The Megan Rountree Environmental Hero Competition

Official Rules

1) No purchase necessary. Interested parties may enter the contest by completing the official entry form (or a photocopy) and submitting it with two (2) copies of an original essay (250-500 words) explaining why his or her project/work has made a positive impact on our local environment. Contestant’s project must have been completed in the past 12 months and occurred in the greater Sacramento area.

The contestant will be asked to provide his or her first and last name, email address, permanent address and phone number. Parental consent must also be provided if the contestant is 17 years of age or younger.

2) The Megan Rountree Environmental Hero Competition is open to any resident of the greater Sacramento area. Employees of The Secret Garden are ineligible.

Each contestant may enter only one essay. The essay must have a title. Mail-in entries must follow the following rules: The essay must be typed or computer-printed, double-spaced, and in English. The contestant must submit 2 copies of the essay. Both copies must be individually stapled and the entry form should be stapled to at least one copy. Handwritten essays or essays presented in any other way will be disqualified. Essay entry must include contestant's home telephone number, including area code, computer-printed or typed in the upper righthand corner of each page. It must be the same number as that listed on the entry form. DO NOT put your name on the essay; only on the entry form. Entries submitted online must include your home telephone number, including area code, in the upper right hand corner of your copied text as well as the title of your essay.  Your personal information will not be sold to solicit any product or service.

All entries, online or mail-in, must be received no later than April 7, 2011, to be eligible for the contest.

Mail-in entries should be sent to: Secret Garden "Environmental Hero" Competition, 8450 West Stockton Blvd., Elk Grove, CA 95758. Online entries must be emailed to Jennifer@secretgarden-online.com. The Secret Garden does not assume responsibility for lost, late, misdirected, mutilated, postage-due, and illegible entries, all of which will be disqualified. All materials submitted will become The Secret Garden’s exclusive property and will not be returned.

3) Contestant’s essays and project descriptions must be factually accurate, and must not infringe or violate any law or the legal or equitable right of any person or entity, nor contain material that infringes or violates any personal property rights of others or that constitutes defamation, invasion of privacy, an infringement of the intellectual property rights of any third person, or is otherwise unlawful. By submitting an essay, each contestant acknowledges his or her understanding of and compliance with these rules. The Secret Garden reserves the right to disqualify any entry deemed inappropriate for publication, at their discretion.

Contest winner will be notified by phone on April 12^th, 2011. The winner of the Megan Rountree Environmental Hero Competition will receive a certificate suitable for framing and a tree will be planted in their honor at The Secret Garden. A plaque with the winner’s name will be placed at the site of the tree. A donation of $100 will be made to the winner's charity of choice in the winner's name.