Yes, that’s right. We’ve seen your Heroes Fables, and have been impressed with the dedication and creativity shown by fans to expanding on the history of the new world developed by Nival. Your efforts help make this world more robust and satisfying for everyone.

To formalize the writing process and encourage even more community participation, we’re sponsoring a competition. All qualifying entries will be published into a downloadable “Heroes Fables” story book for all fans to read at their leisure. The top 5 submissions will receive a Heroes of Might and Magic ‘goodie bag’ of exclusive Heroes V merchandise (t-shirt, pens, mouse pad, and poster), and see their submissions featured on the US and UK Might and Magic portals.

Here are the general “user friendly” guidelines:

(1) Limit of 1 submission per person. Send your full name, email, address, and preferred alias in the body of your email to: heroesfables@ubisoft.com. Your Heroes Fable should be sent as an attachment, not in the body of your message. Competition winners will be contacted via the submitted email. Upon request, only the preferred alias will be used in the published story book to preserve privacy.

(2) Entries are judged on
creativity (33.3%), clarity of storyline (33.3%), and use of Nival’s Heroes story and world elements (33.3%). They can be comic or dramatic in tone, as well as poetic or prose - but must be original work. Any plagiarized material will be rejected. Submissions should be no longer than two 8 ½ x 11” pages, single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font.

(3) Only English language submissions will be considered. While grammar, punctuation, and spelling are not the basis of judging, if these elements impact readability, submissions will not be considered for competition judging, only for the downloadable story book publication.

(4) Ubisoft reserves the right to reject entries based upon excessive profanity, violence or sexual content.

(5) The competition is open only to residents of Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Submissions from others will only be considered for the downloadable story book publication.

(6) Submission deadline is April 14, 2006 at 9:00am PST.

(7) Winners will be announced on or after April 28, 2006.


See below if you're interested in reading the official rules and other legal stuff.

This post may be updated based upon requests for clarification from community members. Feel free to PM me with questions.

GOOD LUCK!

************************************************

REGULATIONS OF THE COMPETITION


1. OBJECT

UBISOFT, Inc., a California corporation whose business address is 625 Third Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94107 (hereinafter referred to as “UBISOFT”), is organizing a game competition entitled “Heroes Fables: Fan Fiction Competition”, exclusively on the Internet, accessible at the following address: http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/1851065692.

2. THE COMPETITION

2.1 PREAMBLE
“Competition”: signifies the competition organized by UBISOFT to coincide with the launch of the “Heroes of Might and Magic V” video game.

“Video Game”: signifies the game entitled “Heroes of Might and Magic V”, published and distributed by UBISOFT and belonging to UBISOFT.

“Competition Page”: signifies the Competition’s Internet page on http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/1851065692. Here the player can find various details (information, rules, etc.).

“Competition Email Address”: signifies the Competition’s email address alias, heroesfables@ubisoft.com, which will be the only valid method for the submission of entries.


2.2 PRINCIPLE
The Competition consists of writing a fable, in English only, no longer than two 8½ x 11 pages, single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman Font (hereafter, the “Text”), and submitting it by the specified deadline to the designated Competition Email Address heroesfables@ubisoft.com. The specific subject of the Text is up to the participant, however, it must somehow be related to the Heroes of Might and Magic series of games.

2.3 COMPETITION DATES
The Competition starts on March 20, 2006 at 9:00 am and ends on April 14, 2006 at 9:00 am (Pacific Standard Time).

The Competition site and Competition Email Address will go online at the start of the Competition and will remain accessible at least throughout the duration of the Competition; provided, however, UBISOFT has the right to cancel, terminate or modify this Competition if it is not capable of completion as planned due to infection by computer virus, bugs tampering, unauthorized intervention or technical failures of any sort. Further, UBISOFT assumes no responsibility if, for any reason, the Competition Page cannot be viewed or is not capable of running as planned. UBISOFT is not responsible for late, lost, incomplete, or misdirected entries; computer system, phone line, electronic equipment, computer hardware, software or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures or delays in computer transmissions or network connections that are human or technical in nature or for problems downloading entries from the Competition Page or for any other technical problems related thereto. UBISOFT is not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry information, whether caused by Internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Competition, or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in the Competition. Ubisoft reserves the right to reject entries based upon excessive language, violence or sexual content. UBISOFT, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person who tampers with entry process, or who is otherwise in violation of these rules.

