Photo and Video Contest 2009 Rules

National Public Lands Day Volunteer Photo and Video Contest 2009

Official National Public Lands Day Volunteer Photo and Video Contest 2009:
 
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

1.    Eligibility. The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) National Public Lands Day Volunteer Photo and Video Contest 2009 (the “Contest”) is open to all legal United States residents. Employees of NEEF, Girl Scouts of the USA, Boy Scouts of America, Lutzker & Lutzker, Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc, Patagonia and Northrop Grumman and each of their respective affiliated companies or agents and the immediate family members of, and any person domiciled with such employees, are not eligible.  NEEF is not responsible for transmission failures or errors in any promotional graphics or advertisements.  Winners must be in compliance with all contest rules.  Videos will only be accepted by those fourteen (14) years of age and older. 

2.    Method of Entry. The Contest begins on September 17, 2009 EDT and all entries received via mail must be postmarked on or before November 1, 2009 or if electronic received by 11:59 PM EDT on November 1, 2009.  All photographs and videos must be taken at a registered National Public Lands Day (“NPLD”) 2009 work site event.

The contest has two (2) categories in which prizes will be awarded, including: Volunteers in Action photo entries, divided into two (2) age and/or affiliation groupings, and Volunteers in Action video entries.  All submissions must be taken by amateur photographers and videographers only and be original, unpublished and undistributed photographs and videos, solely created by the submitting entrant, and demonstrate active involvement by volunteers at a National Public Lands Day activity.

For the Volunteers in Action photo entries, photographs should reflect, in a visually interesting and creative way, volunteers working on a specific task at the project site. Prizes will be awarded for entries in each of the following age and /or affiliation groupings:

• (A) Volunteers in Action Photographers 18 years and older
• (B) Volunteers in Action Girl Scout, Boy Scout and youth Photographers 17 years and under.

Up to three (3) photo entries total can be made by one entrant in any category and age and/or affiliation grouping for which they are otherwise qualified so long as each entry showcases a different activity at an NPLD event. However, an individual entrant will only be eligible to be awarded one winning prize for their photographs regardless of whether they enter one (1), two (2) or three (3) submissions. Images may not be composites, multiple exposures, or digitally manipulated beyond the reality that existed when the image was made, except for reasonable dodging and burning.
 
For the Volunteers in Action video entries, videos should show volunteers at work on NPLD and verbally convey a story about their experience, for example, where they are volunteering, what work they are accomplishing and why they felt motivated to participate in this nation-wide service event.  Videos should be edited, from live shots or alternating still photos to be visually appealing and tell a compelling story.  The submitted video entry should be of high quality and approximately three (3) minutes in length and no more than 1 gigabyte in size.  One video entry per person may be submitted.

• Entries may be submitted electronically at http://www.publiclandsday.org/photocontest.htm. 
• Videos entered electronically must be uploaded to the NPLD2009 YouTube group at http://www.youtube.com/group/NPLD2009videos in any format available on YouTube. 
• Entries can also be mailed to:

National Environmental Education Foundation
Attn: NPLD Photo and Video Contest
4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 160
Washington, DC  20008

All entries must include your name, address, phone number, email address, age, short description of no more than one hundred (100) words of the work being performed, category of entry (Volunteers in Action Photo, including Grouping A or B, or Volunteers in Action Video), and name and location of NPLD site.  If you are submitting a photo under Group B, please also include whether you are a Boy Scout, Girl Scout or youth volunteer.  If photo entry is by mail, the above information should be printed on a 3 by 5 inch card for each entry.  Photographs must be 4 inches by 6 inches in color or black and white.  If entries are digital photographs, the photograph must be high resolution of at least 300 dpi and 4 inches by 6 inches in color or black and white. 

Videos submitted by mail must be on a disc in one of the following formats: Windows Media Video (.WMV), .AVI (windows), .MOV (mac), .MP4 (ipod/psp), .MPEG, .FLV (adobe flash).

NEEF requests that all contest participants retain their photograph negatives, as winners may be asked to send in their negatives for reproduction. Submitted photographs and videos will not be returned.  By entering the Contest, entrants confirm that they have obtained all necessary releases for any individuals who are identifiable in the photographs or video. Releases for photograph and video subjects can be submitted online with the entry or separately at NPLD@neefusa.org, faxed to 202-261-6464 or mailed to the submission address above by November 1, 2009.  The downloadable release form is available at http://www.publiclandsday.org/pdf/2009/Release_2009.doc.

