Ends: Labor Day, 2023, at midnight
The Friends of Wisconsin State Parks (FWSP) invites all interested individuals to enter their favorite state park, forest, trail, or recreation area photo in our annual photography competition. Winners will be featured in the 2024 Friends of Wisconsin State Parks Calendar, released in the Fall of 2023.
There are so many opportunities to enjoy the Wisconsin state parks during all four seasons. We are looking for photo entries that include beautiful scenery along with people recreating and enjoying activities like hiking, picnicking, cross-country skiing, kayaking/canoeing, horseback riding, biking, and exploring.
WHO MAY ENTER:
Submissions are accepted from amateur photographers ages 14 and over. Professional photographers who earn more than half of their income taking pictures are not eligible. The Friends of Wisconsin State Parks board members will determine winners’ eligibility. Employees of the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources and board members of the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks and their immediate family members are not eligible to win.
WHAT TO ENTER:
- Photos must be submitted in high resolution (at least 300 DPI).
- Photographs must have been shot within the past three years.
- Photographs must portray a specific Wisconsin State Park, Forest, or Trail and cannot include illegal activities (i.e. camping in an unauthorized area). We are looking for photos that show scenes from the parks, forests, trails, and recreation areas. Wildlife photos will not score as high as people enjoying activity submissions.
- Cropped photos are eligible, horizontal images are preferred. Photos that appear unnatural will not be considered.
- An entrant must hold all rights to a photograph. For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you must secure a model release from the subject and include this with the submission.
- Photographs previously published or pending publication, or photos that violate or infringe upon another person’s copyright, are not eligible.
- You may submit one photograph per season and up to 4 total entries. We do not accept more than one contestant per email address.
BY ENTERING A PHOTO YOU ARE VERIFYING:
• The image is your own;
• The photo has not been altered beyond standard optimization;
• The photo is not subject to any third-party agreements;
• And no laws were violated in obtaining the photo.
Photos should accurately reflect the original image. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization (cropping, color, contrast, etc.) will be disqualified. This includes the digital addition or deletion of objects in the photos. Photo eligibility is the sole discretion of the contest judges. Photos may originate in any form but must be submitted electronically. A high-resolution image must be submitted. If a high-resolution photo cannot be provided, the entry will be disqualified. Photos may also be watermarked if desired when uploaded to the contest page, however: the watermark should be inconspicuous enough not to interfere with the judging of the photo, and a clean, watermark-free
a version of the photo must be available at FWSP’s request. If a watermark-free version cannot be provided, the entry will be disqualified. Please do not include photographs that display people who are identifiable.
HOW TO ENTER:
Internet access is required to participate in the contest. Participants must review the full rules
before entering any photos. Photos must be submitted electronically via the Friends of Wisconsin state parks website FWSP.org. There is no entry fee to participate. No more than four(4) photos may be entered by any one person. See the website FWSP.org for instructions.
To submit your photos go to FWSP.org
- Visit FWSP.org and click on the photo contest page.
- Follow the instructions on the contest page.
All photos uploaded to the FWSP contest page should have:- The season. (Spring, Summer, Fall, and winter)
- The state park, forest, or trail name where the photo was taken.
- Name of Photographer. (first and last)
- Photographer’s Address. (Street, City, ZIP)
- Phone #.
- Email Address.
- Friends group affiliation, if any.
This information will be required to submit the photos at the FWSP.org Contest Page. This information is needed so that FWSP can,
- properly credit contest photos when utilized in promotional media, and
- notify winners.
JUDGING:
FWSP will review each photograph received and will accept only those entries that meet the official requirements outlined in these rules. A panel of FWSP board members and staff will review accepted entries and select the winning photos. Selected photos are not official winners until high-resolution, watermark-free versions are provided to FWSP. If such a version cannot be provided, an alternate winner will be selected. The decisions of FWSP and the contest judges are final.
WINNERS:
Winners will be notified in September 2023. Winning photos will appear in the 2024 FWSP calendar,
tentatively set to release in the Fall of 2023.
YOUR RIGHTS:
By participating in the contest, you hereby grant FWSP unlimited, non-exclusive, irrevocable
permission to publish and reproduce your image in media including but not limited to the website,
and promotional materials into perpetuity. You retain all other applicable ownership rights to the
photo. FWSP agrees to properly credit photographers whenever their photos are used. FWSP reserves
the right to exclude any photo from the contest.
2023 Gift Packages:
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