3. TERRITORY

The Territory covered by the present Regulations comprises the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom (specifically excluding Arizona, Florida, Vermont, Rhode Island and any other state in which such Competition would be prohibited by law).

4. PARTICIPATION

4.1 CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION - OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE U.S., CANADA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM.
Participation in this Competition is open to any natural person who has reached the age of majority and is residing in the Territory. Only one entry per name and email address will be accepted. All entrants must have a ubi.com account, an existing Internet account and a valid email address at the time the competition commences.
Employees of UBISOFT and their respective agents, affiliates, subsidiaries and parent companies, sales representatives, marketing affiliates and partners, distributors, advertising and promotion agencies and members of the immediate families or household of each, in addition to persons who collaborated in the organization of the Competition, are not eligible to participate in the Competition.
Minors of 13 and above are entitled to participate in the Competition on the condition that they obtain prior authorization from their parents (or the person who exercises parental authority). UBISOFT reserves the right to request written proof at any time, and to conduct any necessary checks, and can disqualify any participating minor who does not provide such proof either immediately or, possibly, within a reasonable time-period granted. The disqualification of a minor is designated as a winner, and who is therefore entitled to the prize described in article 7 of the present Regulations, will result in the prize being forfeited by such minor and awarded to the participant who ranks immediately after him or her.

4.2 ACCEPTANCE OF LAWS IN THE TERRITORY AND THE PRESENT REGULATIONS
By participating in the Competition each contestant accepts, without reservation, the present Regulations in their entirety, rules pertaining to the current Internet code of ethics, as well as laws, regulations and other legislation applicable in the Territory. Participants accept that the Competition is governed exclusively by United States law. Acceptance of the present Regulations is legally binding between the parties concerned.

5. COMPETITION TERMS

To take part in the Competition, the participant must send, by the closing date specified (at 12:00 pm Pacific Standard Time) an email via the Competition Email Address including, in its body, his/her contact information (full name, address, phone number, email address and preferred alias) and the Text should be sent as an attachment to that email. The participant’s submission will indicate his/her acceptance, without reservation, of the Regulations in their entirety to validate their participation in the Competition.

Each player’s entry date for the Competition will be the date on which the participant submitted his/her Text via the Competition Email Address, which shall take place during the Competition dates set forth in article 2.3 above.

6. DESIGNATION OF WINNERS

UBISOFT will designate five (5) winners, who will be awarded the prizes indicated in article 7.1 of the Regulations. Valid entries will be judged by Ubisoft staff members from the United Kingdom and the United States on the following criteria:
•The Text must be an original work; any plagiarized material will be rejected.
• Creativity: [33.3] %
• Clarity of storyline: [33.3] %
•Use of Heroes of Might and Magic’s story and world elements: [33.3] %

The winner will be announced on http://www.mightandmagic.com/us in the “news” menu and in the official Heroes of Might and Magic V forums at http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/1851065692 on April 28, 2006 or after. The winners will be informed personally on April 28, 2006 or after by e-mail, using the e-mail address provided when such players submitted their entries. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the person who submitted the Text, the Text will be deemed to be submitted by the person in whose name the email account is registered. UBISOFT, its agents and representatives are not responsible for late, lost, or misdirected notifications. In the same e-mail notification, the winners will be informed that their prizes will be sent to them directly by post, using the address provided on their entry form. Under no circumstances will UBISOFT be held responsible in case of loss or damage to prizes sent by post and/or in the event of the faulty operation of postal services.

