Latina Smart Scholarship Program - FRIDAY!

This contest will be RE-OPENED from noon ET Friday, November 4th to Noon ET Saturday, November 5th. HERE IS THE LINK TO ENTER (it will reopen noon, Friday). http://facebook.com/latinasmart

OK, this is how the Latina Smart Fund scholarship contest works. First you sign-up and then you submit an essay of up to 1000 words or a video up to 2 minutes answering the topical question. We want you to be creative, be inspiring and most importantly, be yourself! Once everyone has sent in their submissions, the top 50 entries will be selected based on the amount of votes received. If multiple entries are tied for 50^th spot, all entries involved in that tie will move on to the judging phase. Then our Latina Smart Ambassadors (Blogueras) will rate the 50 finalists based on the following criteria:

• Originality — How unique and creative is the essay/video?
• Relevancy to the theme — How well was the question answered?
• Style — How well was the applicant’s personality portrayed? Is the entry well written in terms of grammar and is it easy to understand?
• Enthusiasm — How much does the applicant believe the scholarship will benefit her?
• Engagement — How compelling is the entry? Did it make you want to keep reading/watching?
  HOW TO ENTER: 

The Blogueras’ Top 20 selections will be then shared with the judge’s panel. If there’s a tie — the Blogueras will break it. Who are the judges you ask — well, they are a selected group of trusted experts in their fields of creativity, business and education.
The judges will then announce the winners around December 7^th, 2011. And for the prizes — the winners will get:

• One Grand Prize Winner will receive a $10,000 Scholarship
• Three Prize Winners will receive a $5,000 Scholarship

That’s it - Pretty simple right? Just tell us what makes you Latina Smart and you could be on your way to some free money - and we think that’s pretty Latina Smart of you!
To learn more and to read some legal-ese check-out below:

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LATINA SMART FUND Scholarship Contest
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN
A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE ONE’S CHANCES OF WINNING

