Exploring Tolkien Monthly Giveaway — Official Rules
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
1. Sponsor
The Exploring Tolkien Monthly Giveaway (the “Giveaway”) is sponsored by Creators Web Pro LLC, PO Box 16127, Thompson’s Station, TN 37179 (“Sponsor”). The Giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Apple Inc. (“Apple”). Apple is not a sponsor of and bears no responsibility for the Giveaway.
2. Eligibility
The Giveaway is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry. Employees, officers, directors, contractors, and agents of Sponsor and its affiliates, and members of their immediate families and households, are not eligible. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. All applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply.
3. Giveaway Periods
The Giveaway is conducted in separate monthly entry periods. Each “Entry Period” begins at 6:00:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) on the first Monday of a calendar month and ends at 5:59:59 a.m. ET on the first Monday of the following month. Within each Entry Period, a “Giveaway Week” begins at 6:00:00 a.m. ET each Monday and ends at 5:59:59 a.m. ET the following Monday. The Giveaway begins on August 3, 2026 and continues on a monthly basis until discontinued by Sponsor. Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the Giveaway.
4. How to Enter
There are two (2) ways to enter, and both are free. Regardless of the method used, you may receive a maximum of one (1) entry per person per Giveaway Week per entry method.
(a) Gameplay Entry (free). Download the free Exploring Tolkien app and play that week’s Weekly Trivia quiz. Completing a Weekly Trivia quiz automatically earns you one (1) entry, for the Giveaway Week in which the quiz opens, into that Entry Period’s drawing. No purchase and no paid membership is required to download the app or to play the Weekly Trivia quiz.
(b) Alternate Method of Entry (AMOE) (free). Visit https://www.theonering.com/giveaway-entry/ and complete and submit the entry form, providing your full name, a valid email address, and confirmation that you are eighteen (18) years of age or older. Each valid submission earns one (1) entry, for the Giveaway Week in which it is submitted, into that Entry Period’s drawing. Limit one (1) AMOE entry per person per Giveaway Week.
Entry limit. A maximum of one (1) entry per person per Giveaway Week per entry method. Entries are non-transferable. Any attempt to enter more than the stated limit, or use of any bot, script, or automated means, will void all of that person’s entries. All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.
5. Winner Selection
On or about three (3) business days after the end of each Entry Period, Sponsor (or its designated representative) will select one (1) potential winner for that Entry Period in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received during that Entry Period. The drawing will be conducted by Sponsor, whose decisions on all matters relating to the Giveaway are final and binding. The odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entries received during that Entry Period.
6. Winner Notification and Prize Claim
A potential winner who entered by Gameplay Entry will be notified in the app (including by push notification) on or about three (3) days after the drawing, and must claim by following the one-time claim link in the app and completing the claim form. A potential winner who entered by AMOE will be notified by email at the address provided, on or about three (3) days after the drawing, and directed to the claim form. In each case, the potential winner must complete the claim and provide the information requested by Sponsor (including full legal name, email address, a valid U.S. shipping address for prizes requiring physical delivery, and confirmation that the entrant is eighteen (18) years of age or older) within fourteen (14) days of the date notification is first sent (the “Claim Deadline”). If a potential winner cannot be contacted, fails to respond by the Claim Deadline, is found ineligible, or declines the prize, the prize may be forfeited. Sponsor may select up to three (3) alternate potential winners at random from among the remaining eligible entries for that Entry Period; if no potential winner has validly claimed the prize after the third alternate selection, or if time does not permit, the prize will go unawarded.
7. Prizes
One (1) prize is awarded per Entry Period. The specific prize for each Entry Period, together with its approximate retail value (“ARV”), is described in the Exploring Tolkien app and/or on the Giveaway Entry page for that Entry Period. The ARV of any single monthly prize will not exceed $499. Prizes may include physical items or digital rewards. No cash alternative or substitution will be provided, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize (or prize component) of equal or greater value if the advertised prize becomes unavailable. The prize is awarded “as is,” with no warranty or guarantee, express or implied. All costs and expenses not expressly described as included are the responsibility of the winner. The winner is solely responsible for all federal, state, and local taxes associated with the prize. If the ARV of a prize awarded to a winner is $600 or more, Sponsor may be required to report the award and to issue the winner an IRS Form 1099, and may require the winner to complete an IRS Form W-9 (including a Social Security number) before the prize is awarded.
8. Publicity Release
Except where prohibited by law, acceptance of a prize constitutes the winner’s consent to Sponsor’s use of the winner’s Exploring Tolkien app display name to announce and promote the Giveaway across Sponsor’s channels (including the podcast, website, Discord, and social media), in any media, without further notice, permission, or compensation.
9. Privacy
Personal information collected in connection with the Giveaway is used to administer the Giveaway and fulfill prizes, and is handled in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy at https://www.theonering.com/privacy-policy/. For entrants who enter by Gameplay Entry, a pseudonymous app identifier is temporarily associated with the winner’s name, email address, and shipping address solely to validate eligibility and fulfill the prize; this contact and shipping information is retained only as long as needed for fulfillment and tax/record-keeping and is then deleted in accordance with the Privacy Policy. For entrants who enter by AMOE, the name and email address provided are used solely to administer the Giveaway. Sponsor does not sell entrants’ personal information.
