Photo Contest Rules

The Ohio River Paddlefest Paddlefest 2011
Photo Contest Official Rules & Policies

  1. Artists retain copyright of their images at all times. No ifs or buts about it.
  2. TORW Paddlefest 2011 Photo Contest strives to promote the preservation, improvement and enjoyment of the Ohio River.
  3. TORW Paddlefest 2011 Photo Contest (herein after The Contest) is open to photographers 13 years of age or older at the time of entry, and all skill levels: juniors, amateur and professional.
  4. All TORW Paddlefest 2011 officers, organizers and their immediate family members are ineligible to enter.
  5. In order to be eligible to participate in The Contest, all photographers must agree to and obey all the Rules & Policies set forth by the organizers. Upon registration, all photographers are required to acknowledge said agreement. Registration can be done electronically through http://www.ohioriverpaddlefest.org/paddlefest/photo-contest/ or by mail. Please download an entry form, fill it up and mail the entry form and a disk with your pictures to:David Abad
    ORW Paddlefest Photo Contest
    4520 Cooper Rd. Suite 201
    Cincinnati, OH 45242.

    This agreement is necessary for a valid entry to be accepted. Photographers who are under age 18 must have a parent or guardian process their entry form. If processing it online, once you have filled and submitted your entry form, proceed to upload your photos via the link provided on the website.

  6. Images will be stored and displayed in http://www.ohioriverway.smugmug.com . You will be able to submit your images electronically, unless you decide to send your entry via mail.
  7. Artists retain copyright of their images at all times, but by entering the contest, they agree to grant The Contest and The Ohio River Paddlefest a non-exclusive, limited license for editorial uses, promotional purposes, advertising, and/or the production of merchandise items relating to the promotion or advertising of the event for a total of 2 years. No additional compensation (other than the original prize) will be made to photographers, and a photographer’s eligibility in this competition is contingent upon this agreement. Proper photo credit will be given to each published photograph; in the event of an erroneous oversight or misprint, the publishing company, the magazine, the competition officials, and related agencies will not be held liable for real or perceived “damages.” In addition, winning and honorable mention entries will be stored in a “Winners” archive only to show past winning entries.
  8. All photographs must have been captured during TORW Paddlefest 2011, from June 23rd thru June 25th 2010. Entries can be submitted starting June 27th and no later than August 5th of 2011.
    For mailed in entries, materials must be postmarked by August 5thth. The Contest will not be responsible for incomplete, lost, damaged, late or misdirected entries or for failure to receive entries due to transmission failures or technical failures of any kind, including, without limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with sender or The Contest.
  9. There are three (3) divisions in this competition: Junior, Amateur and Professional. Photographers are only allowed to participate in one division.
    Junior: Any underage photographer.
    Amateur: Any photographer who does not earn a living as a photographer.
    Professional: Any photographer who earns at least 40% of his/her income as a photographer.
  10. There are three (3) categories. Photographers may enter a maximum of six (6) images in their division, and no more than two (2) per category. Categories are: (1) Any Scape, (2) Human Interest and (3) Abstract. The definitions of each category are listed below. All decisions by the judges are final.
    (1) Any Scape is defined as scenic view or overview of a particular location or event, showing the area’s terrain. It may include landmarks and geological highlights, as well as land, sky, bodies of water and crowds.
    (2) Human Interest is as an image that illustrates human interaction with nature. The image may show or imply a person or persons engaged in an outdoor activity or encountering/experiencing nature in some manner. The image may show or imply a person’s presence via a shadow, reflection, or silhouette for example. The subject(s) must be outdoors.
    (3) Abstract is an image where the subject is not readily identifiable or only shows part of a whole subject. Consider lines, patterns, textures, and/or subject movement for greater appeal. Originality, creativity in composing and executing an image will be taken into account.
  11. Judges reserve the right to disqualify any entry that is deemed obscene, offensive or otherwise inappropriate for viewing by a general audience.
  12. A panel of qualified judges, selected by The Contest, will select the finalists from among all eligible entries after the contest deadline, judging all eligible entries according to four criteria and equal weight will be given to each criterion. All judges’ decisions are final.
    1. Artistic merit, clarity and composition
    2. Technical quality
    3. Originality in representation of the theme
    4. Emotional impact of the image
  13. Photographers are restricted from altering their images in any way that affects the original scene at the time of capture. Most image modifications, via Adobe Photoshop or similar software programs, are NOT acceptable. All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared at the time of capture. Nothing should be added to the image; and other than minor dust spots, nothing should be removed. Slight cropping, minor color and contrast adjustments are acceptable when applied to the entire image. The use of “layers” to make adjustments is NOT acceptable. Images that violate or undermine the integrity of these rules will be disqualified. Professional division winners might be asked to show the original raw file as proof that no excessive cropping or adjustments were performed onto the image as submitted, if there is a question in the judges’ opinion.
  14. PRIZES: 3 Grand Prizes will be awarded (best overall per division) and include a framed print of the winning entry and an event T-Shirt. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners for each category will receive a print of their entry. Other prizes may be awarded for each category at the discretion of The Contest. Prizes are not transferable. The Contest reserves the right to substitute any prize with another of equal or greater value.
  15. NAMING YOUR FILES: Photographers must use the following name set up before submitting their images to the contest.
    If the information below belonged to an entrant, the following naming criteria must be used.

