Photo Eligibility

To enter, you must be at least 18 years of age and a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident. RI.gov employees and Board members and their immediate family members are no eligible to enter. Immediate family includes spouses, parents and children. All photos must be taken in Rhode Island within the past three years. The photo subject matter must be relevant to one of the following contest categories.

• Rhode Island Seascapes
• Rhode Island Landscapes
• Rhode Island Cities & Towns
• Rhode Island Nature

 

Photo Formats

Please read the specific guidelines for digital images.

 

Photographer/Copyright

Entries must be submitted by the original photographer. Do not submit a photo taken by someone other than your self. You must be the sole owner of the copyright of any image submitted. Your submission of the photo and entry form is your guarantee that you are the author and copyright holder of the photo.

 

Number of Entries

An individual may submit only one photo per category per contest.

 

Photo Subject Restrictions

Photos must be appropriate for posting on a public government Web site. Obscene, provocative or otherwise questionable content will not be considered. RI.gov retains sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content. Photos containing recognizable people must be accompanied by a signed model release form and mailed to RI.gov prior to the contest deadline.

 

Return of Photos

Photos, regardless of the medium, will not be returned. Please do not send your only copy of a photo.

 

Ownership/Use Rights

Photographers retain the copyright to their photographs. By entering the contest, photographers agree to have their submitted photograph displayed on the RI.gov Web site without any fee or other form of compensation, and agree that RI.gov may display winning photos in a "past winners" photo gallery and in the RI.gov "e-postcard" service, and may make and retain copies of the photograph for archival purposes. Posted photos will be subject to the RI.gov Web site photo use policy. Photos will be credited to the photographer named in the entry form. Entries (including non-winning entries) may be selected for display or use in other RI state government web pages, with permission from the photographer. Entrants agree that RI.gov may contact them to obtain permission for use of photos in this way. Entries will never be used by RI.gov in any manner for advertising or sale. In the event that ownership of any photograph submitted to RI.gov is contested in any manner, RI.gov retains the discretion to disqualify that photograph and discontinue use of the photograph.

 

How to Enter

Digital photos may be submitted using the online entry form. Each entry must be accompanied by a completed contest entry form. If you are submitting multiple entries, you will need to complete multiple entry forms.

 

• RI.gov Photo Contest Entry Form

 

Judging

Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, photographic quality, and effectiveness in conveying the beauty and/or unique character of Rhode Island in one of the contest categories. A RI.gov panel will judge the entries and all contest decisions are final. Entries that fail to comply with the Contest Rules will be disqualified. The RI.gov panel will include professionals in graphic design, Web site design, Web site development, marketing and public relations.

 

Winners

Judges will select a first and second place winning photo for each of the contest categories. If fewer than ten eligible photographs are entered in a category, RI.gov may choose to name only a first place winner, or may cancel that category. In addition, one or more honorable mention winners may be selected in categories with especially large numbers of entries, at the discretion of the judging panel. Winners will be notified approximately 2-3 weeks after the contest deadline by phone and email using the information on the entry form. Along with a winner notification, winners will be sent an affidavit of eligibility and release. Winner must execute, without making changes, and return this release for receipt by RI.gov within 7 days of the date on the winner notification letter. Failure to execute and return this affidavit within 7 days will result in disqualification. Winning photographs, along with the photographer's name, email address (optional) and information about the photo, will be displayed on the RI.gov Web site during the contest months set by RI.gov. (To be updated every contest season) No financial compensation is provided to winners.

 

Submitting Digital Images

Digital images should be submitted using the online entry form. Images should be formatted to 72 dpi, no larger than 600 by 450 pixels and no smaller than 300 by 225 pixels. Panoramic photos are not eligible. Images should be submitted in JPG (at high quality) format. File sizes must be less than 3MB per image. Images must be in natural color. Digital images will not be returned.

Image Modifications

Minor digital enhancement is permitted, but images that have been significantly modified or appear unnatural will be disqualified.

 

Not Permitted

• No borders or frames may be added to images.
• No watermarks, signatures, or copyright notices may be added to images. All winning images will be displayed with the photographer's name.
• Adding or replacing elements in an image is not permitted.
• Artistic filters are not permitted.

 

Permitted Modifications

• Images may be cropped and rotated as necessary as long as the rectangular format is maintained and the size is within the specifications above.
• Images may be resized as long as the aspect ratio is maintained
• Red-eye removal and spot editing
  One-step enhancement (such as "AutoFix", "QuickFix", "Auto Levels", etc.)
• Use of filters to sharpen, soften, blur, despeckle, or remove noise.
• Use of corrective functions to improve the natural appearance of the image, such as levels, contrast, brightness, curves, intensity, tone, hue, saturation, lightness, value, color balance, and tint.

 

Additional Terms and Conditions

RI.gov is not responsible for computer system, hardware, software, or program malfunctions or other errors, failures, or delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Furthermore, RI.gov is not responsible for: (i) lost, misdirected, misplaced, illegible, unintelligible, incomplete, or late entries or (ii) any act, failure to act, or delay regarding the transmitting or processing of entries. RI.gov reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend all or any portion of this contest without notice if factors beyond RI.gov's control, including technical difficulties, disrupt or corrupt the fair or secure administration or operation of the contest. Void where prohibited. RI.gov is entitled to interpret these rules as needed and its decisions are final. RI.gov reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that RI.gov has reason to believe is not the original work of entrant, or does not otherwise meet the contest rules. If a winner is disqualified or determined to be ineligible, an alternate winner will be selected using the same judging process/criteria described above. Alternate winners are subject to all requirements set forth in these Contest Rules.

By participating in the contest, you agree to release and hold harmless RI.gov and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents, and advertising and promotional agencies from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind resulting from your participation in this contest, including infringement of intellectual property rights. RI.gov and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents, and advertising and promotional agencies assume no responsibility or liability for any damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind arising in whole or in part from this contest.

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