Rules
One contest theme is drawn from a subject of special interest to IFES. Only IFES staff and consultants employed at the time of the contest are eligible for entry. As many as ten finalists and one winner will be recognized from each category. One winner from the IFES in the Field category, one winner from the IFES in the Office category, and one winner from the Mobile Phone category will each receive a $250 (USD) American Express Gift Card. All category winners and finalists will be highlighted on IFES’ Flickr account and exhibited at IFES after September 28, 2010.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
Theme
IFES at Work. IFES is a diverse set of individuals with experiences from around the world. This contest aims to showcase how staff and those we work with contribute to the organization’s mission.
Categories
IFES in the Field
Images of people, places and/or activities taking place in countries where IFES has or has recently conducted a program.
IFES in the Office
Photographs representing people, places and/or activities of staff based at or near IFES’ Washington, DC or field headquarter offices.
Mobile Phone
Photographs that were taken from and display the spontaneous feel of a mobile phone.
Who may enter:
Only IFES staff and consultants are employed during the term of the contest eligible. VOID WHERE PROHIBITIED.
Term
IFES 2010 Staff Photography Contest (the “Contest”) begins July 15, 2010 and ends September 22, 2010 at 11:00pm Eastern Time (ET). All digital entries must be received at IFES’ website by September 22 at 11:00pm Eastern Time (ET).
Sponsor
The Contest is sponsored by IFES, 1850 K Street, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20006.
Agreement to Contest Rules
By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to the Contest Rules and the decision of Sponsor, and warrants that his or her entry complies with all requirements set out in the Contest Rules. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein in a timely manner. Please read these Contest Rules carefully before submitting your photograph(s).
What to enter
Using the online entry form on our website (complete a separate form for each photo submitted), submit a high-quality scans of non-digital photographs or digital photographs at the highest resolution possible in a .jpeg, .jpg or .tif format. Files submitted may not be larger than 5 megabytes. Finalists may be asked to submit a high-resolution file or an original negative, print or slide. Original photographs will not be returned to finalists.
Photographs must have been shot by the entrant between June 1, 2009 and the end of the contest term (September 22, 2010). Each online entry must also include, as requested on the form, a brief description explaining how that image is representative of the contest theme and category.
Cropped photos are eligible in all categories, but you may not submit photos that have been digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered. Minor adjustments, including spotting, dodging and burning, contrast and slight color adjustment or the digital equivalents, are acceptable. An entrant must hold, and affirm that entrant holds, all rights to the photograph(s); those that violate or infringe upon another person's copyright are not eligible.
For the IFES in the Field and IFES in the Office categories, any camera may be used (point-and-shoot, SLR, mobile, digital, analog, et cetera). For the Mobile Phone category, only photographs taken with a mobile phone will be accepted. (Note: the resolution of photographs from mobile phones is relatively small, for example, the iPhone 3Gs produces photographs with a resolution of 600x800 at 300 dpi. Photographs submitted in the mobile photo category are expected to be of relatively low resolution).
How to enter
No more than four (4) photos per entrant may be submitted to the contest online HERE; photos may be entered into any combination of categories (ex. one photo submitted to IFES in the Office and two photos submitted to Mobile Phone, et cetera). The same photo may not be entered in multiple categories. Sponsor will not accept more than one entry contestant per e-mail address. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any person that violates the Contest Rules or tampers with or abuses any aspect of this Contest as solely determined by Sponsor. Incomplete or late entries will be disqualified.
Judging
Contest consists of three rounds of evaluation for each category. In the first round, Judges will independently select as many as ten images among all eligible entries from each category based on that entry’s overall artistic merit, technical excellence, and relevance. All entries selected from round one will proceed to round two. In round two, Judges will independently review all entries from the first round and score each entry from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) for each category according to the criteria and formula below. The composite score will be made based on the following percentages:
The composite scores from the three judges will be averaged together. As many as eleven entries per category with the highest value in each category will proceed to round three. In round three, the Judges will collectively select a Winner for each category.
Judging will be conducted by Ms. Therese Laanela, Assistant Director of the Carter Center’s Democracy Program, Mr. Alexander Knapp, Principal of Alexander Knapp Consulting and Mr. Zerxes Spencer, Manager of Fellowship Programs at the National Endowment for Democracy.
Winners will be chosen on or around October 4, 2010, and notified by email on or after October 8, 2010. Decisions of the judges are final and binding. Please do not contact us about the status of entries.
Winning photographs and selected finalists will be published in the online October issue of IFES’ eXpress newsletter, online at IFES’ Flickr account and IFES.org and on exhibit at IFES’ DC Headquarters.
Prizes
One winner will be selected for each category. One winner from the IFES in the Field category, one winner from the IFES in the Office category, and one winner from the Mobile Phone category will each receive a $250 (USD) American Express Gift Card. Selected finalists from each contestant category may at the Sponsor’s option receive additional noncash prizes with a total approximate retail value of $15.00 (USD). The odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Winners will be responsible for paying any taxes they may owe on a prize. No prize transfer, assignment, or substitution by winners is permitted.
General Conditions
Entry in the Contest does not transfer ownership of the rights in the images submitted, but constitutes the grant of the license below to Sponsor; moreover, IFES is under no obligation to, and will not, return physical photographs. All entrants must confirm their ownership of the photograph(s), that entrant holds all rights to the intellectual property that they received verbal consent from all individuals (subjects) depicted in the photograph (or no objection from the subject, who was clearly aware that the entrant was taking the photograph), that they have no reason to believe that the subject would object to the entrant’s entering the photograph into the Contest nor to IFES' use of the photograph as described in the license granted to IFES in the Contest Rules, that they are over 18 years of age, and that they fully understand and agree to the Contest Rules.
Entry in the Contest constitutes a grant to IFES of a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to display, distribute, reproduce, edit, and create derivative works of the entry photograph(s), in whole or in part, in any media now existing or subsequently developed, for any and all purposes, including promotional purposes. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit. IFES will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.
IFES reserves the right to verify the validity and originality of any entry and/or entrant (including an entrant's identity and address) and to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry that is not in accordance with these Contest Rules or who tampers with the entry process. Entries also will be void if IFES determines the photograph(s) not to be original, or if the entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error or obtained through fraud or theft.
Failure by IFES to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights. IFES reserves the right to suspend or cancel the Contest or modify these rules at its discretion.
In the event that the selected winner(s) of any prize is/are ineligible, cannot be traced or does/do not respond within five (5) days to a winner notification as required by the "Contest Prizes" Rules above, or refuses the prize, the prize will be forfeited and IFES, in its sole discretion, may choose whether to award the prize to another entrant.
Publicity
Participation in the Contest constitutes winner’s consent to Sponsor’s use of winner’s name, likeness, voice, opinions, and biographical information for promotional purposes in any media without further payment or consideration.
Release
By receipt of a prize, winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor, and its officers, directors, employees, agents and assigns (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize, whether under a theory of contract, tort or otherwise.
Limitations of Liability
The Released Parties are not responsible for: (a) any inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants or printing errors; (b) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the Contest; (c) technical failures of any kind including, but not limited to, electronic malfunctions of any network hardware or software; (d) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; (e) lost, delayed, misdirected or undeliverable mail or electronic mail; or (f) any injury or damage to persons or property including, but not limited to, death, which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize.
Disputes
Entrants agree that this Contest shall be subject to and governed by and subject to the laws of the District of Columbia and the forum for any dispute shall be in the District of Columbia, United States of America. To the extent permitted by law, the right to litigate, to seek injunctive relief or to make any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or on connection with this Contest are hereby excluded and any entrant expressly waives any and all such rights.