject line. Entries submitted by regular mail will not be accepted. Limit one entry per person or e-mail account. Entries should be submitted in English. Handwritten entries will not be considered. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, or incomplete entries, or entries not received for any reason. Entries will not be acknowledged or returned.

6. Representations and Warranties

By submitting an entry to the Contest, entrant hereby specifically represents and warrants that: entry is original material written by the entrant, is the sole responsibility of the entrant, and will not misappropriate or infringe upon any copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights of any person or entity; entry has not been copied, in whole or in part, from any other work (as written in any language or in any medium); entry has not been previously published, produced, or distributed in any written or audio form, or otherwise exploited in any medium, and has not won any awards; entry does not glamorize or glorify violence, prejudice, or bigotry; entry does not violate any proprietary rights of, or any contractual obligations that the entrant may owe to, any third party; entry does not defame or infringe or violate the right of privacy, right of publicity, or other right(s) of, any third party; and entry does not include the name or identifying information of any actual person(s).

PRIZE CONTRIBUTORS: By contributing a prize to the Contest, prize contributors hereby specifically represent and warrant that prize is the sole responsibility of the prize contributor and will not misappropriate or infringe upon any copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights of any person or entity; prize has not been created or copied, in whole or in part, from any other work; prize does not glamorize or glorify violence, prejudice, or bigotry; prize does not violate any proprietary rights of, or any contractual obligations that the prize contributor may owe to, any third party; and prize does not defame or infringe or violate the right of privacy, right of publicity, or other right(s) of, any third party.

7. Judging

All of the submitted entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges. The judging panel for the Contest is selected by Sponsor at Sponsor’s sole discretion. All judges remain anonymous. Entries are judged based on context, creativity, voice, and quality of writing. All entries must be nonfiction. Decisions of judges are final and binding. Winners will be selected on February 15, 2016.

8. Notification

Winners will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail after February 20, 2016. If a potential winner cannot be contacted within seven (7) days after the date of the first attempt to contact him/her, the Sponsor may select an alternate potential winner in his/her place. Each potential winner may be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability Release, and where legally permissible a Publicity Release within seven (7) days of the date notice or attempted notice is sent in order to claim his/her prize. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, or fails to submit the Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability Release, and/or Publicity Release within the required time period, or prize is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize.

By entering the Contest, entrants and prize winners grant permission for Sponsor to use entrant’s or winner’s name and/or likeness, biographical information, entry (in whole or in part), and other materials submitted for promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

If any entrant, potential winner, or prize winner commits or has committed any act or has been involved or becomes involved in any occurrence or situation which the Sponsor believes will subject the Sponsor, entrant, winner, or other entrants or winners to ridicule, scandal, or scorn or which reflects unfavorably upon the Sponsor in any way, Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the immediate and unrestricted right to disqualify him/her. In the event that a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor will award the applicable prize to an alternate winner from among all remaining eligible finalists. Only two (2) alternate award rounds will be held, after which the prize will remain un-awarded. Prizes will be fulfilled approximately 3-5 weeks after the conclusion of the Contest.

9. Prizes

First Place (1) Winner – will receive $50.00 USD and have their entry and a short interview conducted by Sponsor published on the Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC website (www.tortoiseandfinch.com). First place winner will also receive a personalized “I AM Love” 45-min Power Session with Jennifer Gabiola of Dawning Soul (phone or Skype), a copy of Jennifer’s Spirit of Style e-book, a copy of the book Still Here Thinking of You: A Second Chance with Our Mothers by Lori Toppel, Susan Hodara, Vicki Addesso, and Joan Potter (signed by all four authors), a copy of the book Time Bomb by Richard H. Fox, a copy of the book Penelope’s Song by Lois Cuddy, a copy of the book Once the Storm is Over by Nina Bingham, and a copy of the two-disc special edition DVD of You Look a Lot Like Me.

Second Place (1) Winner – will have their entry published on the Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC website (www.tortoiseandfinch.com), and will receive a Love, Me Manifesto from Shavonne Broom of StyleChurch, a copy of the book The Flaws That Bind by Rebecca Leo, a copy of the book Blue or Blue Skies by Robin Stratton, a copy of the book Peek by Paul Beckman, and a two-disc special edition DVD of You Look a Lot Like Me.

