Official Rules: Atlas to Z Year 1 Contests

1. Sponsor

The sponsor is YAHREQA LLC, 522 W Riverside Ave #8032, Spokane, WA 99201 (“Sponsor”). Questions: hello@YAHREQA.com.

These Official Rules govern only the Atlas to Z Year 1 Contests (the “Program”). For anything about the Program, they control over the YAHREQA! Challenge Rules, the YAHREQA! Terms of Service and every other page of YAHREQA.com. The Program is not a YAHREQA! Challenge.

No store that sells the book (including Amazon), no payment company (including Tremendous), no social network (including Facebook, Instagram, Meta, X, Pinterest, LinkedIn and TikTok), and no gift card brand sponsors, endorses or runs the Program, and none is responsible for it.

2. Definitions

• Adventurer: a child who is 12 years old or younger on the date their entry is received and who lives in one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.
• Parent: the Adventurer’s parent or legal guardian who has reached the age of majority in their state of residence (18 in most states; 19 in Alabama and Nebraska; 21 in Mississippi).
• Program Page: YAHREQA.com/atlas. Entry Page: the Program’s entry page, linked from the Program Page.
• Book: the book Atlas to Z published by Sponsor, in print or as the free PDF described in Section 4.
• Age group: “7 and younger” or “8 to 12”, based on the Adventurer’s age on the date each entry is received. An Adventurer who turns 8 during Year 1 enters later rounds in the 8 to 12 group.
• All times are Pacific Time (PT). Sponsor’s server clock is the official clock for the Program.

3. Who can enter

• Only a Parent may enter, and only for their own Adventurer. The Parent is the entrant of record, accepts these Official Rules for themselves and for the Adventurer, and receives any prize.
• Children may not enter, vote, create accounts or give their own personal information. Sponsor does not knowingly collect personal information directly from children.
• Not eligible: the owners, officers, employees, contractors and judges of Sponsor, and each of their immediate family members (spouse or partner, parents, siblings and children) and household members.
• The Program is void where prohibited or restricted by law, and outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

4. No purchase necessary: the free copy

Everything an Adventurer needs to take part is in the Book. Nobody has to buy it. A complete copy of the Book as a PDF is free on the Entry Page throughout Year 1, with no purchase and no account required. A Parent may print its pages for the children in their household. Free and purchased copies count exactly the same.

Entering or winning never requires buying anything, writing or posting a review anywhere, following or sharing on social media, or signing up for anything other than the entry itself.

5. The Program at a glance

“Year 1” runs from 9:00 a.m. PT on November 15, 2026 to 11:59 p.m. PT on November 15, 2027. Nothing in these rules promises a later year. The Program has five parts:

1. Alphabet Hero certificates for every correct Mirror Message entry (Section 8).
2. Launch Heroes: $20 to each of the first 26 correct, qualifying Mirror Message entries (Section 9; skill and speed).
3. Color & Win: $50 per age group in each of two rounds, decided by public vote (Section 10).
4. Create & Win: $50 per age group in each of two rounds, decided by public vote (Section 10).
5. Adventurer of the Year: $500 per age group, chosen by the judges (Section 12).

No prize in the Program is awarded by random drawing.

6. Dates

• Mirror Message entries: 9:00 a.m. PT November 15, 2026 to 11:59 p.m. PT November 15, 2027.
• Launch Heroes: from 9:00 a.m. PT November 15, 2026 until the first 26 correct, qualifying entries are received or 11:59 p.m. PT December 31, 2026, whichever comes first.
• Color & Win and Create & Win, Round 1: entries 9:00 a.m. PT November 15, 2026 to 11:59 p.m. PT March 31, 2027; public voting April 1 to 11:59 p.m. PT April 30, 2027.
• Round 2: entries April 1 to 11:59 p.m. PT August 31, 2027; public voting September 1 to 11:59 p.m. PT September 30, 2027.
• Final Adventure (Adventurer of the Year finalists only): invitations by October 1, 2027; finalist entries due 11:59 p.m. PT October 31, 2027.
• Adventurers of the Year announced: on or about November 15, 2027.

7. How to enter

All entries are made online on the Entry Page by the Parent. No other method of entry is accepted. The entry form asks only for the Parent’s name and email address and the Adventurer’s first name, age and state. For Color & Win and Create & Win the Parent also uploads photos of the Adventurer’s work.

• Mirror Message entry: the decoded Mirror Message and the 26 sneaky words. For a Launch Hero prize, also a photo of the Adventurer’s filled-in Mirror Key page from the back of the Book. Limit: one Mirror Message entry per Adventurer for all of Year 1. The Entry Page checks each Mirror Message entry when it is sent. An entry that is not correct is not accepted or kept, does not count toward this limit, and may be fixed and sent again.
• Color & Win entry: a photo of both pages of one big two-page picture from the Book, colored by the Adventurer. Limit: one entry per Adventurer per round.
• Create & Win entry: the Adventurer’s own story for any letter, and a photo of the two coloring pages they drew for it (pages 116 to 119 of the Book may be used). Limit: one entry per Adventurer per round.
• Adventurer of the Year: by invitation only (Section 12).

