Rules
Pure Michigan Photo Contest Rules
1. HOW TO ENTER
The entry period for the Pure Michigan Photo Contest (“Contest”) begins Midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST) and ends 11:59 p.m. EST of the dates posted at www.puremichiganphotoclub.com (“entry period.”) To enter the contest, follow the directions online to register and submit the entry form and images.
All entries must be completed and received by the entry deadline. Limit five (5) photographs per entry. There is no limit to the amount of times you (the “Contestant”) may enter.
Please Note: All images must be of landmarks, natural areas, tourist destinations, or other subjects exclusively in Michigan. Any images containing natural subjects must be composed of native flora and fauna of Michigan. The main objective is to create imagery that is unique to Michigan. If any person or private property included in the photograph is recognizable, the Contestant must obtain a signed release.
Model and Recognized Person Release Form
Private Property and Recognized Person Release Form
Receipt of the entries and images will not be acknowledged or returned. Firefly Productions, the State of Michigan, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, their parents, members, directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives, affiliates, subsidiaries, and related companies (“Sponsors”), and the Sponsor’s advertising and promotional agencies and licensees (“Affiliates”) assume no responsibility for lost, late, misdirected, illegible, or mutilated entries or for any computer, online, telephone, cable, network, electronic or Internet hardware or software malfunctions, failures, connections, availability, garbled or jumbled transmissions, service provider, Internet, website, or other accessibility or availability issues, traffic congestion, or unauthorized human intervention, or any technical malfunctions that may occur. Contestants must be the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of each entry. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain name associated with the submitted e-mail address.
Photographs:
All images must be submitted by the original Contestant. By submitting an image, the Contestant represents and warrants that: (A) the Contestant is the sole and exclusive owner of the image and has the right to license such image as provided herein; (B) to the best of the Contestant’s knowledge, the image does not infringe any copyright, trademark right, or right of privacy or publicity, and does not defame any third party; and (C) Contestant has the right to enter into this Agreement and perform the Contestant’s obligations hereunder.
Images must be in natural color. Black and white, sepia tone, and duotone images are not eligible. Do not send negatives. When submitting digital images, a high-resolution file must be available if chosen as a winner. Digital images should be submitted in JPG format with a maximum size of 8meg. High-resolution files should be made with a camera with at least 3 megapixels. If this is not available, entry will be void and/or disqualified. Images will not be returned.
Minor digital enhancement is permitted, but images that have been significantly modified or appear unnatural will be disqualified at the sole discretion of Firefly Productions.
Examples of digital enhancements that are not permitted include, but are not limited to:
* No borders or frames may be added to images.
* No watermarks, signatures, or copyright notices may be added to images.
* Adding or replacing elements in an image is not permitted.
* Artistic filters are not permitted.
Examples of digital enhancements that are permitted are limited to:
* Images may be cropped and rotated.
* Images may be resized as long as the aspect ratio is maintained.
* Red-eye removal and spot editing.
* One-step enhancement (such as “AutoFix,” “QuickFix,” “Auto Levels,” etc.).
* Use of filters to sharpen, soften, blur, despeckle, or remove noise.
* Use of corrective functions to improve the natural appearance of the image, such as levels, contrast, brightness, curves, intensity, tone, hue, saturation, lightness, value, color balance, and tint.
* Multiple exposure photography, such as HDR, stitched panoramas, focus stacking, or superimposed exposures are allowed.
Restrictions: Obscene, provocative, violent, abusive, or otherwise questionable content will not be considered. Firefly Productions retains sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content.
2. ELIGIBILITY
This Contest is open only to legal residents of the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) age 18 years or older. Employees of Firefly Productions, their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, prize suppliers, and advertising and promotional agencies, as well as the immediate families (spouse, parents, children, siblings, and their spouses) and individuals living in the same household as such employees are ineligible.
This contest is not open to employees of Travel Michigan, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, or any of their licensees, advertising or promotional agencies or sponsors. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Travel Michigan reserves the right to reject entries from countries, states and jurisdictions where this contest is prohibited.
3. JUDGING
Winners will be selected and voted by online “People’s Choice” from among all eligible entries received in the time frame specified above. The top 25 will be chosen by Firefly Productions staff and posted for online “People’s Choice” vote.
