2025 WEBTOON Contest: Webcomic Legends - Official Rules
12.19.2024
WEBTOON 2025 Contest Webcomic Legends
Official Rules
CONTEST DESCRIPTION.
The WEBTOON 2025 Contest Webcomic Legends (the “Contest”) is sponsored by WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. (“WEBTOON”), located at 5700 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 220, Los Angeles, CA 90036. The Contest is scheduled to begin on or about March 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) / 9:00 p.m. ET Eastern Time (“ET”) and is scheduled to end on or about September, 2025 (the “Contest Period”), but persons who wish to enter must meet earlier registration/submission deadlines as specified herein. The Contest consists of an initial submission period to identify finalists who will be invited to participate in subsequent stages of the Contest. During the “Submission Period” (as defined below), participants who meet the “Eligibility Requirements” (as defined below) will have the opportunity to submit a “Submission” that complies with the “Submission Requirements” in one of the eligible “Genres” (as each such term is hereinafter defined) for consideration. At the end of the Submission Period, a panel of judges will evaluate all eligible Submissions received to select up to forty (40) Submissions as shortlist finalists (“Shortlist Finalists”) to advance in subsequent stages of the Contest. Each participant must have or sign up for a free WEBTOON account (each, an “Account”) to participate in the Contest, and the terms of these Official Rules are in addition to the terms set forth in the WEBTOON Terms of Use (the “TOU”), which are located at https://www.webtoons.com/en/terms, the WEBTOON privacy policy, located at https://www.webtoons.com/en/terms/privacyPolicy, and the WEBTOON Community Policy and Uploading Guidelines, which are located at: https://www.webtoons.com/en/terms/canvasPolicy (the “Policy” and collectively with the TOU, the “Platform Terms”), each of which are incorporated herein by this reference. In the event of a conflict or inconsistency between these Official Rules and the Platform Terms, these Official Rules shall prevail, govern and control with respect to the Contest. By participating in the Contest, each participant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of WEBTOON, which shall be final and binding in all respects.
These Official Rules were drafted in English but may be translated into other languages. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between any translated version of these Official Rules and the English version, the English version shall prevail, govern, and control.
ELIGIBILITY.
General Eligibility Requirements.
The Contest is only open to individuals or groups of individuals (each, a “Team” and each individual member of the Team is referred to herein as a “Team Member”). For purposes of these Official Rules, each individual entrant, each Team Member and each Team will be referred to herein as a “participant”. See the section on Teams below for further details about participating in the Contest as a Team.
To participate in the Contest, each participant must meet the following eligibility requirements (the “Eligibility Requirements”):
be at least thirteen (13) years of age or older at the time of entry. Entrants under the age of majority in their state or country of residence (a “minor”), must get their parent or legal guardian’s permission to enter the Contest, and if a minor is selected as a potential winner, their parent or legal guardian will need to co-sign the “Verification Documents” (defined below) as a condition of being declared a winner and receiving a prize.
have an Account in good standing; and
not be a current “WEBTOON Original Creator” (as defined below). As used in these Official Rules “WEBTOON Original Creator” means an individual (a) who has an ongoing or upcoming WEBTOON Original series on the WEBTOON platform (including individuals who are on a temporary publishing hiatus); or (b) who are contracted directly with WEBTOON to work on an artistic team for a WEBTOON Original Series; or (c) who is negotiating an agreement with WEBTOON for a WEBTOON Original series. For clarity, participants who have worked on a WEBTOON Original series that has concluded, or participants who self-publish on or WEBTOON CANVAS (“Canvas”) are not considered WEBTOON Original Creators and are eligible to participate in the Contest.
Participants who have a pre-existing agreement with a publisher or other entity must confirm that their obligations under any such agreement do not conflict with the “Submission Requirements” (as defined below) or with the representations, warranties, covenants, conditions, or obligations set out in these Official Rules. In addition, any participant who is a member of any guild or union should know that none of their activities in the Contest or as a winner will be covered by any guild, union or other collective bargaining agreement.
Please note that the Contest is not open to participants who are subject to “Sanctions” or to residents of any “Restricted Country” (as each such term is defined below). As used in these Official Rules “Sanctions” means sanctions imposed by the United States Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), including any individual on the OFAC SDN List; “Restricted Counties” means Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, the West Bank, Yemen, or the Crimea Region of Ukraine or any other country that may be added to OFAC’s embargo list before or during the Contest Period. Officers, directors, employees and contractors of WEBTOON, and its parent, subsidiary, and affiliate companies involved in the Contest (all such individuals and entities referred to collectively, the “Contest Entities”), and each of their immediate family members and/or people living in the same household are NOT eligible to enter the Contest or win a prize.
Eligibility determinations and all other decisions related to this Contest will be made by WEBTOON in its sole and absolute discretion, unless the law of a particular jurisdiction requires such discretion to be exercised reasonably, in which case such determinations will be made by WEBTOON in its sole but reasonable discretion (whichever standard is applicable based on a participant’s residence, such standard is referred to throughout these Official Rules as “discretion”). This Contest is void where prohibited by law.
Teams.
Participants may combine to form Teams consisting of no more than three (3) Team Members.
