1. Disclosure. No donation, purchase, or obligation of any kind is necessary to win. A donation or purchase will not increase your chances of winning. You have not yet won. One (1) prize will be awarded. The odds of winning depend upon the number of entries received.

2. Eligibility. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Void where prohibited by law. The COFFEE BREAK CONTEST is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Employees and independent contractors of The Humane Society of the United States (The HSUS) or its affiliates and any other individual or entity involved in the development, promotion, or execution of the COFFEE BREAK CONTEST, and the immediate family members and/or household members of each are not eligible.

3. To Enter. The COFFEE BREAK CONTEST is ongoing. New questions appear in each issue of Animal Sheltering magazine, in occasional editions of our Scoop e-newsletter, and on HSUS listservs. To enter, submit an essay of no more than 150 words on the topic listed  at www.animalsheltering.org/coffeebreak. Any entry will be deemed ineligible if it is illegible or incomplete. Essays submitted by mail will not be returned.

4. How the Winner Is Determined. The Winner will be selected through a random drawing of those that have been selected by the editors (based on quality and relevance) for printing in the magazine.

5. Winner Notification/Prize Claims. One Winner will be selected prior to the publication of the issue subsequent to the one in which the question was printed. The winner will be notified by telephone and/or email. In the event that the Winner is unable to accept the Prize, an alternate Winner will be selected. The Winner may be required to complete and sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability Release, and, where legal, a Publicity Release, all of which must be returned within 30 days of attempted prize notification or the prize will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner. If the Prize is won by an eligible person who is not of legal age in the state of residence, the prize shall be awarded in the name of the Winner’s parent or legal guardian, who must sign and return all required documentation prior to receiving the Prize. In the event of noncompliance with these Rules, or if a Prize or prize notification is unclaimed or returned as undeliverable, the prize will be forfeited and may be awarded to an alternate winner.

6. Prize. The Winner will receive a gift card to a local coffee shop or restaurant. The Prize is valued at no more than $50.

7. Prize Restrictions. The Prize is not transferable. No substitution of the Prize is permitted except at the sole discretion of The HSUS. Any federal, state, or local taxes on the Prize and any expenses related to the acceptance and/or use of the Prize not specified herein as being awarded are the responsibility of the Winner.

8. Contestant Warranties. By entering the COFFEE BREAK CONTEST, you warrant that your essay is original, that you are the sole author of your essay, and that you have not granted exclusive rights to the essay to any other person or entity. You also warrant that the essay does not contain any defamatory material or injurious instructions, does not invade the privacy of any individual, does not infringe any intellectual property right or any other statutory or common-law right, and does not contain any other material that otherwise violates any criminal prohibition or the personal or proprietary right of any person or entity.

9. Additional Terms. By accepting the prize, the Winner consents to The HSUS’ use of his or her essay, name, likeness, voice, and/or biographical information for promotional and other purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. The Winner, by acceptance of any prize, acknowledges compliance with these Rules and agrees to release The HSUS, its affiliates, and its officers, directors, employees, independent contractors, representatives, and agents (“Releasees”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the COFFEE BREAK CONTEST or the receipt, redemption, or use of any prize, including any injuries or damages of any kind sustained in connection with the use, acceptance, possession, or awarding of any prize.

10. Limitation of Liability. Releasees are not responsible for printing, typographical, human or other errors of any kind in any contest-related materials or for stolen, lost, late, misdirected, damaged, incomplete, or illegible entries. If, for any reason, the COFFEE BREAK CONTEST is not capable of running as planned, or infection by computer viruses, bugs, or tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, actions of entrants, technical failures, or any other causes corrupt or infect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the COFFEE BREAK CONTEST, The HSUS reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any entry or entrant and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the COFFEE BREAK CONTEST and at its sole discretion award a prize from among all eligible non-suspect entries validly received prior to the action requiring such modification. By entering, all contestants agree that COFFEE BREAK CONTEST is governed by laws of the District of Columbia for the resolution of all claims and disputes (excluding any claims against or disputes involving parties other than The HSUS relating to any prize awarded in the contest).

11. Name of the Winner, Publication of Essays. Each issue of Animal Sheltering magazine will contain the winning essay on that issue’s topic as well as the name of the winner.

To view the next question and submit a response, visit www.animalsheltering.org/coffeebreak.