Best Friend Stories: Official Rules

Best Friend Stories Contest: Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR ENTRY'S SCORE OR CHANGE THE RESULT. THIS IS A CONTEST OF SKILL. WINNERS ARE DETERMINED BY JUDGING ON MERIT, NOT BY RANDOM SELECTION. OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WHO ARE 18 OR OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Updated November 11, 2026: Sponsor added a grand prize, the Best Friend Nursery (Section 9). It is open to every eligible entry, including entries already received.

1. Sponsor

The Best Friend Stories Contest (the "Contest") is sponsored by OB Designs LLC, 8429 Alderman Road, Jacksonville, FL 32211 ("Sponsor", "OB", "we", "us"). Contact: hello@obdesignsusa.com.

2. Eligibility

The Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 or older at the time of entry.
Employees, officers and directors of Sponsor and its agencies, and their immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings, children) and household members, are not eligible.
A parent or legal guardian may enter about their child. The parent or legal guardian is the entrant.
By entering, you confirm that you are 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.
The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

3. Entry Period

The Contest begins at 1:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, December 6, 2026 (the "Entry Period"). It runs in four weekly rounds. Round 1 opens at 1:00 a.m. PT on its first day. Rounds 2 to 4 open at 12:00 a.m. PT on their first day. Each round closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on its last day.

Round 1: 1:00 a.m. PT Tuesday, November 10 to Sunday, November 15, 2026. Judged Monday, November 16, 2026.
Round 2: Monday, November 16 to Sunday, November 22, 2026. Judged Monday, November 23, 2026.
Round 3: Monday, November 23 to Sunday, November 29, 2026. Judged Monday, November 30, 2026.
Round 4: Monday, November 30 to Sunday, December 6, 2026. Judged Monday, December 7, 2026.

Each entry is placed in the round that is open, by Pacific Time, when Sponsor's system receives it. Sponsor's clock is the official timekeeper. Entries received outside the Entry Period will not be accepted.

4. How to Enter

Complete the entry form on the Best Friend Stories page at obdesignsusa.com/pages/best-friend-stories (the form is hosted for Sponsor at obfriends.co). The form asks for:

your first name, last name, email address and 5-digit US ZIP code;
your child's stage (or that it is your own childhood best friend);
a story about a best friend, in 25 words or fewer (required);
a photo (optional);
whether you already have an OB friend, and which one (optional).

To enter, you check one box to confirm that you are eligible under Section 2 and that you agree to these Official Rules, including the photo confirmations in Section 6 and the license in Section 13. The box to receive marketing emails is separate and optional, and entry does not depend on it.

Any best friend counts, whatever the brand: a hand-me-down rabbit, another brand's bear, or your own childhood best friend. You don't need to own an OB product.

A story of more than 25 words cannot be submitted. A word is any group of characters separated by a space that contains at least one letter or number.

5. Entry Limits

Limit one entry per person per round. You may enter again in each new round.
Each entry has one story and, if you choose, one photo.
The entry form accepts one entry per email address per round. Using more than one email address to enter the same round violates these Official Rules, and Sponsor may disqualify the extra entries.
Entries made in bulk, by automated means, by script or through a third party are void.

6. Photos and Entry Requirements

A photo can show a child with their best friend, the best friend on its own, or your own childhood best friend. Adding a photo also makes your entry eligible for the best photo prize. By adding a photo and agreeing to these Official Rules, you confirm that:

you took the photo or have the right to submit it;
you are the parent or legal guardian of any minor shown, or have that parent's or guardian's consent;
everyone shown has agreed to it being shared.

Each entry must be your own original work, must not infringe anyone's rights, and must not be offensive, unlawful or misleading. Please don't include a child's full name, school or neighborhood in your photo or story. The form converts your photo to a JPEG, resizes it, and removes location data and other hidden information before it is stored.

7. Judging Criteria

Eligible entries are judged by a panel of at least two Sponsor staff members. Each judge scores each eligible entry from 1 to 10 on each criterion below, and the panel's scores are averaged.

Stories: originality (40%), warmth (40%) and how well the story captures a best friend (20%).
Photos: how well the photo captures a best friend (60%) and composition (40%).

Each round is judged separately on the judging date in Section 3. If two story entries have the same score, the entry with the higher originality score ranks higher. If entries are still tied, or two photos have the same score, the judges review the tied entries again against the same criteria and agree on a result. Ties are never broken by random selection.

The judges' decisions are final and binding on all matters relating to the Contest.