Each Team Member will be required to agree to these Official Rules in a manner designated by WEBTOON. During the entry process, one Team Member must list all Team Members or otherwise deliver a list of Team Members in a manner specified by WEBTOON. The Team Member who enters the Contest on behalf of the Team will be known as the “Team Representative”. In the event a Team progresses to further rounds in the Contest, WEBTOON will attempt to notify the Team through its Team Representative. If the Team wins a prize, the prize will be awarded in the name of the Team Representative to be divided as determined by and among the Team Members. Any disputes that arise between Team Members may be grounds for disqualifying the applicable Team or any of its Team Members, as determined by the Contest Entities in their discretion. WEBTOON may require a Team or any Team Member, as applicable, to execute and deliver the “Publishing Agreement” or the “Verification Documents” (as such terms are defined herein) at any time during the Contest, including as a condition of participating in subsequent stages of the Contest or as a condition of awarding any prize.
Each Team Member, including the Team Representative, shall be deemed to have jointly and severally made and entered into all the representations, warranties and agreements contained herein and shall be jointly and severally obligated and bound thereby. The Team Representative represents, warrants, and covenants that the Team Representative has, and will maintain, sufficient power and authority to represent and bind all Team Members to these Official Rules throughout the Contest Period. Except as otherwise expressly set forth herein, all the Contest Entities’ rights pursuant to these Official Rules relate to and are exercisable against the Team as a whole and each individual Team Member. If any right of disqualification arises as to any individual Team Member, then the right of disqualification may be exercised either as to such individual Team Member, or to the Team as a whole, as the Contest Entities may elect in their discretion. If the Contest Entities elect to disqualify fewer than all Team Members, then the remaining Team Members shall continue to be bound by these Official Rules. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing: (i) any Team Member who elects to end their participation in the Contest, and/or is disqualified from the Contest, will not be permitted to “re-register” to participate in the Contest in any capacity; (ii) if, at any time during the Contest Period, a Team Representative elects to end the Team Representative’s participation in the Contest and/or is disqualified from the Contest, WEBTOON may recognize one of the other Team Members as the Team Representative or disqualify the Team Representative’s entire Team from the Contest, as determined by WEBTOON in its discretion; and (iii) if, at any time during the Contest Period, any Team Member elects to end the Team Member’s participation in the Contest and/or is disqualified from the Contest, and refuses to promptly sign any writing deemed necessary by WEBTOON to permit such participant’s former Team Member(s) to continue to participate in the Contest using the Team’s “Submission” (as defined below), the entire Team may be disqualified from the Contest.
HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST.
Initial Submission Requirements.
The submission period is scheduled to begin on or about March 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET Eastern and is scheduled to end on or about May 15, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET (the “Submission Period”). Please see world clock for time zone conversion information.
During the Submission Period, participants will have the opportunity to submit episodes (each, an “Episode”) of an original, unpublished webcomic (the “Webcomic”) in one of the genres (each, a “Genre” and collectively the “Genres”) identified in the table below. The number of Episodes and illustration panels required per Episode for the Webcomic in each Genre are identified in the table below:
Each Webcomic must comply with the following “Submission Requirements”:
Must be written in the English language;
Must be full color, full-length Episodes, written in narrative format;
Must be the submitting participant’s original work, the participant must fully and completely own the rights to the Submission and have exclusive and direct control over it, and the copyright to the Submission must be held by the participant or Team (adaptations based on other works are not eligible);
Must be no third-party agreements or engagements that prohibit its publication through WEBTOON or this Contest;
Must be self-published and not have been published, produced, or distributed by a third party publisher;
Must not have been published in print from or printed offline for circulation, including self-published stories;
Must be written for one of the Genres;
Must not be created using any form of generative artificial intelligence;
Must include at least the Minimum Episode Requirements and the Minimum Panel Requirements for each Episode corresponding to the participant’s chosen Genre;
Must comply with the Platform Terms and these Official Rules;
Must be uploaded using one of JPG, JPEG, PNG formats and the Submission of must not exceed 20 MB in size; or 100 images, and must otherwise comply with the requirements set forth on the Submission upload page; and
Must not include content that WEBTOON deems to be obscene, pornographic, libelous or otherwise objectionable.
How to Submit the Webcomic and Enter the Contest.
To enter the Contest, eligible participants must publish the Webcomic on the Canvas platform by visiting https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/contest/en-webtoon-2025-contest (the “Website”) during the Submission Period, completing the registration form found on the Website (the “Registration Form”), and following the on-screen instructions to submit the Registration Form and the Webcomic (the Registration Form and the Webcomic are collectively referred to as, the “Initial Submission”).
Limit one (1) Initial Submission per participant per Genre. All Initial Submissions must be received by the end of the Submission Period. The WEBTOON website database clock will be the official timekeeper for the Contest. No substitutions or new versions of Initial Submissions will be accepted once the original Initial Submission is submitted for consideration. To be safe, each participant should make certain that the participant’s Initial Submission complies with these Official Rules before submitting it. Any Initial Submission that is considered by WEBTOON in its discretion to violate the Submission Requirements, in whole or in part, may be disqualified.
