My Business Story Contest Official Rules

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

My Business Story Contest ("Contest") begins at 12:00:01 PM Eastern Time ("ET") on October 24, 2011 and ends at 11:59:59 PM Pacific Time ("PT") on November 15, 2011 ("Contest Period"). Participation in this Contest is subject to these Official Rules and the My Business Story Terms of Use (incorporated herein by reference) ("Terms"). By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the Terms, including the grant of rights set forth therein. Except as otherwise specifically stated herein, all defined terms shall have the meaning set forth in the Terms.

This Contest is sponsored by American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. ("Sponsor").

ELIGIBILITY: Only small businesses that are eligible to use the My Business Story ("Tool") are eligible for this Contest. If your small business is a Restricted Business and/or or does not meet the eligibility restrictions set forth in the Terms, you are not eligible to enter or win in this Contest. Those restrictions include businesses that sell any products or services in a retail establishment or via the Internet that are deemed to be illegal by federal, state and/or local laws, businesses that sell or advertise pornography, guns, escort services, prostitution, illegal medications, weapons of mass destruction, gambling or that promote tobacco use, substance abuse and underage consumption of alcoholic beverages and businesses not otherwise able to advertise on YouTube. Employees of Sponsor, YouTube, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and advertising and promotion agencies, and members of their immediate family (spouse and parent, children and siblings and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and persons living in the same household, whether or not related, of such employees, are not eligible to enter or win. Void where prohibited by law. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws.

HOW TO ENTER: Your Video should (i) tell us the role your business plays to support your community (e.g., this can be demonstrated through giving back time such as coaching little league, donating resources such as supplies to local schools or hiring employees from within your immediate neighborhood; (ii) tell us how your business continually demonstrates a "Customer First" mentality (e.g., recognize that connections and relationships are important and you take pride in servicing your community of customers); and (iii) tell us how your business has devised a model and practices that demonstrate a new way of working that could be shared with other small business owners and that may inspire others and energize the economy. You may also want to include as part of your Video, (i) your personal story about your business; (ii) what makes you excited about the potential for your business; and (iii) personal details as to why your story is unique to your business.

At the time you submit your Video for review, you will also be provided with the option to enter this Contest. If you check the box as directed, your Video will be reviewed for posting in the Video Gallery and, if approved, will also be judged as part of the Contest (and will be considered an "Entry"). Your Entry must comply with all requirements imposed on Videos set forth in the Terms, including, but not limited to, the Video Requirements and Restrictions included in the Terms the YouTube terms of Service www.youtube.com/t/terms as well as all requirements stated within the "YouTube Community Guidelines" set forth at http://www.youtube.com/t/community_guidelines. If, for whatever reason, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, your Entry does not comply with the Terms, it will not be eligible for the Contest. All Entries must be received by 11:59:59 PM PT on November 15, 2011 to be considered for the Contest. You may create and submit as many Videos as you like using the Tool and submit as many Entries as you like into this Contest; however, each Entry must be substantially different than any other Entry submitted by you into the Contest. Entries generated by script, macro, automated or other means which subvert the entry process will be void.

REGIONS: All eligible Entries received will be divided into one of twelve (12) U.S regions as follows (each, a "Region"): New England Region: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; New York Region: New York; Mid-Atlantic Region: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, DC; Southeast Region: Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina; Florida Region: Florida; Midwest Region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin; South Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas; Southwest Region: Arizona and New Mexico; West Region: Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming; California Region: California; Northwest Region: Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington; and Alaska/Hawaii Region: Alaska and Hawaii.

JUDGING: All eligible Entries received for each Region will be judged by a panel of qualified judges based on the following criteria: (i) Community: The role the small business plays to support their community (0-50 points); (ii) Customer Service: The small business who continually demonstrates a "customer first" mentality and takes pride in servicing its customer community (0-30 points); and (iii) Innovation: The small business that has devised a new way of working: (0-20 points). The three (3) Entries in each Region with the highest scores will be deemed the potential winners. In the event of a tie in any Region, an additional, "tie-breaking" judge will determine the winner(s) based on the judging criteria listed herein. Sponsor reserves the right not to award all prizes in any Region if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries for that Region. For the avoidance of doubt, the "winner" will be the owner of the small business named in the Entry. Prize awards are subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. All decisions of the Sponsor and judges will be final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest.

WINNER NOTIFICATION: Potential winners will be notified by telephone, mail and/or email and required to complete an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and Publicity Release (unless prohibited by law) and any other documents required by Sponsor or Google, all of which must be returned within two (2) days of date appearing on prize notification. Return of prize or prize notification as undeliverable, failure to sign and return requested documentation within the specified time period, the inability of Sponsor to contact a potential winner within a reasonable time period or noncompliance with these Official Rules by any potential winner will result in disqualification and, at Sponsor's sole discretion, the prize may be awarded to a runner-up. Judges' and Sponsor's decisions are final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest.

