.UWSS Photo Contest Rules & Regulations

The purpose of the Photo Contest (the “Photo Contest”) is to raise funds for the ongoing objectives of the Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society (“UWSS”).  These objectives are to promote public education and awareness with a goal to finding non-lethal and scientifically-based solutions to human/urban wildlife conflicts as well as practices that support respectful and healthy co-existence with wildlife population indigenous to our local environment.

By participating in the Photo Contest (by making an entry on the Photo Contest website), an entrant fully and unconditionally agrees to comply with and abide by the Photo Contest Rules and Regulations (“the Rules and Regulations”).

General

  1. The contest is open to all ages; however, an entrant who is a minor must obtain their parent’s or legal guardian’s permission to enter the Photo Contest, subject to these Rules and Regulations.
  2. All photographs submitted to this contest should be taken by amateur photographers.
  3. Photo Contest categories: Wildlife, Natural Landscapes and Gardens of Victoria.
  4. Photos should not include people.
  5. All submitted photographs must be taken within the Greater Victoria area including surrounding ocean, lakes and waterways.
  6. The 12 winning photographs will be used in the creation of a 2020 wall calendar to be sold as part of a fundraiser for the UWSS.

Photograph submissions:

  1. In these Rules and Regulations, “photograph” includes both digital and print forms of an image submitted as part of an entry to the Photo Contest.
  2. Photographs must be taken in horizontal ‘landscape’ orientation. Entries must be submitted electronically on the Photo Contest page. The electronic submission must be a high quality JPEG photo of 3300 x 2550 pixels at 300 DPI/PPI to fit a 11 x 8.5 inch sized print. Images can be Grayscale or Colour (RGB).
  3. There is an entry fee of $5 for each photo submission or, 3 photos for $10.
  4. Photographs should be taken within the last 2 years.
  5. All photograph entries must include name, email address, phone number and the location where the photograph was taken.
  6. Email addresses, contact information and photographs will not be retained by the UWSS after the completion of this contest and will not be used or sold for marketing or any other purpose other than to facilitate this fundraising project.
  7. Entries submitted through fraudulent means or in any way tampered with, incorrect, unclear, forged, mutilated, illegible, indecipherable or mechanically reproduced may be disqualified at the sole discretion of the UWSS and/or the judging panel (referenced below).
  8. All entries become the property of the UWSS and will not be returned. The UWSS is not responsible for entries lost, late, misdirected, illegible or delayed for any reason.

Deadlines

  1. The Photo Contest opens at 8:00 p.m. PST August 31 and all photographic entries must be uploaded by 11:59 p.m., September 27, 2019.
  2. Public voting opens October 5, 2019 and closes October 16th, 2019 at 11:59pm PST. All votes must be placed by then.

Judging

  1. All photographs submitted to the contest will be reviewed by a panel of judges selected by the UWSS.
  2. The judges will select 35 finalists.

Exhibition and Voting

  1. The 35 finalists photographs will be on display both on the contest page of our website and at an exhibition in the Lobby Lounge of the Monterey Center at 1442 Monterey Ave. Oak Bay, from Oct 5 -19.
  2. We invite the public to vote for their favorite images either on our site or at the exhibition from Oct 5 – 19.
  3. Voters are welcome to vote for multiple photographs.
  4. The 12 photographs receiving the most votes will be featured in our UWSS 2020 calendar, which will be available for purchase in November. Only one photograph will be selected from each photographer.
  5. All voting will be done anonymously. Winning photographers will be announced publicly at the end of the competition, after the final votes have been tallied.
  6. Voting is by donation and can be done online through our contest page at uwss.ca from Oct 5 – 19.
  7. Online voting can be done from the exhibition at the Monterey Center through our uwss.ca website contest page. We cannot receive cash donations for votes at the exhibition but a ballot box will be available for paper votes and cheques to: The Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society will be gratefully accepted.
  8. A lovely appreciation prize will be awarded to one lucky donor/voter at the end of the competition.
  9. Each of the 35 framed 8 x 10 exhibition copies will be auctioned by blind ballot during the exhibition. Bids can be placed on the website or at the exhibition from Oct 5 – 16. These one of a kind works of art will be signed and ready for collection at the end of the competition.
  10. Our mayor, Kevin Murdock, will be announcing our 12 winners at the closing gala on Saturday Oct 19. More details about the gala will be announced on this site in the coming weeks.

Awards

  1. First, second and third prizes will be awarded according to the highest number of public votes received. Each photographer is limited to a single prize. 
  2. Prizes must be accepted as presented and are not transferable or convertible to cash.
  3. The 12 winning photographers will be recognized by having their photograph published in the UWSS 2020 Calendar which will be sold to the public. All monies received from the sale of the calendars are for the sole fundraising benefit of the UWSS and their ongoing mission.

Publication and Copyright

  1. By submitting a photograph in the Photo Contest,
    • the entrant warrants and represents that he or she is legally capable of granting, and grants the UWSS, the right to use any photograph submitted as provided below;
    • The entrant grants to UWSS the non-exclusive and irrevocable right and licence to reproduce, publish and distribute and to authorize the reproduction, publication and distribution, without notice or compensation, of a photograph, in print, and in all electronic forms and media, including social media in order to allow the UWSS to carry out the following for the purposes of the Photo Contest:
      •      store digital versions of photographs and sharing with the Photo Contest judges,
      •      exhibit photographs in a physical exhibition and UWSS’s online exhibition,
      •      auction photographs exhibited as part of the Photo Contest,
      •      publish and selling copies of photographs in a calendar,
    • All art that is exhibited and sold by the UWSS during the contest will be signed by the photographer before release in acknowledgement of their work.

Responsibility

  1. The UWSS is not responsible for any failure of the website during the Photo Contest. Nor is it responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of computer online systems, servers, access providers, computer equipment, software or any e-mail, online or internet entry lost due to technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to an entrant’s or any other person’s computer or property related to or resulting from playing or downloading any material in the promotion.