In the event a dispute regarding the identity of the participant who submitted an Initial Submission cannot be resolved to WEBTOON’s satisfaction, the affected Initial Submission may be disqualified. The Contest Entities shall not be responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by Internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or used in the Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing or transmission of the Initial Submissions in the Contest. The Contest Entities assume no responsibility or liability for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of Initial Submissions.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Once a Submission is uploaded to the Website it may be made available for viewing on the Website for viewing by the general public and any such posting will be deemed made at the direction of the entrant. Any participant who incorporates any intellectual property or material owned by a third party into the participant’s Initial Submission does so at the participant’s own risk. Without in any way limiting, expanding or amending the Platform Terms, which Platform Terms shall remain in full force and effect, if WEBTOON is duly notified that any Initial Submission provided by a participant allegedly violates or infringes upon the rights of another person and/or receives a legally valid request to remove the affected Initial Submission from Canvas or from any other website related to the Contest because of such alleged infringement, such Initial Submission may be removed and/or the applicable Initial Submission may be disqualified from the Contest, as WEBTOON may determine in its discretion.
The Contest Stages.
Stage 1: Shortlist Finalist Selection.
At the end of the Submission Period, a panel of judges selected by WEBTOON (the “Judging Panel”) will review the Initial Submissions based on the following criteria (the “Judging Criteria”):
Artwork (20%): The quality and clarity of the visual images in the Webcomic.
Storytelling & Hooks (20%): The flow and readability of the narrative component of the Webcomic. The narrative should lay the groundwork for character development and encourage anticipation in the reader to find out what happens next.
Impact & Satisfaction (20%): A clear, creative and engaging narrative promise that understands expectations of readers in the selected Genre.
Audience Appeal & Engagement (40%): The potential appeal of the story to the target audience of Genre, which is inclusive of user engagement of the Submission.
Assuming a sufficient number of eligible Initial Submissions are received, the Judging Panel will select up to ten (10) Initial Submissions with the highest score in each Genre as “Shortlist Finalists”, for a total of up to forty (40) Shortlist Finalists. If selected by the Judging Panel, potential Shortlist Finalists will be notified by telephone, e-mail, and/or mail, using the contact information provided at the time of entry. WEBTOON shall have no liability for any notification that is lost, intercepted or not received by the potential Shortlist for any reason. Each potential Shortlist Finalist (including all Team Members, if the potential Shortlist Finalist is a Team) may be required to execute “Verification Documents”, consisting of an Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability Release, and (where imposing such condition is legal) a Publicity Release. If any potential Shortlist Finalist or Team Member is a minor, the Verification Documents will include a parental indemnity and consent agreement, and at WEBTOON’s option, the parent or legal guardian of such minor will be required to ratify and sign the Verification Documents, and in lieu of awarding the prize directly to the minor, the prize may be awarded to the minor’s parent or legal guardian. If any potential Shortlist Finalist does not respond, or fails or refuses to sign and return all Verification Documents, within five (5) business days after WEBTOON’s attempt to notify them, or if the notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to any potential Shortlist Finalist, such potential Shortlist Finalist may forfeit the opportunity to participate in the subsequent stages of the Contest and an alternate Shortlist Finalist may be selected based on the Judging Panel’s scores.
The Shortlist Finalists are scheduled to be announced on or about June 23, 2025.
Stage 2: Additional Submissions & Genre Finalists.
The Shortlist Finalists will be invited to advance to Stage 2. Stage 2 is scheduled to begin on or about June 23, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET and is scheduled to end on or about July 14, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET (the “Stage 2 Submission Period”). During the Stage 2 Submission Period, Shortlist Finalists will be required to produce and submit the number of additional Episodes of the Webcomic that correspond to their Genre in the table below (each, an “Additional Submission”). The Additional Submission must comply with the Submission Requirements and must be uploaded to CANVAS before the end of the Stage 2 Submission Period. Any late Additional Submissions may be disqualified. No substitutions or new versions of Additional Submissions will be accepted once the original Additional Submission is published for consideration. To be safe, each participant should make certain that the participant’s Additional Submission complies with these Official Rules before publishing it.
At the end of the Stage 2 Submission Period, the Judging Panel will review and evaluate each Additional Submission along with the corresponding participant’s Initial Submission (collectively, the “Submission”) based on the Judging Criteria. Assuming a sufficient number of eligible Additional Submissions are received, the Judging Panel will select up to four (4) Submissions with the highest score in each Genre as “Genre Finalists”, for a total of up to sixteen (16) Genre Finalists. The Submissions in each Genre that were not selected to be Genre Finalists will be the “Genre Runners Up”, for up to a total of twenty-four (24) Genre Runners Up. Genre Runners Up will not advance to Stage 3 of the Contest.