By participating, contestants agree to be bound by the Official Rules, the decisions of Firefly Productions, its subsidiaries, directors, and officers, and the Judging process. All decisions are final and binding in all respects at the sole discretion of Firefly Productions. Firefly Productions reserves the right to disqualify any entry if it finds any evidence of tampering, as solely determined by Firefly Productions. ”
4. PRIZES
Firefly Productions will award prizes based on a special People’s Choice process for the image that receives the most votes online, subject to the final approval of Firefly Productions. All prizes will be awarded. Limit one prize per person. Firefly Productions will notify the Winners by email, U.S. mail, telephone, and/or by overnight courier.
The prizes are posted at www.puremichiganphotoclub.com
Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash, and cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion. Firefly Productions reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event the offered prize is unavailable. No substitution or transfer of prizes is permitted except as provided herein.
5. GENERAL CONDITIONS
All federal, state, and local taxes, fees, and surcharges on prize packages are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. Prize winners may be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability/Prize Acceptance Form within seven (7) days following notification. Return of any prize and/or prize notification as undeliverable or failure of any entrant to comply with any Official Rules will result in disqualification and the selection of an alternate winner.
By entering the Contest, you grant to the Sponsors, the Affiliates, and their licensees a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable license to use, copy, distribute, perform, display the image and also to prepare derivative works based upon the image without payment, royalties, or any other compensation for the following purposes:
1. to publish the image in the Pure Michigan-Scenic Places book;
2. to publish and license the image on and through the Michigan.org Image Gallery/Library;
3. to publish the image on the Sponsors’ websites, in the Sponsors’ printed materials, and in or on any other of the Sponsor’s media forms, now known or later developed.
Further, by entering the Contest, you grant to the Sponsors and the Affiliates the right to use and publish your name, likeness, and state of residence online, in print, and all other media for editorial, advertising, and promotional purposes in connection with the Contest without payment or additional compensation unless prohibited by law. Also by entering the Contest, you agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsors and the Affiliates from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the Contest or Contest prize.
As a condition of participating in this Contest, Contestant agrees that any dispute that cannot be resolved between the parties, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, exclusively, before a court of competent jurisdiction located in the State of Michigan, which court shall apply the laws of the State of Michigan without regard for rules of conflicts of law. In any such dispute, Contestant shall, under no circumstances, be entitled to claim punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than Contestant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (if any) associated with participating in the Contest, and Contestant hereby waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
Any attempt by a Contestant to deliberately damage any web site or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, the Sponsors and the Affiliates reserve the right to seek damages from any such Contestant to the fullest extent permitted by law.
6. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY
The Sponsors and the Affiliates are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions in the Contest, including but not limited to, any misprints or typographical errors. The Sponsors and the Affiliates assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. the Sponsors and the Affiliates are 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 or players on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof, including injury or damage to Contestants or to any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading materials in this Contest. If, for any reason, the Contest 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 the Sponsors and the Affiliates which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, the Sponsors and the Affiliates are reserve the right at their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. the Sponsors and the Affiliates are reserve the right to award prizes based on the entries received before the termination date.
In no event will the Sponsors and the Affiliates be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of Contestant’s access to and use of the internet site, www.puremichiganphotocontest.com, or the downloading from and/or printing of material from said site. Without limiting the foregoing, everything on this site is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. Some jurisdictions may not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages so some of the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. Check your local laws for any restrictions or limitations regarding these limitations or exclusions.
7. LIST OF WINNERS
Winners will be posted on www.puremichiganphotocontest.com to announce prize winners at the completion of each contest. Winners will not be announced publicly until notified. For a printed list of winners, mail a separate, self-addressed stamped envelope to: Photo Contest, P.O. Box 1014, Traverse City, MI 49685
8. NOTICE TO INDIVIDUALS: REMOVAL FROM MAILING LIST
Any individual (or other duly authorized person) may elect to exclude the name and address of that individual from all lists used by Firefly Productions. To elect to have an individual’s name excluded from all such lists, submit a removal request in writing to: Photo Contest, P.O. Box 1014, Traverse City, MI 49685. This notification system may be used to prohibit mailing by Firefly Productions to such individual.
