Rainforest Alliance's "Picture Sustainability" Photo Contest Rules
Rainforest Alliance invites you to submit photographs that promote our mission of working to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. We encourage submission of photographs that display and celebrate local cultures and communities, sustainable livelihoods in agriculture, forestry and tourism, and flora and fauna in landscapes, environments and habitats around the world.
Eligibility, entry period and instructions, judging criteria, prize details and winner selection and notification procedures are detailed below. By entering this photo contest, you agree to all of the rules of this contest and to all of the legal terms and conditions listed below.
Eligibility
This contest is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older as of the date the contest begins. Employees and immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling or sibling's spouse) of employees of the Rainforest Alliance and its affiliates, Via Natura or its affiliates, Fujifilm or its affiliates, Native Energy or its affiliates, GreenSpot or its affiliates, AeroGal or its affiliates, Hotel Oro Verde or its affiliates, Art Wolfe, Inc. or its affiliates, are not eligible to participate. No purchase is necessary to enter the contest.
This contest is void in Puerto Rico, outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and where prohibited by law.
Entry Period
The contest begins December 21, 2007, 4pm EST and has been extended to March 30, 2008, 4pm EST. All entries must be received within this time period in order to be considered for prizes. Rainforest Alliance reserves the right to modify the deadline for submissions due to circumstances beyond its control.
Entry Instructions
Please enter the contest by completing the on-line submission form and submitting your original photograph electronically at www.raphotocontest.org. Entrants must complete all data requested on the form. No other method of entry will be accepted. We will not accept photographs submitted through the mail.
You may submit as many photographs as you wish; however, you must complete a separate on-line submission form for each photograph you wish to enter. The image may originate in a non-digital format (such as high quality film slides, negatives or prints scanned into a digital format) so long as it is submitted electronically. Entries must be submitted in JPEG format (as .jpg files) and should be at least 1MB but shall not exceed 5MB. You must submit the actual image file, not a link or other type of file. If an image file is not readable, the entry will be disqualified. Altered photographs maybe submitted, so long as you specify on the entry form how the photo has been altered. No photo montages or composite images will be accepted. Rainforest Alliance in its sole judgment shall determine whether a photograph meets these requirements for entry into the contest. Electronic files submitted to Rainforest Alliance will not be returned and may be retained by Rainforest Alliance after the completion of the contest.
By entering, you warrant that the photograph that you submit is original and is your own, and does not infringe on the rights of any third party. You further warrant that your participation in this photo contest does not violate any agreement between you and a third party.
By entering the photo contest, you grant Rainforest Alliance the non-exclusive right to publish, use, distribute, reproduce and publicly display your photograph, and to create derivative works from your photograph, in perpetuity, in any of its on-line, print or other media publications, materials or exhibitions, for purposes of promoting Rainforest Alliance's mission and awareness of its program, including but not limited to for editorial, advertising, publicity, and fundraising purposes, without payment of compensation unless prohibited by law. You grant Rainforest Alliance permission to provide your name, and your city and state of residence, when publishing, reproducing or otherwise using your photo and when identifying you as an entrant or prize winner in the photo contest. While Rainforest Alliance will make every effort to credit photographers when using photos, there may be circumstances where it is not possible to do so. Subject to the rights granted to Rainforest Alliance, you retain all other copyrights and rights to future use of the photographs you enter into the contest.
If your photograph(s) include a recognizable person or people, you must secure permission from each person (or in the case of a minor, the minor's parent or guardian) to use his/her image in the photo contest, and present it to Rainforest Alliance, if requested. Click here for a model release form. Rainforest Alliance reserves the right to disqualify an entry if it finds, in its sole discretion, that an entrant has not secured a necessary release.
Judging Criteria
After the close of the entry period, eligible photographs for each category will be judged based on three (3) criteria and assigned a score of up to a maximum of 30 points. The three criteria, which will be weighted equally, are: visual appeal and composition (maximum 10 points); portrayal of Rainforest Alliance's mission (maximum 10 points); and originality and creativity (maximum 10 points).
Five categories include:
1. Wildlife on coffee, cocoa and fruit farms, in forests or other natural habitats (insects, birds, reptiles and amphibians, mammals and fish).
2. Landscape/Scenic (tropical forests, temperate forests, boreal forests, rivers, streams and waterfalls, flowers and plants, beaches, wetlands, coral reefs).
3. Sustainable tourism in Latin America (hiking, bird-watching, mountain biking and other land-based nature activities, surfing, scuba, kayaking, snorkeling and other coastal or marine activities, other eco-tourism related subjects).