PRIZES (36) (THREE (3) PER REGION): Recognition of the Small Business in the YouTube Masthead on November 25, 2011, a $5,000 Digital Media Plan funded by American Express and executed by Google, which may include search, banners or video advertising and a check in the amount of $1,750 made payable in the name of the small business. Exact details of Digital Media Plan will be determined by American Express and Google. Approximate Retail Value ("ARV") is $6,750.

Total ARV of all prizes: $243,000. Please consult your tax adviser to determine the proper tax treatment of these prizes. Prizes are awarded "as is" with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied. Winners may not substitute, assign or transfer prize or redeem prize for cash, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute prize (or portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value. Unless otherwise specified herein, winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes. All prize details are at Sponsor's sole discretion.

GENERAL CONDITIONS: By participating, each entrant agrees: (a) to abide by these Official Rules and decisions of Sponsor and judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects relating to this Contest; (b) to release, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor, YouTube, and their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies, and the respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents and representatives of the forgoing (collectively, "Released Parties") from any and all injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind to persons, including death, or property resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from entrant's participation in the Contest or any Contest-related activity or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any awarded prize; and (c) to the use by "Released Parties" and their designees of his/her name, voice, performance (including Video Submissions), photograph/video, image and/or likeness for advertising, publicity and promotional purposes in any and all media, now or hereafter known, in any manner worldwide in perpetuity, without additional notification or compensation to, or permission from, entrant, unless prohibited by law.

MISCELLANEOUS: Released Parties are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, inaccurate, stolen, delayed, misdirected, undelivered or garbled Entries; or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or other errors or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, computer, network, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of Entries, the announcement of the prizes or in any Contest-related materials. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest. Released Parties are not responsible for injury or damage to any person's computer related to or resulting from participating in this Contest or downloading materials from or use of the website. Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Contest or website, who act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated Entries will be void. Should any portion of the Contest be, in Sponsor's sole opinion, compromised by virus, worms, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of Entries, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest and, if terminated, at its discretion, select the potential winners for each Region from all eligible, non-suspect Entries received for each Region prior to action taken using the judging procedure outlined above. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

DISPUTES: This Contest shall be governed by and interpreted under the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A. without regard to its conflicts of law provisions. Entrants hereby agree that any and all disputes, claims, causes of action, or controversies ("Claims") arising out of or in connection with this Contest or these Official Rules shall be resolved, upon the election by entrant or Sponsor, by arbitration pursuant to this provision and the code of procedures of either the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services, Inc. ("JAMS") or the American Arbitration Association ("AAA"), as selected by the entrant. In addition to JAMS or AAA, Claims may be referred to any other arbitration organization that is mutually agreed upon in writing by entrant and Sponsor, or to an arbitration organization or arbitrator(s) appointed pursuant to Section 5 of the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. Sections 1-16, provided that any such arbitration organization and arbitrator(s) will enforce the terms of the restrictions on arbitration provision set forth below. IF ARBITRATION IS CHOSEN BY ANY PARTY WITH RESPECT TO A CLAIM, NEITHER PARTY WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO LITIGATE THAT CLAIM IN COURT OR HAVE A JURY TRIAL ON THAT CLAIM. FURTHER, NEITHER SPONSOR NOR ENTRANT WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY ON BEHALF OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC OR OTHER PERSONS SIMILARLY SITUATED, OR AS A MEMBER OF ANY CLASS OF CLAIMANTS PERTAINING TO ANY CLAIM SUBJECT TO ARBITRATION. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH BELOW, THE ARBITRATOR'S DECISION WILL BE FINAL AND BINDING. NOTE THAT OTHER RIGHTS THAT ENTRANT WOULD HAVE IF ENTRANT WENT TO COURT ALSO MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN ARBITRATION. The arbitrator's authority to resolve Claims is limited to Claims between Sponsor and entrant alone, and the arbitrator's authority to make awards is limited to awards to Sponsor and entrant alone. Furthermore, claims brought by either party against the other may not be joined or consolidated in arbitration with Claims brought by or against any third party, unless agreed to in writing by all parties. No arbitration award or decision will have any preclusive effect as to issues or claims in any dispute with anyone who is not a named party to the arbitration. Notwithstanding any other provision in these Official Rules and without waiving either party's right to appeal such decision, should any portion of this provision be deemed invalid or unenforceable, then the entire provision (other than this sentence) shall not apply.

REQUEST FOR WINNERS’ LIST: For a list of winners (available after 11/26/11), send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: My Business Story Contest, c/o Centra Marketing & Communications, LLC, 1400 Old Country Road, Suite 420, Westbury, NY 11590. All requests must be received by December 30, 2011.

SPONSOR: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., 200 Vesey Street, New York, NY 10285.