IMPORTANT
Please read these Official Rules before entering the “ESSENCE X STOREHOUSE VOICES CONTEST (the “Contest”), presented by Storehouse Voices, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC (“Sponsor”). By entering the Contest, you agree to the terms of these Official Rules. These Official Rules shall govern in the event of any inconsistency with other Contest-related materials.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN

ELIGIBILITY
The Contest is open to residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry. All federal, state, and local regulations apply. LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED. Employees of Sponsor, Essence Festivals Productions LLC (“Essence”), their parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, and agencies, and their immediate family members and persons living in their household are not eligible to enter the Contest.

ENTRY PERIOD
The Contest begins at 12:00 AM (EDT) on July 3, 2025 and ends at 11:59 PM (EDT) on September 19, 2025.

HOW TO ENTER
Online entry only. Enter by completing and submitting the entry form as instructed at https://storehousevoices.com/manuscript-submission/.

In the event of a dispute, entries will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the email address used for entry. Automated entries are prohibited, and any use of automated devices will result in disqualification. Sponsor is not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry of information by entrants; lost or late entries or transmissions; interrupted or unavailable network, server, or other connections; scrambled transmissions or other errors or problems of any kind whether mechanical, human, or electronic, technical malfunctions of any computer hardware, software, or any combinations thereof; or problems associated with any virus or any other damage caused to entrants’ systems. Incomplete or illegible entries will be voided. All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned.

Comments and/or posts including photographs or videos may not include obscene, offensive or inappropriate (in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion) material or defame any person, or otherwise infringe on any person’s proprietary rights. If you are posting a photograph or video, you must have permission from the photographer/videographer (or be the photographer/videographer yourself) and have permission from any persons who appear in the photo or video before submitting it.

PRIVACY POLICY
All information submitted in connection with entry to this Contest shall be governed by Sponsor’s privacy policy (at https://storehousevoices.com/privacy-policy/). By entering this Contest, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to this privacy policy.

PRIZE
One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive an offer of publication on the Storehouse Voices list valued at up to One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000). The offer will be presented on or before October 31, 2025. The winning book’s ultimate on-sale date and publication launch plan will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion at a later date.
Actual value of prize may vary. No transfer or cash or other substitution of all or part of a prize is permitted, except by Sponsor, which reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to substitute the prize or prize component with another of comparable or greater value. Any and all taxes on the prize will be the responsibility of the winners. Sponsor shall not be responsible for any cancellations, delays, postponements, substitutions, changes in services, damage in the delivery of the prize, and/or loss of any prize in connection with delivery of the prize via mail. In the event that there is an insufficient number of eligible entries, Sponsor reserves the right not to award the prizes.

JUDGING / WINNER SELECTION
One (1) Grand Prize Winner will be selected by Sponsor’s editorial team on or about October 31, 2025 from all eligible entries received by the entry deadline. Entries will be judged on the following criteria: author platform and social media presence; author- and content-based partnership potential; comparative titles; concept originality; narrative structure and pacing; potential for gifting and strong retail presence; target audience definition and alignment; voice/narrative tone; writing skills; alignment with Sponsor’s publishing missions.

The decisions of the Sponsor with respect to the selection of the winners, and in regard to all matter relating to this Contest, shall be final and binding.

Winners will be notified via email and must respond to email notification within ten (10) days of receipt. Winners may also be required to complete, execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release and a publishing contract with Sponsor. Noncompliance with these conditions may result in forfeiture of the Prize, and Sponsor reserves the right to select alternate winners in such circumstance. If winner notification of the Prize is returned as undeliverable, Sponsor may, at its discretion, select an alternate winner. Winner agrees to comply with all Event rules and procedures.

DISCLAIMERS / LICENSE
By competing in this Contest and/or accepting the prize, entrants agree that Sponsor, Essence, and their respective parent companies, assigns, subsidiaries and affiliates, and advertising, promotion and fulfillment agencies and all of their respective employees, officers and directors will have no liability whatsoever, and will be held harmless by entrants for any liability for any injuries, losses, or damages of any kind to person and property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse, or use of the prizes, or participation in this Contest.

Additionally, by competing in this Contest, you expressly acknowledge that neither Sponsor nor Essence is entering into an agreement with you to publish your work or to maintain the confidentiality of the materials submitted.

To the extent allowed by law, participation in the Contest in any way, or acceptance of, or participation in, any prize constitutes each entrant’s consent for, and grant of a non-exclusive, sub-licensable and assignable license to Sponsor and Essence to use, publish, post or display entrant’s name, social media handles, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions, statements, as submitted in connection with the Contest, and prize information, regardless of whether altered, or used alone or with other material, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, for promotional, advertising, and publicity purposes in any medium now known or later discovered, worldwide and in perpetuity, without review or approval, and without further notice, payment, or consideration of any kind.

All rights, consents and licenses granted to Sponsor and Essence under these Official Rules and/or any Affidavit of Eligibility and Release will survive the termination of this Contest.

RIGHT TO MODIFY OR CANCEL
Sponsor may cancel, suspend or modify the Contest or any part of it, in any way, if Sponsor determines in its sole discretion that the Contest is not capable of executing as Sponsor intended, or that any error, omission, fraud, technical failure, tampering, computer virus, or other factor, technical or otherwise, beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control, impairs or may impair Sponsor’s ability to properly conduct the Contest, subject to any applicable law or regulation. In the event of any inconsistency between these Official Rules and any disclosure or other statement contained in any Contest-related materials, these Official Rules will govern.

DISPUTES
Any dispute arising from this Contest will be determined according to the laws of the State of New York, without reference to its conflict of law principles, and by entering the entrants consent to the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in New York County and agree that such courts have exclusive jurisdiction over all such disputes.

WINNERS LIST
For a list of the Winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope by December 26, 2025 to:
JENNIFER BAKER
Storehouse Voices
Attn: STOREHOUSE VOICES CONTEST
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

SPONSOR
Storehouse Voices, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019