AOPA Pilot Magazine
Contest Rules
Official Rules
WHO MAY ENTER: Open to all individuals who legally reside in the 50 United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia and Canada age 18 years or older as of January 1, 2008. If any winner is 18 or older, but a minor in his or her state of residence, the winner's parent or legal guardian must consent to the award of the prize and sign all required consents and releases. Employees of AOPA, its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, and the trustees, officers, directors, interns, advertising and promotion agencies of each, are not eligible to win. Any person in the immediate family of an employee (including the spouse, children, parents, brothers, and sisters of any employee) living in the same household of any such employee is not eligible to win. Professional photographers—those who make 50 percent or more of their income from photography—are not eligible.
WHAT TO ENTER: The five contest categories are drawn from those subjects of special interest to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association:
Only photos of general aviation aircraft and situations will be accepted. For the purpose of this contest, general aviation is all civilian flying except scheduled passenger airlines.
- General Aviation Aircraft—Any non-airline, non-military aircraft—in-flight or on the ground. Warbirds (retired, non-government-owned military aircraft) are acceptable.
- Airports—General-aviation-oriented people, events, and situations at airports.
- Pilots—Portraits of general aviation pilots in aviation settings on the ground or in flight.
- Aerials—Clouds photographed from the air, air-to-ground images.
- Altered Images—Photographs manipulated for artistic purposes by applying digital and/or traditional special effects (i.e., hand coloring, toning, bleaching, collage and photo composites, etc.).
Photographs must be originals, shot by the entrant on or after January 1, 2004. An entrant must hold all rights to a photograph. Photos previously published or pending publication, or that violate or infringe upon another person’s or company’s copyright, contract, or other intellectual property rights, are not eligible.
Cropped photos are eligible in all categories. Photos that are digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered are not eligible, except for those entered in the Altered Images category. Minor adjustments, including spotting, dodging and burning, contrast and slight color adjustment or the digital equivalents, are acceptable for all five categories. AOPA reserves the right to move an altered or enhanced photo to Altered Images or to disqualify it.
For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you must be prepared to provide a model release and/or property release from the subject or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian and/or property owner. You can print a model release and/or property release from our Web site. If your entry is selected as a finalist, we reserve the right to ask for the completed release.
HOW TO ENTER: AOPA members, please submit photographs online through our Web site at www.aopa.org/photocontest/. Submit no more than one photograph per category per calendar month.
Photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible. Use the online entry form on our Web site. Complete a separate form for each photo submitted. Photographs must be in a .jpeg, .jpg, or .gif format. Files submitted may not be larger than 1,024k (1Mb) and no smaller than 68k (600 x 800 pixels/high quality compression). Scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Finalists will be asked to submit a high-resolution file or an original negative, print, or slide. Every effort will be made to return original negatives, prints, or slides. However, AOPA cannot accept responsibility for original negatives, prints, or slides.
Alternate means of entry: Materials may be mailed to AOPA Pilot 2008 General Aviation Photo Contest at 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, MD 21701. Each mailed entry must be accompanied by an entry form available from the above address or through our Web site. Submit no more than one photograph per category per calendar month. Every effort will be made to return original negatives, prints, or slides. However, AOPA cannot accept responsibility for original negatives, prints, or slides.
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association judges reserve the right to disqualify contestants who are unable to submit, upon request, a high-resolution photograph of at least 300 dots (pixels) per inch at 5 x 7 inches or an original photo negative, print, or slide.
- By entering photographs in the AOPA Pilot 2008 General Aviation Photography Contest, you agree that AOPA will have the following designated rights and interests in and to the photograph(s) without any further compensation except as may be described in these rules:
- Unlimited publication and distribution rights, print and electronic, exclusive to publications produced by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, together with incidental distribution rights in all other countries; and
- the right to utilize the photograph(s) in any AOPA promotional materials.
- You grant to us the right to use the photograph(s), your name, likeness, and biographical data in connection with promoting either AOPA or AOPA Pilot magazine or any of the rights that have been granted to us hereunder. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit.
- You agree not to publish or to authorize any third party to publish the photograph(s) prior to six (6) months following the first publication of the photograph(s) in any AOPA owned publication.
ENTRY DEADLINE: All digital entries must be received at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, September 2, 2008. All manual entries must be postmarked by September 2, 2008, and be received at AOPA headquarters no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time September 9, 2008.
JUDGING: Initial judging will be conducted by the staff of AOPA Pilot magazine. Photographs will be judged on their originality, composition, and general appeal. AOPA members will be invited to judge a selection of finalists online. Monthly winners will be published online and in AOPA Pilot. Winning photographs and selected finalists will be published in the December 2008 issue of AOPA Pilot. Decisions of the AOPA judges will be final.
Please do not contact us about the status of entries. Only the finalists will be notified of their status by October 31, 2008.
The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law and is subject to all federal, state, and local laws.
PRIZES: The first place winner in each category will receive $500. The second place winner in each category will receive $200. The third place winner in each category will receive $100. A grand prize of an additional $1,000 will be awarded to an entrant selected by the judges from among the first place winners in each category.
MISCELLANEOUS: Each participant agrees that any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of this contest shall be resolved individually and any judicial proceeding shall take place in a federal or state court within the State of Maryland. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of participants and AOPA in connection with the contest, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions (whether of the State of Maryland or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Maryland. All federal, state, and local taxes; fees; and other expenses are winner’s responsibility. Each winner shall grant permission to AOPA, its subsidiary and affiliated businesses, to use his or her name, age, city, state, and photograph or other likeness for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation, except where otherwise provided by law. By entering this contest, each participant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of AOPA and its agents, whose decisions regarding all aspects of the contest shall be final.
CONSUMER DISCLOSURE. NO MEMBERSHIP, PURCHASE, OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST.
This contest is sponsored by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, MD 21701. You may request that your name be excluded from all lists of names and addresses used by AOPA for sweepstakes or skill contest promotions by submitting a written request to AOPA Pilot General Aviation Photography Contest, P.O. Box 972, Frederick, MD 21705-0972.
Updated Tuesday, December 26, 2008