To be confirmed as a Genre Finalist, each potential Genre Finalist (including all Team Members, if the potential Genre Finalist is a Team) will be required to execute WEBTOON’s Master Creator Agreement (the “Publishing Contract”). The Publishing Contract grants WEBTOON the exclusive worldwide, rights to distribute, monetize, and use the Webcomic in all forms of digital media for a period of three (3) years after the final Episode of the Webcomic is released (the “Exclusive Period”); the worldwide non-exclusive right to produce, or license the right to others to produce, merchandise based on the Webcomic during the Exclusive Period; and exclusive options to use the Webcomic in all forms of print or audiovisual media. The Publishing Contract commits each Genre Finalist to produce and deliver additional Episodes of the Webcomic pursuant to an ongoing publication schedule in exchange for additional compensation payable pursuant to the terms of the Publishing Contract. The Publishing Contract also includes terms and conditions that are customary for similar agreements (including, without limitation, confidentiality, comprehensive representations and warranties, mutual indemnity, limitation of liability, force majeure, independent contractor relationship, termination for uncured material breach, termination based on conduct, non-disparagement obligations, and further assurances). In the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Publishing Contract and the terms and conditions of these Official Rules, the terms and conditions of the Publishing Contract shall prevail, govern, and control. If any potential Genre Finalist fails or refuses to sign and return the Publishing Contract within fourteen (14) days of notification that the participant is a potential Genre Finalist, the potential Genre Finalist may be disqualified and an alternate potential Genre Finalist may be selected. If a potential Genre Finalist is disqualified, the potential Genre Finalist will not be confirmed as a Genre Finalist, will not receive the Genre Finalist Prize, and will not be eligible to advance in the Contest.
The Genre Finalists are scheduled to be announced around the end of August to September 2025.
Stage 3: Genre Winners.
The confirmed Genre Finalists will advance to Stage 3. Stage 3 is scheduled to begin on or about July 14, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET and is scheduled to end on or about July 25, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET (the “Stage 3 Judging Period”). During the Stage 3 Judging Period, the Judging Panel will review and evaluate each Genre Finalist’s Submission based on the Judging Criteria. The Submission with the highest score in each Genre will be the potential “Genre Winner”, for a total of up to four (4) Genre Winners. The Submissions in each Genre that were not selected to be Genre Winners will be Genre Finalists, for up to a total of twelve (12) Genre Finalists. Genre Finalists will not advance to the Final Stage of the Contest.
The Genre Winners are scheduled to be announced around the end of August to September 2025.
Final Stage: Grand Prize Winner.
The Judging Panel will select one of the confirmed Genre Winners as the “Grand Prize Winner” based on the highest score earned among them using the Judging Criteria. The Grand Prize Winner is scheduled to be announced during the month of September 2025.
Tiebreaker.
In the event of a tie between two or more Submissions during any stage of the Contest, the tie will be broken in favor of the Submission with the highest score in the “Storytelling & Hooks” category.
General.
Each participant who is selected to be a Shortlist Finalist, Genre Runner Up, Genre Finalist, Genre Winner or Grand Prize Winner is subject to verification, which means that they must meet the Eligibility Requirements and otherwise comply with these Official Rules and their Submission must meet the Submission Requirements, and upon such verification, each such participant is referred to in these Official Rules as a “Finalist”.
The decisions of WEBTOON and the Judging Panel with respect to the selection and confirmation of Finalists are final and binding in all respects and are not subject to challenge or appeal. If any Finalist is found to be ineligible, or if such Finalist has not complied with these Official Rules or declines to participate in any stage of the Contest for any reason, such Finalist will be disqualified, and an alternate Finalist with the next highest score may be selected. The number of Finalists and the format of the Contest are all subject to change in WEBTOON’s discretion. FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, FINALISTS ARE NOT EMPLOYEES OF WEBTOON AND PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST DOES NOT CREATE AN EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WEBTOON AND ANY FINALIST. Each Finalist is participating in the Contest based on their own voluntary choice without expectation of any remuneration for such participation.
PRIZES.
Each Finalist is entitled to receive only one prize, with the prize being the prize that corresponds to the furthest stage that is reached by such Finalist in the Contest, in lieu of any prize corresponding to any earlier stages, as follows:
Genre Runner Up Prizes.
Each Genre Runner Up will be entitled to the Genre Runner Up Prize. Up to twenty-four (24) Genre Runner Up Prizes are available. Each Genre Runner Up Prize consists of: (A) Five Thousand Five Hundred U.S. Dollars ($5,500 USD); and (B) an invitation to pitch the Genre Runner Up’s Webcomic to WEBTOON as a potential WEBTOON Original series (the “Pitch Opportunity”). The Pitch Opportunity will be scheduled on a date, at a time, and via a process as designated by WEBTOON. If the Genre Runner Up is unable to attend the Pitch Opportunity or fails to appear at the Pitch Opportunity for any reason, the Genre Runner Up may forfeit the Pitch Opportunity and no alternate compensation or opportunity will be provided. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in these Official Rules shall obligate WEBTOON to award a publishing contract or extend an offer to enter into a publishing contract in response to a Pitch Opportunity that is offered to any Genre Runner Up. The ARV of each Genre Runner Up Prize is $5,500.
Genre Finalist Prizes.
Each Genre Finalist will be entitled to the Genre Finalist Prize. Up to twelve (12) Genre Finalist Prizes are available. Each Genre Finalist Prize consists of: (A) Thirty-Five Thousand U.S. Dollars ($35,000 USD); and (B) the opportunity to publish the Webcomic pursuant to WEBTOON’s Publishing Contract.The Total ARV of each Genre Finalist Prize is $35,000.
