Submitting a Photo – Rules & Regulations – FAQ – Prizes & Sponsors
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is once again excited to ask residents of Cook, DuPage, Will, Kane, McHenry, Lake, and Kendall counties to pull out their cameras and capture what they value about the region. We will be accepting photo entries from around the northeastern Illinois region during the month of November. Submissions to the "Images of Northeastern Illinois" photo contest may be showcased on CMAP's website and in publications (with prior consent for print publications).
We will have a winner and a runner-up in each of the following categories, one overall winner, and one overall runner-up:
- Diversity (people, places, art, culture, food)
- Community Vitality (walkable, vibrant places; retail; neighborhood pride)
- Natural environment (lakes, rivers, preserves, parks, sky, wildlife)
- Architecture/Urban Design (plazas, buildings, neighborhoods, boulevards)
- Transportation (pedestrians, bikes, cars, boats, trains, planes, etc.)
Update: The 2009 contest has ended. Congratulations to our winners! Read more about the winning photos in our GO TO 2040 blog.
There will be prizes donated from local businesses and a showcase of the winners. Update: We will hold a public show at Prairie Bread Kitchen located at 103 N. Marion St., Oak Park, IL. CMAP staff and photographers will be in attendance for a launch on January 30, 2010 from 2-3pm. The photos will be on display at Prairie Bread Kitchen through the month of February.
Read how you can order a 2010 Calendar created by CMAP featuring our winning photos (plus a bonus Staff Pick).
Please contact Lindsay Banks with questions: 312-386-8826.
For inspiration, you can visit our Explore Northeastern Illinois Flickr Pool. To see winner's of the previous Images of Northeastern Illinois photo contest, click here.
Photo Contest Submission Rules and Regulations
Sponsor: Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (“CMAP” or “Sponsor”), 233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Willis Tower, Chicago, IL, 60606.
Regulations:
Photographers may enter this contest by submitting up to ten (10) images per theme taken in one of the following counties in the northeastern Illinois region: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. Each entrant must also submit associated photo entry information. By entering this contest each entrant gives CMAP permission to use their entry (including photographs), in whole or in part, for any purpose without compensation. Each entrant grants CMAP a non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, publish, display, and distribute their entry, in whole or in part, and entrants will retain the right to use entries for their own purposes. This contest begins on November 1, 2009 and ends on December 1, 2009 (“Contest Period”). Entrants who do not provide all required information will be disqualified.
Eligibility:
This contest is open to individuals that live in following counties in the northeastern Illinois region: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will and who are 18 years and older. CMAP employees cannot enter.
Submission Rules:
Submissions must be digital format (no special effects, multiple exposures, etc.) and may be color or black and white photographs. You may only alter a photo’s brightness and contrast. Entries will not be returned. Any photographs determined in CMAP’s sole discretion to be manipulated in violation of these official rules may be disqualified and not returned. In addition, all photographs must be taken and solely owned by the entrant, and must not infringe upon any rights of any third party including, without limitation, copyright, trademark and right of publicity or privacy.
Deadline:
All submissions must be received at the CMAP offices by December 1, 2009 at 5:00 pm, Central Daylight Time. No late submissions will be accepted.
Judging:
A panel of judges will select the winner and runner up for each theme as well as an overall winner and overall runner up (12 total). Judges will be selected from among CMAP’s staff and officials, local photography experts, partner agencies, and other relevant organizations. All entries will be judged on artistic expression, creativity and originality, the quality of the image, and the relevance to listed CMAP themes. All decisions of the judges with respect to all aspects of this contest are final and binding. CMAP reserves the right to disqualify entries which do not conform to these official rules or are deemed to be inappropriate. Please do not contact CMAP to find out if your submission has been received. Winners will be contacted by email or phone.
Publication and Display:
In addition to the rights granted to CMAP in Section 1 above, submission of an entry constitutes agreement to allow photographs to be reproduced, published and /or exhibited for promotional purposes by CMAP and its affiliated partners. Entrants grant CMAP (except where prohibited by law) the right to use and publish their names, likenesses, city and state, biographical data, and/or any information contained in their entry in print and/or other media in connection with this contest, including on the internet, by CMAP, its partners, and third party entities, without additional compensation, notice, review, or approval. A calendar of the winning images will published by CMAP and given to each winner.
Subject Release Forms:
Entrants are responsible for acquiring release forms from identifiable individuals featured in their photographs. The release form for use in connection with this contest is attached below. Failure to submit a release form for identifiable individuals appearing in a photograph will result in the photograph’s disqualification (in CMAP’s sole discretion).
If entrant elects to electronically submit photos via email and requires a subject release form, the subject release form must be mailed separate to the mailing address cited above.