Photos: no faces, full names, school names, addresses or other identifying details may appear in a photo. Sponsor removes location and device data (metadata) from every uploaded image before it is stored for display. Sponsor may reject an entry that shows identifying details or ask the Parent to send a new photo.

Entries beyond the limits above, and late, incomplete, illegible, altered or automated entries, are void. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late or misdirected entries, or for technical failures of any kind.

8. Alphabet Hero certificates

Every correct Mirror Message entry earns one printable Alphabet Hero certificate with the Adventurer’s first name, sent by email to the Parent. Certificates have no cash value. Certificates stay available after Year 1 until Sponsor posts an end date on the Program Page.

9. Launch Heroes (skill and speed)

The first 26 correct, qualifying Mirror Message entries received after 9:00 a.m. PT on November 15, 2026, each with a photo of the Adventurer’s filled-in Mirror Key page, each win $20. Order is decided by the time Sponsor’s server receives each complete entry; if two have the same recorded time, the one with the lower entry number goes first. Limit one Launch Hero prize per Adventurer. If fewer than 26 qualifying entries are received by the deadline in Section 6, fewer prizes are awarded.

10. Color & Win and Create & Win (public vote)

• Prizes: in each of two rounds, for each age group, one Color & Win award of $50 and one Create & Win award of $50 (eight awards in all).
• Screening: Sponsor reviews every entry before it appears in the online gallery, to check these rules, the photo rules and that the work is original. Approved entries appear in the gallery on YAHREQA.com, shown only by entry number, age group and letter, never by name.
• Who can vote: adults 18 or older who live in the United States. Children may not vote.
• How to vote: each voter gives an email address and confirms the vote from a link sent to it. Each voter may cast one vote per category (Color & Win, Create & Win) per age group per round. Votes are counted only during the voting dates in Section 6.
• Fair voting: duplicate, automated, purchased or traded votes, votes from disposable or fake email addresses, and votes cast by one person using more than one email address are void. Sponsor may disqualify void votes and, if it reasonably believes an entrant or someone acting for them took part, the entry that benefits from them.
• Winners: the eligible entry with the most valid votes in each category, age group and round. Ties are broken by the judges using the criteria in Section 11.
• Limit: an Adventurer may win only one round award (Color & Win or Create & Win) in Year 1. If the top entry belongs to an Adventurer who has already won one, the next eligible entry wins.
• Sharing: Parents may share their entry’s gallery page. Sharing is never required, and no extra votes or entries are ever given for sharing.

11. Judges and judging criteria

The judges are Robert James Sanders (Sponsor’s founder) and up to two more judges with experience in education or children’s books, named on the Program Page before judging begins. The judges break vote ties, choose the two wildcard finalists and choose the Adventurers of the Year, using these criteria, judged against what is typical for the Adventurer’s age group:

• Creativity and originality: 30%
• Use of the letter, its sounds and its words: 25%
• Storytelling (for coloring, how the colors and details tell a story): 25%
• Care and effort: 20%

The judges’ decisions are final.

12. Adventurer of the Year (judged)

The finalists are the eight round winners plus two wildcards chosen by the judges (one per age group) from all eligible round entries: ten finalists, five per age group. Each finalist’s Parent is invited by email by October 1, 2027 to complete the Final Adventure: the Adventurer writes a brand-new story for any letter, draws its two coloring pages and colors them in, and the Parent uploads photos by 11:59 p.m. PT October 31, 2027. The judges choose one Adventurer of the Year per age group. Each wins $500 and a framed print of their winning big picture, and is invited to be a Featured Artist (Section 14).

13. Prizes and values

• Alphabet Hero certificates: no cash value; one per correct Mirror Message entry.
• Launch Heroes: 26 prizes of $20 ($520).
• Color & Win: 4 prizes of $50 ($200).
• Create & Win: 4 prizes of $50 ($200).
• Adventurer of the Year: 2 prizes of $500 ($1,000), each with a framed print (approximate retail value $40 each, $80).
• Featured Artist publication: no cash value.

Total approximate retail value of all prizes: $2,000. Money prizes are paid through Tremendous by email to the Parent, who chooses a gift card or a cash payout from the options Tremendous offers at the time. Prizes are sent within 30 days after the winner is verified. Prizes cannot be transferred or exchanged, except that Sponsor may substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a prize becomes unavailable. An Adventurer may win at most one certificate, one Launch Hero prize, one round award and one Adventurer of the Year prize.

14. Featured Artist (optional)

Each Adventurer of the Year is invited to have their winning story and art printed in a future Atlas to Z book, credited by first name and age, or by a pen name the Parent chooses. This happens only if the Parent signs a separate written Featured Artist License. Saying no does not affect the $500 prize. No royalties or other payment are due for a Featured Artist publication.

