Now Accepting Entries for Wildlife Calendar Photo Contest
Deadline 5 p.m. MST Aug. 11, 2017
Contest Rules
REMEMBER: Email photo submissions to photocontest@azgfd.gov
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is hosting its 11th annual wildlife calendar photo contest. Winners and honorable mentions will be published in the 2018 calendar issue of the department’s wildlife magazine, Arizona Wildlife Views.
Eligibility
The contest is open to all amateur and professional photographers, age 18 and older. Employees of the contest sponsor (the Arizona Game and Fish Department) and members of their immediate family (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees, whether or not related, are not eligible.
Content
This contest is for images of Arizona wildlife. All photos must depict wildlife native to and found in Arizona, and all photos must have been taken in Arizona settings. As defined in Arizona statute, the term “wildlife” does not include insects, including dragonflies, butterflies, scorpions or arachnids. Photos of pets, livestock, horses, or burros are not eligible. Photos that include people or recognizably man-made objects including roads, power lines, fence posts, bird feeders, artificial water supplies, and bird bands are not eligible.
Images of captive animals photographed in game farms or roadside zoos, or animals from these facilities photographed elsewhere with a handler’s control, will be disqualified. Captive animals photographed in major zoos, wildlife research facilities or rehabilitation centers are permitted if the location is identified. The other elements of the photo must not be identifiably man-made.
In order not to encourage behavior that may disturb wildlife, photos of baby birds in a nest, or of baby elk, deer, or pronghorn bedded down, will not be accepted.
Submissions and Format
This is a digital photo contest (digital images submitted electronically for commercial print publication). Transparencies (slides) and prints are not accepted.
Submission: Digital images must be emailed to photocontest@azgfd.gov. Or you may upload images through a file sharing site, such as Hightail, wetranfer, etc. If uploading files via a file sharing site, remember to follow the entry procedure (below), and include all required information in the same message with the files. Do not send a separate email.
Please do not email zipped files. They are blocked from being received.
Format: Images must be in RGB color format, HORIZONTAL (not vertical), 300 dots per inch, 8 bit, and at least 9×12 inches when printed at 300 dpi. To be sure your images qualify, check pixel dimensions as well. For a 300 dpi, 9×12 inch image, pixel width should be 3600 and pixel height should be 2700. Images that do not meet these requirements may be disqualified. Please note that these dimensions will be used to prepare final winning images for publication, and some cropping may be done at the sponsor’s discretion.
To capture the required high-resolution image, set your camera at the highest level of quality possible; on some cameras, this setting is called “super fine.” Read the owner’s manual for instructions. This setting will create big files (meaning fewer pictures will fit on each memory card).
Images in which content has been altered will not be accepted, nor will photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization. Do not oversharpen images or hypersaturate the color.
Images less than 300 dpi and 9×12 inches will be disqualified. Note about smartphones: Even at actual size, photos from a typical smartphone are 10.8×8.1 inches at 300 dpi, too small to qualify for this contest.
Entry Procedure
- Each contestant may submit a maximum of 3 entries per person.
- Email to photocontest@azgfd.gov must contain the following:
Name of photographer
Mailing address (good through December 2017)
Telephone number (good through December 2017)
Subject/Location for every photo
- Receipt of entries will be acknowledged.
- Incomplete submissions will be disqualified.
Return of Entries
No materials will be returned.
Prizes
Twelve first-place awards will be given, plus one “Best in Show” for the cover photo. There is a limit of one winning photo per photographer; however, a photographer may be awarded best in show and one first-place honor. All winners receive cash prizes and complimentary copies of the calendar issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine. No prize transfer, assignment, or substitution by winners permitted. Winners will be notified via email and regular mail. Winners are required to register with Procure AZ in order to receive a cash prize. Any winner who fails to register in a timely manner will not receive a cash prize, but the photo will still be published (with credit).
Honorable mention will also be given to photos of particular merit. All honorable mention photographers receive complimentary copies of the calendar issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine.
The names of winning photographers and those selected for honorable mention will be posted on www.azgfd.gov/photocontest and provided to the media.
Judging
Entries are judged separately and anonymously — there is no personal information included with them during the judging process. Entries are judged on the basis of creativity, photographic quality, and effectiveness in conveying the unique character of the subject. Winners will be chosen on or around Nov. 1, 2017, and notified thereafter. Decisions of the judges are final and binding.
Deadline and Proof of Submission
The deadline for receipt of entries is 5 p.m. (MST) August 11, 2017. Entries received after this deadline will be disqualified. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt. Entries must be made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, internet domain owner, or other person or organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Email all entries to: photocontest@azgfd.gov.
Rights and Permissions
Photographers retain copyright to their submitted photographs. By submitting one or more entries, contestants agree that, if selected as a winner or for honorable mention, the photo can be published in the calendar issue of the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s magazine, Arizona Wildlife Views, and posted to the department’s website (at a reduced size and with the photographer’s copyright information included). Winning and honorable mention photos also may be used in promotions of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine and the calendar photo contest. The Arizona Game and Fish Department will not use any submitted photos in any other way or for any other purpose without permission and agreed-upon compensation.
Winners List
Entrants are responsible for complying with these Official Rules. Winners’ names will be available online at www.azgfd.gov/photocontest after Nov. 1, 2017.
