Is photography your passion, hobby, or an elective class you are taking?  Or do you think you have an eye for what is “The Best in Town”.  I  invite all high school students (Grades 9-12) to participate in my “Best In Town” Photo Contest, celebrating your town and its unique character as part of the Sixth Senate District that encompasses your community.

All winning photos will be displayed on my website this year. Photos must be submitted in digital format.  You must be enrolled in a high school located within the Sixth Senate district or be a high school age resident of the district to enter this contest.   All photos submitted must be taken in your community within the last year. The photo subject must be relevant to the theme “The Best in Town” for one of the following contest categories:

PEOPLE, PLACES, ANIMALS and NATURE

The deadline for submissions for this contest is April 15, 2013.

Full contest details are below:

Photo Formats 
Entries may either be black and white or color digital images. Please read the specific guidelines for submitting your digital images.

Photographer/Copyright 
The original photographer must submit all entries. Do not submit a photo you did not take. Your submission of the photo and entry form is your guarantee that you are the photographer.

Number of Entries 
An individual may submit only one photo per category (or at total of  four submissions per photographer). 

Photo Subject Restrictions 
Photos must be appropriate for posting on both a public and or government website. Offensive or otherwise inappropriate content will not be considered. Kemphannon.com retains sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content. Photos containing recognizable people must be accompanied by a signed model release form which must be mailed to the Senator’s Community Office at 595 Stewart Avenue, Suite 540, Garden City, NY 11530, or emailed to SenatorHannonPhotos@gmail.com.

Ownership/Use Rights 
By entering the contest, photographers agree to have their submitted photograph displayed on the KempHannon.com website without any form of compensation from Senator Kemp Hannon and agree that we may display winning photos in an online photo gallery, for use in community mailers, and that we may make and retain copies of the photograph for archival purposes.  Photos will be attributed to the photographer named on the entry form. Entries (including non-winning entries) may be chosen for display or use in other web pages, only with permission from the photographer. Entrants agree that KempHannon.com may contact them to obtain permission for use of photos in this manner. Entries will never be used by KempHannon.com for sale. In the event ownership of any photograph submitted to KempHannon.com is contested, Kemphannon.com retains the discretion to disqualify that photograph and discontinue use of the photograph in question.

Submission 
Digital photos may be submitted to SenatorHannonPhotos@gmail.com. A completed contest entry form must accompany each entry. If you are submitting multiple entries, be sure each entry form corresponds with the desired photo.

Judging 
Entries will be judged based on photographic quality, creativity, and success in conveying the Best in Town and/or unique character of your community in one of the contest categories. A KempHannon.com 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 KempHannon.com panel will include professionals in photography, website design, website development, art and public relations.

Winners 
Judges will select a first and second place-winning photo for each of the contest categories. If no eligible entries are submitted for a contest category, KempHannon.com may cancel that category. The panel may also include one or more honorable mention winners for categories with particularly high numbers of entries. There will also be a selection for Best In Show, first and second place winners. Winners will be notified by phone or email using the information provided on the entry form. Winning photographs, along with the photographer's name and information about the photo, will be displayed on the KempHannon.com website in 2013.

Submitting Digital Images

Digital images can be submitted to SenatorHannonPhotos@gmail.com using the entry form found on KempHannon.com.  Images should be submitted in JPG (at high quality). Images may be in black and white, color, sepia tone and duotone.

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

Permitted Alterations:

· Images may be cropped and rotated provided it meets above specifications.

· Images may be resized as long as the aspect ratio is maintained.

· Use of filters to sharpen, soften, blur, or remove noise.

· Spot editing and red-eye removal.

· One-step enhancement like Auto Fix etc.

· Use of corrective functions such as contrast, brightness, intensity, saturation, tint, etc.

Additional Terms and Conditions

KempHannon.com 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, KempHannon.com is not responsible for: (1) lost, misdirected, misplaced, illegible, unintelligible, incomplete, or late entries or (2) any act, failure to act, or delay regarding the transmitting or processing of entries. KempHannon.com reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend all or any portion of this contest without notice if factors beyond KempHannon.com’s control, including technical difficulties, disrupt or corrupt the fair or secure administration or operation of the contest. Void where prohibited.

KempHannon.com is entitled to interpret these rules as needed and its decisions are final. KempHannon.com reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that KempHannon.com 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 KempHannon.com and its employees, affiliates, and advertising and promotional agencies from any damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind resulting from your participation in this contest. KempHannon.com and its employees, affiliates, 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.

FORMS:

Adult Model Release and Permission to Publish the Photo

Minor Model Release and Permission to Publish the Photo

Best In Town Photo Contest Entry Form