Work with your classmates and teacher to come up with ideas. The habitat should be something you could actually create (with some adult help). It must also be appropriate for where you live.

Ready to give it a try? Then get busy. After all, creating a schoolyard habitat is a great way to improve your school—and your world.

In addition, a forester from the International Paper Company will visit each school to finalize the habitat design and make a presentation on the importance of protecting habitats.

A representative from the U.S. Department of the Interior and Take Pride in America will visit one of the winning schools.

Schools will begin creating their habitats in April 2004.

All entries must be postmarked by January 10, 2004.

Step 1: Read the Protecting Habitats supplement to the September 2003 issue of National Geographic Explorer classroom magazine.

Step 2: Work with your teacher and classmates to design a schoolyard habitat.

• Take photos of the place where your habitat will be.
• Write a description of your habitat plan. Describe the area. Tell what you'll do and why.
• Make an illustration (drawing, painting, computer art, or other medium) of how the finished habitat will look.

Step 4: Mail entries to the following address.

Habitat Hero Contest (M-2412)
National Geographic Explorer
1145 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036-4688

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC "HABITAT HERO" OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

WHO MAY ENTER

School classes with children who are legal residents of the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii (excluding Puerto Rico), who, during the entire Contest Term, are enrolled in grades three, four, five, or six at a public or private school in the United States during the 2003-2004 school year (each a "Class") may enter. Each Class may submit only one entry. If a school has more than one Class per grade, each Class may enter one time; however, each school may only win once. Employees of Sponsor, its subsidiaries, affiliates, prize suppliers, and advertising and promotional agencies and individuals living in the same household as such employees, International Paper Company Foundation, the National Geographic Education Foundation, Youth Service America and Take Pride in America, their agencies, franchises and their immediate families or members of the same household are not eligible.

SPONSOR

National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036-4688 ("Sponsor" or "NGS").

HOW TO ENTER

ALL ENTRIES WILL BECOME THE PROPERTY OF THE SPONSORS, AND NONE WILL BE RETURNED.

Follow these steps to enter. All eligible entries must be postmarked by January 10, 2004 to be considered.

1. Visit www.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/contests to print the Official Entry Form. Read it carefully as it will contain instructions for creating and submitting the entry.

To enter, each Class must create a proposal for a schoolyard habitat suitable for the school’s location ("Habitat Plan"). A Habitat Plan is a description of an area where plants and animals can live. The Habitat Plan must include a description of the area where the habitat is to be made; a description of the work to be done; information on who will do that work; photographs of the proposed Habitat Plan area; and an illustration (drawing, painting, or other illustration in other appropriate medium) that shows what the area will look like after the habitat is finished.

2. The Class teacher must complete the entry form by providing all information requested. Incomplete entries will be deemed void and will not be considered.

Attach your Habitat Plan (including a description and drawing) to the entry form and mail to the address below. Each Class teacher must read and sign the entry form.

3. Mail the Habitat Plan and entry form to the following address. Remember: All entries must be postmarked by January 10, 2004.

Habitat Hero Contest (M-2412)
National Geographic Explorer
1145 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036-4688

Neither Sponsor nor International Paper Company Foundation, the National Geographic Education Foundation, Youth Service America or Take Pride in America will be responsible for late, lost, stolen, mutilated, incomplete, illegible, misdirected, or postage due mail, or for unauthorized human intervention, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Sponsor is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of entries in the Contest, including but not limited to any misprints or typographical errors.

Entries must be the students’ original work and must not have previously published in any media or have won any awards.

CONTEST JUDGING

On or about February 10, 2004 Contest judges will select five (5) winning Habitat Plans based upon the following judging criteria, with all criteria having equal weight:

• Does this Habitat Plan reflect an understanding of habitats and related science topics?
• Is this Habitat Plan appropriate to the local ecosystem?
• Could this Habitat Plan actually be implemented?
• Does this Habitat Plan show signs of creativity and original thinking?
• Does this Habitat Plan contain accurate factual information?
• Does this Habitat Plan include good writing (in English) in terms of content, organization, and conventions?
• Is the entry form that must accompany each entry complete?

THERE WILL BE FIVE (5) PRIZE PACKAGES: Each of five winning schools will receive $1,000 to build a schoolyard habitat, and the students in each of the five winning Classes will each receive a special T-shirt. Approximate retail value of T-shirt: $12.95.Total prize value will vary based upon the number of students in the winning Classes. ONLY ONE PRIZE PACKAGE PER SCHOOL WILL BE AWARDED.