10. General Conditions; Release; Limitation of Liability
By participating, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Giveaway. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Giveaway, to be acting in violation of these Official Rules, or to be acting in a disruptive manner or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person. Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend, cancel, or terminate the Giveaway (or any Entry Period), or to modify these Official Rules, if fraud, technical failures, or any other factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Giveaway, and in such event may select the winner from among eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to the action taken.
Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or undeliverable entries or claims, or for any error, interruption, defect, or delay in operation or transmission, communications-line or network failure, or technical malfunction of any kind.
By entering, each entrant releases and agrees to hold harmless Sponsor, Apple, and their respective parents, affiliates, and agents, and each of their officers, directors, employees, and representatives (the “Released Parties”), from any and all claims, liability, injury, loss, or damage of any kind arising out of or in connection with participation in the Giveaway or the acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any prize. To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event will the Released Parties be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages.
If any provision of these Official Rules is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
11. Governing Law; Dispute Resolution
PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY. IT AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS, INCLUDING YOUR RIGHT TO FILE A LAWSUIT IN COURT AND TO HAVE A JURY HEAR YOUR CLAIMS. IT REQUIRES INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION OF MOST DISPUTES AND WAIVES YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION. YOU MAY OPT OUT OF ARBITRATION AS DESCRIBED IN SECTION 11.8.
11.1 Governing Law. These Official Rules, the Sweepstakes, and any Dispute (as defined below) are governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. The Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq., governs the interpretation and enforcement of Sections 11.3 through 11.9. Nothing in these Official Rules deprives an entrant of the protection of any mandatory consumer-protection provision of the law of the entrant’s state of residence that cannot be waived by agreement.
11.2 Definition of “Dispute.” “Dispute” means any claim, controversy, or dispute between an entrant and Sponsor arising out of or relating in any way to the Sweepstakes, these Official Rules, entry into or participation in the Sweepstakes, any prize, or the Sponsor’s collection or use of entrant information — whether based in contract, tort, statute, fraud, misrepresentation, or any other legal theory, and whether arising before, during, or after the termination of these Official Rules.
11.3 Informal Resolution (Mandatory First Step). Before initiating arbitration or any court proceeding, the party raising a Dispute must first send a written Notice of Dispute. A Notice of Dispute sent by an entrant must (a) be personally signed by that entrant, (b) state the entrant’s name, address, and email address used to enter, (c) describe the nature and basis of the claim in reasonable detail, and (d) state the specific relief sought. Notice to Sponsor must be sent to: Creators Web Pro LLC, Attn: Legal — Sweepstakes Dispute, PO Box 16127, Thompson’s Station, TN 37179. The parties will attempt in good faith to resolve the Dispute for sixty (60) days after receipt. Either party may request an individual telephonic settlement conference during this period, and both parties will participate in good faith. Completion of this Section 11.3 is a condition precedent to commencing arbitration or litigation, and the applicable statute of limitations and any arbitration fee deadlines are tolled while it is pending. A court of competent jurisdiction has authority to enjoin the filing or prosecution of any arbitration or proceeding brought without complying with this Section.
11.4 Agreement to Arbitrate. Except as provided in Section 11.7, all Disputes will be resolved exclusively by final and binding individual arbitration, and not in a court of law. The arbitrator, and not any federal, state, or local court, has exclusive authority to resolve any dispute concerning the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, or formation of this Section 11 — except that a court has exclusive authority to decide any challenge to the enforceability of the Class Action Waiver in Section 11.9, and any question of whether Section 11.7 applies.
11.5 Arbitration Procedure.
(a) Administrator and Rules. The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules then in effect, as modified by this Section 11. Where applicable, the AAA’s Mass Arbitration Supplementary Rules also apply. The AAA’s rules are available at adr.org.
(b) Arbitrator. A single arbitrator will be selected under AAA rules. The arbitrator is bound by these Official Rules.
(c) Hearing Format and Location. At the entrant’s election, the arbitration will be conducted (i) solely on the documents submitted, (ii) by telephone or videoconference, or (iii) in person in the county of the entrant’s residence or another mutually agreed location. Sponsor will not seek an in-person hearing outside the entrant’s county of residence.
(d) Authority of the Arbitrator. The arbitrator may award any individual relief — including declaratory, injunctive, or monetary relief — available to that individual entrant under applicable law and these Official Rules. The arbitrator may not preside over any class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding, and may not award relief to or on behalf of anyone other than the individual party before the arbitrator. The arbitrator will issue a written decision stating the essential findings and conclusions. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
11.6 Arbitration Fees. Payment of all AAA filing, administrative, and arbitrator fees is governed by the AAA Consumer Arbitration Rules. Sponsor will pay all such fees for any claim seeking $10,000 or less, except that the arbitrator may reallocate fees if the arbitrator determines the claim was frivolous or brought for an improper purpose (as measured by the standards of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b)). Each party bears its own attorneys’ fees and costs, except where the arbitrator is authorized or required to award them under applicable law.
11.7 Exceptions to Arbitration.
(a) Small Claims. Either party may bring an individual claim in a small-claims court of competent jurisdiction, provided the claim remains individual and non-representative.
(b) Intellectual Property. Either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in court to prevent the actual or threatened infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights.
(c) Public Injunctive Relief. Nothing in this Section 11 waives any entrant’s right to seek public injunctive relief, and the arbitrator has no authority to adjudicate any claim for public injunctive relief. Any such claim must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction, and is hereby severed from and stayed pending the conclusion of arbitration of all other claims. The invalidity or unenforceability of this Section 11.7(c) as to any claim will not affect the enforceability of Section 11.4 as to all other claims.
(d) Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment. Consistent with the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021, an entrant asserting a claim alleging sexual assault or sexual harassment may elect to bring that claim in court notwithstanding this Section 11.
11.8 Right to Opt Out of Arbitration. An entrant may opt out of Sections 11.4 through 11.7 and 11.9 by sending a written, personally signed notice stating the entrant’s intent to opt out, along with the entrant’s name, address, and the email address used to enter, to: Creators Web Pro LLC, Attn: Arbitration Opt-Out, PO Box 16127, Thompson’s Station, TN 37179. The notice must be postmarked within thirty (30) days of the entrant’s first entry into the Sweepstakes. Opting out has no effect on eligibility to enter or win, on Section 11.1, or on Section 11.10, and no other provision of these Official Rules is affected. An entrant who opts out may not participate in any class or representative proceeding brought by an entrant who has not opted out.
11.9 Class Action Waiver; Jury Waiver.
(a) EACH PARTY MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, COLLECTIVE, CONSOLIDATED, PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, OR OTHER REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. Claims of two or more entrants may not be joined, consolidated, or arbitrated together without the written consent of all affected parties, except as expressly provided in Section 11.5(a) (Mass Arbitration Supplementary Rules).
(b) IF THIS SECTION 11.9 IS FOUND UNENFORCEABLE AS TO ANY CLAIM OR REQUEST FOR RELIEF, THAT CLAIM OR REQUEST FOR RELIEF IS SEVERED FROM ARBITRATION AND MUST PROCEED IN THE COURTS IDENTIFIED IN SECTION 11.10, AND THE REMAINDER OF SECTION 11.4 REMAINS IN FULL FORCE AS TO ALL OTHER CLAIMS.
(c) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EACH PARTY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES OR THE SWEEPSTAKES. This subsection (c) does not apply to any entrant to the extent a pre-dispute jury waiver is unenforceable under the law of the entrant’s state of residence.
11.10 Forum for Claims Not Subject to Arbitration. For any Dispute not subject to arbitration — including any Dispute brought by an entrant who has opted out under Section 11.8, any claim severed under Section 11.7(c) or 11.9(b), and any action to enforce an arbitration award — the parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state courts located in Williamson County, Tennessee, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Each party consents to personal jurisdiction in those courts and waives any objection based on lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue, or forum non conveniens. This Section does not apply to small-claims actions permitted under Section 11.7(a).
11.11 Limitations Period. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any Dispute must be commenced within one (1) year after the claim accrues, or it is permanently barred. This Section does not apply where a shorter contractual limitations period is prohibited by the law of the entrant’s state of residence, in which case the shortest period permitted by that law applies.
11.12 New Jersey Residents. For entrants who are residents of New Jersey: the provisions of these Official Rules that limit or exclude liability, disclaim warranties, provide for indemnification of Sponsor by the entrant, or shorten any limitations period do not apply to the extent prohibited by New Jersey law, and no provision of these Official Rules is intended to violate the New Jersey Truth-in-Consumer Contract, Warranty and Notice Act.
11.13 Severability and Survival. If any provision of this Section 11 is held invalid or unenforceable, that provision is severed and the remainder of this Section 11 and these Official Rules remain in full force and effect — except as provided in Section 11.9(b). This Section 11 survives the termination of the Sweepstakes and of these Official Rules.
11.14 Changes to This Section. If Sponsor materially amends this Section 11 after an entrant’s first entry, the amendment does not apply to any Dispute of which Sponsor had actual notice on the date of the amendment. Any other amendment applies prospectively only, and the entrant may reject it by written notice within thirty (30) days, in which case the version in effect at the time of the entrant’s most recent entry governs.
12. Winner’s Name
For the display name of the prize winner for a given Entry Period, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Creators Web Pro LLC, PO Box 16127, Thompson’s Station, TN 37179, Attn: Exploring Tolkien Giveaway, within ninety (90) days after the end of the applicable Entry Period.
13. Apple
The Giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Apple Inc. (“Apple”). Each entrant acknowledges that Apple is not a sponsor of the Giveaway and has no obligation or responsibility with respect to the Giveaway, and that any questions, comments, or complaints regarding the Giveaway must be directed to Sponsor, not Apple.