FOAR Winter 2017 Photo Contest

1st Place Winner

George Nobles

2nd Place Winner

Loyd Dalton Jr.

3rd Place Winner

Dwayne Litteer

Week 1 Doug Haass Sunrise over Deep Marsh	Week 2 John Landsittel Orange-crowned Warbler	Week 3 Dwayne Litteer Eastern Phoebe
Week 4 Roger Crutcher Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Week 5 Kathie Maxwell Red-tailed Hawk	Week 6 Tom Spruill Vermilion Flycatcher
Week 7 Lloyd Dalton Pied-billed Grebe	Week 8 James Stough Great Horned Owl	Week 9 John Landsittel Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Week 10 Loyd Dalton Jr. Northern Pintail	Week 11 Michelle Esclovon Shoveler Pond Sunset	Week 12 George Nobles Gadwall

*Images posted here have been compressed for display on this website.

The Friends of Anahuac Refuge is happy to announce the 2017 WINTER Photo Contest!!! 

Take pictures at the refuge between November 5, 2017 and January 27, 2018 and submit your best photos to the Friends of Anahuac Refuge 2017 Winter Photo Contest. A “Photo of the Week” will be chosen each week, and that image will be featured on the Friends of Anahuac Refuge webpage and Facebook page. At the conclusion of the winter contest, the best three images will be chosen from the 12 “Photo of the Week” winners. From those, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners for the summer contest will be chosen.

1st place - a pair of Vortex Crossfire 10x42 binoculars ($150.00 value)

2nd place - a photography bean bag from thevestguy.com (Approx. $80.00 value)

3rd place - a $50.00 Visa Gift Card

The photos may be of wildlife, plants, macro, landscape or any activity on the refuge. Each person can submit up to 3 images per week during the contest. For more information about the contest including how to submit photographs and to see the contest rules below.

The official rules of The Friends of Anahuac Refuge Winter Photo Contest.

ELIGIBILITY

The Winter Photo Contest is open to all professional and amateur photographers. Refuge Employees, their families and members of the Friends of Anahuac Refuge Board and their families are ineligible. By submitting an entry to the Photo Contest, entrants certify that their participation in this Photo Contest is not illegal or in violation of any law, regulation, treaty or administrative act, and that the laws of their governing jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry do not prohibit or restrict the receipt of any Prize under this Photo Contest.

SPONSOR

The Photo Contest is sponsored by: Friends of Anahuac Refuge

P.O. Box 1348

Anahuac, TX 77514

ENTRY PERIOD

The Winter Photo Contest will run for 12 weeks, and begins at 12:00am Central Daylight Savings Time on November 5, 2017 and ends at 11:59pm Central Time on January 27, 2018. Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. The time shown on the email submission per Yahoo’s email server will determine the official time the image(s) were submitted to the Photo Contest. 

ALL PHOTOS MUST BE TAKEN DURING THE CONTEST (November 5, 2017-January 27, 2018), however they do not have been to be taken during the week in which they are submitted.

WHAT TO ENTER

The Friends of Anahuac Refuge is committed to a future for people and nature. For our 2017 Winter Photo Contest, we’d like to see your best photograph taken at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. Everyone sees nature differently and we want you to show us your view!

To ensure eligibility for the contest, Photos must be in JPEG format at 300ppi, not larger than 10MB, and the longest side of the photo must be at least 1800 pixels long. All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization (removal of dust, cropping, reasonable adjustments to exposure, color and contrast, etc.) will be disqualified.

Multiple images that are combined into a single panoramic image are acceptable as long as it shows the original scene accurately. HDR images are acceptable as long as they accurately show the original scene as it appeared when the photographs were taken.

Each week, a winner from that week (Images submitted Sunday-12:00AM through Saturday- 11:59PM) will be chosen as the Photo of the Week. That photo will be displayed on the Friends of Anahuac Refuge’s Facebook page and website. The Winter Photo Contest’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be chosen from the winning Photo of the Week photos.

Entries should include metadata if at all possible. Caption information should include:

• Name of location (Skillern Tract, Frozen Point, Shoveler Pond, etc.)
  
• Detailed caption of subject matter
  
• Date image was taken
  

Previously published material for which non-exclusive rights were granted may be entered if you still maintain the right to grant us a license. You must be able to disclose when and where the photo appeared previously to The Friends of Anahuac Refuge upon request.

Submissions may be watermarked, if desired, but the watermark should be inconspicuous enough to not interfere with the judging of the photo. A watermarked photo might not be honored by the competition (at the judges’ sole discretion) if the photographer is unable or unavailable to provide a pristine, watermark-free version of the image when asked. 

If you choose to include people in your submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary releases from the individuals depicted, and must be able to provide copies of those releases to The Friends of Anahuac Refuge.

The following submissions are ineligible:

• Images not taken at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge
  
• Images taken from drones
  
• Images of captive animals photographed in zoos and commercial game farms.
  
• Photos that violate or infringe upon another person's rights, including, but not limited to copyright and photographs of persons without the necessary consent required by law in your jurisdiction.
  
• Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content.
  
• Images that involve the willful harassment of wildlife, or damage to the environment by the photographer.
  
• Images that involve putting any individual or animal in danger.
  

The Friends of Anahuac Refuge shall determine entry eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion.

HOW TO ENTER

All images must be submitted though our photo submission e-mail address, foarphotos@yahoo.com including all required fields, including name, email and other information about your photo submission. You may enter 3 images per week starting each Sunday through Saturday during the contest. Sponsor reserves the right to reject any additional entries or entries that do not comply with these Official Rules. By entering, you indicate your unconditional agreement to, and acceptance of, these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding. You cannot win a prize unless you comply with all requirements in these Official Rules. Entrants may be asked to supplement their submission (such as with a paragraph about their photo or the highest resolution version of their photo).

JUDGING

Photos will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, artistic merit and subject matter relevance to promote Anahuac NWR. Photos of the week and the final 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will be decided by board members of the Friends of Anahuac Refuge. FOAR will notify the winner via the contact information provided at the time of entry.

PRIZES

The winning 1st, 2nd and 3rd place photos will be chosen from the 12 images chosen as “Photo of the Week”. The Winter Photo Contest Prizes are as follows: 

• 1st Place Winner will be awarded a pair of Vortex Optics CF-4302 Crossfire 10x42 Binoculars
  
• 2nd Place Winner will win a photography bean bag from thevestguy.com (Approx. $80.00 value)
  
• 3rd Place Winner will win a Visa Gift Card worth $50.00
  

You will retain all rights to any photograph you submit -- including ownership if applicable.

If you submit a photograph to enter the Photo Contest, you grant Friends of Anahuac Refuge the nonexclusive right to:

• Display the photograph on the FOAR website, publicity banners, signs and pamphlets
  
• Use the photograph on the Internet and in Social Media in support of our mission.
  
• Use the photograph in The Friends of Anahuac Refuge internal and external communications materials including but not limited to web sites and web publications, fact sheets, fund raising publications, advertising, multimedia, presentation and membership services.
  
• Use, in connection with the Photo Contest, your name, state and country of residence in promotions and other publications

The Friends of Anahuac Refuge will endeavor to credit all photographs with the name person who took the photograph.

RELEASE AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

By entering, you agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, and their respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Photo Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Photo Contest; (b) technical errors; (c) printing errors; (d) late or undelivered mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Photo Contest; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property. You waive the right to claim any attorneys’ fees and any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

QUESTIONS

Questions and inquiries about contest rules can be emailed to: foarphotos@yahoo.com

Download printed rules here.