Subject Release Form: Microsoft Word Format and PDF
General Agreement:
Submission of entry to the contest automatically constitutes the contestant’s agreement to be bound by these rules and the decisions of CMAP and acceptance of all conditions set forth in these official rules. Entries not complying with these official rules will be disqualified at CMAP’s sole discretion. It is the responsibility of the contestant to ensure that publication of the photographs by CMAP raises no legal claims and does not infringe upon the rights of any third party, including, without limitation, copyright, trademark and right of publicity or privacy.
CMAP or their partners/agents are not responsible and/or liable for any of the following, whether caused by CMAP, the entrant, or by human error: any late, lost, damaged, incomplete, illegible, destroyed, misdirected or postage-due entries or mail; miscommunications, misdirected transmissions, or other errors of any kind whether human, mechanical or electronic. CMAP reserves the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the contest without notice, including, without limitation, if, for any reason, this contest is not capable of running as planned. By entering, participants agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless CMAP, its officers, and its staff, from any and all liability arising from or in connection to this contest, including without limitation, a breach or alleged breach of any of the above representations and warranties.
List of Winners:
CMAP will post a list of winners and their winning entry at www.goto2040.org/photocontest after the conclusion of the photo contest. Winners will also be notified by mail or email.
General Submission Guidelines
Entrants may submit photographs either electronically or by mail. All photo files must be named in the following format, regardless of submission option. If you are submitting more than one photo, add a number to the end as shown below.
Format: Last name_First name_Theme_Number.jpg
Example: Burnham_Daniel_Architecture_1.jpg
Electronically:
Entrants are encouraged to submit photographs electronically. Entrants can submit up to ten (10) photographs per theme in JPG or TIF format and each photo must have all associated information complete (see list below). Electronic entries can be emailed to photo@cmap.illinois.gov. All electronic photos must be high resolution and actual printing size of between 3 by 5 inches and 8 by 10 inches and must not exceed 5 MB per photo, with no email messages exceeding 10 MB. Photographs determined in CMAP’s sole discretion to be digital manipulations will be disqualified and not returned.
With your email attachment, please include the following information for each photo:
- Photographer Name
- Email
- Phone number
- County of residence
- Photograph Name / Location
- Date of photo
- City / County where photo was taken
- Brief description of the photo and why you value this location
Or you can fill out and submit our Electronic Submission Form: Microsoft Word Format
Due to submission volume, we are unable to send confirmation emails to all entrants. If you are worried that we may not have received the submission, you can call Lindsay Banks at 312-386-8826.
By Mail:
Enter this contest by mail by sending a CD of photographs to the address below. The photos need to be in JPG or TIF format, high resolution and must not exceed 5MB per photo. The CD must be mailed along with the entry form below. Number the photographs on the CD to correspond to the written/typed information on the entry form.
Mail in Submission Form: Microsoft Word Format and PDF
The mailing address is:
Attn: Photography Contest
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 800
Chicago, IL 60606
FAQ
Why should I enter the contest?
CMAP would like to know what you as a resident of the 7-county region, value and would like to see preserved or enhanced for the future. This is an opportunity add your personal input to the 2040 comprehensive plan for northeastern Illinois. Through your community and civic involvement in the photo contest, your photos will help to provide a context for the future that we as a region would like to work to protect and enhance.
And this year we will have PRIZES for winning entrants! Details soon!
What is the deadline? Can I turn in a late entry?
All submissions must be received at the CMAP offices by December 1, 2009 at 5:00 pm, Central Daylight Time. No late submissions will be accepted.
How will my pictures be used? Will I get recognition for my photos?
Your entries may be used in the GO TO 2040 Regional Comprehensive Plan and other CMAP activities both in print and web form. Also winning photos will be showcased on our website and highlighted at workshop presentations and printed material. For any print publications not related to the photography contest, you will be asked permission to use the photo, and in both online and print materials, the photographer will always be credited. For an example of our last Regional Comprehensive Plan, please view www.nipc.org/2040. A summary of the plan can be found at www.nipc.org/2040/2040popularsummary.pdf. This plan was nationally recognized by the American Planning Association as Plan of the Year in 2006. Only in-house photographs were used for this plan, so you will not see photo credits.
We will credit all photos used. You could be a published photographer for the region! We will also create a calendar with the winning entries. Each winner will receive a calendar.
Who else will be entering?
Our goal is to involve residents of the entire region. Ideally, we would like to receive an entry from all off the 283 municipalities in the 7-county region. In order to reach this goal, we are placing advertisements all over the region including The Red Eye, The Reader, Southtown Star, Metromix, Windy City Times and Pioneer Press. Flyers can be found in local museums, art stores, universities, local Council of Governments, etc. This is open to amateurs and professionals alike.
Will there be an awards ceremony?
There will be an awards ceremony in January 2010 after the completion of the contest. Winner’s photos will be framed by CMAP and displayed in poster size at a location TBA. CMAP will be presenting certificates. All entrants are invited along with friends and family members. As more information becomes available, it will be posted on the website.