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2024 Photo Contest Rules

General Information

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s (District) “2024 Summer Photo Contest” begins June 11, 2024, at 12:01 a.m. Central Standard Time and ends Sept. 2, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. CST. All entries must be received by Sept. 2, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

Public voting for the “Voters’ Choice” winner begins June 11, 2024, at 12:01 p.m. CST and ends Sept. 9, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. CST.

All winners will be notified by Oct. 2, 2024.

The sponsor of the “2024 Summer Photo Contest” is the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton, IL, 60189.

The “2024 Summer Photo Contest” is not associated with or sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Facebook.

No purchase is necessary to participate or to win. You are not required to “like” the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s Facebook page or to opt-in to receive the Forest Preserve District’s e-newsletter, and doing so will not increase your chances of winning.

This is a skill-based contest with a random-drawing element. The odds of winning depend on the number of people who participate and the skills of the participants.

The “2024 Summer Photo Contest” is subject to all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations. You must agree to comply with and to warrant that your entries comply with all requirements set forth in these official rules, with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s General Use Ordinance, and with any decisions of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, which are final and binding.

You must agree to defend, hold harmless, and indemnify the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County; its employees, elected officials, and contractors, from any loss, damage, injury, or death related to your participation in the “2024 Summer Photo Contest” or your acceptance, possession, or use of any of its prizes.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County; its employees, elected officials, and contractors:

  1. Make no expressed or implied representation, warranty, or guarantee with respect to any prize, including to the prize’s quality or its appropriateness for a particular purpose.
  2. Are not liable for any human, mechanical, clerical, electronic, technical, or other error in the execution of the “2024 Summer Photo Contest” or for any unauthorized human intervention.
  3. Assume no responsibility for any damage to a participant’s computer or mobile device caused by participation in the contest or for any computer, data connection, hardware, software, or program malfunctions or other errors, failures, or delays in computer transmissions.
  4. Are not responsible for lost, interrupted, inaccessible, or unavailable networks, servers, satellites, internet service, websites, or other connections or malfunctions of technical or human nature.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County may terminate, suspend, or modify the “2024 Summer Photo Contest” at any time and without prior notice. It may also disqualify any participant who does not comply with the official rules or who acts with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the contest.

The “2024 Summer Photo Contest” is void where prohibited.

 

Who Can Participate

You must be a legal resident of Illinois and at least 18 years old to participate.

You cannot participate if you are a:

  1. Forest Preserve District of DuPage County employee or elected official.
  2. Household member or immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, sibling, or respective spouse) of anyone in 1.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County will determine all winners’ eligibilities at its sole discretion, and all decisions will be final.

 

How to Enter

You can submit an unlimited number of photos, but you must submit them all under a single email address. You cannot use additional email addresses to submit additional photos.

You must submit photos digitally using the online entry form available at dupageforest.org or at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s Facebook page at facebook.com/dupageforest. If you submit a photo using any other delivery method, including email, it will not be accepted.

Photos can be color or black-and-white.

Digital scans of photos developed from film that meet contest specifications are acceptable.

An eligible photo must be:

  1. Taken in a DuPage County forest preserve
  2. JPEG or JPG file
  3. Minimum 300 dpi
  4. Maximum 250 MB
  5. Minimum 4,000 pixels wide for horizontal images or 3,000 pixels tall for vertical images

A photo is ineligible if it:

  1. Is digitally altered beyond standard optimization. You are allowed, however, to remove dust specs or red eye; crop the image; or make minor corrections to the exposure, color, or contrast.
  2. Is a stitched-panoramic photo.
  3. Is embedded with any text, signature, watermark, copyright symbol, or logo.
  4. Does not meet any of the other eligibility requirements stated in these rules.

By submitting a photo, you confirm:

  1. You agree to the terms of the contest.
  2. It was taken in a DuPage County forest preserve.
  3. It is your original, exclusive work.
  4. No third party has any claim, right, or interest in it, and it does not infringe on the intellectual property, copyright, right to publish, or right of privacy of any third party (including as a result of an entry in another contest).
  5. You received permission from all people in the photo, including the parents or legal guardians of people under 18 years of age.

Submitted photos will be added to the contest and the online contest gallery but only if they receive Forest Preserve District of DuPage County approval, which may take up to 72 hours.

If your photos or descriptions contain sexually explicit, provocative, obscene, violent, or other objectionable or inappropriate content as determined solely by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, they will be automatically rejected, and you will not be allowed to submit any further entries.

 

How to Win

The “2024 Summer Photo Contest” will award seven prizes: one “Plants” winner, one “Wildlife” winner, one “People, Places and Things to Do” winner, one “Voter’s Choice” winner, and three random drawing winners.