1. 1. ELIGIBILITY: The Latina Smart Fund Scholarship Contest (“Contest”) is only open to students who are, as of entry, between 16 and 22 years of age or older, legal residents of, and physically located in, the 50 U.S. and D.C. and are currently enrolled or planning to enroll within four semesters of the entry date as a full-time student in a post-secondary education institution. Employees of Sponsor, its affiliates, parent company, subsidiaries, advertising and production agencies, Draftfcb, Ventura Associates Intl LLC, NGL Media and their immediate families are not eligible to enter or win (“Contest Entities”). All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law.
2. 2.This Contest is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by FACEBOOK, nor is FACEBOOK associated with the Contest in any way. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding the Contest must be directed to the Sponsor or Administrator, and not to FACEBOOK.
3. 3. ENTRY PERIOD: The Contest is to be conducted during the period starting at 12:00:01 AM (ET) on September 15^th 2011 & ending at 11:59:59 PM (ET) on October 31^st, 2011 (“Entry Period”). For purposes of these official rules (“Rules”), all times and days are Eastern Time. Sponsor’s computer is the official time keeping device for this Contest. The awarding of prizes is subject to the eligibility and forfeiture provisions set forth below.
4. 4. HOW IT WORKS: The purpose of this Contest is for the entrant (“Entrant”) to submit an essay (“Essay”) or upload a Video (“Video”) telling us what makes you “Latina Smart”? (collectively “Entry”).
5. 5. HOW TO ENTER: During the Entry Period, log onto https://apps.facebook.com/latinascholarships and follow the directions and upload instructions provided. Only one person can submit an Entry. Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means will be void. Limit: one (1) Entry per person, per email address. Entries received from any Entrant, or email address in excess of the stated limitation will be void. All Entries become the sole property of the Sponsor and will not be returned.
6. 6. ENTRY SPECIFICATIONS: An Essay must be in English up to 1,000 words. A Video must be no longer than two (2) minutes in length and must be uploaded in .WMV, .MOV, .AVI format. If an Essay exceeds 1,000 words only the first 1,000 words will be judged. If a Video is more than two (2) minutes in length, only the first two (2) minutes will be judged. Any essay or video uploaded in a format not specified may not be judged at the sole discretion of the judges and/or Sponsor.
7. 7. ENTRY CONDITIONS: Each Entry must be the Entrant’s own original work, be in English, be in keeping with the Sponsor’s image, may not have been previously published, may not have won previous awards, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, nor can Entry infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property of any person or entity and may not be offensive or inappropriate, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, nor can it or defame or invade publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person’s personal or property rights or any other third party rights. If any Entry contains the names or likenesses of any third party, the Entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the Entry, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the use and exhibition of the Entry by Sponsor in the manner set forth in these Official Rules. Sponsor reserves the right to request proof of these permissions in a form acceptable to Sponsor from any Entrant at any time. Failure to provide such proof may, if requested, result in the Entry being voided. By submitting an Entry, Entrant warrants and represents that he/she and any persons who are identifiable in the Entry consent to the submission and use of the Entry in the Contest and to its use as otherwise set forth herein.
   By submitting an Entry, Entrant acknowledges and agrees that Sponsor may obtain many Entries under this Contest and that such Entries may be similar or identical in theme, idea, format or other respects to others submitted under this Contest and/or other materials or promotions developed, staged and/or sponsored by the Sponsor or its agents and contractors, and waive any and all claims Entrant may have had, may have, and/or may have in the future, that any composition and/or other works accepted, reviewed and/or used by the Sponsor (or its designees) may be similar to his/her Entry. Except where prohibited by law, each Entrant (acknowledges and agrees that the Sponsor does not have now, nor shall it have in the future, any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of any copyright in and to Entrant’s Entry.
8. 8. JUDGING OF ENTRIES: There will be three (3) phases (“Phases”) in this Contest in order to determine the one (1) Grand Prize Winner and three (3) First Prize Winners:
   1. (a) Phase 1: The general public will be given the opportunity to vote for an Entry from all eligible Entries received during the Entry Period. One can vote for an Entry by logging on to the Website and following the instructions to vote for their favorite Entry (“Vote”). Limit: one vote per person/e-mail address allowed per day during the Entry Period. Any apparent attempt by any individual to circumvent voting limitations will result in disqualification of all votes produced by that individual. The top fifty (50) Eligible Entrants that receive the highest number of valid Votes within the Entry Period will be determined as the fifty (50) Semi-Finalists (“Semi-Finalists”). Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any votes that are cast in violation of these official rules, or are cast to achieve an unfair advantage, or are cast by robotic means of any sort. If multiple entries are tied for 50^th spot, all entries involved in that tie will move on to the judging phase.
   2. (b) Phase 2: The fifty (50) Semi-Finalists will be judged from November 1^st, 2011 through November 7^th, 2011 by a panel of Bloguera Kmart Ambassadors (“Judges”) to determine the top twenty (20) Finalists (“Finalists”) based on the following criteria (collectively, “Criteria”): Originality: how unique and creative is the essay/video (25%); Relevancy to the theme: How well was the question answered (25%); Enthusiasm: How much does the Entrant believe the scholarship will benefit her? (25%) and Engagement: How compelling is the entry (25%).
   3. (c) Phase 3: The twenty (20) Finalists will be judged from November 8^th, 2011 through November 15^th, 2011 by an additional panel of Judges to select the one (1) Grand Prize Winner and three (3) First Prize Winners based on the Criteria listed above.
   4. TIED ENTRIES: In the event of a tie in any Phase, tied Entries will be re-judged by the Judges using one or more of the Criteria listed above.
9. 9. PRIZES: One (1) Grand Prize Winner and three (3) First Prize Winners (“Winners”) as determined by the Judges will receive the following Prizes: One (1) Grand Prize: up to a $10,000 college tuition contribution; Three (3) First Prizes: up to a $5,000 college tuition contribution. Total Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) of all prizes: $25,000. Awarding of prize is subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. Proof of enrollment and tuition will be required before prize is awarded. Prize will be awarded provided a sufficient number of eligible Entries are received and prize is validly claimed by February 28, 2012, after which no alternate winner will be selected, nor unclaimed prizes awarded. Prizes will be awarded in the form of a check payable to winner and his/her college and can only be applied to the winner’s college tuition for the 2012 academic year.  If winner’s tuition for the 2012 academic year is less than stated amount of prize, winner will only be awarded amount up to his/her tuition for that academic year and remainder of prize will be forfeited.  Prize money can be used only for college tuition and will be forfeited if winner is not enrolled full or part-time in college during 2012 academic year seeking a bachelor’s or associate’s degree, unless prohibited.