8. Prizes and Approximate Retail Value (ARV)

In each round, Sponsor will award:

Best story (1 winner): The Best Friend Family. One Big best friend (Beau, Betsy, Bailey, Ziggy or Kip), any character in Classic 34cm and Little 25cm, plus a lovey of the winner's choice. ARV: US$135 to US$170, depending on the characters chosen.
Best photo (1 winner): The Best Friend Family, as above. ARV: US$135 to US$170.
Runners-up (up to 3): a Classic 34cm best friend of the winner's choice. ARV: US$30 to US$45 each.

Across four rounds, up to 8 Best Friend Families and 12 Classic best friends will be awarded, with a total ARV of up to US$1,900. With the grand prize in Section 9, the total ARV of all prizes is up to US$2,240.

Runners-up are selected by the judges from the next highest scoring story and photo entries in that round.
Each entry can win only one prize in its round. You may enter, and win, in more than one round. Any entry, including a round winner, may also win the grand prize in Section 9.
Prize characters are chosen by the winner from available stock. If a chosen character is unavailable, Sponsor will substitute a prize of equal or greater value.
Prizes are not transferable, and no cash substitute is offered.
If a round does not receive enough eligible entries, Sponsor may award fewer prizes in that round.
Winners are responsible for all taxes on prizes. Where required by law, Sponsor will issue an IRS Form 1099 to any winner whose prizes from Sponsor total US$600 or more in a calendar year, and may ask that winner for a completed IRS Form W-9 before awarding a prize.

9. Grand Prize and Additional Prizes

Grand prize (1 winner): The Best Friend Nursery. Five Big best friends (Big Beau, Big Betsy, Big Bailey, Big Ziggy and Big Kip) plus a crochet baby blanket in a color of the winner's choice from available stock, packed with a signed card. ARV: US$340.

Every eligible entry received in any of the four rounds is eligible for the grand prize, including entries that have already won a round prize.
The grand prize will be judged on December 7, 2026 by the judges described in Section 7. The judges will score the story entries from all four rounds again against the story criteria in Section 7, and the highest scoring entry wins. Ties are resolved as described in Section 7, never by random selection.
The potential winner will be notified and must claim the prize as described in Section 11. If the potential winner cannot be reached, does not respond within 7 days, or is found ineligible, the grand prize may be awarded to the next highest scoring eligible entry.
If any item is unavailable, Sponsor will substitute an item of equal or greater value. No transfer or cash substitute is offered. The tax terms in Section 8 apply to the grand prize.

Sponsor may announce other additional prizes during the Contest. If it does, Sponsor will add them to these Official Rules on this page before they are judged, with their judging criteria and ARV. Any additional prize will be awarded by judging on merit, never by random selection, and will not reduce the prizes in Section 8.

10. Odds

This is a contest of skill. Winners are determined by judging under Section 7, not by random selection. The outcome depends on the number and quality of eligible entries received in each round, and for the grand prize, across all four rounds.

11. Winner Notification, Affidavit and Release

Potential winners are notified by email within 2 business days of their round's judging date.
To claim a prize, a potential winner must reply to that email or use the claim link in it, with their character choices and a US delivery address.
A potential winner may be required to sign and return a declaration of eligibility, a liability release and, where lawful, a publicity release within 7 days of the date the request is sent.
If a potential winner cannot be reached, does not respond or return any required documents within 7 days, is found ineligible, or does not comply with these Official Rules, the prize may be forfeited and awarded to the next highest scoring eligible entry in that round.
Prizes are shipped free within the US within 21 days of the winner confirming their choices and address, and returning any required documents.

12. Publicity

Except where prohibited by law, by accepting a prize, a winner agrees that Sponsor may use their first name, state, entry and the fact that they won, for example "Sarah, CA", in advertising and promotion in any media, without further compensation. Sponsor never publishes a winner's last name, email address or ZIP code.

13. License to Use Entries

By entering, you grant Sponsor a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, display and share your story and any photo, with credit by first name and state only, on Sponsor's website, in email, on social media and in advertising, and for Sponsor's retailers to repost it, for 24 months from the date you enter. This applies whether or not your entry wins and is a condition of entry. Sponsor may make minor edits for length or format but will not change the meaning of your story.

You keep ownership of your story and photo. You can ask Sponsor to stop using your entry at any time by emailing hello@obdesignsusa.com. Sponsor will stop new uses on its own channels within 14 days. Emails already sent and reposts by others before your request cannot be recalled.

14. Public Gallery

Sponsor may show entries in a public gallery at obfriends.co/gallery, with a page for each entry that can be shared. Sponsor reviews every entry before it appears, and not every entry will appear. The gallery shows only the story, any photo, the round, whether the entry won, and the entrant's first name and state. It never shows a last name, email address or ZIP code. Gallery pages ask search engines not to list them.

