1. How to enter: This contest begins at 12:01 A.M. Eastern Time (ET) on May 5, 2025, and ends at 11:59 P.M. ET on August 1, 2025. To enter, fill out the above form and share a Google Doc link to your submission (750 words maximum). Work exceeding this length may not be considered. Limit one entry per person. Entries should be submitted primarily in English. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late or incomplete entries or entries not received for any reason. Entries will not be acknowledged or returned. By entering, Entrant warrants that their entry (1) is original and does not infringe the intellectual-property rights of any third party, (2) has not been published in any medium, and (3) has not won an award. 

2. Judging: All entries will be judged by Girls Write Now, Karina Eileraas Karakus, and Annelise Eileraas, based on the following criteria: originality (25 percent), creativity (25 percent), technical writing skill (25 percent) and appropriateness to contest prompt (25 percent). Incomplete and/or inaccurate entries and entries not complying with all rules are subject to disqualification. Decisions of judges are final and binding. Winners will be notified by email in September 2025. 

3: Eligibility: Open to young people who identify as girls, gender expansive, and/or LGBTQIA+ in the United States (First Place Prize and other prize eligibility: ages 13-19) at time of entry (“Entrant(s)”). Void where prohibited by law. Employees of Sponsor and its promotional partners and their respective parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries and participating advertising and promotion agencies (including members of their immediate family and/or those living in the same household of each such employee) are not eligible. Entrants may be requested to engage in one or more rounds of editing with an editor for purposes of clarity, brevity and editorial style. 

4. Prize description: Two First Place Prize winners will receive $1,500. Two First Place Prize winners will receive publication on the Girls Write Now website and the invitation to appear on the Writing Our Way to Wellness podcast by Girls Write Now. Four Honorable Mentions will be published on the Girls Write Now website.

5. Conditions of participation: No transfer, assignment, or substitution of a prize permitted, except Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize (or prize component) for an item of equal or greater value at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Nothing in these official contest rules shall obligate Sponsor to publish or otherwise use any entry submitted in connection with this Contest. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Entrants agree to be bound by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Contest. By entering, Entrant represents that any essay, etc., and other materials submitted as part of Entrant’s contest entry are the original work of Entrant and not copied from any other source and will not constitute defamation or an invasion of privacy or otherwise infringe upon the rights of any third party, and that the Entrant owns or has the rights to convey any and all right and title in such essay. In addition, by entering, Entrant grants to Sponsor and its affiliates a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, and republish at any time in the future and otherwise use Entrant’s submitted essay, along with Entrant’s name, likeness, statements, biographical information, and any other information provided by Entrant, in any and all media for possible editorial, promotional, or advertising purposes, without further permission, notice, or compensation (except where prohibited by law). Potential Winner, as a condition of receiving any prize, also may be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability Release, and, where legally permissible, a Publicity Release and confirmation of a license as set forth above within 7 days following the date of first attempted notification, certifying, among other things, the following: (a) entry does not defame or invade the privacy of any party; (b) entry does not infringe upon the rights of any third party; and (c) the essay and other materials submitted are original and have never been published and entry has never won an award. Failure to comply with this deadline may result in forfeiture of the prize and selection of an alternate winner. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Acceptance of the prize constitutes permission for Sponsor and its affiliates to use Winner’s name and/or likeness, biographical information, essay, and other materials submitted for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law. By entering and/or accepting prize, Entrants and Winners agree to hold and indemnify Sponsor, its parent, affiliates, and their respective promotional partners, directors, officers, and employees harmless for liability, damages, or claims for injury or loss to any person or property, relating to, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, participation in this Contest, the acceptance and/or subsequent use or misuse or condition of any of the prizes awarded, or any claims including but not limited to claims based on publicity rights, defamation, invasion of privacy, or copyright infringement. False or deceptive entries or acts will render the Entrant ineligible. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the immediate and unrestricted right to disqualify any entrant or prize winner, if either commits or has committed any act or has been involved or becomes involved in any situation or occurrence which the Sponsor deems likely to subject the Sponsor, Entrant, or Winner to ridicule, scandal, or contempt or which reflects unfavorably upon the Sponsor in any way. If such information is discovered by the Sponsor after a winner has received notice of his/her prize and before the prize is awarded, the Sponsor may rescind the prize in its entirety. If a portion of his/her prize has already been awarded, Sponsor may withdraw the remainder of the prize that has been fulfilled. Decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all matters related to this paragraph. Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the contest, or in the announcement of the prize. 

6. Internet: Sponsor is not responsible for lost or late entries nor for electronic-transmission errors resulting in omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of entry materials, or for technical, network, telephone-equipment, electronic, computer, hardware, or software malfunctions or limitations of any kind, or inaccurate transmissions of or failure to receive entry information by Sponsor or presenter on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or any combination thereof. If for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, the Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to select winners from eligible entries received as of the termination date. CAUTION: Any attempt by a contestant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the game is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such contestant to the fullest extent of the law. If there is a dispute as to the identity of the Entrant, the prize will be awarded to the authorized account holder of the e-mail address. The “authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person to whom the email address is assigned. 

7. Governing law: This Contest is governed by the internal laws of the State of New York without regard to principles of conflict of laws. All cases and claims pertaining to this Contest must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in the City of New York, without recourse to class-action suits. 

8. Severability: If any provision of these Rules is found to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction or appointed arbitrator, such determination shall in no way affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision herein.

9. Sponsor: The Sponsor of Chasing Spirits.

10. Girls Write Now publishing rights & agreement: By submitting your work via this form, you hereby grant Girls Write Now a royalty-free, worldwide, nonexclusive right to publish, reproduce, display, distribute, archive and use your submitted work, either separately or as part of a collective work, on the Girls Write Now website, Girls Write Now’s social media accounts, in a printed publication, or elsewhere. You also hereby grant Girls Write Now exclusive rights to publish your work if selected as an Honorable Mention or Winner from the date you are notified of your win to the date Girls Write Now publishes the work on Girls Write Now’s website. You also hereby grant Girls Write Now the right to create derivative works of your submitted work to promote and/or market your submitted work. You retain ownership of all rights under copyright in the submitted work, and all rights not expressly granted in this agreement. You also certify that (i) you are the sole author of the submitted work, have full authority to enter into this agreement and in granting rights to Girls Write Now are not in breach of any other obligations; (ii) the submitted work is your original work and, if relevant, you have secured the necessary permissions to use any non-original images, audio, quotes, graphics, etc. in your original work and that they are properly attributed to the original source(s); and (iii) the submitted work contains nothing that is unlawful, libelous or which would, if published, constitute a breach of contract or of commitment given to secrecy or confidentiality.