7th annual Governor’s Photo Contest kicks off
Gov. John Hoeven and the North Dakota Tourism Division announce their continued partnership with AAA for the Governor’s 2010 North Dakota Photo Contest. The contest will run from May 16 through September 8, following North Dakota Tourism Week events.
One winner will be selected in each category and a $200 cash prize will be awarded to the photographer of each selected photo. A Best of Show photo will be selected from the winning photographs, and the photographer will receive an additional $300 cash prize and a free, one-year basic membership to AAA. In addition to the prize money:
- Winning photographs will be published in North Dakota Tourism’s 2011 promotional materials and websites.
- Winning photographs will be eligible for display in AAA North Dakota branch offices and may be printed in AAA regional publications.
- Winners will also be published in North Dakota Tourism’s newsletter.
“This annual contest is a great way for our state’s amateur photographers to share their talents and showcase the great things to see and do in North Dakota,” says Governor Hoeven. “It provides our citizens with an opportunity to have their work published in state and regional publications and gives North Dakota Tourism and AAA a great source of photography that captures the attractions, events, landscape, and the rich history and people of North Dakota.”
New this year is the ability to submit photos online through image and video hosting site, Flickr. Sara Otte Coleman, director of North Dakota Tourism, says by adding Flickr more residents will be drawn to submit their legendary photos. “More than 700 photos were submitted for last year’s competition, and we hope to increase the amount of submissions this year.”
Launched in 2004, the North Dakota Governor’s Photo Contest encourages North Dakota amateur photographers to submit photos, capturing the unique things to see and do in North Dakota. Winning photos are used in North Dakota Tourism’s marketing materials and newsletters.
Contest rules:
The deadline to submit photos is September 8, 2010.
Photographs will be judged on their ability to showcase North Dakota as a Legendary destination in the following categories: Adventure; Attractions; Events; People; Scenery; and Wildlife.
Entries will be judged on originality, interest of the subject matter, visual appearance and consistency with the category theme. Photo entries should be taken within the last three years and must be in full color.
Only amateur North Dakota photographers/residents are eligible to enter. There is no limit to the number of entries allowed per photographer. Although cropping is permissible, digital alterations or enhancements are discouraged.
Photo entries will be judged by a panel of North Dakota Tourism, Governor’s Office, and AAA staff familiar with photography and responsible for selecting images for various marketing materials.
Submission of the photo is the entrant’s guarantee, as the photographer and copyright holder of the photo, that they have the rights to distribute the image.
- You must have the consent of those whose faces are visible in the image.
- By entering the contest, photographers agree to authorize North Dakota Tourism, AAA and their official marketing partners to use that image in promotional materials offline and online. Photos will be credited whenever possible.
- Winning photographers agree to transfer copyright and ownership to North Dakota Tourism for use in 2011 promotional materials and websites.
To enter the contest by mail, photographs must be submitted on a disk with 5×7 or 8×10 print. Prints need not be mounted or framed. The back of the photo and disk must be labeled with the entrant’s name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, contest category with title, location, and date the photo was taken.
Entries should be mailed to North Dakota Department of Commerce Tourism Division, Attention Heather LeMoine, at P.O. Box 2057, Bismarck, ND 58502-2057. AAA branch offices in Fargo, Bismarck and Minot will also accept entries. Entrants cannot be guaranteed that submitted photos will be returned.
Photo submissions via Flickr:
Availability to submit your photos online is now available through Flicker. Join the Legendary North Dakota Travel group on Flickr if you are not already a group member. http://www.flickr.com/groups/northdakota/
The Membership is free and the frequently-asked questions page at Flickr can answer questions regarding membership, uploading and sharing photos. http://www.flickr.com/help/faq/
When you add your photo(s) to the Legendary North Dakota Travel group, tag it “ND2010Contest”. If you forget to tag your photo it will be not be entered in the contest. North Dakota Tourism is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, incomplete entries or technical errors.
Upload the highest-resolution image possible. 8”x10” @ 300 dpi (or 1024×768 pixels).
Entered photos must be family-friendly. Inappropriate photos will be removed from the group.
Information about the photo must include: Title of the photo; Location in state where the photo was taken; Date photo was taken; and the Contest Category.
Entrants should include some contact information in their Flickr profile, or frequently check Flickr mail, in order to be contacted by North Dakota Tourism for name, address, telephone number and email address. Failure to respond to inquiries may result in the disqualification of a winning photograph.
Complete contest rules can be found on the Tourism Division Web site at NDTourism.com. For more information, contact the Tourism Division at 701-328-2525 or 800-435-5663.