10. 10. VERIFICATION OF WINNERS: Potential winners will be notified by overnight mail on or about December 7^th, 2011. The decisions of the Judges will be final on all matters relating to the judging. Potential winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and liability release and, where permitted, a publicity release, as well as an assignment transferring to Sponsor all right, title and interest in and to the Submission, including but not limited to the copyright. Prize may be awarded to alternate winner if any requested document is not returned within five (5) days after mailing to winner or if prize notification letter or prize is returned as undeliverable. Prize winner agrees to use of name, address, likeness, and/or prize information for promotional purposes by promotion entities in any medium without additional compensation to the extent permitted by law. All taxes are solely the responsibility of winners. Winners will receive an IRS Form 1099 reflecting the final actual value of the prize. Prize winners must also submit an Affidavit of Enrollment, attesting to enrollment in college during the 2012 academic year for a bachelor’s or associate’s degree (certification programs not included) and amount of tuition for the 2012 academic year, on or before July 31^st, 2011.  If prize winner is a minor, these documents must be signed by his/her parent or legal guardian.  Failure to sign and return these forms when requested may result in forfeiture of prize and the selection of an alternate winner. Entry into this Contest constitutes prize winner’s agreement to sign such documents.
11. 11. ADDITIONAL TERMS: By participating, a participant agrees (and agrees to confirm in writing if requested) to a) the Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects; and to b) release, discharge, indemnify and hold harmless and its agents, affiliates, subsidiaries, sales representatives, distributors, contractors, partners and parent companies, advertising, fulfillment, promotion and interactive agencies, and any others engaged in the development, production or distribution of promotion materials for this Contest (and all said entities and individuals are herein, collectively, referred to as the “Releasees”) from any and all liabilities, claims and/or damages arising out of his/her/their participation in the Contest and/or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of prize. Releasees are not responsible for late, lost, mutilated, illegible, incomplete, misdirected, garbled, undelivered or otherwise ineligible registrations, e-mail, messages and/or other transmissions related to this Contest. Releasees shall not be responsible for typographical, human and/or other errors, or for any electronic, network, computer or other technical malfunctions. The Contest is not affiliated, associated or endorsed by any other party. Sponsor may disqualify any participant if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said participant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, deception, or other unfair playing practices or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other participants or Sponsor representatives. If for any reason this Contest is not capable of running as planned, including, but not limited to, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest, then Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest and to select winner from among all eligible, non-suspect Entries received up to the time of such action. In the event that the Contest has to be cancelled for any reason, remaining prize will be awarded from among all eligible Entries. Any attempt by a participant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor and Administrator reserve the right to seek damages from any such participant to the fullest extent of the law.
12. 12. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: Releasees are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access of the website; any injury or damage to participants or to any other person’s computer(s) related to or resulting from participating in this Contest, or downloading materials from or use of the website. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, modify or suspend this Contest, should fraud, virus, bugs or other causes beyond the control of Sponsor corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Contest. The use of any automated launching or entry software or any other mechanical or electronic means that permit a participant automatically to repeatedly enter is prohibited. IN NO EVENT WILL THE RELEASEES BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE WEBSITE https://apps.facebook.com/latinascholarships OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTED MATERIAL DOWNLOADEDFROM SAID SITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON THIS SITE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON­INFRINGEMENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE AFOREMENTIONED LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY. CHECK LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR CONDITIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS AND/OR EXCLUSIONS.
13. 13. GOVERNING LAW: By entering, each participant agrees that all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, participant’s 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 Illinois, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of Illinois or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than Illinois. By entering, each participant consents to the jurisdiction and venue of the federal, state and local courts located in Illinois.
14. 14. GRANT OF RIGHTS: Each Entrant submitting an Entry into the Contest irrevocably grants to Sponsor and those acting with Sponsor’s authorization a non-exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide, unrestricted license to publish, reproduce, display, alter, edit, and otherwise use the Entry in any manner, alone or with other materials, without restriction of any kind whatsoever, in any and all media now existing or later developed. To the fullest extent allowed by law, each Entrant irrevocably waives any and all so-called moral rights he/she may have in his/her Entry, including, without implying limitation, any and all attribution and integrity rights.
15. 15. WINNERS LIST: For a list of winners (available after December 7^th, 2011), send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: The Latina Smart Fund Scholarship Contest Winners List Requests, P.O. Box 9316, Medford, NY 11763-9316.
16. 16. SPONSOR: Sears Holdings Management Corporation (“Kmart”), 3333 Beverly Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179
17. 17. ADMINISTRATOR: Ventura Associates Intl LLC , 1040 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10018, an independent judging organization whose decisions are final and binding with respect to the Contest.
18. 18. PRIVACY POLICY/DATA COLLECTION: Information provided by you for this Contest is subject to Sponsor’s privacy policy located at http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/nb_10151_10104_NB_CSprivacy?adCell=WF&i_cntr=1315516153314.

Felicidades,
Kathy :-)
Check out my new novel! MISS SCARLET'S SCHOOL OF PATTERNLESS SEWING