To have an entry removed from the gallery, email hello@obdesignsusa.com and Sponsor will take it down within 2 business days. The gallery may stay up for up to 24 months after the Contest ends.

15. Privacy

Sponsor collects the information on the entry form, your entry, and limited technical information (a one-way coded version of your IP address, used to prevent spam and check invites, plus any campaign tags in the link you used) to run the Contest, contact winners and run the Invite a Friend offer in Section 21. A security check by Cloudflare helps prevent automated entries. Sponsor's service providers, including Cloudflare and Klaviyo, process this information on Sponsor's behalf.

All entrants must be 18 or older. Sponsor does not knowingly collect personal information from children. Entrants should not include a child's full name, school or neighborhood in an entry.

If you check the marketing box, Sponsor will also send you OB emails. That box is separate and optional, entry does not depend on it, and you can unsubscribe at any time. See Sponsor's privacy policy at obdesignsusa.com/policies/privacy-policy.

16. Disputes and Governing Law

These Official Rules and the Contest are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict of law rules. Except where prohibited, you agree that any dispute arising out of or relating to the Contest will be resolved individually, without any class action, exclusively in the state or federal courts located in the State of Florida. Except where prohibited, any recovery is limited to your actual out-of-pocket costs of entering, and in no event will you be entitled to attorneys' fees or punitive, incidental or consequential damages.

17. Release and Limitation of Liability

By entering, you agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, its parents, affiliates, agencies and retailers, and their officers, directors, employees and agents (the "Released Parties") from any liability, injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from your participation in the Contest or the acceptance or use of any prize, except where caused by the Released Parties' gross negligence or willful misconduct, or where such a release is prohibited by law.

18. Winners List

For a list of winners, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Best Friend Stories Winners List, OB Designs LLC, 8429 Alderman Road, Jacksonville, FL 32211, to be received by March 31, 2027. Winners are also shown, by first name and state, in the gallery at obfriends.co/gallery.

19. General Conditions

Sponsor may disqualify any entry or entrant that is offensive, infringing, misleading or ineligible, that shows someone without consent, or that violates these Official Rules.
If fraud, tampering, a technical failure or any other cause beyond Sponsor's reasonable control affects the administration, security or fairness of the Contest, Sponsor may cancel, suspend or modify the Contest. If the Contest is canceled, Sponsor may judge eligible entries received before the cancellation.
Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged or misdirected entries, or for technical, network or computer failures of any kind.
Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules is not a waiver of that term. If any provision is found invalid, the other provisions remain in effect.
Sponsor may update these Official Rules to correct errors or to add prizes under Section 9. Any change will be posted on this page and will not reduce what existing entrants can win.
The Contest is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Meta, Instagram, Facebook or Google.

20. Entry Data and Records

In the event of a dispute over the identity of an entrant, the entry will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry.

21. Invite a Friend (a separate offer)

Invite a Friend is a separate thank-you offer. It is not part of the Contest and has no effect on judging, on any entry or on who wins.

After you enter, you get a personal invite link. If someone enters through your link and Sponsor approves their entry, you and they each get a single-use code for a free Mini Mate with your next order.
Invites work across borders. The friend you invite can live in the United States or Australia. Each person's code is for the OB store in their own country: obdesignsusa.com for entrants in the US, and www.obdesigns.com.au for entrants in Australia.
This is a gift with purchase. On obdesignsusa.com, the code adds one Mini Mate (retail value US$18) to an order that includes at least one other item. There is no minimum purchase amount. Codes expire at 11:59 p.m. PT on February 28, 2027.
The code can be used together with the store's free gift offer, while that offer is running.
The person you invite must use their own email address and be entering Best Friend Stories for the first time, in either country. A friend in the US must be eligible under Section 2. A friend in Australia must be eligible under the Australian terms at www.obdesigns.com.au/pages/best-friend-stories-terms.
An invite does not qualify if it comes from the same internet connection as yours, uses the same email address as yours (including the same address with dots or a "+" tag added), uses a temporary or disposable email address, or if either entry is disqualified or violates these Official Rules. Sponsor decides whether an invite qualifies.
You can receive up to 3 codes for inviting others. A person can receive only one code for being invited.
Codes are single use. They have no cash value and cannot be redeemed for cash, transferred or resold. If Mini Mates are out of stock, Sponsor will offer an item of equal or greater value.
Sponsor emails codes after it approves the invite, usually within 5 business days. If codes run out for a time, yours will be sent as soon as more are available, in the order invites were approved.
Sponsor never contacts the people you invite. You choose who to share your link with, so please only share it with people who would like to hear about it.
Sponsor may withhold or cancel a code if it reasonably believes the offer has been misused, for example through self-referral, fake entries or multiple email addresses.