Juried and Voters’ Choice prizes are limited to one per household and are nontransferable. There are no substitutions for prizes or cash redemptions of any kind. Any difference between stated approximate retail values and actual values will not be awarded. Any and all permits, licenses, other costs, and expenses not expressly stated in the prize descriptions are the sole responsibility of the winners. Any local, state, or federal taxes on prizes are solely the responsibility of the winners.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County will notify all winners by Oct. 2, 2024, via the email addresses provided at the time of entry.

If you are selected as a contest winner, to receive your prize you must:

  1. Provide identification.
  2. Agree that the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County has the right to use your name and likeness without compensation or prior approval.
  3. Agree that you or your designated representative will pick up your prize in person at a prearranged time at Forest Preserve District of DuPage County headquarters at 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton, IL 60189, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

If you do not comply with any of the above terms, you will forfeit your prize and an alternate winner will be selected.

Any prizes not claimed by 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2024, will not be awarded.

For a list of all winners, on or after Oct. 2, 2024, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, “2024 Photo Contest,” 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton IL 60189.

 

Juried Winners

Between Sept. 2, 2024, and Oct. 2, 2024, a qualified panel of Forest Preserve District of DuPage County employees with backgrounds in photography, journalism, marketing, and natural resources will rate and select three winners from all eligible entries: one “Plants” winner; one “Wildlife” winner; and one “People, Places and Things to Do” winner.

The panel will score entries based on the following with all elements given equal consideration:

  1. Technical merit (focus, clarity, exposure, use or absence of color, framing, etc.)
  2. Visual appeal (impact, creativity, originality, storytelling)
  3. Appropriateness to the category theme

In the event of a tie, the photo with the highest technical merit score will be selected as the winner.

The panel’s decisions are final.

Juried Prizes

Winners may choose one prize package from the following categories. In the event that an item is no longer available, the District will select a comparable item with the same approximate retail value.

Picnicking Package

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Picnic Area Reservation (Expires Dec. 31, 2025; Excludes the St. James Farm Pavilion; Must be booked through Visitor Services; Dates and locations are on a first come, first served basis; Cannot be applied toward District canopy, grill rentals or private canopy fees; Special-Use Permits not included and must be applied for separately, where applicable), and Igloo 70 QT Latitude Marine Ultra White Cooler (approximate retail value $140).

Watercraft Package

Two 1-hour boat rentals of choice at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville, IL or Herrick Lake Forest Preserve in Wheaton, IL (Expires Sept. 2, 2025; Boat rentals are on a first come, first served basis), and Intex Challenger K1 Inflatable Kayak with Oar and Hand Pump (approximate retail value $140).

Camping Package

Two consecutive nights at the Blackwell Family Campground (Expires Oct. 14, 2025; Must be booked through Visitor Services; Dates and sites are on a first come, first served basis), Eddie Bauer 25L Trailhead Daypack (approximate retail value $140).

 

Voters’ Choice Winner

The “Voters’ Choice” winner will be the person who submits the photo that

  1. Receives the most online votes between June 11, 2024, at 12:01 p.m. CST and Sept. 9, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. CST.
  2. Is not selected as a “Plants,” “Wildlife,” or “People, Places and Things to Do” winner.

Anyone can vote to select the “Voters’ Choice” winner using the contest link found at dupageforest.org or at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s Facebook page at facebook.com/dupageforest. However, to vote you must provide and verify your email address.

You can vote each day between June 11, 2024, and Sept. 9, 2024, but you can only vote for one photo per day.

Voters’ Choice Prize

Goods From the Woods Bundle

$25 Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Gift Card, Socks, Hat, Kline Creek Farm 16 oz. Honey Jar, Lanyard, and Coleman FreeFlow AUTOSEAL® 40 oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle (approximate retail value $100)

 

Random Drawings

At 10 a.m. CST on July 1, 2024, Aug. 1, 2024, and Sept. 2, 2024, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County will randomly select email addresses from all eligible entries for the following:

Random Drawing Prizes

July 1, 2024 (one winner)

$25 Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Gift Card (approximate retail value $25)

Aug. 1, 2024 (one winner)

$25 Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Gift Card (approximate retail value $25)

Sept. 2, 2024 (one winner)

$25 Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Gift Card (approximate retail value $25)

Random drawing winners remain eligible for juried and “Voters’ Choice” competitions.

 

Licensing

You retain copyright and usage rights to any photo you submit to the “2024 Summer Photo Contest.” However, by submitting a photo you also grant the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County an irrevocable, royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive license for the duration of the copyright to use, publicly display, distribute, reproduce, edit, and create derivative works in whole or in part of the photo in any media now known or later developed for any purpose, including but not limited to advertising and marketing. The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County will not be required to offer you any compensation, credit, or additional consideration; to seek any additional approval; or to provide you with any notification in connection with such use.

 

Privacy

You must agree to provide your name, email address, and residence address for the purposes of the contest. The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County may use this information to verify your identity and eligibility.