Printable Instructions and forms
The nature photography contest is sponsored by the Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges and the Texas Mid-coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex and is a program of the Migration Celebration scheduled for April 21-22, 2012 with banquet on April 13.
Categories
Please note that for the 2012 photo contest, photos may be entered that were taken anywhere in the world in the general Wildlife, Birds, and the new category Nature Photography as Art,. The four Texas Mid-coast categories are still restricted to photos taken in Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Jackson, Matagorda, & Wharton counties.
Wildlife
Images of wild mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, mollusks, crustaceans, arthropods, or other invertebrate photographed in their natural habitat. Does not include photos where birds are the primary subject.
Birds
Images of birds in their natural habitat.
Nature Photography as Art
Images of shapes, patterns, and colors in the natural world or more artful photos of wildlife or plants that show the scene or subject matter (wildlife, plants, rocks, landscape formations, clouds, etc.) as it appeared and that illustrate art found in nature. (See rules on digital alterations below).
Wildlife of Texas Mid-coast
Images of wild mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, mollusks, crustaceans, arthropods, or other invertebrate taken in the following counties: Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Jackson, Matagorda, & Wharton. (Does not include photos where birds are the primary subject; use “Birds of Texas Mid-Coast.”)
Birds of Texas Mid-coast
Images of birds in their natural habitat taken in the following counties: Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Jackson, Matagorda, & Wharton.
Plant Life of Texas Mid-coast
Images taken of flowers, trees, and other
flora in their natural habitat within Brazoria,
Fort Bend, Galveston, Jackson, Matagorda,& Wharton counties.
Habitats and Ecosystems of
Texas Mid-coast
Scenic images and landscapes showing area habitats taken in the following counties: Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Jackson, Matagorda, & Wharton. Of particular interest are critical, threatened, or protected habitats such as the Columbia Bottomlands.
Brazoria and San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge Photos
The sponsors of the Migration Celebration Nature Photography Contest have special interest in showcasing the wildlife, plant life, and natural beauty of the refuges of the Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge. Enter your photos taken on Texas Mid-Coast refuge units in the six contest categories and have a second chance to win awards among all refuge photographs.
Nature photography is one of six legislated public uses of national wildlife refuges along with wildlife observation, interpretation, environmental education, hunting, and fishing. |
Awards
Winning photographs will be announced and displayed Friday, April 13th at the Migration Celebration kickoff dinner. All submitted prints will be on display at the Migration Celebration, San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, on April 21-22. Due to limits on space, depending upon number of entries, not all prints may be displayed at the April 13th Migration Celebration dinner.
Winning entries are awarded
ribbons as follows:
- Best of Show
- Each Contest Category
First place, second place, third
place, and honorable mentions.
- Best Refuge Photos Awards
First place, second place, third place, and
honorable mentions will be awarded
among all photos submitted taken at Brazoria,
San Bernard, or Big Boggy refuges
or other Texas Mid-coast National Wildlife
Refuge Complex units.
Additional merchandise prizes may also be awarded. If you prefer receiving only a ribbon and no additional prizes, you can indicate this preference on the entry form. Ribbons and prizes may be picked up anytime beginning at the Migration Celebration on Saturday or Sunday.
Texas Mid-Coast Complex
Photos of Merit
Forty or more exceptional photographs that depict wildlife and habitat found in the areas of Brazoria, San Bernard, and Big Boggy refuges and units will be selected for display for the next year at the Texas Mid-Coast Complex National Wildlife Office at 2546 CR 316, Brazoria, Texas. The selected photos also are awarded a special ribbon.
Contest Rules
1. A completed signed entry form must be included with your entries.
2. Youth Entries: A separate youth division has been created with different rules and categories. Youth may enter prints in the regular contest division with all rules and fees applying. Entry forms from youth must also be signed by a parent or legal guardian.
3. An entry fee of $2.50 per photo must accompany entry forms, payment by check or money order payable to “Migration Celebration.” (Entry fees help defray the costs of ribbons, prizes, and supplies for handling and displaying photos.)
4. Entrants are limited to a total of nine (9) entries and no more than three (3) entries per category.
5. Size of Photographs: Each print may be 8 inches by 10 inches, 8 inches by 12 inches, or 8 ½ by 11 inches in dimension. Photos must also extend to the edge of the print with no white borders.
6. Prints must be free of anything written on the print or digitally imprinted on the photo (such as date stamps).
7.. Date of Photos: Only original photographs taken by the entrant since January 1, 2011 may be submitted.
8. Digital Alternations: 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 are adjustments to color, contrast, brightness and sharpness; removal of dust and scratches; cropping; black and white conversions; and use of HDMI (high dynamic range imaging). Not acceptable are photo composites (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 not accepted artistic filters and effects are watercolor, neon glow, posterizing, stained glass, and others which do not show the scene in its natural way.
