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Photo Contest Rules

The Florida Wildlife Federation (Federation) Photo Contest is open to all photographers in the United States who are at least 17 years of age (with the exception of the kids’ category. See below for more details). Federation employees are not eligible. Federation reserves the right to verify, in its sole judgment, entrant eligibility. Photos submitted must be taken in Florida. 

How to enter

Entering our photography contest is simple. For $10, you can submit up to 3 of your best photos for a chance to win some amazing prizes.  

To enter, visit our website, go to the photo contest page, and click on the link provided. After payment, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a secure link to submit your entries. Only digitally uploaded images can be entered. Mailed or shipped entries will not be accepted. 

Submission Guidelines 

  • All photos must have complete information attached, including photographer name, image title, image description, location, and category. The judges use this information to help them select the winners. Not providing full information may disqualify your entry. 
  • Photos must all be of Florida scenes and/or native plants, flowers, or wildlife.  
  • Digital manipulation should be limited to basic enhancements. Composite images or heavily edited photos will not be accepted.  
  • Photos containing watermarks or other superimposed logos will not be admitted. 
  • High-resolution images (minimum 300 dpi) in JPEG or PNG format are preferred. 
  • Each participant can submit a maximum of 9 photographs per category. 

Contest Entry Period

Florida Wildlife Federation (Federation) Photo Contest opens at 9:00 am (EST) on June 1, 2024, and the deadline for submitting photos is June 30, 2024, at 11:59 pm (EST.) To avoid uploading delays, we recommend not waiting until the final days of the contest to enter. The Federation anticipates notifying winners by August 2024. 

 The Federation may extend the Contest Entry Period in its sole discretion. 

Important Dates

Contest Opens: June 1 

Submission Deadline: June 30 

Judging Period: July 1 – July 31 

Winners Announcement:  August 9 – August 11 

Categories

Photographers must enter each image in one of the following categories. The same photo can be entered in up to three categories. 

Wildlife: Photographs showcasing the diverse wildlife species found in Florida, including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and marine life. 

Landscapes: Photographs capturing the scenic beauty of Florida’s natural landscapes, including beaches, forests, wetlands, rivers, and springs. 

Native Plants: Showcase the beauty and resilience of native flora as they thrive in their natural habitats 

Conservation in Action: Photos illustrating conservation efforts and initiatives in Florida, such as habitat restoration, wildlife monitoring, or community engagement in conservation activities. 

Recreation: Capture moments that showcase the harmonious relationship between people and nature in the Sunshine State. From hiking trails to kayaking     adventures, depict the joy and tranquility found in Florida’s wild spaces. 

Budding Naturalists (Youth Category | 17 years or younger): Young photographers under the age of 17 can showcase their unique perspective on Florida’s natural world.  

Note: All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. 

 Acceptable alterations are adjustments to color, contrast, brightness and sharpness; removal of dust and scratches; cropping; black and white conversions; and use of HDR (High Dynamic Range), where multiple exposures of the same scene are combined for a greater tonal range, and similar processes for extended depth of field.  

Not acceptable alterations are photo composites (a combination of two or more photos, not of the same scene); the addition, duplication, deletion or moving of objects in the photos; or the use of artistic digital filters and effects. Examples of artistic filters and effects are watercolor, neon glow, posturizing, stained glass, and others that do not show the scene in its natural way.  

Judging Criteria 

Photographs will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, and adherence to the theme. Federation staff will judge the contest, and all decisions by the judges will be final and binding.  

Prizes

Winning photos may be viewed in September 2024 on our website and in the September issue of Conservation Connection, the Federation’s monthly e-newsletter. First and second place winners will also be published in the Florida Wildlife Federation annual calendar. Winning photos will be published to our social media channels.

Contest winners will be awarded prizes as listed below.

Grand Prize Winner – Each category will have one 1st place grand prize winner which will receive:

  • $250 Gift card to REI
  • Winning photo will be published to the annual Florida Wildlife Federation Calendar
  • A Florida State Parks Annual Pass
  • A feature in our website, monthly newsletter, and social media channels

Runner Up – Each category will have one 2nd place runner up prize winner which will receive:

  • Winning photo will be published to the annual Florida Wildlife Federation Calendar
  • A Florida State Parks Annual Pass
  • A feature in our website, monthly newsletter, and social media channels

Finalist – Each category will have one 3rd place finalist prize winner which will receive:  

  • A Florida State Parks Annual Pass
  • A feature in our website, monthly newsletter, and social media channels

Honorable Mentions – Each category will have two honorable mention prize winners which will receive: 

A feature in our website, monthly newsletter, and social media channels 

Note: All winners will appear on the Federation’s website. The winners will be notified by email (and phone if available). The Federation reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if it is unavailable. 