4. Macro (insects, flowers and plants, leafy vegetation, birds, reptiles and amphibians, mammals and textures).
5. Conservation in action (children and/or adults conserving natural resources, including water, flora and fauna).
Preliminary judging and scoring will be done by a panel of judges from the Rainforest Alliance. The judges will be staff in the Communications and Marketing divisions of Rainforest Alliance who have experience or educational training in photography and design, and/or are responsible for the design of and selection of images in Rainforest Alliance electronic and non-electronic publications and materials.
Thirteen finalists will be selected from all eligible submissions based upon the scoring system. In the event of a tie, the photograph with the highest number of points for visual appeal and composition will be selected as finalists. Prize winners will be selected from among the finalists by Art Wolfe, world-renowned wildlife and nature photographer.
The decisions of the judges are final and binding.
Prize Winner Selection & Notification
On or about April 15, 2008, Rainforest Alliance shall notify each prize winner of his or her selection. Notification shall be by e-mail and/or telephone. If Rainforest Alliance is unable to contact a potential winner, does not receive an acknowledgment of receipt from a potential winner within ten (10) days, or if the notification is returned as undeliverable, Rainforest Alliance has the option to disqualify such potential winner and select an alternate winner.
A maximum of thirteen (13) prize winners will be selected: One (1) Grand Prize winner, five (5) First Prize winners, and up to seven (7) Honorable Mentions. The number of Honorable Mention prizes shall be within the judges' discretion and shall not exceed a total of seven (7).
The Grand Prize winner will be awarded round trip coach airfare (not to exceed $1,200 per person) for two (2) from the major commercial airport nearest his/her primary residence in the US to Ecuador; four (4) nights and five (5) days cruise to Galapagos Islands aboard the M/Y Monserrat, with meals included, plus double occupancy accommodations for two (2) nights at the Oro Verde Hotel in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Shuttle service between airport and hotel in Guayaquil and breakfast buffet included. Air transfers between the hotel in Guayaquil and the point of the cruise's departure and return are included. Ground transportation, in-room or other personal charges at lodging (e.g. mini bar, movies), telephone calls, gratuities, incidentals and all other expenses are not included. Trip must be booked by November 1, 2008 and completed by December 31, 2009, and may be subject to certain restrictions and blackout dates. In addition, the Grand Prize winner will receive one (1) Fujifilm Finepix S100fs 11.1MP Digital Camera with 14.3x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Optical Zoom; one (1) copy of the book The Living Wild, by Art Wolfe or similar, and a one-year Rainforest Alliance membership. Approximate retail value is $6,000.
In addition, the Grand Prize winner will be invited to attend the Rainforest Alliance's annual gala in New York City on May 15, 2008. This prize includes round trip coach airfare for two (2) to New York City on May 14, 2008 from the major commercial airport nearest his/her primary residence in the US, two (2) nights double occupancy accommodations in a hotel in New York City, complimentary admission to the gala for two (2), and transfers between the airport in New York and the hotel. Evening attire is strongly recommended though not part of the prize. If Rainforest Alliance determines, in its sole discretion, that air travel is not required due to the Grand Prize winner's proximity to prize location, ground transportation will be substituted for roundtrip air travel. Ground transportation, meals other than the gala, in-room or other personal charges at lodging (e.g. mini bar, movies), telephone calls, gratuities, incidentals and all other expenses are not included. Approximate retail value is $2,000.
The actual retail value of the Grand Prize package may vary based on airfare fluctuations and distance between departure destinations. Grand Prize winner and travel companion(s) must be available to travel to the gala on the itinerary selected by the Rainforest Alliance, and to Ecuador according to the terms set forth above. Travel companions must be eighteen (18) years of age or older as of the date of departure. If the Grand Prize winner is unable to accept the entire Grand Prize package, including the trip to Ecuador and attendance for two at the gala, then he/she must notify Rainforest Alliance within five (5) days, and Rainforest Alliance will designate the Grand Prize winner as a First Prize winner instead, and award the Grand Prize to the First Prize winner with the highest point score assigned by the judges. In the event of a tie in this particular situation, the First Prize winner with the highest number of points for visual appeal and composition will be selected to receive the Grand Prize.
Each First Prize winner will be awarded one (1) Fujifilm Finepix S100fs 11.1MP Digital Camera with 14.3x Wide Angle Dual Image Stabilized Optical Zoom, one (1) copy of the book The Living Wild, by Art Wolfe, and a one-year Rainforest Alliance membership. Approximate retail value is $800.
Up to seven (7) entries may be awarded Honorable Mention prizes, which shall consist of one (1) copy of the book The Living Wild, by Art Wolfe, and a one-year Rainforest Alliance membership. Approximate retail value is $65.