9. Mounting of Photographs: All prints must be permanently mounted on matte board material or a thin foam board no larger than the print to allow for easier handling.
10. Each entry must be clearly labeled on the back of the photo with: (1) the category, (2) a name for the photo, (3) location where photo was taken, (4) if refuge photo, identify refuge and unit, (5) entrant’s name and telephone number.
11. The digital camera jpeg files for entered photos must be received by the deadline, either on a CD or DVD accompanying prints or e-mailed to photocontest@migrationcelebraton.org. Submitted jpeg files should be for the photo printed and not the original if cropped or edited. File names for submitted prints must be written in the appropriate space on the entry form. Renaming file names in the format of last name first name and title will make file handling easier. If e-mailing files, do not attach more than 25 megabytes of files in one e-mail and make sure you clearly indicate in the e-mail title that it is a photo contest submission. If one’s digital camera records in a format other than jpeg or if software is used to crop or correct photo, save the file as a jpeg with as little compression as possible. TIFF files are also acceptable. If submitted photos were taken with emulsion film, create a digital file by scanning your print at a resolution of at least 300 dpi. If assistance is needed in providing jpeg files, please contact Contest Coordinator.
12. Contest Deadline: Entries must be received no later than Friday March 30, by 4 P.M.
13. Submission of entries: Drop off or mail your entries to either of the following addresses. Individuals at these two locations cannot answer questions about the contest.
Migration Celebration Photo Contest
c/o Texas Mid-Coast NWR Refuge Complex
2547 CR 316, Brazoria, Texas 77422
OR
Migration Celebration Photo Contest,
c/o Brazosport Area Chamber of Commerce
300 Abner Jackson Parkway
Lake Jackson, Texas 77566
14. Use of Photos: By entering photos in the Migration Celebration photo contest, entrants grant Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges or Texas Mid-Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex royalty-free and non-exclusive right to use with full credit given to the photographer, as follows: (i) on Migration Celebration, Friends, or refuge publications, websites, display panels, or promotional products, (ii) in promoting the Migration Celebration photo contest, and (iii) for display at refuge facilities. Entrants waive the right to inspect or approve the final use of their “photographs” by the entities and for the uses stated above. Additional permission will be requested for using photographs for purposes other than listed above.
15. Use of Submitted Prints: All submitted prints remain the property of the photographer and will be returned. On the entry form photographers may indicate if they want to donate their prints. Best of Show and three of the first place winning photographs will go on display for the next year at the Brazoria NWR Discovery Center. The selected Texas Mid-Coast Complex National Wildlife Refuge Photos of Merit will also be of display for one year. Photos placed on display will be returned by mail at the refuge’s or contest’s expense. All other prints not selected for display or the Brazosport Art League show may be picked up after 5 p.m. on Sunday of the Migration Celebration or by arrangement with the Contest Coordinator.
16. Brazosport Art League Nature Photography Exhibit: Up to one hundred of the prints submitted to the contest may be selected for display at the Center for Arts and Sciences Art Gallery as part of a nature photography exhibit. Photographers selected for this honor may replace the print submitted to the contest for a newly printed one. Photographers may elect to offer prints of their photos for sale at a price determined by the photographer. Twenty percent of print sale price is retained by the Art League as a commission and minimum sales price must include costs for making the prints sold. The Art League handles making of prints, the financial transactions of sale, and payment to photographers. Original prints put on display at the art gallery are securely glued onto standard frames that are detached after the show with resulting damage to the back of prints. Contributing photographers are recognized at a reception at the Brazosport Art League Gallery.
17. Judging: The contest will be judged by professional nature photographers Kathy Adams Clark and Larry Ditto. Photographs will be evaluated on image impact, technical excellence, print quality and originality/creativity. Ribbons will be awarded in each category for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place, and a number of honorable mentions. The winning photographers will be announced Friday, April 13th at the kickoff dinner.
18. The Contest Coordinator has the right to disqualify entries not complying with the Official Contest Rules and Guidelines.
Privacy Statement
Address, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses collected on the contest entry form will be used only for purposes related to the photo contest and for contacting photographers about use of photos.
An Evening with the Judges
All photographers who enter the 2012 Migration Celebration photo contest will receive an invitation for an evening with judges Kathy Adams Clark and Larry Ditto on April 11th to go through and discuss entered photographs. (As many of the entered photographs will be included as possible, but if it is not possible to include all photos, the work of all photographers will be represented.)
The 2012 Photo contest is coordinated by Denis Mudderman,
Email: photocontest@migrationcelebration.org |
Printable PDF forms:
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