 

Binding agreement

In order to enter the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest, the Entrant must agree to these Official Rules (“Rules”). Because these Rules form a legally binding agreement with respect to this Contest, please read them carefully. If the Entrant does not agree to and abide by the Rules, Entrant is not eligible to participate in the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest or to win any of the prizes. Entrant agrees that his/her registration as an individual participant under the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest constitutes his/her agreement to these Rules. 

Publication and Exhibition  

Selected photographs may be featured in Florida Wildlife Federation publications, website, social media channels, and exhibitions to promote conservation awareness. 

Intellectual property

Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of the photographs they enter except for the following: Your entry to the Contest constitutes your agreement to allow your entered photographs—and your name, city, and state—to be published as Winners in Florida Wildlife Federation publications and on the Florida Wildlife Federation website, and you grant to Florida Wildlife Federation and its licensees the perpetual, worldwide non-exclusive license to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the entry (along with a name credit) in connection with the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest and promotion for the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest, in any media now or hereafter known.  

Entrants warrant that his or her entry materials are original, do not infringe on any third party’s rights, and that entrant has obtained any necessary permissions from any third party if a third party or third party’s property appears in the photograph. Entrants retain ownership of their photos, and grant Florida Wildlife Federation, its subsidiaries, affiliates, and partners an irrevocable non-exclusive license to reproduce, publish, circulate, or otherwise use the photographs.  

Choice of law

The contest is governed by the laws of the United States and is subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Entrant agrees that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved with Florida Wildlife Federation, and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, before a court of competent jurisdiction in Leon County, Florida, which court shall apply the laws of the State of Florida without regard to conflicts of law. In any such dispute, the Entrant shall under no circumstances be entitled to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorney’s fees, other than the Entrant’s entry fee (if any). Entrant hereby waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.  

Deliberate acts

Any attempt by an Entrant or other individual to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, Florida Wildlife Federation reserves the right to seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Force majeure

If, for any reason, the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest is not capable of completion as planned, including, but not limited to, by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of Florida Wildlife Federation that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest, the Florida Wildlife Federation reserves the right at their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest.  

Warranty

By entering, participants warrant that his or her entry materials are original, do not infringe on any third party’s rights, and that participant has obtained any necessary permissions from any third party if a third party or third party’s property appears in the photograph. Entrants must not submit images that involve the willful harassment of wildlife or damage to the environment by the photographer. Florida Wildlife Federation reserves the right to disqualify any entry if it finds in its sole discretion that any of the foregoing warranties are not true.  

Release

By entering, participants release and hold harmless Florida Wildlife Federation, its affiliated organizations, and each of their directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives (collectively, and, hereinafter the “Companies”) from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand or damage of any kind arising from or related to the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest, any prize won, any use of the entry materials by Florida Wildlife Federation, the warranties participants make, any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, participation in any Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest-related activity, or participation in the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest.  

Participants whose photos depict minors (children less than 18 years of age) acknowledge and agree that these photographs may be used in the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest and hold the Companies harmless for any liability therefrom.  

Limitation of liability

In no event will the Companies, their advertising, and promotional agencies, or their directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including direct indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages arising out of participant’s access to and use of the Companies’ websites, or the downloading or uploading and/or printing of material from said sites. Without limiting the foregoing, everything on the Companies’ sites is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. The Companies are not responsible for lost, damaged, late or misdirected photographs, or for uploading connections, garbled transmissions, unauthorized intervention or technical malfunctions. Void where prohibited. The Companies are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of submissions to the Florida Wildlife Federation Photo Contest, including but not limited to any misprints or typographical errors. The Companies assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, photographs.  

How to contact us

Questions regarding contest rules or technical matters, including problems uploading photos, can be emailed to info@floridawildlifefederation.org

 

Join us in “Keeping Florida Wild” through the lens of your camera!