Official Contest Rules

Photo Eligibility
All photos must have been taken in the Park Rapids area within the last three years. The photo subject must be relevant to one of the following contest categories:

Park Rapids Area Lake Scenes
Park Rapids Area Recreation
Park Rapids Area Wildlife
Park Rapids Main Street Scenes

Photographer/Copyright
Entries must be submitted by the original photographer. Do not submit a photo taken by someone other than you. You must be the sole owner of the copyright of any image submitted. Your submission of the photo and entry form is your guarantee that you are the author and copyright holder of the photo.

Number of Entries
An individual may submit only one photo per category for each contest period.

Photo Subject Restrictions
Photos must be appropriate for posting on a public website. Obscene, provocative or otherwise questionable content will not be considered. The Park Rapids Downtown Business Association retains sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content.

Ownership/Use Rights
Photographers retain the copyright to their photographs. By entering the contest, photographers agree to have their submitted photograph displayed on the Park Rapids Downtown Business Association website without any fee or other form of compensation, and agree that Park Rapids Downtown Business Association may display winning photos on their website, and may retain copies of the photograph for archival purposes. Photos may be credited to the photographer named in the entry form. Entries (including non-winning entries) may be selected for display or use in other Park Rapids Downtown Business Association and Park Rapids Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce web pages and promotional materials. Entries will never be used by the Park Rapids Downtown Business Association in any manner for sale. In the event that ownership of any photograph submitted to the Park Rapids Downtown Business Association is contested in any manner, Park Rapids Downtown Business Association retains the discretion to disqualify that photograph and discontinue use of the photograph.

How to Enter
Digital photos are submitted using the online entry form. If you are submitting multiple entries, a form must be submitted for each entry. Complete the form carefully and make sure that you enter your photograph into the proper category. Your photograph could be disqualified if it is entered into the wrong category.

Judging
Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, photographic quality, and effectiveness in conveying the beauty and/or unique character of Park Rapids in one of the contest categories. A Park Rapids Downtown Business Association panel will judge the entries and all contest decisions are final. Entries that fail to comply with the Official Contest Rules will be disqualified. The Park Rapids Downtown Business Association panel will include professionals in graphic design, website design, website development, retail, marketing and public relations.

Winners
Judges will select a first place winning photo for each of the contest categories. If fewer than ten eligible photographs are entered in a category, Park Rapids Downtown Business Association may cancel that category. Winners will be notified by email using the information on the entry form. Winning photographs, along with the photographer’s name and information about the photo will be displayed on the Park Rapids Downtown Business Association website.

Submitting Digital Images
Submit your digital image using the online photo contest entry form at www.parkrapidsdowntown.com. Images must be submitted in a JPG high quality format. Images submitted that are smaller than 600 by 400 pixels may be rejected. Please contact us if you have questions about image type, size or quality.

Image Modifications:
Minor digital enhancement is permitted, but images that have been significantly modified or appear unnatural will be disqualified.

Not Permitted:

No borders or frames may be added to images.
No watermarks, signatures, or copyright notices may be added to images. All winning images will be displayed with the photographer’s name.
Adding or replacing elements in an image is not permitted.
Artistic filters are not permitted.

Permitted Modifications:

Images may be cropped and rotated as necessary as long as the rectangular format is maintained and the size is within the specifications above.
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. To submit digital images, visit https://www.parkrapidsdowntown.com/, complete the entry form and upload your photo.

Additional Terms and Conditions

The Park Rapids Downtown Business Association is not responsible for computer system, hardware, software, or program malfunctions or other errors, failures, or delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Furthermore, Park Rapids Downtown Business Association is not responsible for: (i) lost, misdirected, misplaced, illegible, unintelligible, incomplete, or late entries or (ii) any act, failure to act, or delay regarding the transmitting or processing of entries. The Park Rapids Downtown Business Association reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend all or any portion of this contest without notice if factors beyond Park Rapids Downtown Business Association control, including technical difficulties, disrupt or corrupt the fair or secure administration or operation of the contest. Void where prohibited. The Park Rapids Downtown Business Association is entitled to interpret these rules as needed and its decisions are final. The Park Rapids Downtown Business Association reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that the Park Rapids Downtown Business Association has reason to believe is not the original work of entrant, or does not otherwise meet the contest rules. If a winner is disqualified or determined to be ineligible, an alternate winner will be selected using the same judging process/criteria described above. Alternate winners are subject to all requirements set forth in these Official Rules.

By participating in the contest, you agree to release and hold harmless the Park Rapids Downtown Business Association and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents, contest sponsors and advertising and promotional agencies from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind resulting from your participation in this contest, including infringement of intellectual property rights. The Park Rapids Downtown Business Association and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents, contest sponsors and advertising and promotional agencies assume no responsibility or liability for any damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind arising in whole or in part from this contest.