Pro Competition Rules
Pure Michigan Photography Competition Entry Guidelines, Rules, and Regulations
Click HERE to download a PDF version of these rules
The mission of the Pure Michigan Photography Competition is to create an outstanding opportunity for photographers and Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVBs). The purpose of this photography competition is to provide breathtaking and stunning travel images of Michigan to promote, support and drive tourism in the State of Michigan and to further enhance the Pure Michigan tourism campaign.
1. HOW TO ENTER AS PHOTOGRAPHER: To be considered for the Pure Michigan Photography Competition (“Competition”), a photographer must submit a portfolio that is received before Midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST) May 15, 2010. Portfolio submissions must be made by regular post (US Post office). No other method of entry will be accepted. Entry forms to accompany the portfolio are available to download at http://www.puremichiganphotoclub.com/pdf_forms/registration_form.pdf or by requesting an entry form in writing and sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Firefly Productions. Entrants must complete all data requested on the entry form. Incomplete entries are void. Mail and/or request your entry form, fees, and portfolio to:
Photo Competition Entry
Firefly Productions, LLC
P.O. Box 1014
Traverse City, MI 49685
An e-mail address of each entrant is required for contact. Entrants must be the authorized user of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry.
Entry Fees for Photographers: A nonrefundable $25 entry fee must be payable to Firefly Productions, LLC.
Limit one portfolio entry per person. A self-addressed, stamped envelope is required for the return of the photographer’s portfolio entry or the portfolio entry will not be returned. Firefly Productions, LLC assumes no responsibility for lost, late, misdirected, illegible, or mutilated entry forms and images.
Photographs: The portfolio entry images must be by the original photographer, may be taken of any subject (with travel photographs preferred), but do not have to be of Michigan. Portfolio entry images must be in natural color. Black and white, sepia tone, and duotone images are not eligible. Please send five pages, each with four printed images to make a maximum 20 image portfolio for review. Do not send slides, negatives, CDs, or single prints. Do not write on the front of the pages. All contact information must be printed or on a label adhered to the BACK of the images. Alternately, you may choose to set up a unique web page with no more than 20 images as a portfolio. Please send the URL address with your application.
Restrictions: Obscene, provocative or otherwise questionable content will not be considered. Firefly Productions, LLC retains sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content
2. ELIGIBILITY: The Competition is open to amateur or professional photographers who are at least 18 years of age or older and who are legal residents of the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico). Employees of Firefly Productions, LLC, its respective subsidiaries and affiliates, its prize suppliers, and its advertising and promotional agencies, as well as all of the above entities’ employees’ immediate family members (spouse, parents, children, siblings, and their spouses) and individuals living in the same household of such employees are ineligible. This Competition is governed by the laws of the United States and is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and is void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited or restricted by law. This Competition is not open to employees of the State of Michigan, Travel Michigan, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, or any of their licensees, advertising or promotional agencies or sponsors. Travel Michigan reserves the right to reject entries from countries, states and jurisdictions where this Competition is prohibited.
3. JUDGING FOR ENTRY/SELECTION PROCESS: Twelve (12) photographers will be selected by the judging staff at Firefly Productions, LLC (the “Judges”) on or about June 1, 2010, from among the eligible portfolio entries received by the deadline to enter the Competition.
Photographers shall be selected by the Judges on the basis of the following criteria: creativity, composition, photographic quality, and overall impact. Preference will be given to those photographers who best illustrate a compelling and desirable travel destination. The portfolio submitted is for purposes of judging and selecting photographers to advance to and enter the Competition. One (1) additional photographer will be selected as an alternate and will be positioned within the Competition if necessary at the sole discretion of Firefly Productions, LLC.
In judging eligible entries, the Judges may consider advice from outside experts. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Rules, the decisions of Firefly Productions, LLC, and the Judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects. The Judges reserve the right to disqualify any entry if it finds any evidence of tampering, as solely determined by the Judges. The 12 final photographers and one alternate selected for the Competition will be notified by either email, U.S. mail, telephone, and/or by overnight courier, by Firefly Productions, LLC.
4. HOW TO ENTER AS A Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB): The first 12 CVBs in Michigan that have timely paid in full the applicable entry fee will be selected to enter as a CVB for the Competition. If more than 12 CVBs timely enter the Competition, preference in selecting the CVBs will be given first to those CVBs, at Firefly Production’s sole discretion, that have not participated in past years. Only 12 CVBs will be selected for the Competition.
