OFFICIAL RULES

1. HOW TO ENTER: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. National Geographic for Kids: Symbols U.S.A. Writing Contest ("Contest") begins at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on April 1, 2002, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on May 31, 2002 ("entry period.") To enter online during the entry period, go to www.nationalgeographic.com/ngforkids. Follow the directions to complete the online entry form, answer the questions, and click "SUBMIT." Entrants must complete all data requested on the online entry form. Online entries must be completed and received by National Geographic by 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 31, 2002. Limit one entry per person. Incomplete entries are void. All entries, including the students' paragraphs, become the property of National Geographic and will not be acknowledged or returned.

National Geographic assumes no responsibility for lost, late, misdirected, illegible, or mutilated entries or for any computer, online, telephone, cable, network, electronic or Internet hardware or software malfunctions, failures, connections, availability, garbled or jumbled transmissions, service provider, Internet, website, or other accessibility or availability issues, or unauthorized human intervention, or any technical malfunctions that may occur. Entrants' parent, guardian, or teacher shall be the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain name associated with the submitted e-mail address.

2. ELIGIBILITY: This Contest is open only to legal residents of the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) who are in grades three through six as of the date the Contest begins. Immediate family members (i.e., children and siblings) of employees of National Geographic, its subsidiaries, affiliates, prize suppliers, and advertising and promotional agencies and individuals living in the same household as such employees are ineligible. This Contest is governed by the laws of the United States and is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited.

3. JUDGING: All entries should be written in English with correct spelling and grammar. The paragraph must be original and should not exceed 200 words in length. Essays will be judged on creativity, writing style, grammar, and spelling. Winners will be selected on or about June 15, 2002, from among all eligible entries received by the Contest deadline. All prize determinations will be conducted at National Geographic's offices, 1145 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-4688. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules and the decisions of the judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entries received. All prizes will be awarded. Limit one prize per person, family, or household. Winners will be notified via e-mail with a Prize Acceptance/Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability form for their parent, guardian, or teacher to fill out and mail to National Geographic with information needed for sending out the prize. National Geographic will send prizes directly to the winner.

4. PRIZES: There will be eleven winners selected and eleven prizes granted. One grand-prize winner will receive airfare, hotel accommodations, and Tourmobile passes for four (4) to Washington, D.C. Five gold-star winners will receive backpacks full of Washington, D.C., souvenirs. Five silver-star winners will receive U.S. flags. The prizes cannot be exchanged for cash, and cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion. National Geographic reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event the offered prize is unavailable. No substitution or transfer of prize permitted except as provided herein.

The top three entries will be published on the National Geographic for Kids website.

5. GENERAL CONDITIONS: All federal, state, and local taxes, fees, and surcharges on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. Parent, legal guardian, or teacher of the Prize winner will be required to execute and return the Prize Acceptance/Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability Form within seven (7) days following notification. Return of any prize and/or prize notification as undeliverable or failure of any entrant to comply with any Official Rules will result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

National Geographic retains the right to edit winning submissions prior to publication. Winners and their parents, legal guardians, or teachers grant National Geographic the right to use and publish their first name and winning paragraph online and in print, or any other media, in connection with the Contest. Except winners who are residents of the State of Tennessee, acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for National Geographic and their advertising and promotional agencies to use winners' names and likenesses for editorials, advertising, and promotional purposes without payment of additional compensation unless prohibited by law. By entering, participants release and hold harmless National Geographic, their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the Contest or any prize won, any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, participation in any Contest-related activity, or participation in the Contest.

As a condition of participating in this Contest, participant agrees that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between and the parties, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively, before a court of competent jurisdiction located in Washington, D.C., which court shall apply the laws of the District of Columbia without regard for rules of conflicts of law. In any such dispute, participant shall, under no circumstances, be entitled to claim punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys' fees, other than participant's actual out-of-pocket expenses (if any) associated with participating in the Contest, and participant hereby waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A CONTESTANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH CONTESTANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

6. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: National Geographic is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions in the Contest, including but not limited to any misprints or typographical errors. National Geographic assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. National Geographic is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of e-mail or players on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof, including injury or damage to participants or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading materials in this Contest. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of completion as planned, including by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of National Geographic which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, National Geographic reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest.

IN NO EVENT WILL NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, ITS PARENTS, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES, AND RELATED COMPANIES, ITS ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL AGENCIES, OR ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, ATTORNEYS, AGENTS, AND REPRESENTATIVES, BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF PARTICIPANT'S ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE INTERNET SITE WWW.NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/NGFORKIDS/, THE DOWNLOADING FROM, AND/OR PRINTING OF MATERIAL FROM SAID SITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON THIS SITE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

7. LIST OF WINNERS: For a list of winners, after July 1, 2002, mail a separate, self-addressed stamped envelope to National Geographic for Kids, Symbols U.S.A. Winners, P.O. Box 98031, Washington, D.C. 20090-8002.