Third Place (1) Winner – will have their entry published on the Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC website (www.tortoiseandfinch.com), and will receive a copy of the book Once The Storm Is Over by Nina Bingham, plus a two-disc special edition DVD of You Look a Lot Like Me.

Honorable Mentions (3) – will have their name(s) and entry title(s) published on the Tortoise and Finch Productions, LLC website (www.tortoiseandfinch.com) and will receive one (1) of the following books each, at Sponsor’s sole discretion:

• Peek by Paul Beckman
• wandering in puzzle boxes by Richard H. Fox
• Penelope’s Song by Lois Cuddy

Sponsor reserves the right to display and promote winning entries on Sponsor’s website for no less than six (6) months. Sponsor is not obligated to display, publish, or promote winning entries on its website (or in any other medium) for a period of more than seven (7) days.

ALL TAXES ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNERS. Prizes are awarded without warranty, express or implied, of any kind. PRIZES ARE NOT TRANSFERABLE.

10. General Conditions

Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize (or prize component(s)) for an item of equal or greater value at Sponsor’s sole discretion. By entering the Contest, entrant grants to Sponsor a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, and republish at any time in the future entrant’s entry, along with entrant’s name, likeness, biographical information, and any other information provided by entrant in any and all media for possible editorial, promotional, or advertising purposes, without further notice, permission, or compensation (except where prohibited by law). Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other errors in the printing or publishing of these Official Rules, or in the administration of the Contest, announcement of the prize(s), or publishing of the winner’s names, entries, or other information. Entrants are entirely responsible and liable for all content submitted. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest at any time.

In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, bug, worm, unauthorized human intervention or other technical problem, or in the event the Contest is unable to run as planned for any other reason, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules or (b) terminate the Contest and, in the event of termination, award the prizes from among the eligible, non-suspect entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to damage the website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages (including attorney’s fees) and any other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Failure by the Sponsor to enforce any provision of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

PRIZE CONTRIBUTORS: By contributing a prize to the Contest, prize contributor grants to Sponsor a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, and promote prize contributor’s name, biographical information, and any other information provided by prize contributor in any and all media for possible editorial or promotional purposes, without further notice, permission, or compensation (except where prohibited by law).

11. Release and Limitations of Liability

By participating in the Contest, entrants and prize contributors agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, other companies associated with the Contest, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders, representatives, and agents (the Released Parties) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of the prize (including any travel or activity related thereto), including, but not limited to: (a) any technical errors associated with the Contest, including lost, interrupted or unavailable Internet Service Provider (ISP), network, server, wireless service provider, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone, cellular tower or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties; (b) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (c) mechanical, network, electronic, computer, human, printing or typographical errors; (d) application downloads, (e) any other errors or problems in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors that may occur in the administration of the Contest, the announcement of the winner, the cancellation or postponement of the Contest, the publishing of these Official Rules, the processing of entries or in any Contest-related materials; or (f) injury, death, losses or damages of any kind, to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrants’ participation in the Contest or acceptance, receipt or misuse of the prize (including any travel or activity related thereto). Entrants further agree that in any cause of action, the Released Parties liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest ($0.00 USD), and in no event shall the entrant be entitled to receive attorney’s fees. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest. Entrants and prize contributors waive the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages. By entering and/or contributing a prize to the Contest, entrants, winners, and prize contributors further agree to hold harmless and indemnify Released Parties for any claims including but not limited to claims based on publicity rights, defamation, invasion of privacy, or copyright infringement.

12. Disputes

Except where prohibited, each entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in California. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrants rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of California, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules, which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than California.

13. Privacy

Information collected from entrants is subject to Sponsor’s privacy policy. By entering the Contest, entrants opt into the use of their registration information and consent to receiving correspondence via telephone and/or email by Sponsor.

14. Notice of Winner’s Names

To review the names of the Contest winners, please visit www.tortoiseandfinch.com/oncouragecontest after March 15, 2016, where the names of the Contest winners will be available for a period of at least 90 days.