Genre Winner Prizes.
Each Genre Winner will receive a Genre Winner Prize, in lieu of the Genre Finalist Prize. Up to three (3) Genre Winner Prizes are available. Each Genre Winner Prize consists of: (A) One Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars ($100,000 USD); and (B) the opportunity to publish the Webcomic pursuant to WEBTOON’s Publishing Contract. The ARV of each Genre Winner Prizes is $100,000.
Grand Prize.
Although the Grand Prize Winner will be selected from among the Genre Prize Winners, the Grand Prize Winner will receive a Grand Prize, in lieu of the Genre Winner Prize. One (1) Grand Prize available. The Grand Prize consists of: (A) One Hundred Fifty Thousand U.S. Dollars ($150,000 USD); and (B) the opportunity to publish the Webcomic pursuant to WEBTOON’s Publishing Contract. The ARV of the Grand Prize is $150,000.
No cash alternative or substitution of prizes will be allowed, except WEBTOON reserves the right in its sole discretion to substitute prize(s) of comparable value if any prize listed is unavailable, in whole or in part.
Additional Terms Applicable to Travel Prizes.
If WEBTOON elects in its discretion to include any travel or hotel accommodations as part of any prize, the following terms and conditions shall apply to all travel components of the prizes, if any:
Each prize winner’s travel companion must be eighteen (18) years of age or older, or if such travel companion is a minor, the prize winner must be such minor’s parent or legal guardian, or such travel companion must travel with the written permission of such parent or legal guardian in form and substance acceptable to WEBTOON in its discretion. If the prize winner is a minor, the prize winner’s travel companion must be the prize winner’s parent or legal guardian, or the prize winner must travel with the written permission of such parent or legal guardian in form and substance acceptable to WEBTOON. The winner’s travel companion must sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability Release prior to any travel documents being released.
In the event a prize winner’s residence is close enough to the applicable event, such that air transportation is deemed by WEBTOON in its discretion to be unnecessary, the applicable prize will not include air transportation from such prize winner’s residence and no other substitution or compensation will be provided in lieu thereof. The prize winner and prize winner’s travel companion must travel together on the same itinerary and must possess all required travel documents, including visas and valid passports, if and as applicable, and comply with any applicable hotel check-in requirements, such as presentation of a major credit card. All aspects of the travel portions of the prize must be conducted on such dates as determined by WEBTOON. The dates of departure and return are subject to change at WEBTOON’s discretion. Airfare may not include government taxes, Passenger Facility Charge or September 11th Security Fee. Airline tickets are non-refundable/non-transferable and are not valid for upgrades and/or frequent flyer miles. Other travel restrictions and blackout dates may apply. All airline tickets are subject to the vagaries of flight variation, work stoppages, and schedule or route changes. The ARV for travel prizes may vary depending upon points of departure and destination and fare fluctuations. WEBTOON reserves the right to structure travel routes and select hotels in its discretion. The ARV for travel prizes is an estimate made before the Contest begins. Prize winners will not receive cash or any other form of compensation if actual travel costs are less than the estimate made in these Official Rules. The round-trip air transportation element for any travel prize begins and ends at the point of departure. Room taxes and other hotel fees are not included and if applicable may be payable at the time of check-out by the prize winner or the prize winner’s travel companion. A deposit or payment in advance, or presentation of a credit card by the prize winner, may be required at the time of check-in at the hotel. Any hotel cancellations or changes to hotel reservations after confirmation must be made with the hotel directly, and the prize winner is solely responsible for any charges and/or fees arising from changes made directly with the hotel. The prize restrictions/conditions stated herein are not all-inclusive and the prize described above may be subject to additional restrictions/conditions, which may be stated in the Verification Documents, and/or other travel documents. In the event the prize winner and/or the prize winner’s travel companion engages in behavior that, as determined by WEBTOON in its discretion, is obnoxious or threatening, illegal or that is intended to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, WEBTOON reserves the right to terminate the trip or other applicable experience early, in whole or in part, and send the prize winner and/or the prize winner’s travel companion home with no further compensation. Any travel component of a prize must be redeemed, and travel must be commenced and must be completed on dates designated by WEBTOON or the travel component of the applicable prize will be forfeited in its entirety.
GENERAL PRIZE CONDITIONS.