Reasonable efforts will be made for a forester from the International Paper Company to visit each winning Class to help finalize the schoolyard Habitat Plan and make a presentation on the importance of protecting habitats.

The winning school with the highest overall score will receive a visit from a representative of the U.S. Department of the Interior and Take Pride in America. In the event of a tie between two or more of the five winning schools, the winning school with the highest score for the question "Does this Habitat Plan reflect an understanding of habitats and related science topics?" will receive the visit from the Department of the Interior and Take Pride in America.

Sponsor will notify potentially winning Classes using the contact information supplied on the entry form. Reasonable efforts to reach each potential winning Class will be made, but Sponsors are not responsible for inaccurate or incomplete contact information, or for potential winners’ failure to respond to notification.

All federal, state, and local taxes, fees, and surcharges on prizes are the sole responsibility of the winning Class’s school.

Sponsor cannot guarantee that a forester will be able to visit the winning Classes, or that the forester will be available within a reasonable amount of time after prize notification to help finalize the Habitat Plan and make a presentation. Sponsor 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 is permitted except as provided for herein.

OWNERSHIP AND PUBLICATION OF CONTEST ENTRIES

Selected entries may be published in National Geographic Explorer, on the magazine’s website, or in other media, at Sponsor’s discretion. By participating, all entrants, including each student, student’s parent or guardian, Class, school, and school representatives grant ownership in the entries to Sponsor, and acknowledge that Sponsor may use the entries in any media now or hereafter known, without restriction, including commercially using and exploiting the entries to fullest extent possible. Sponsors will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use or exploitation. Additionally, by participating, each student, student’s parent or guardian, Class, school, and the school’s representatives grant to Sponsor the unrestricted right to use all statements made in connection with the Contest, and pictures or likeness of Contest participants (including teachers, students, and school administrators) and schools, or choose not to do so, at its sole discretion.

Schools with winning Classes agree to assist, if needed, with Sponsor’s coverage of the Contest. By participating, teachers and school officials agree to assist Sponsor in obtaining permission from parents or guardians to use students’ names, likenesses, and statements relating to the Contest, or in perfecting Sponsor’s ownership of the entries. Neither Sponsor nor Sponsor’s agent will be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use or exploitation.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY AND A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. This Contest is VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Decisions of Sponsor are final. All entries must be in English. Sponsor will not acknowledge receipt of entries. Winners, school representatives, and students’ parents or legal guardians may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release and entry assignment within 15 days of receipt of prize notification. Noncompliance or return of prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Sponsor, International Paper Company Foundation, the National Geographic Education Foundation, Youth Service America, and Take Pride in America reserve the right to substitute prizes of equal or comparable value. By participating, schools (including school representatives), Classes and student participants, and their parents or legal guardians agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless Sponsor, International Paper Company Foundation, the National Geographic Education Foundation, Youth Service America, and Take Pride in America and their respective partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in this Contest or any Contest-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder. As a condition of participating in this Contest, entrants, including the Classes, schools, and parents or legal guardians of student participants, agree that any and all disputes which cannot be resolved between and among 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, under no circumstances shall any student participant, student participant’s parent or guardian, Class, school, or school representative 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 all such parties hereby waive all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of completion as planned, including by reason of fraud, act of God, or any other factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control which corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. Schools (including school representatives), Classes, student participants, and their parents or legal guardians also agree (a) to be bound by these Official Rules; (b) that the decisions of Sponsor and judges are final on all matters relating to the Contest; and (c) if any student participant’s Class wins, Sponsor, International Paper Company Foundation, the National Geographic Education Foundation, Youth Service America and Take Pride in America may use each participant’s name, photograph, likeness, and/or voice in any publicity or advertising relating to the Contest or future promotions without compensation or approval (except in Tennessee and where prohibited by law) as further discussed above. For names of winners or Official Rules, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to SPONSOR: National Geographic Society, 1145 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036, Attn: Francis Downey (Residents of Vermont need not include postage.) This Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Certain restrictions may apply. Prizes provided by Sponsor, International Paper Company Foundation, the National Geographic Education Foundation, Youth Service America, and Take Pride in America. To be excluded from lists used by Sponsor to mail contests or sweepstakes, submit request in writing to sponsor at above address.