Hopkins County Chamber Photo Contest
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Chamber of Commerce Photo Contest Rules
Term:
The Chamber of Commerce’s Sixth Annual Photography Contest begins August 1, 2022, and ends August 31, 2022, at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time (CST). By submitting an entry, each contestant agrees to the rules of the contest. Children may submit entries.
Who may enter:
Anyone who resides in Hopkins County is eligible to enter. There is no age limit.
What to enter:
The following seven contest categories are drawn from subjects of special interest to the Chamber of Commerce:
- Natural World: Animals, plants and landscapes, geological or climatological features, and scientific processes and endeavors relating to Hopkins County.
- Travel: Locales, people, or activities in Hopkins County that convey a sense of place.
- Family and People: Individuals from all walks of life. May include activities specific to Hopkins County.
- The Hopkins County Experience: Events, objects, or activities connecting those who live in Hopkins County to their history or their cultural heritage; photographs that tell us what it means to live in Hopkins County and provide a sense of what it is like to live in this county.
- Altered Images:Photographs manipulated for artistic purposes by applying digital and/or traditional special effects (i.e., colorizing, toning, collage, photo composites, HDR, etc.).
- Mobile:The Chamber will award recognition to the best photograph submitted in any of the other categories that was taken with a mobile device (phone or tablet).
- Children: Children ages 0-18 may enter in this division in any of the above categories.
To be eligible for any category, a photograph must have been shot by the entrant since January 1, 2021.
Cropped photos are eligible in all categories. We do not accept digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered photos, except for those entered in the Altered Images category. Minor adjustments, including spotting, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast and slight color adjustment or the digital equivalents, are acceptable for all categories. If the judges determine that a photographer has altered his or her photo, they reserve the right to move the photo to Altered Images or to disqualify it.
For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you must secure a model release from the subject or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian and provide it to the Chamber upon request.
*If you have a signed model release, please retain it in your personal files. If you are selected as a finalist, you will be asked to submit the release at that time.
Similarly, entrants whose photos depict other people’s work (such as sculptures, statues, paintings, and other copyrightable works) may need to obtain a release from the rights holder and provide it to the Chamber upon request. When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close-up of another person’s creation.
Photographs that have won other major photo contests, either online or in print, as determined by the Chamber, are not eligible for submission. If a photograph wins another major photo contest post-submission, it is not eligible for a prize but may still be recognized as an Editor’s Pick or Photo of the Day. We define “winning” as having won a grand prize or 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place overall. Photos that violate or infringe upon another person’s rights, including but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.
Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent, or other objectionable or inappropriate content, as determined by the Chamber in its sole discretion, are ineligible for all categories of this contest.
How to enter:
Please email submitted photographs and requested information. You may submit no more than ten (10) photographs, total. In order to be displayed in our online gallery without being stretched or distorted, photographs must be submitted in .jpeg, .jpg or .gif format, edited for web, at least 2,000 pixels wide and no larger than 10 MB. You must complete a separate form for each photo submitted.
We do not accept photographs submitted through the mail and do not accept more than one contestant per e-mail address. High-quality scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Digital photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible.
You retain your rights to your photograph; however, by entering the contest, you grant the Chamber of Commerce (and those authorized by the Chamber) a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce, and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any Chamber of Commerce purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of the magazine and its website, exhibition, and commercial products, including but not limited to Chamber of Commerce publications. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. The Chamber of Commerce will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.
Entry deadline:
The contest begins on August 1, 2022. All entries must be received by 11:59 PM Central Standard Time on August 31, 2021. Entries will be submitted online to HopkinsChamber.org.
Photo entries will be judged based on creativity, quality, originality, responsiveness to the prompt, representation of Hopkins County, and overall impact.
Judging will be conducted by the board members of the Chamber of Commerce. Please indicate if you are below 18 years of age and would like to be entered into the Children’s division. The Chamber will select a winner for each category and a Grand Prize Winner. Winning photographs will be announced on local media and in the local Chamber Connection.
The winners will appear on our website and in our upcoming directory. Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.
Prizes: The winning photographs will be featured on our website, social media sites, and Chamber of Commerce correspondence and advertising.
Grand Prize: The grand prize photograph will be featured on our website and in our Chamber of Commerce Membership Directory published in February of 2023.
Entrants are solely responsible for their entries. Entrants may not submit materials that introduce any software viruses, worms, or other programs designed to damage software, hardware or telecommunications equipment or are off-topic, partisan-political, contain advertising, nudity, personal attacks or expletives, or is otherwise abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, discriminatory, libelous, obscene, false, sexually explicit, or that infringes on the rights of any third party.
The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. The Chamber reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at its discretion. In the event of a dispute regarding the winners, the Chamber reserves the right to award or not award the prizes/honors in its sole discretion. The Chamber reserves the right to disqualify any entrant whose entry or conduct appears in any way to: inhibit the enjoyment of others; tamper with the competition; violate these rules or other applicable law or regulation; infringe on the rights of third parties; or act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Decisions of the Chamber are final and binding.