7. PRIZES

7.1 PRIZE

Description of each of the 5 prizes:
- A “goodie bag” of exclusive Heroes of Might and Magic V merchandise: a T-shirt, a pen, a mouse pad and a poster
Unit value of each prize: up to US$25
Total value of the 5 prizes: up to US$125

All qualifying entries will be published in a “Heroes Fables” story book, an electronic document which can be downloaded for free from the Ubisoft site http://www.mightandmagicgame.com/us/downloads.php . Upon request, only the preferred alias will be used in the published story book to preserve privacy.

7.2 CONDITIONS FOR AWARDING PRIZES

The prizes offered may not be contested in any way by the winner; they may not be transferred, substituted, redeemed or exchanged for their equivalent cash value; provided, however, UBISOFT reserves the right to replace the stated prizes with prizes of an equivalent or greater value at UBISOFT’S sole discretion. All federal, state, provincial and/or local taxes/duties are the sole responsibilities of the winners. If an eligible person who is a minor has been selected to win the Prize, the Prize will be awarded in the name of the minor's parent or legal guardian, who will be required to sign all necessary documents. Awarding of prizes and Competition administration shall be the sole responsibility of UBISOFT.

The stated value of the prizes corresponds to the approximate retail price (tax included) currently practised or estimated at the time of drawing up the Regulations. It is provided simply as an indication and is subject to variation.

Prior to the awarding of prizes, winners will be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility certifying their compliance with the regulations of the contest.
Winner will be required to verify a correct mailing address for prize delivery within 24 hours of notification or prize will be forfeited and, at the option of UBISOFT, an alternate winner may be selected. Winners may also be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, and, where lawful, a Liability and Publicity Release within 24 hours of notification, or winner's prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner selected, except where prohibited by law. By accepting the prize and/or executing the publicity release, each winner agrees that UBISOFT may post winner's name on a list of winners, and may use winner's name, voice, likeness, biographical information, winning entry and statements attributed to winner (if true) for the purpose of advertising, trade, or promotion purposes without further notification or compensation to entrant. Return of any prize or prize notification as undeliverable will result in forfeiture of prize and selection of an alternate winner.

8. THE UBISOFT COMPANY’S LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

By participating in the Competition each player acknowledges and accepts the characteristics and limits of the Internet, with particular regard to technical performance, response times for consulting, querying or transferring information, the risks of interruption and, more generally, the risks inherent in any connection or transmission using the Internet, the absence of protection for certain data against potential misappropriation and the risks of contamination by possible viruses in circulation on the network.

As a result, under no circumstances will UBISOFT, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, consultants, employees and/or representatives, be responsible for or be held responsible for the following (bearing in mind that this is not a closed list):

• The transmission and/or reception of any data and/or information on the Internet;
• Any malfunction of the Internet network which prevents the correct operation or functioning of the Competition;
• The breakdown of any reception equipment or lines of communication;
• The loss of any paper or electronic mail and, more generally, the loss of any data;
• Delivery or operational problems with any software;
• The consequences of any viruses, computer bugs, anomalies, or technical faults;
• Any damage caused to a participant’s computer;
• Technical, equipment or software breakdowns of any kind whatsoever which may hinder or restrict the possibility of participating in the Competition, or which may have caused damage to a participant’s system;
• Any condition caused by events beyond their control that may cause the Competition to be disrupted or corrupted;
• Any injuries, losses, or damages (compensatory, direct, incidental, consequential or otherwise) of any kind arising in connection with or as a result of the prize, or acceptance, possession, or use of the prize, or from participation in the Competition; or
• Any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Competition.

By participating in the Competition, you agree to release and hold UBISOFT and the employees, officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representatives of UBISOFT, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion, and fulfilment agencies, and legal advisors, harmless from any and all losses, damages, rights, claims and actions of any kind in connection with the Competition, or resulting from acceptance, possession, or use of any prize, including without limitation, personal injury, death, and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy. Further, by participating in the Competition, you agree to indemnify, defend and hold UBISOFT and the employees, officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representatives of UBISOFT, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion, and fulfilment agencies, and legal advisors, harmless from any and all losses, damages, rights, claims and actions of any kind which arise from or in connection with the entry.

9. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND COPYRIGHT

By submitting or posting the Text to the competition email address heroesfables@ubisoft.com, including, but not limited to, a character name, the participant automatically grants Ubisoft the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive and fully sublicensable right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such Text (in whole or part) worldwide and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed. In addition, the participant warrants that any and all so-called "moral rights" in the Content have been waived. The participant hereby waives all rights to any claim against Ubisoft for any alleged or actual infringements of any proprietary rights, rights of privacy and publicity, moral rights, and rights of attribution in connection with such Communications.

10. PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

UBISOFT’s Privacy Policy applies to this Competition. Please review such policy at http://www.ubi.com/US/Info/PrivacyPolicy.htm prior to entering the Competition.

11. COMPETITION REGULATIONS

The Regulations can be consulted on the Competition Page. The complete Competition Regulations will be sent free of charge to anyone making a written request to UBISOFT at the address first set forth above. The request should state the title of the Competition and the name and address of the person making the request.

If the circumstances require it, UBISOFT reserves the right to postpone, modify or cancel the present Competition in the event of any difficulties which may arise during the operation of the Competition.


VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY.


© 2005 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Heroes, Might and Magic, Heroes of Might and Magic, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Developed by Nival Interactive


Good luck!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Acheval,

CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY

Question: "So, to enter the competition I should create my own hero and write his story/biography, right?"

Answer: "You can write your own hero, but you don't have to. For example, if you're interested in Dirael and want to relate a story from when she was engaged in her Druidic studies - that's fine. Expanding upon an already existing story for a hero to tell a tale 'like it might have happened' is fine.

You just can't change what story we've provided to you. For example, if you don't like that Faiz is badly scarred and covers his face, you can't re-write it so that his face is fine, but his arms are scarred."

------------------


Question: "I read the question that you answered in the forum thread and it seemed like stories could only be about heroes. Is that so or can we also write about aritfacts (made up or not), monsters(creatures), and/or a made up incident between a hero and other creatures that could possibly take place on a scenario map?"

Answer: "My only limit to the creative content of any story in this competition is that you cannot change or contradict known Nival story elements. There's no point in us creating a M&M world for the fans if you ignore the fundamental facts of its existence, you know?

Otherwise, your story can be about any known Hero or creature/monster in the Nival M&M universe. It can also be about any Hero, artifact, or incident you care to create that matches the world setting."

------------------

Question: In the rules it says, "Submissions should be no longer than two 8 1/2" x 11” pages, single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font." Does that mean we can move the left and right indents on Microsoft word to widen our workspace? I mean, that's not outside of the stated rules is it? Oh, and are those measurements the default for Microsoft word documents?

Answer: Submission length is based on the standard settings of Microsoft Word; users should not have to change any setting of a normal 'blank doc' template set up for an 8 1/2" x 11" page. This means that every page of your document should conform to these parameters:

Two 8 1/2" x 11” pages
Page margins of 1" Top, 1" Bottom, 1.25" Left, 1.25" Right
Single-spaced
12 point
Times New Roman font

This page limit was set in order to guarantee a reasonable length for the compiled story book and minimize any bias in judging based on story length. Please do not attempt to circumvent this parameter through creative manipulation of margins.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Acheval,

The 5 winning entries have been posted in the Heroes' Tavern Off-Topic Forum, and will be featured there for the next two weeks. The complete storybook of all submissions will be available for download next week, and we are printing some bound copies of it for future giveaways.

Thank you to everyone who entered. Happy reading!

At long last, you can now download the complete electronic copy of the Heroes Fables Storybook!

It's divided into two sections: Winning Submissions, and Other Submissions. Within each section, the entries are listed in no particular order, and stories that were not elligible for the competition are labelled "non-territory submission".

Although it was tough to choose the top stories, they were all great fun to read. Thanks again to everyone who entered -- keep writing!