See your photo on the Maine.gov website!
Whether photography is your passion, your hobby, or just an occasional pastime, we invite you to participate in our Maine.gov photo contest, celebrating the beauty and unique character of Maine.
Winning photos will be displayed on the Maine.gov home page on a rotating basis. Both amateur and professional photographers are welcome to participate. Photos may be submitted as prints or in digital format; see contest rules for details.
The Fall 2008 Contest has ended. Check back for the Winter 2008 Contest.
Please read the complete contest rules before entering.
No purchase or payment necessary to enter or win
Photo Eligibility
To enter, you must be at least 18 years of age and a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident (green card). InforME employees and Board members and their immediate family members are not eligible. Immediate family includes only spouses, parents and children. All photos must be in color and taken in Maine within the last three years. The photo subject must be relevant to Fall in Maine in one of the following contest categories:
Photo Formats
Entries may be color prints or digital images. Black and white images are not eligible. Please read the specific guidelines for submitting prints and digital images.
Photographer/Copyright
Entries must be submitted by the original photographer. Do not submit a photo taken by someone other than yourself. You must be the sole owner of the copyright of any image submitted. Your submission of the photo and entry form is your guarantee that you are the author and copyright holder of the photo.
Number of Entries
An individual may submit only one photo per category per contest.
Photo Subject Restrictions
Photos must be appropriate for posting on a public government website. Obscene, provocative or otherwise questionable content will not be considered. InforME retains sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content. Photos containing recognizable people must be submitted by regular mail and accompanied by a signed model release form.
Return of Photos
Photos, regardless of the medium, will not be returned. Please do not send your only copy of a photo.
Ownership/Use Rights
Photographers retain the copyright to their photographs. By entering the contest, photographers agree to have their submitted photograph displayed on the Maine.gov website without any fee or other form of compensation, and agree that InforME may display winning photos in a "past winners" photo gallery and in the Maine.gov "e-postcard" service, and may make and retain copies of the photograph for archival purposes. Posted photos will be subject to the Maine.gov website photo use policy. Photos will be credited to the photographer named in the entry form. Entries (including non-winning entries) may be selected for display or use in other Maine state government web pages, with permission from the photographer. Entrants agree that InforME may contact them to obtain permission for use of photos in this way. Entries will never be used by InforME in any manner for advertising or sale. In the event that ownership of any photograph submitted to InforME is contested in any manner, InforME retains the discretion to disqualify that photograph and discontinue use of the photograph.
How to Enter
Digital photos may be submitted using the online entry form. Prints may be mailed along with completed entry forms to InforME (see further instructions below). Each entry must be accompanied by a completed contest entry form. If you are submitting multiple entries, be sure to indicate clearly which form belongs with each photo. Entries must be received by Monday, August 11, 2008, at 11:59 p.m. EDST.
Judging
Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, photographic quality, and effectiveness in conveying the beauty and/or unique character of Maine in one of the contest categories. An InforME panel will judge the entries and all contest decisions are final. Entries that fail to comply with the Official Contest Rules will be disqualified. The InforME panel will include professionals in graphic design, website design, website development, marketing and public relations.
Winners
Judges will select a first and second place winning photo for each of the contest categories. If fewer than ten eligible photographs are entered in a category, InforME may choose to name only a first place winner, or may cancel that category. In addition, one or more honorable mention winners may be selected in categories with especially large numbers of entries, at the discretion of the judging panel. Winners will be notified approximately 2-3 weeks after the contest deadline by phone and email using the information on the entry form. Along with a winner notification, winners will be sent an affidavit of eligibility and release. Winner must execute, without making changes, and return this release for receipt by InforME within 7 days of the date on the winner notification letter. Failure to execute and return this affidavit within 7 days will result in disqualification. Winning photographs, along with the photographer's name, email address (optional) and information about the photo, will be displayed on the Maine.gov website during the months of September, October, November & December, 2008. No financial compensation is provided to winners.
Digital images should be submitted using the online entry form. Images should be formatted to 72 dpi, no larger than 600 by 450 pixels and no smaller than 450 by 338 pixels. Panoramic photos are not eligible. Images should be submitted in JPG (at high quality) or TIFF format. File sizes must be less than 500K per image. Images must be in natural color. Black and white, sepia tone, and duotone images are not eligible. Digital images will not be returned.
Image Modifications:
Minor digital enhancement is permitted, but images that have been significantly modified or appear unnatural will be disqualified.
Not Permitted:
Permitted Modifications:
Prints must be 4 x 6 inches or 5 x 7 inches and must be in color. Do not send negatives. Attach a label to the back of each print with your name and address. Do not write on the photo itself. If submitting multiple entries, number each print to match a corresponding entry form. Prints will not be returned.
Mail print along with entry form to:
Maine.gov Photo Contest
c/o InforME
45 Commerce Drive, Suite 10
Augusta, ME 04330
InforME is not responsible for computer system, hardware, software, or program malfunctions or other errors, failures, or delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Furthermore, InforME is not responsible for: (i) lost, misdirected, misplaced, illegible, unintelligible, incomplete, or late entries or (ii) any act, failure to act, or delay regarding the transmitting or processing of entries. InforME reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend all or any portion of this contest without notice if factors beyond InforME's control, including technical difficulties, disrupt or corrupt the fair or secure administration or operation of the contest. Void where prohibited. InforME is entitled to interpret these rules as needed and its decisions are final. InforME reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that InforME has reason to believe is not the original work of entrant, or does not otherwise meet the contest rules. If a winner is disqualified or determined to be ineligible, an alternate winner will be selected using the same judging process/criteria described above. Alternate winners are subject to all requirements set forth in these Official Rules.
By participating in the contest, you agree to release and hold harmless InforME and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents, and advertising and promotional agencies from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind resulting from your participation in this contest, including infringement of intellectual property rights. InforME and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents, and advertising and promotional agencies assume no responsibility or liability for any damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind arising in whole or in part from this contest.
Copyright © 2008 All rights reserved. Photo credits.
