Eligibility:
1. The Story Studio Writing Contest, hereinafter referred to as “the Contest,” is open to all Canadian residents of the specified ages.
2. Employees, agents, and representatives of Story Studio or its subsidiaries, along with their advertising and promotional partners or prize suppliers, as well as their immediate family members (siblings, offspring, parents), legal or common-law partners, and those sharing the same domicile, are ineligible to participate.
3. Entries must be submitted by individuals, not groups or organizations.
4. Participants must comply with all local laws and regulations.

Submission Guidelines:
1. Entries must be original works of fiction, written in English. Please note that we will not consider any submissions written, developed, or assisted by AI writing tools such as ChatGPT.
2. Each participant may submit only one entry. Entries must be the unique work of a single author (no co-authored works, please.)
3. Entries must be submitted in electronic format via the official submission form on the Story Studio website.
4. The submission must be between 500 and 1,500 words in length.
5. Submissions must be received by 11:59:59 pm PST on the last day of each month.

Content Guidelines:
1. Entries should adhere to the theme.
2. All submissions must be suitable for a general audience, avoiding explicit content, profanity, and graphic violence.
3. Plagiarized or previously published works (including self-published) will be disqualified.

Judging Criteria:
1. Originality and creativity (40%)
2. Writing quality and style (30%)
3. Adherence to the theme (30%)

Prizes:
Prizes will be awarded to first and second place winners. Prizes will be non-cash, and in the form of books, writing activities, etc. Winning entries will be featured on the Story Studio website and may be considered for publication in Story Studio’s anthologies and promotional materials.

Rights and Permissions:
1. By submitting an entry, participants grant Story Studio the non-exclusive right to publish, reproduce, distribute, and display the entry in any media, including but not limited to the Story Studio website and social media channels, without further compensation.
2. Participants retain copyright to their entries but agree that Story Studio may edit entries for clarity, grammar, and length if necessary.

Notification and Publication:
1. Winners will be notified via email no later than two weeks from the closing date of the contest.
2. The winning entries will be announced on the Story Studio website and social media channels.

Privacy Policy:
Personal information collected during the Contest will only be used for the purpose of administering the Contest and will not be shared with third parties without consent.

By submitting an entry, participants acknowledge that they have read and agree to abide by all Contest rules and guidelines.

Story Studio reserves the right to disqualify any entry that violates the Contest rules or fails to meet the submission criteria. Decisions made by the judging panel are final and binding. Story Studio reserves the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Contest in whole or in part at any time without prior notice.