    Artist: Donald E. Arway Division: Junior Category: Any Scape File Name: DSC_0321.jpg
    (Please include middle initial just in case someone else has the same initials as you)

    Name format : Artist Initials_Division_Category_File number.file type

    File name would be as follows: DEA_J_S_DSC_0321.jpg

    If the photographer is entering two (2) images in the same category, add an “A” immediately after the category on the first image, and a “B” immediately after the category on the second image. For example: DEA_J_SA_DSC_0321.jpg and DEA_J_SB_DSC_0323.jpg

    For Division use: J for Junior, A for Amateur and P for Professional

    For Category use: S for Any Scape, H for Human Interest and A for Abstract

  16. Photographers and/or their families will hold harmless officials and judges of The Contest, its sponsors and subsidiaries, and/or its designee, event sponsors and vendors, and their employees and/or volunteers in the event of loss, personal injury, or death as a result of participating in The Contest. Photographers are solely responsible for their own well-being, safety, and protection—even though safety rules and/or regulations may be in place in designated areas. A photographer’s eligibility in this competition is contingent upon this agreement. In the case of a photographer under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must consent to these terms and conditions.
    By entering the contest, contestant certifies that the submitted image(s) is/are his/her own original work, that the image does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim or interest in the photograph.
  17. Winner Notification and Acceptance. Winners will be notified on or about September 9th, 2011 via the telephone number or e-mail address submitted with their entries. Winners’ names will also be posted on http://www.ohioriverpaddlefest.org. Failure to reach winner by phone or failure to respond to electronic mail may result in disqualification of winner, forfeiture of his or her interest in all prizes, and selection of a substitute winner from among all remaining eligible entries. Winners may waive their right to receive prizes. Prizes are nontransferable. No substitutions allowed by winner. Prizes and individual components of prize packages are subject to availability and contest organizer reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value. Winners are solely responsible for reporting and payment of any taxes on prizes. Winners may be required to complete an affidavit of eligibility/liability certifying that the entrant’s submission is entrant’s original work, that entrant owns right to the work and that entrant has complied with the Official Rules of the Contest, and a liability and publicity release (except where prohibited by law) which must be returned within ten (10) days of date of personal delivery or date of postmark. Failure to sign and return the affidavit or release within ten (10) days, or to comply with any term or condition of these Official Rules, may result in a winner’s disqualification, the forfeiture of his or her interest in the prize, and the award of the prize to a substitute winner. Except where prohibited, acceptance of any prize constitutes winner’s consent to the publication of his or her name, biographical information and likeness in any media for any commercial or promotional purpose in relation to the contest without limitation. Prizes not won and claimed by eligible winners in accordance with these Official Rules will not be awarded and will remain the property of organizer.