3.    Selection of winners. NEEF will review each submitted entry for compliance with NLPD’s Privacy Policy and reserves the right to disqualify any entry deemed inappropriate.  Prize winners will be selected by a panel of judges appointed by NEEF and winners will be announced on the NPLD website (www.publiclandsday.org) on or about December 15, 2009. The decisions of the judges in all matters related to the selection of the winners and all matters relating to this contest are final.  Photographic entries will be judged based upon the photographic quality, visual appeal, and representation of the work being done for NPLD.  Video entries will be judged on the quality of the videography, editing of the footage and the storytelling of the work being done for NPLD.  Each criterion will be given equal consideration. Odds of winning depend upon the number and quality of eligible entries received.

4.    Prizes. Prizes will be awarded:

For Volunteers in Action Photo entries to

• Six (6) photographers in classification A (18 years and older).
• Three (3) photographers in classification B (Girl Scout, Boy Scout and youth Photographers 17 years and under)

For Volunteers in Action Video entries to

•  Three (3) videographers.

Each contest winner will receive one of the following prizes:

• Patagonia Synch Marsupials fleece pull-over at a value of $80 each.
• Patagonia Synch Vests at a value of $75 each.
• Patagonia Synch Hats at a value of $25 each.

5.    Winner Notification and Acceptance. Winners will be notified via email on or about December 15, 2009. There shall be no prize substitutions and all prizes are non-transferable.  The Contest winners will be solely responsible for reporting and payment of any taxes, if applicable, as well as all other costs associated with claiming the prize.  Winners will be required to complete affidavits of eligibility and liability, as applicable (except where prohibited by law) which must be received by NEEF within seven (7) days of notification of the winning entry.  Failure to sign and return the affidavits within seven (7) days after notification, or to comply with any term or condition of these Official Rules, may, at the sole discretion of NEEF, result in a winner’s disqualification, the forfeiture of the interest in the prize and the award of the prize to an alternate winner.  The prize winners agree to participate in a photo/video opportunity with NEEF, at NEEF’s election.

6.    Participation. Entries that include content that violates the rights of third parties (including, but not limited to, rights of copyright) or is deemed to be obscene or libelous will be disqualified. Participating individuals grant NEEF the right to use their names in advertising and promoting the contest without further compensation. Submitted entries become the property of NEEF. NEEF has the right, but not the obligation, to use the entries for cause related marketing and upon notice to entrant, to permit NEEF partners and sponsors to use the submitted entries for such marketing without further compensation to the entrant. The use of personal information collected in the course of the Contest shall be governed by the terms of the NPLD Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges.  NEEF reserves the right to disqualify persons found tampering with or otherwise abusing any aspect of this Contest as solely determined by NEEF. In the event the Contest is compromised by tampering or other causes beyond the reasonable control of NEEF which corrupts or impairs the administration, security, fairness or proper operation of the Contest, NEEF reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest.  Should the Contest be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, NEEF reserves the right to award prizes based on the entries received prior to the termination date. All decisions regarding disqualification of entries shall be at the sole discretion of NEEF and the judges. NEEF is not liable for lost, late, delayed, damaged, incomplete, misdirected entries, email or transactions that are lost or for failure to receive entries due to transmission failures or technical failures of any kind, including, without limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with sender or NEEF.  In the event of a dispute, entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the owner of the email account or mailing address.  For these purposes, an email account holder shall mean the natural person assigned to such email account by the Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with such email account.

7.    Limitations of Liability. By entering the Contest, entrant agrees that all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or in connection with the Contest, or any prizes awarded, shall be resolved individually without resort to any form of class action; any claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of–pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering the Contest, but in no event attorney’s fees and under no circumstances will any entrant be permitted to obtain any award for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased and any other damages other than damages for actual out of pocket expenses.

8.    Construction. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Contest Rules, or the rights and obligations of any contestant and NEEF, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without giving effect to any choice of laws or conflict of law rules or provisions that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than Virginia.  In the event that any such provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable, these rules shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or unenforceable provisions were not contained therein.

9.    General Release. By entering this Contest, all participants and/or entrants agree to release NEEF, prize provider, and their affiliated companies and agents from and against all claims and damages arising in connection with each entrant’s participation and/or entry in the Contest (including, without limitation, claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages related to rights of publicity or privacy, defamation or portrayal in a false light) and/or his/her/their receipt or use of any prize awarded in this Contest including any injury or harm resulting from the use of the prize or any activity related thereto.  Prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, expressed or implied, outside of the manufacturer’s limited warranty.

10.    Sponsor. The National Public Lands Day Volunteer Photo and Video Contest 2009 is sponsored by the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation doing business as the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), whose decisions regarding the selection of winners and all other aspects of the Contest shall be final and binding in all respects.  NEEF will not be responsible for typographical, printing or other inadvertent errors in these Official Contest Rules or in other materials related to the Contest. If you have any questions regarding this Contest, please contact NPLD@neefusa.org.