Except as set forth herein, no cash alternative or substitution of the prizes will be allowed, except WEBTOON reserves the right in its discretion to substitute prizes of comparable value if any prize element listed is unavailable, in whole or in part, for any reason. Prizes will be awarded only if each Finalist fully complies with these Official Rules. All portions of the prize are non-assignable and non-transferable. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between guidelines, disclosures, or other statements contained in any promotional materials for the Contest and the terms and conditions of these Official Rules, these Official Rules shall prevail, govern, and control. All details and other restrictions of the prizes not specified in these Official Rules will be determined by WEBTOON in its discretion. Each Finalist shall be solely responsible for all federal, state, local, and/or provincial taxes, and the reporting consequences thereof, and for any other fees or costs associated with the prizes. If required by law, WEBTOON reserves the right to withhold and remit to the appropriate taxing authorities the amount of any tax or taxes due. WEBTOON will issue and file an IRS Form 1099 or equivalent tax withholding documentation for the retail value of any prize or other items of value transferred to each prize winner by WEBTOON in accordance with United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirements, and WEBTOON may also share such documentation with a state or local government agency as required by law. Refusal or failure of each prize winner to satisfy the requirements of all necessary and appropriate tax, withholding or other required compliance terms (including Social Security number, IRS Form W8BEN, IRS Form W9, or equivalent information), as determined by WEBTOON in its discretion, may result in each prize winner forfeiting the prize(s) and an alternate potential winner may be selected in accordance with these Official Rules. WEBTOON will award prizes subject to any applicable withholding taxes, and the amount of the prize transferred, as reduced by any applicable withholding taxes, will constitute full payment of the prize, as applicable.
To the full extent permitted by applicable law, WEBTOON makes no representations or warranties, and hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, concerning any prize furnished in connection with the Contest. WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING AND TO THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL PRIZES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND WEBTOON HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL SUCH WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND/OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.
RIGHTS IN SUBMISSIONS.
For good and valuable consideration, the receipt and legal sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, without limiting any grant of rights in the Platform Terms, each participant (and any minor participant’s parent or legal guardian) hereby irrevocably grants to the Contest Entities, and each of their respective successors, licensees and assigns, a non-exclusive license (but not the obligation) to reproduce, publicly perform, publicly display, stream, make derivative works of and otherwise use the Submission, in whole or in part, for advertising, promotion, marketing, and publicity of the Contest, future WEBTOON contests, advertising and promotion of the Submission, WEBTOON, its affiliates and their businesses, products and services, or for user interface, platform integration, and operationalization of the Contest and promotions related thereto, in any and all media now known or hereafter devised throughout the universe in perpetuity (for residents of Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and any other jurisdiction where a limit is required, the period of use is limited to five [5] years from the end of the Contest Period). Within the limits provided by applicable law, the Contest Entities shall have the right, in their discretion, to edit, composite, morph, scan, duplicate, or alter the Submission for any of the purposes set forth above, and each participant irrevocably waives any and all so-called “moral rights” they may have in the Submission. To the extent the applicable law prohibits the waiver or assignment of moral rights, each participant agrees to not exercise moral rights with respect to the Contest Entities and each of their respective successors in interest. The Contest Entities shall retain the rights granted in each Submission even if the Submission is disqualified or fails to meet the Submission Requirements or even if it is determined that the participant who made the Submission is ineligible to enter the Contest.
PUBLICITY RELEASE.
Without in any way limiting the rights granted in the Submission, as set forth above, or otherwise in the Platform Terms, acceptance of a prize constitutes each participant’s express permission for the Contest Entities to use the participant’s Submission and the participant’s name, username, pen name, social media handle, photograph, likeness, voice, biographical information, statements and address (city and state or province) and other identifiers in and in connection with advertising, marketing, and/or for promotional or publicity purposes for the Contest, WEBTOON, Canvas, the Contest Entities, and all uses of the Submission permitted herein, worldwide and in all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, in perpetuity (for residents of Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and any other jurisdiction where a limit is required, the period of use is limited to five [5] years from the end of the Contest Period) without any obligation, notice, or further compensation.
REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, AND CONDITIONS/INDEMNIFICATION.
Each participant (and any minor participant’s parent or legal guardian) represents and warrants as follows: (i) the Submission is the participant’s own original work and participant has secured all necessary rights, clearances, licenses, and permissions to submit the Submission for consideration in the Contest and to grant the rights to WEBTOON hereunder; (ii) the Submission is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim; (iii) the Submission is not defamatory or libelous and does not violate or infringe upon the intellectual property rights or other rights of any third party; (iv) the Submission does not violate any applicable laws; and (v) the use of the Submission by the Contest Entities as set forth herein will not give rise to any claims for any payment whatsoever, including, but not limited to, claims for royalties, re-use fees, or residuals. Each participant (and any minor participant’s parent or legal guardian) hereby agrees to indemnify and hold the Contest Entities harmless from and against any and all third-party claims, actions or proceedings of any kind and from any and all damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses relating to or arising out of any breach or allegation that, if true, would constitute a breach, of any of the participant’s representations, warranties, covenants, obligations, or agreements hereunder.
PRIVACY.
The data controller of each participant’s personal data is WEBTOON. WEBTOON will use the participants’ personal data collected in connection with the Contest (including name, age, image, location, e-mail address, physical address, and domicile of each participant, if and to the extent collected) for the purpose of (i) running the Contest and fulfilling any prizes; (ii) communicating with participants about the Contest; and (iii) complying with applicable laws and regulations. WEBTOON’s privacy policy is available at https://www.webtoons.com/en/terms/privacyPolicy. Any personal information collected in the Contest will be used in accordance with WEBTOON’s privacy policy. For residents of the European Union and the United Kingdom Only: Please note that your personal data will be transferred outside of the European Union, European Economic Area, or the United Kingdom, to the United States and/or other countries that do not ensure the same level of data protection as your home country. Such transfers will be made on the basis of specific safeguards and additional measures, as necessary, and for the purposes set out in WEBTOON’s privacy policy.