Benefits of a Rainforest Alliance membership, at $100 level, include; a subscription to our quarterly newsletter, The Canopy, access to information on Rainforest Alliance Certified products, members-only conservation updates, opportunities to participate in fun & informative events.
The approximate total retail value of all the prizes is $14,000. All prizes are non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or used in conjunction with any other promotion. Rainforest Alliance reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event the offered prize is unavailable. There shall be no substitutions for any prizes except as provided for at the sole discretion of Rainforest Alliance.
All federal, state and local taxes, fees and surcharges on prizes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the prize winners.
Prize winners will be required to execute and return to Rainforest Alliance an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability/Prize Acceptance Form ("Affidavit and Release") within ten (10) days of notification of selection as a prize winner. The Affidavit and Release will, among other things and as required under these contest rules, certify the prize winner's eligibility to enter the contest, rights in the photograph submitted, and ability to grant rights in the photo to Rainforest Alliance; grant Rainforest Alliance the right to publish and use the photo, without further consent of or compensation to the winner and/or any person whose recognizable image appears in the photograph; release and indemnify Rainforest Alliance from and against liability associated with the entry, the photograph, the contest and the prizes; acknowledge responsibility for taxes; and certify compliance with the U.S.A. Patriot Act and related anti-terrorism laws. Failure to sign and return an Affidavit and Release to Rainforest Alliance within ten (10) days of notification may result in disqualification and the selection of an alternate winner. Travel companions of prize winners also will be required to execute a release of liability in connection with their participation in travel prizes.
The winning photographs will appear on the Rainforest Alliance Web site, will be printed, framed and sold to the highest bidder at the silent auction at the Rainforest Alliance annual gala on May 15, 2008, and may also be published and used in a future Rainforest Alliance calendar or for other publicity or fundraising purposes.
For a list of prize winners, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Rainforest Alliance, "Picture Sustainability" Photo Contest, 665 Broadway, Suite 500, New York, New York, 10012 after June 1, 2008 but before December 31, 2008.
Legal Terms & Conditions
This photo contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.
As an entrant in this photo contest, it is your responsibility to determine that you are eligible to enter and to comply with the entry instructions and other photo contest rules set forth herein. Any violation of the contest rules may result in your disqualification, in the sole discretion of Rainforest Alliance.
In the event of a dispute relating to the identity of the entrant, the entrant will be deemed to be the authorized account holder of the email address used to submit the entry to the photo contest. The authorized account holder shall mean the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet Access Provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institute) responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.
Rainforest Alliance reserves the right to disqualify you if, among other reasons, you breach the warranties you are required to make, you have failed to secure permission from persons whose recognizable images appear in the photo, or your entry is lost, late, misdirected, incorrect, garbled or incompletely received, for any reason whatsoever, including by reason of hardware, software, browser or network failure, malfunction, congestion or incompatibility with Rainforest Alliance's servers. Rainforest Alliance further reserves the right to disqualify you, and to seek damages against you to the fullest extent permitted by law, if you intentionally or recklessly damage the Rainforest Alliance Web site or tamper with the entry process or operation of the Web site or otherwise undermine the legitimate operation of the contest, or attempt to do so. Such actions may violate criminal and civil laws.
In the event that Rainforest Alliance cannot complete the photo contest as planned, including but not limited to by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, force majeure, technical failures of any sort or other causes beyond the control of Rainforest Alliance that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the photo contest, Rainforest Alliance reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the photo contest.
By entering this photo contest, you agree to release Rainforest Alliance and its affiliates, and their officers, directors, agents, attorneys, employees and representatives, from any and all liability for any claims, demands, causes of action, damages, judgments or settlements, or for any losses or injury to earnings, profits, or goodwill, or for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, including attorneys' fees and court costs, other than entrant's out-of-pocket expenses (if any) associated with entering the contest, arising out of or relating to this photo contest, your access or lack of access to the Rainforest Alliance Web site, or in connection with any prize won, any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, or any use by Rainforest Alliance of the photographs submitted.
By entering the photo contest, you hereby agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Rainforest Alliance and its affiliates, and their officers, directors, agents, attorneys, employees and representatives, against and from all third party claims, demands, causes of action, damages, judgments or settlements, including reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs, arising out of or relating to this photo contest, or in connection with any prize won, any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, or any use by Rainforest Alliance of the photographs submitted.
In the event of any dispute, controversy or claim between an entrant and Rainforest Alliance, the parties shall first seek to resolve the dispute through informal discussions. In the event any dispute, controversy or claim cannot be resolved informally, the parties agree that the dispute, controversy or claim will be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association in effect at the time of commencement of the arbitration, and the parties agree that judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof.