Contestant must be:
- A 4-H member, volunteer, alumni, or staff.
- 14 years of age or older.
- An amateur photographer. An amateur is someone who engages in photography as a pastime rather than as a profession.
Photo must:
- Be taken by contestant within two (2) years of the date of entry.
- Be original, unpublished, and undistributed. A photo, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material.
- Depict the diverse ways young people are engaged in agriculture today and the impact of agriculture on communities, and reflect one of the following areas of focus:Citizenship in Agricultural Issues; How Agriculture Effects Healthy Living; The Science Behind Agriculture.
- Be 300 dpi (hi-res) digital image files, between 3MB and 5.0MB in size and should be in TIFF or JPEG format.
- Be of good technical quality (e.g., may not have soft focus, lens scratches, poor exposure). Minor digital enhancement for cropping, red-eye removal, filters, and correction functions are permitted, but images that are determined to be significantly altered will be disqualified.
- To be eligible, the entry must be received by 4-H/USDA no later than 11:59 PM EDT on July 31 2012.
- All entries must be accompanied by an entry form. Click here for form.
- The photos must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, slanderous, hateful, defamatory, libelous or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content. Photos must not show unsafe practices or situations
- The contestant is responsible for obtaining all releases and consents necessary to permit the display and use of the images submitted to this contest. Additionally, photos that contain any material or elements that are not owned by the contestant (and/or subject to the rights of third parties) or photographs with visible persons, must have the appropriate consents and releases granting authorization to the contestant. (Note: Individuals under the age of 18 appearing in a photograph require the authorization of a parent or legal guardian).
- By submitting a photo, the contestant affirms that:
The contestant meets the eligibility criteria.
The contestant obtained all necessary releases. Contestant must be prepared to provide signed copies of any releases for any photo submitted in which a person is recognizable. Failure to provide such releases may result in disqualification at any time during the contest. Click here for consent release forms. - Images were not obtained by illegal or unauthorized access to restricted areas.
GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
By entering the contest, entrants grant USDA a royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable permission in the photo(s) to use, reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies to the public, and display publicly, in any media, and by any manner and means, now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, for USDA purposes. By entering the contest, you agree that it is your sole responsibility to obtain all permissions necessary to grant these rights. The images must not have been previously published in any publication.
You must complete and sign a Copyright Permission form, granting USDA the rights to use your image. Click here for form.
Entrants also agree to: (a) comply with and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of USDA which are binding and final in all matters relating to this Contest (b) release and hold harmless USDA, and its respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliated entities, and any other organizations responsible for sponsoring, fulfilling, administering, advertising, or promoting the Contest, and all of their respective past and present officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, including but not limited to invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, property damage, or death or personal injury arising out of or relating to your entry, creation of an entry or submission of an entry, participation in the Contest, acceptance or use or misuse of prize (including any travel or activity related thereto) and/or the broadcast, transmission, performance, exploitation or use of entry; and (d) indemnify, defend, and hold harmless USDA from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys’ fees arising out of or relating to your participation in the Contest and/or your acceptance, use or misuse of award.
If a prize (or part of a prize) is unavailable, USDA, in its discretion, reserves the right to substitute the original prize (or that part of the prize) with an alternative prize and/or specification, unless to do so would be prohibited by law.