5. The Photographer/CVB Team: Each of the 12 CVBs selected (each an “Assigned CVB”) will be assigned one photographer (each an “Assigned Photographer” and collectively a “Team”) at the sole discretion of Firefly Productions, LLC. The Assigned CVB will host and advise the Assigned Photographer regarding access to the Assigned CVB’s designated area. The Assigned CVB may inform and guide the Photographer as to the prime locations that its area has to offer. The Assigned CVB and Assigned Photographer Teams are final. Any complaints concerning a Team member’s conduct during the Competition should first be discussed between the members of the Team. If the complaint is not resolved among the Team, then the complaint should be brought to the attention of Firefly Productions. Should Firefly Productions find that a violation of the Competition rules has occurred; the penalty or reprimand for the violation will be left to the sole discretion of Firefly Productions.
6. Competition Period: The Competition begins Midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST) August 1, 2010 and ends 11:59 p.m. EST November 31, 2010. Four months are dedicated so photographers have the opportunity to photograph throughout the season. Each Assigned Photographer must submit 150 images taken during the Competition Period for the Competition (“Entry Images”). Of the 150 Entry Images, the Assigned Photograph must designate 30 images for judging (“Judging Images”).
7. Awards: TBA
8. Judges & Judging for the Competition: Firefly Productions, LLC will implement a double-blind judging procedure to ensure the integrity of the Competition. Submission procedures for the Competition are designed to insure anonymity between the Judging Images and the Assigned Photographer. Submission instructions will be sent to each Assigned Photographer on or before August 1, 2010. Assigned Photographers are required to follow the submission instructions for the Judging Images.
All eligible Judging Images will be reviewed by all of the Judges. Judges will be instructed to rate the Judging Images based on photographic merit and image quality. The purpose of the imagery is to portray a specific area of Michigan as a desirable travel destination and is the foremost criterion. If digital optimization is poorly done, it will reflect poorly on a Judging Image’s score. All Judging Images will be judged and scored on a zero to ten point scale. Difficulty in obtaining the photo and the rareness of the subject will be weighed to break a tie. Points will also be given for overall diversity of the body of Judging Images. Decisions of the Judges are final. A copy of the judging guidelines is available upon written request.
Judges may request to see original RAW files or slide film to compare with Photographer’s final Judging Images to verify that only allowable manipulations have occurred. Any unallowable manipulations will result in that image being disqualified.
9. Entry Images: The main objective is to create imagery that is unique to Michigan and to promote travel and tourism in the State of Michigan. All Entry Images must be composed in the Assigned Photographer’s assigned area. Entries Images that include subject matter located on land other than the assigned area shall be disqualified. Any Entry Images that include models or recognizable people and/or private property require a usage agreement.
Model and Recognized Person Release Form
Private Property and Recognized Person Release Form
10. Ownership of Entry Images: By submitting the Entry Images, the photographer expressly acknowledges and agrees that the Entry Images shall be considered a “work made for hire” as defined by the copyright laws of the United States. Firefly Productions, LLC shall be the sole and exclusive owner of all rights and title in and to the Entry Images. If for any reason the Entry Images are determined at any time not to be a “work made for hire,” the Assigned Photographer agrees to irrevocably transfer and assign to Firefly Productions, LLC all right, title and interest therein, including all copyrights, as well as all renewals and extensions of the Entry Images. The Assigned Photographer also agrees to waive any moral rights in the Entry Images. (Download the Competition’s Photographer Agreement)
11. GENERAL CONDITIONS: Assigned Photographers grant Firefly Productions, LLC, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and the Assigned CVBs the right to use and publish each Assigned Photographer’s name and state of residence on the Internet, in print, and in any other media in connection with the Competition for editorial, advertising, and promotional purposes without payment of compensation or royalties unless prohibited by law. By entering the Competition, you as the Entrant agree to release and hold harmless Firefly Productions, LLC, its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and related companies, its advertising and promotional agencies, its members and any of the foregoing’s directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Assigned CVB’s from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the Competition or any prize won, any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, participation in any Competition related activity, or participation in the Competition.
12. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: Firefly Productions, LLC is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by web site users, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or used in the Competition or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of submissions in the Competition, including but not limited to, any misprints or typographical errors. Firefly Productions, LLC assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction, unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries, portfolios, or Entry Images. Firefly Productions, LLC is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line-systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of e-mail on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any web site or combination thereof, including injury or damage to participants or to any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading materials related to this Competition. If, for any reason, the Competition is not capable of completion as planned, including by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of Firefly Productions that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Competition, Firefly Productions reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Competition. Firefly Productions reserves the right to award prizes based on the entries received before the termination date.
13. Dispute Resolution: By entering the Competition, each entrant agrees that any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to participation in the Competition shall be settled by arbitration, before a single arbitrator, administered by the American Arbitration Association under its commercial arbitration rules, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. The locale of the arbitration shall be in Grand Traverse County, Michigan and shall not be subject to a transfer to another venue or locale for any reason. By entering the Competition, each entrant further agrees that he/she will not commence or participate in any litigation or proceeding, either as a Class representative or as a Class member, and that he/she will never seek to obtain from sponsor awards for, and he/she hereby waives all rights to claim, statutory, punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorney’s fees, other than actual out-of-pocket expenses (i.e., costs associated with entering this Competition.)
14. Governing Law: This Competition is controlled by Firefly Productions, LLC. The entrant does not have to be a resident of Michigan. As each state has laws and regulations that may differ from those of Michigan, by entering the Competition the entrant agrees that the statutes and laws of the State of Michigan, without regard to conflicts of laws principles thereof, will apply to the Competition, these Official Rules, the entire relationship between Firefly Productions and the entrants, and any legal proceeding arising there from (whether grounded in tort, contract, law, or equity). In the case of a dispute, subject to the provisions of the Dispute Resolution paragraph above, the entrant agrees any litigations arriving between the parties hereto shall be brought only in the state or federal courts having subject matter jurisdiction in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. The entrant hereby irrevocably and unconditionally consents to the jurisdiction of any such court and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waive any defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of any action or proceeding in any such court, any objection to venue with respect to any such action or proceeding, and any right of jurisdiction on account of the place of residence or domicile of any party thereto.
15. Taxes and Fees: The winners shall be solely responsible for any and all taxes and fees, including attorney fees and fees of any kind imposed upon or arising out of successful participation in the Competition. Entrants will pay their own federal income taxes and any excise tax or personal property tax. Winning participants will be required to fill out a W-9 in order to receive a check for any prize money as required by the Internal Revenue Service.
16. Indemnification by Participants: By entering the Competition, entrant: (a) releases and holds harmless the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Firefly Productions and its sponsors, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, directors, officers, suppliers, and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind to persons, including death, or property damage, resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, participation in this Competition, or participating in any prize-related activity; and (b) agrees to forthwith defend, fully indemnify, and hold harmless the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Firefly Productions and its sponsors, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, directors, officers, suppliers, and agents from any and all claims by third parties without limitation.
17. Conduct: By entering the Competition, entrants agree to be bound by these Rules. Entrants further agree to be bound by the decisions of the Judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Firefly Productions reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant it finds to be: (a) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Competition; (b) violating the Competition rules; (c) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person, property, or wildlife.
18. Disqualification: Violation of any of these rules or federal, state, or local laws by any Assigned Photographer or Assigned CVB will result in disqualification and forfeiture of entry fees and all prize money. A second disqualification in a subsequent competition will result in permanent ineligibility of that Photographer or CVB. Firefly Productions will resolve all complaints, disputes, and any questions. All decisions of Firefly Productions are final. Firefly Productions reserves the right to audit and verify the location of any winning images. If a violation is discovered after the completion of the Competition, any prize money received must be returned to Firefly Productions. If the prize money is not returned, Firefly Productions will have the option of legal action to enforce compliance.
19. Termination: Firefly Productions reserves the right to amend or terminate all or any portion of this Competition at any time for any reason without prior notice
20. LIST OF WINNERS: Winners will be published in the Pure Michigan–Scenic Places book and posted on http://puremichiganphotoclub.com to announce prize winners at the completion of the Competition. Winners will not be announced publicly until notified. For a list of winners, after December 30, 2010, mail a separate, self-addressed stamped envelope to:
Photo Competition Winners
Firefly Productions, LLC
P.O. Box 1014
Traverse City, MI 49685
