Information & Rules for Entering
PURPOSE The purpose of this contest is to find images suitable for use in the marketing program for Albany, Linn County and the Willamette Valley.
FEE There is an entry fee of $2.00 for each photo submitted.
Photograph Subject We ask that your work be original, not previously submitted to this or any other contest, be taken in 2021, 2022 or 2023 and specifically feature Albany and surrounding Linn County.
To see examples of the kinds of images we use most, scroll through our website, calendar of events and the AVA Facebook page.
Photograph Subject Categories
Culinary: Visit a local restaurant or a unique foodie or drink venue and let people know what delicious rewards await them. Attend the Albany Farmers’ Market and capture the bounty.
Events: Antiques in the Streets, Twice Around Christmas Parade, Mid-Winter Dance and so much more!
Historic Albany: With four nationally recognized historic districts and architectural styles from the mid- 1800s to the 1950s, Albany has a bounty of historic buildings!
Landmarks: A landmark is unique to Albany and lends itself to the quintessential identity of our city. A Victorian-era painted advertisement on a brick wall or a statue could be a landmark.
People: Visitors love to see people enjoying themselves, but we know it can be hard to get the shot right and get strangers to sign release forms. Consider enlisting your family and friends!
Scenic: Our area is lovely in all seasons! Find something you think will make someone want to come visit us and represents the unique charm of our region. Rustic barns, farm stands, bountiful gardens, wildflowers and wildlife, the Willamette Valley with distant snowcapped mountains.
Youth: For young photographers ages 18 and under.
Judging A committee of judges will (anonymously) assess photos for subject and composition. Judges will consider some of the following criteria: is the subject appropriate for the category, is it a really good/unusual example of that subject, is the composition in focus, does it draw you in, is it original? Judges will determine Champion and Reserve Champion winners. The People’s Choice award will be judged by the public who can view all of the photos on the AVA Flickr site and then submit their choice to the AVA.
Winners will be announced in March 2023. Winning photographs will be showcased in a professional video shown at the Pix Theatre before feature films following the contest, on the AVA website and YouTube and displayed at the Albany Amtrak Station.
Prizes Champion, Reserve Champion, and People’s Choice awards will be $300, $150 and $75, respectively. All first-place through third-place winners will receive a certificate and a gift card to the Pix Theatre to see their photos on the big screen.
Who can enter? The contest is open to all ages, all levels: from amateur to professional or hobbyist.
How to Enter:
- There is an entry fee of $2.00 for each photo submitted except for students/youth whose fees are waived.
- Entrants must complete a release allowing AVA to use their photos for promotional purposes although photographers retain all rights to their photos. We will email you the release when you ask to enter the contest. You may also download it belwo, or get a hard copy from the AVA office.
- Photos must be a minimum of 300 dpi and 1MB in size. Photos should be standard rectangular portrait or landscape; square, panoramic or custom ratios are more difficult to place within our ads.
- Photos may be color or black & white.
- Photos may be digitally enhanced for contrast, color, hue, etc., but not digitally manipulated. Images that have digitally applied effects (such as montages, double exposures or vignettes) cannot be used in AVA publications or national advertising.
- There is a limit of 15 photos per photographer, 10 for Students/Youth.
- For any photo that features a recognizable individual’s face (or group of individuals) photographers MUST complete a signed photo release. We will not accept such photos without a model release! We will email you the release when you ask to enter the contest. You may also download it below, or get a hard copy from the AVA office.
- All photos depicting water recreation must be compliant with Oregon regulations regarding life jackets.
- Have your photos ready by creating file names in the following format
Please use the following format for the file name of each of your photos – do NOT use all caps- title (no duplicates please)
- location, if not mentioned in the title eg. Albany or Linn Co
- your name
- For Example – Grass Harvest Albany Amy Felmley
- Email info@albanyvisitors.com and give us your email address. We will email you the link to a ‘survey’ in which you can upload your photos (with file names as above) and complete all your contact information.
- Mail your check for the entry fee, your completed photographer release form, and any model release forms necessary to the AVA (address below) before February 10. Paperwork may also be placed through the mail drop slot after hours.
DEADLINE All entries, fees and releases must be submitted by 5 pm Friday, February 10, 2023.
Albany Visitors Association
541-928-0911
110 3rd Ave SE, Albany, OR 97321
FORMS
Photographers’ Use & Reproduction Release
The post 2023 AVA Photo Contest appeared first on Albany Visitors Association.