GENERAL LIABILITY RELEASE/FORCE MAJEURE.
Each participant (and any minor participant’s parent or legal guardian) agrees that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Contest Entities: (A) shall not be responsible or liable for, and are hereby released from any and all costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including, without limitation, death and bodily injury, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, to participation in the Contest or any Contest-related activity, or from participants’ acceptance, receipt, possession and/or use or misuse of any prize, and (B) have not made any warranty, representation or guarantee express or implied, in fact or in law, with respect to any prize, including, without limitation, to such prize’s quality or fitness for a particular purpose. The Contest Entities assume no responsibility for any damage to any participant’s, or any other person’s, computer system which is occasioned by Website, Canvas, participating in the Contest, or for any computer system, phone line, hardware, software or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures, delayed computer transmissions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, WEBTOON is not responsible for incomplete, illegible, misdirected, misprinted, late, lost, damaged, stolen, or postage-due submissions or prize notifications; or for lost, inaccessible or unavailable networks, servers, satellites, Internet service providers, websites, or other connections; or for miscommunications, failed, jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected computer, telephone or cable transmissions; or for any technical malfunctions, failures, difficulties or other errors of any kind or nature; or for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of information, or the failure to capture any information. WEBTOON reserves the right in its discretion to disqualify any individual who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or the Website, to be acting in violation of these Official Rules, or to be acting in an unsportsman-like or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest, or to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, and WEBTOON reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. To the extent permitted by applicable law, WEBTOON reserves the right to modify, extend, suspend, or terminate the Contest if it determines, in its discretion, that the Contest is technically impaired or corrupted or that fraud or technical problems, failures or malfunctions or other causes beyond WEBTOON’s control have destroyed or severely undermined or to any degree impaired the integrity, administration, security, proper play and/or feasibility of the Contest as contemplated herein. In the event an insufficient number of eligible Submissions are received and/or WEBTOON is prevented from awarding prizes or continuing with the Contest or by any event beyond its control, including but not limited to fire, flood, earthquake, windstorm, epidemic, pandemic, public health crisis, disease, virus, sickness or outbreak or other similar or dissimilar natural disaster; act of God or public enemy; riot or civil disturbance, act of any government or governmental authority, power failure, satellite or equipment failure, failure of telecommunications lines or failure or breakdown of plant, machinery or vehicles operated by a third party; labor dispute, strike, or lockout; actual or threat of war, armed conflict, terrorist attacks, war (declared, undeclared or threatened), explosion, nuclear, or chemical or biological contamination; or a government imposed travel ban, restriction on movement or gatherings, or other government imposed mandate of any kind, order of any court or jurisdiction, or other cause not reasonably within WEBTOON’s control (each a “Force Majeure” event or occurrence), WEBTOON reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest. If the Contest is terminated before the designated end date, WEBTOON may elect (if possible) to select the winner from all eligible, non-suspect Submissions received as of the date of the event giving rise to the termination in accordance with the process outlined in these Official Rules. Only the type and quantity of prizes described in these Official Rules will be awarded. These Official Rules cannot be modified or amended in any way except in a written document issued in accordance with law by a duly authorized representative of WEBTOON. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. If any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.
For Participants in Brazil, the European Union, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom: For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in these Official Rules shall exclude or limit liability in relation to (i) death or personal injury caused by negligence or willful or reckless misconduct; (ii) any fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; and (iii) any other liability that cannot, as a matter of law, be limited or excluded.
NATURE OF RELATIONSHIP/WAIVER OF EQUITABLE RELIEF.
Each participant (and any minor participant’s parent or legal guardian) hereby acknowledges and agrees that the relationship between the participant and the Contest Entities is not a confidential, fiduciary, or other special relationship, and that participant’s decision to submit participant’s Submission in the Contest does not place the Contest Entities in a position that is any different from the position held by members of the general public with regard to elements of participant’s Submission. Each participant understands and acknowledges that the Contest Entities have wide access to ideas, stories, designs, and other literary materials, and that new ideas are constantly being submitted to it or being developed by their own employees. Each participant also acknowledges that many ideas or stories may be competitive with, similar or identical to the participant’s Submission and/or each other in theme, idea, plot, format, or other respects. Each participant acknowledges and agrees that such participant will not be entitled to any compensation as a result of any Contest Entity’s use of any such similar or identical material. Each participant acknowledges and agrees that the Contest Entities do not now and shall not have in the future any duty or liability, direct or indirect, vicarious, contributory, or otherwise, with respect to the infringement or protection of the copyright in and to the participant’s Submission. Finally, each participant acknowledges that, with respect to any claim by participant relating to or arising out of a Contest Entity’s actual or alleged use of any participant’s Submission or other material submitted in connection with the Contest, the damage, if any, thereby caused to the participant will not be irreparable or otherwise sufficient to entitle such participant to seek injunctive or other equitable relief or in any way enjoin the production, distribution, exhibition or other use of any of the Submissions, or any other production produced and/or distributed by WEBTOON, and participant’s rights and remedies in any such event shall be strictly limited to the right to recover damages, if any, in an action at law, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
NO OBLIGATION TO USE.