15. Winners: notice, verification and alternates

• Sponsor notifies each potential winner’s Parent by email within 10 business days after the Launch Heroes period ends, the close of voting, or the judging.
• To claim, the Parent must reply within 14 days and sign an affidavit of eligibility and, where the law allows, a liability and publicity release on the Adventurer’s behalf.
• Sponsor may ask the Parent to show that an entry is the Adventurer’s own work, for example with photos of the work in progress or a short video call. A Parent must be present for any call that includes the Adventurer; calls are not recorded without the Parent’s written consent; and a Parent may always choose the photo option instead.
• If a Parent does not reply in time, a notice cannot be delivered, a document is not returned, or an entry is found to break these rules, the prize may be forfeited and awarded to an alternate: the next qualifying entry (Launch Heroes), the entry with the next-most valid votes (Color & Win and Create & Win), or the judges’ next choice (Adventurer of the Year).

16. Original work

• Every entry must be the Adventurer’s own original work, made by hand. Grown-ups may read, help with uploading and cheer; the drawing, coloring and writing must be the Adventurer’s.
• No AI tools of any kind (no AI image, writing or story generators), no tracing or copying other people’s work, and no characters, logos or brands from other books, shows, movies or games. Coloring the Book’s own pictures, including Alex and Zoey, is of course allowed.
• No content that is unsafe, unkind or not suitable for children. Sponsor may reject or remove any entry at its sole discretion.

17. Rights in entries

The Adventurer keeps all rights in their artwork and stories. By entering, the Parent grants Sponsor a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to receive, store, copy and review the entry to judge it and run the Program, and, only for Color & Win and Create & Win entries, to show it in the Program’s online gallery on YAHREQA.com during the Program and for up to 90 days after that round’s winners are announced, shown as described in Section 10. Any other use, including marketing, social media posts, printing or publication, needs the Parent’s separate written permission for that use. For Program entries, this section replaces the content license in the YAHREQA! Terms of Service.

18. Publicity

Sponsor may announce a winner by the Adventurer’s first name, age group and state only if the Parent agrees in the winner’s publicity release. Sponsor never uses a child’s photo, voice or likeness for the Program.

19. Privacy

• Sponsor collects personal information only from Parents and adult voters, as described in Sections 7 and 10, and uses it only to run the Program, verify eligibility, send certificates and prizes, and meet legal obligations. Sponsor does not knowingly collect personal information directly from children.
• Sponsor does not sell Program information or use it for advertising. Program pages made for children do not load third-party advertising, analytics or social media scripts.
• Tremendous receives a winning Parent’s name and email address only to deliver a prize.
• Entries and the information sent with them are deleted within 12 months after Year 1 ends, except winner records kept as the law requires (for example, prize and tax records) and anything a Parent has separately allowed in writing. A voter’s email address is deleted within 30 days after that round’s winners are confirmed, unless the voter separately signed up for news.
• A Parent may review, correct or delete their information or their Adventurer’s information, or withdraw an entry, at any time by emailing hello@YAHREQA.com. A withdrawn entry leaves the Program.
• Marketing emails go only to Parents and voters who tick a separate, unticked sign-up box. Signing up is never required to enter, vote or win.
• More detail: the YAHREQA! Privacy Policy at YAHREQA.com/privacy-policy.

20. Taxes

Each winner (through the Parent) is responsible for any taxes on prizes. Sponsor will ask a Parent for an IRS Form W-9 only if IRS rules require Sponsor to report that person’s prizes.

21. Reviews and social media

Reviews of the Book on any store’s website or anywhere else are never required, rewarded, counted or considered in any part of the Program, and Sponsor does not ask for them in connection with the Program. Sharing on social media is never required. Facebook, Instagram, Meta, X, Pinterest, LinkedIn and TikTok do not sponsor, endorse or run the Program and are not associated with it; each Parent and voter releases them from any liability connected with the Program.

22. General conditions

• Sponsor may disqualify anyone who tampers with the Program, enters or votes by automated means, uses more than one identity or email address, or acts unfairly, abusively or against these rules.
• If any part of the Program cannot run as planned because of fraud, technical failure or anything else beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control, Sponsor may change, pause or end that part, post a notice on the Program Page, and award its prizes as fairly as possible from eligible entries received before the problem.
• Sponsor may correct typographical errors in these rules or on the Program Page.
• To the extent the law allows, each Parent, for themselves and the Adventurer, releases Sponsor and its owners, employees, contractors and judges from any claim arising from the Program or any prize, and Sponsor is not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry information, technical problems, or entries that are lost, late or damaged.
• Decisions of Sponsor and the judges on all matters about the Program are final.

23. Governing law and disputes

These Official Rules are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute about the Program will be decided only by the state or federal courts located in Spokane County, Washington.

24. Winners list

For the list of winners (shown by first name, age group and state, only where the Parent allowed it), email hello@YAHREQA.com with the subject “Atlas to Z winners list”, or write to Sponsor at the address in Section 1, by December 31, 2027.