Hadassah Magazine, a division of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc., and jGirls+ Magazine are co-sponsoring a teen essay contest (the “Contest”) to engage and encourage self-identifying Jewish girls, women and nonbinary teens between the ages of 13 and 19 to make their voices heard in powerful ways. The following rules (the “Official Rules”) govern the Contest.

SPONSORS

• Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc., of which Hadassah Magazine is a division, located at 40 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, and jGirls+ Magazine, located at 145 West 117^th Street, #1, New York, NY 10026.

ELIGIBILITY

• The Contest is open only to self-identifying Jewish girls, women and nonbinary teens between the ages of 13 and 19 who reside in the fifty (50) United States, the District of Columbia and the State of Israel, except where prohibited by law.
• The following individuals are ineligible to enter the Contest: Employees, family members of employees and family members of board members of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. and The Hadassah Foundation, Inc. and employees and board members of jGirls+ Magazine and their respective family members.
• The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.
• Void where prohibited by law.

HOW TO ENTER

• Write an essay (“Personal Perspective”) that will address the following prompt: How has your experience since October 7^th changed the way you think about and express your Jewish identity?  How has this past year shaped your view of the future and where you are headed?
• Entries must only state the title of the work at the top of the Personal Perspective.
• Print, complete, sign and return the applicable entry form (for under 18; for 18+) attached to these Official Rules in accordance with the instructions below.
• The Contest begins on November 11, 2024 at 9:00 am EST. All entries must include a Personal Perspective and signed copy of the applicable entry form, and must be submitted electronically by December 19, 2024 at 11:59 pm EST to: magazine@hadassah.org, with the subject line: Hadassah/jGirls+ Teen Essay Contest.
• Entries must be submitted in English, as a word document and be between 600 and 800 words in length.
• Personal Perspectives must be original, not be in the public domain, must be appropriate for publication (i.e., not obscene or offensive) and must not infringe or violate any law or the legal or equitable right of any person or entity, nor include any brand name, trademark or logo of any entity or contain material that infringes or violates any personal property rights of others or that constitutes defamation, invasion of privacy, or infringement of the intellectual property rights of any third person, or is otherwise unlawful. Personal Perspectives also must not include any partisan statements or any endorsement or opposition of a candidate for public office.
• All entries will be shared with jGirls+ Magazine for consideration for publication. If an entrant’s Personal Perspective is accepted by jGirls+ Magazine for publication, the entrant will be asked to provide additional information to jGirls+ Magazine at that time.
• By submitting a Personal Perspective, an entrant grants to Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc., Hadassah Magazine, jGirls+ Magazine and their respective designees the right to edit their Personal Perspective and to reproduce, publish, promote, advertise, copy, use and distribute their Personal Perspective, in any and all current or future media, throughout the world in perpetuity without compensation, permission or notification to the entrant or any third party. Each entrant also agrees to execute, upon request, any and all additional documents necessary to effectuate or confirm these rights.
• Hadassah Magazine, on behalf of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc., and jGirls+ Magazine reserve the right to use an entrant’s name/photo, entry, city and state of residence and biographical information in connection with the Contest, including in any advertising or promotional materials relating to the Contest, in any and all media, including the internet, without further notification, permission, or compensation to the entrant, except where prohibited by law.
• Limit of one entry per person.

PRIZE

• The winning Personal Perspective will be published in the March/April 2025 print issue of Hadassah Magazine, on the Hadassah Magazine website at hadassahmagazine.org, and on the jGirls+ Magazine website at jgirlsmagazine.org at such time as determined by jGirls+ Magazine.
• The entrant who submits the winning Personal Perspective will also be entitled to receive a complimentary one- year subscription to the print version of Hadassah Magazine, and a one-time $300 educational scholarship, which will be in the form of reimbursement, to be used solely for such winner’s educational purposes including, among other things, tuition costs, course enrollment fees, the cost of books or other educational supplies, extracurricular activities or educational programs, as approved by Hadassah in its sole discretion (the “Scholarship”). The Scholarship must be used within one (1) year of the date the writer agreement with Hadassah referred to below is signed, and will be paid in one lump sum after Hadassah’s receipt of satisfactory itemized proof of purchase. Approximate retail value of the Hadassah Magazine subscription: $36.00. The prize may not be transferred or substituted, and the subscription to Hadassah Magazine is not redeemable for cash.
• Any and all taxes on the prize, and any other costs, fees, and expenses are the sole responsibility of the prize recipient.

CHOOSING THE WINNING ENTRY

• All entries will be reviewed by judges appointed by Hadassah Magazine and jGirls+ Magazine who will judge and select the winning entry based upon the following equally weighted criteria: 1) quality of writing, 2) originality, 3) aptness to theme and 4) presentation of ideas. The judges’ decision is final and binding.
• Nothing in these Official Rules requires the judges to choose a winner of the Contest.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WINNING ENTRY

• The selected potential winner will be notified by email by January 17, 2025.
• The selected potential winner must execute a written agreement with Hadassah Magazine, on behalf of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc., pursuant to which they grant Hadassah Magazine first publication rights to publish their Personal Perspective in Hadassah Magazine and on the Hadassah Magazine website at hadassahmagazine.org and agree to the terms and conditions applicable to the Scholarship, and return a signed copy of the agreement to magazine@hadassah.org within five (5) days of being provided with such agreement. The selected potential winner will not become the official winner until such agreement has been returned, and eligibility has been formally verified.
• After the selected potential winner has executed a written agreement with Hadassah Magazine and has become the official winner, the winner will be announced in the March/April 2025 print issue of Hadassah Magazine and on the Hadassah Magazine website at hadassahmagazine.org along with their Personal Perspective and become eligible to receive the Scholarship.

MISCELLANEOUS

• These Official Rules supersede and replace any other previously published rules governing this Contest.
• Entries that do not comply with these Official Rules will automatically be disqualified.
• Hadassah Magazine and jGirls+ Magazine reserve the right to cancel the Contest and/or substitute or modify these Official Rules and/or the prizes at any time for any reason whatsoever and without notice.
• Hadassah Magazine and jGirls+ Magazine reserve the right, in their discretion, to disqualify any entrant they find to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest, to be acting in violation of the Official Rules, or whose entry they deem obscene, indecent or offensive in any way.
• The submission of materials to Hadassah Magazine and jGirls+ Magazine is solely the responsibility of the entrant. Hadassah Magazine and jGirls+ Magazine are not responsible for computer system, technical, hardware, software, program, website or server failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission or network connections or any other difficulties that are human or technical in nature.
• Hadassah Magazine and jGirls+ Magazine are not responsible for entries that are processed late or incorrectly or those that are lost due to computer or electronic malfunction or other error or for those entries that for any reason are not received by Hadassah Magazine and jGirls+ Magazine prior to the stated deadline.
• By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to release, indemnify, defend and hold harmless Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc., Hadassah Magazine, jGirls+ Magazine, their related entities and affiliates and each of their respective directors, officers, members, volunteers, agents, employees, representatives, successors and assigns from any and all damages, costs, expenses (including attorneys’ fees), causes of action, suits, claims, demands, penalties, judgments, liability and loss, of any kind whatsoever, arising out of or in connection with the Contest and/or the use, misuse or non-use of the prize awarded.
• The Contest and these Official Rules shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York.