The Contest Entities shall have no obligation (express or implied) to use any participant’s Submission, or to otherwise use any of participant’s Submission, or, if commenced, to continue the distribution or use thereof, and the Contest Entities may at any time abandon the use of the participant’s Submission for any reason, with or without legal justification or excuse, and participants shall not be entitled to any damages or other relief by reason thereof.
DATES AND DEADLINES/ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS.
Because of the unique nature and scope of the Contest, WEBTOON reserves the right, in addition to those other rights reserved herein, to modify any date(s) or deadline(s) set forth in these Official Rules or otherwise governing the Contest. WEBTOON cannot accurately predict the number of participants who will participate in the Contest.
FURTHER DOCUMENTATION.
If WEBTOON desires to secure additional documents as WEBTOON may reasonably require to evidence or effectuate the rights granted in these Official Rules, then each participant agrees to sign, authenticate, and deliver the same upon WEBTOON’s request therefor.
GOVERNING LAW/JURISDICTION.
EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED BY THE LAW OF YOUR JURISDICTION, ALL ISSUES AND QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY, INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEABILITY OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES OR THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF PARTICIPANTS OR WEBTOON IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE INTERNAL LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY CHOICE OF LAW OF CONFLICT OF LAW RULES OR PROVISIONS THAT WOULD CAUSE THE APPLICATION OF ANY OTHER STATE’S OR JURISDICTION’S LAWS.
ARBITRATION PROVISION.
By participating in this Contest, each participant (and any minor participant’s parent or legal guardian) agrees: (i) that any and all disputes the participant may have with, or claims participant may have against, the Contest Entities relating to, arising out of or connected in any way with (a) the Contest, (b) the awarding or redemption of any prize, and/or (c) the determination of the scope or applicability of this agreement to arbitrate, will be resolved exclusively by final and binding arbitration administered by JAMS and conducted before a sole arbitrator in accordance with the rules of JAMS; (ii) this arbitration agreement is made pursuant to a transaction involving interstate commerce, and shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), 9 U.S.C. §§ 1-16; (iii) the arbitration shall be held in Los Angeles, California; (iv) the arbitrator’s decision shall be controlled by the terms and conditions of these Official Rules and any of the other agreements referenced herein that the applicable participant may have entered into in connection with the Contest; (v) the arbitrator shall apply California law consistent with the FAA and applicable statutes of limitations, and shall honor claims of privilege recognized at law; (vi) there shall be no authority for any claims to be arbitrated on a class or representative basis, arbitration can decide only participant’s and/or WEBTOON’s individual claims; the arbitrator may not consolidate or join the claims of other persons or parties who may be similarly situated; (vii) the arbitrator shall not have the power to award punitive damages against the participant or WEBTOON; (viii) if the participant is able to demonstrate that the costs of arbitration will be prohibitive as compared to the costs of litigation, WEBTOON will pay as much of participant’s filing and hearing fees in connection with the arbitration as the arbitrator deems necessary to prevent the arbitration from being cost-prohibitive; and (ix) with the exception of subpart (vi) above, if any part of this arbitration provision is deemed to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, or otherwise conflicts with the rules of JAMS, then the balance of this arbitration provision shall remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with its terms as if the invalid, unenforceable, illegal or conflicting provision were not contained herein. If, however, subpart (vi) is found to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, then the entirety of this arbitration provision shall be null and void, and neither participant nor WEBTOON shall be entitled to arbitrate their dispute. For more information on JAMS and/or the rules of JAMS, visit their website at www.jamsadr.com.
For Australian Participants Only: Nothing in these Official Rules seeks to exclude, restrict, modify or limit any guarantee, term, condition, warranty, right or remedy implied or imposed by any statute or regulation which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited by law (including, without limitation, the Australian Consumer Law as contained in the Contest and Consumer Act, similar consumer protection laws in the States and Territories of Australia or the Australian Securities and Investment Commission Act).
For French Participants Only: All mandatory French law provisions will apply to these Official Rules. Any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or these Official Rules may be resolved by bringing a claim before the courts having jurisdiction under French law. The participant may bring a claim before the courts having jurisdiction where the participant or WEBTOON is domiciled.
For German Participants Only: Each participant agrees that all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or the awarding or redemption of any prize shall be resolved exclusively by the court located where the participant is resident or has their domicile.
For UK Participants Only: The above choice of law and jurisdiction (including in respect of arbitration) does not deprive participants of the protection under mandatory statutory provisions that cannot be waived under the law which would have otherwise been applicable. Nothing in these Official Rules shall be construed to limit or exclude any liability of WEBTOON for fraud, death or personal injury caused by the WEBTOON’s negligence. Further, nothing in these Official Rules shall affect a participant’s statutory rights.
WINNERS LIST.
The names of the Finalists may be published on the Website after the end of the Contest Period. For residents of the European Union and the United Kingdom Only: If you object to any or all of your name or country, being published or made available, please contact WEBTOON at legendscontest@webtoon.com. In such circumstances, WEBTOON may still provide this information to the applicable government authorities or regulators upon request.
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