Contest Rules

Term:
The Kelleys Island Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life Newspaper 1st Annual Photo Contest begins May 1, 2021, and ends August 31, 2021, at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time. By submitting an entry, each contestant agrees to the rules of the contest and states that he or she is 18 years old or older. If the photographer is younger than 18 the photo(s) must by submitted by a parent or guardian.

Who may enter:
All prizes are open to photographers who are 18 years old or older. Individuals affiliated with the Chamber or Newspaper, including Employees and Board members and others living in their households are not eligible for any prize. The judges will determine winners’ eligibility at their sole discretion.

What to enter:
The following four contest categories are drawn from subjects of special interest to the Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life:

1. Landscapes: Landscapes could include natural scenery, sunrise/sunset, flowers, trees, the shores, etc. #kiphotos2021land
2. Wildlife: Wildlife includes any animals found on or around the island (mammals, birds, fish, etc.). kiphotos2021wild
3. History/Structures: Images of man made structures on the island or images from the past (that you have taken). kiphotos2021history
4. Life on Kelleys: What does Kelleys Island mean to you and your family? (people, events, vacations, home etc.) kiphotos2021life

To be eligible for any category, a photograph must have been shot by the entrant on, above or in the waters of KELLEYS ISLAND, OHIO. The contestant certifies that he/she is the sole creator and copyright owner of the submitted photograph.

Cropped photos are eligible in all categories. Minor adjustments, including the removal of sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast, toning, slight color adjustment and conversion to grayscale are acceptable for all categories. The addition and subtraction of objects is not. If the judges determine that a photographer has altered his or her photo, they reserve the right to disqualify it.

For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you must be prepared to provide a model release from the subject or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian, to the judges upon request. A sample model release is available here. A sample release for parents of minor children is available here.

If the entrant is unable to provide all required releases, the judges in their sole discretion reserve the right to disqualify the submission, seek to secure the required releases, or permit the submission to remain in the contest.

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 of Commerce and Kelleys Life in its sole discretion, are ineligible for all categories of this contest.

Ethics
Entrants must disclose the circumstances under which an image was captured as well as any instructions given to a subject if asked by the judges.

The welfare of a subject and its environment must be placed ahead of the desire to capture a photograph. Upon entering the contest, entrants certify that subjects were treated with respect and dignity, and that no people, wildlife or the environment were harmed in creating a photograph.

If baiting was used to attract wildlife, or special equipment such as camera traps and drones used to capture the photograph, this must be disclosed. Live baiting of wildlife is not permitted. 

How to Enter:
Please submit photographs and requested information online through our website at https://kelleysislandcontest.com or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KelleysIslandChamber/ or through the use of the hashtag #kiphotos2021xxxx (xxxx will differ per category) on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You may submit up to 10 photographs per category for a contest total of 40 submissions. 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 in sRGB color space, at least 2,000 pixels wide and no larger than 50 MB (if possible). 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.

Finalists should be prepared to submit an original, unedited digital file or an original negative, print or slide. The Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life reserves the right to disqualify incomplete entries and/or contestants who are unable to submit, upon request, a high-resolution photograph or an original photo negative, print or slide. Mobile device photographs but must be submitted at their highest resolution upon request.

The Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life may ask for a photograph’s metadata upon their judgment.

You retain your rights to your photograph; however, by entering the contest, you grant the Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life a royalty-free, world-wide, 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 purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of the Chamber/Newspaper and their websites, social media, exhibition, and commercial products, including but not limited to Chamber/Newspaper publications. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. The Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life 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 May 1, 2021. All entries must be received through Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life by 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on August 31, 2021.

Judging
Photo entries will be judged based on creativity, quality, originality, responsiveness to the prompt and overall impact.

The Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life will select 10 finalists per category, a winner for each category, and a Grand Prize winner from the 40 finalists. The finalists will be notified of their status and appear on our website for viewer voting starting on August 31, 2021 (all entries will displayed prior to this date). At that time, the public can vote on our website for the Readers’ Choice winners from among the 10 finalists in each category. The Grand Prize winner, Viewers’ Choice winners, and category winners will be revealed on September 11, 2021.

The Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life will notify winners via the contact information provided at the time of entry; the Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life may disqualify anyone who fails to respond to the notification within five business days.

Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.

Prizes:
Prizes will be awarded, as follows:
Grand Prize: $500.
Category Winners: The winners of each of the four categories will receive $100.
Viewers’ Choice: The winners of each of the four categories will receive $50.

One cash prize per person. Winners must sign a release and license, as well as a declaration of eligibility, and will be responsible for paying any fees or taxes associated with the prize. All prizes are awarded “as is” and non-transferable.  In case applicable law prohibits the Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life from awarding a photographer the cash prize and/or any non-cash prize, the Chamber of Commerce/Kelleys Life may award the prize in name only. In the case of the judges winner and viewers choice winner being the same in a given category the viewers choice prize money will go to the second place winner in that category (per the one cash prize per person mentioned above).

Online Features:
The Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life may select photos for highlight on its website or display in a publicly accessible contest archive. Such selections will be made in the Chamber of Commerce and Kelleys Life’s sole discretion.

Conditions of Entry:
All entrants hold the Sponsors and their respective regents, directors, officers, employees, emeriti, fellows, interns, research associates, and volunteers (the “Indemnified Parties”) harmless from and against all claims of any nature arising in connection with entrant’s participation in the contest and acceptance or use of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not liable for any costs, damages, injuries, or other claims incurred as a result of entrants’ participation in the contest or winner’s acceptance and usage of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not responsible for incomplete or misdirected entries, technical or network malfunctions or failures, or causes beyond their control. 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 of Commerce/ Kelleys Life 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 of Commerce/ Kelleys Life reserves the right to award or not award the prizes in its sole discretion. The Chamber of Commerce/ Kelleys Life 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 of Commerce and Kelleys Life are final and binding.



Last updated: April 2021.