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Photo Contest

Winners were announced on April 15, 2010. Click here to view the winning photos.

Parks and Recreation Photo Contest header

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About the Contest

The Columbia Parks and Recreation Department is celebrating 60 years of "Creating Community through People, Parks and Programs." We invite all photographers 18 years and older, both amateur and professional, to help us celebrate our 60th anniversary by sharing your best original photos taken at any Columbia Parks and Recreation facility, event, sport, program, or class. We're especially looking for high resolution photos that best represent the Parks and Recreation slogan - "Creating Community through People, Parks and Programs." All photos submitted have the possibility of being used in Parks and Recreation publications and promotions with photographer acknowledgement.

So, submit your favorite Parks and Recreation photo(s), and show us what "Creating Community through People, Parks and Programs" means to you!

Prizes

Sixteen prizes will be awarded. Winners are scheduled to be announced on April 15, 2010 on the Parks and Recreation web site and contacted by mail that week. All winning photographs will be displayed on the Parks and Recreation web site and all winning photographers will receive an award certificate in addition to the following prizes:

A. Grand Prize:
(Chosen from any of the five contest categories)

  • $250 cash, $100 Parks and Recreation gift certificate, and $50 Grindstone Digital Imaging gift certificate.
  • The Grand Prize winning photo will be framed and displayed in the lobby of the Parks and Recreation main Office for one year.

B. First, Second, and Third Prizes will be awarded in all five contest categories:

Categories

(Please note that the facilities and programs provided by Parks and Recreation can be found in the Leisure Times activity guide and on the Parks and Recreation web site @ www.GoColumbiaMo.com as directed below.)

 

A. Parks and Recreation Facilities - We're looking for stunning photos that showcase Columbia's parks and recreation facilities (except trails - see Category B). Photos may include people using and enjoying the facilities. Examples may include:

  1. Parks - Parks and Recreation manages 65 parks. A list can be found on the Park Directory web page.
  2. Facilities within an outdoor park, such as the spraygrounds at Stephens Lake Park, a park playground or shelter, Skate Park, fishing lake, etc.
  3. Golf courses - L.A. Nickell Golf Course and Lake of the Woods Golf Course are managed by Parks and Recreation.
  4. Outdoor sports complexes, such as Rainbow Softball Center, soccer fields at Cosmo Park, ball fields at Atkins Park, etc. A list of sports fields and complexes can be found on the Sports Facilities web page.
  5. Aquatic facilities - Parks and Recreation manages two indoor and five outdoor aquatic facilities. A list can be found the Aquatic Facilities web page.
  6. Indoor recreation facilities (exterior or the facilities inside), such as the Activity and Recreation Center (ARC), the Armory Sports Center, or Riechmann Pavilion.
  7. Events hosted at one of Parks and Recreation's facilities by an agency other than the Parks and Recreation Department. For example - Art in the Park, the Polar Bear Plunge, Paws in the Park, Roots N' Blues N' BBQ Festival, etc.

B. Trails - We're looking for photos that demonstrate the appealing facets of Columbia's trails. Photos may include people using the trails. We're interested in photos from all seasons and trail users in various modes of transportation - walking, running, bicycling, wheeling, snow skiing, etc. For a list of the trails provided by Parks and Recreation, see the Trail Directory web page.

C. Recreation Programs, Sports, Events, and Classes - We're looking for photos of people enjoying programs, sports, events, or classes that are hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department. We're especially looking for photos that best represent the Parks and Recreation slogan - "Creating Community through People, Parks and Programs." A "best photo" might also be a great action shot or one that demonstrates the scope or captures the spirit of an event. Portrait-oriented photos in this category have the possibility of being selected for the cover of the Leisure Times activity guide. See the Leisure Times activity guide, the Activities and Programs web page, or the Parks and Recreation web calendar for a listing of events/sports/programs/classes. (Close-up photos of people should be entered under Category D)

D. Faces and Activities - We're looking for eye-catching, close-up photos of people that show their facial expressions and emotions as they are engaged in or enjoying a parks and recreation activity. (Make sure you obtain a release form from the subject person - see Rule #4.)

E. Landscape, Wildlife, and Nature - We're looking for beautiful photos of the natural areas, woods, trees, or wildlife on park lands managed by Columbia Parks and Recreation. Landscaping photos may also include the formal landscape beds in our parks and flowers maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department in the downtown planters or street islands (Creasy Springs Roundabout, Providence & Broadway islands). In keeping with the theme, "Creating Community through People, Parks and Programs," photos in this category should be focused on the beauty these areas add to the community. A list of park lands can be found on the Park Directory web page.


Contest Sponsors:

Image of sponsor list

Category Sample Photographs
Photo sample of Parks and Recreation Facility Category
Photograph sample of Parks and Recreation Facilities Category

Photograph sample of Parks and Recreation Facilities Category

Photograph sample of Trails Category


Photograph sample of Recreation Program Category

Photograph sample of Faces and Activities Category


Photograph sample of Landscape Category

Rules
  1. Eligibility -The contest is open to all participants age 18 and older, except for Parks and Recreation employees and their immediate families.
  2. Deadline - The contest runs September 8, 2009 through March 1, 2010. Submissions must be delivered to the Parks and Recreation office by 5:00pm on March 1, 2010 or post-dated no later than March 1, 2010 to be considered.
  3. Photographer's Rights - Photographer retains all rights to any photographs submitted - including ownership if applicable - other than those rights licensed in the next sentence. By entering the contest, the photographer hereby grants the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department:

    (i) a nonexclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to reproduce, distribute, use in publications and associated trade magazines, publicly display and publicly perform the photographs you submit to the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department, and

    (ii) the right to use your name, city, state and country of residence in promotions and other publications.

  4. Photographer's Responsibility - If you choose to include people in your submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary releases from the individuals depicted, and must be able to provide copies of those releases to the Parks and Recreation Department upon request. (Standard model release forms can easily be found on the Internet.)
  5. Photo Criteria:
    • All photographs must have been taken within the past two years at a Columbia Parks and Recreation facility, event, sport, program, or class to be considered.
    • Photos should accurately reflect the subject matter and scene as it appeared. Photos should not be digitally altered beyond standard optimization (removal of dust, cropping, reasonable adjustments to exposure, color and contrast, etc.). Multiple exposures that have been combined to produce a single "high dynamic range" image are acceptable.
    • Image orientation may be portrait or landscape. (Portrait photos are eligible to be used for the cover of the Leisure Times activity guide.) Images must be high resolution of at least 3.2 million pixels (3.2 megapixels) or greater. Resolution can be calculated by multiplying the pixel width of the image with the pixel height. For example, a setting of 2000 x 1600 pixels = 3.2 megapixels.
    • Images that do not meet these requirements may or may not be judged at the judging panel's sole discretion.
  6. How to Submit:
    • Digital photos (no prints, please) in jpeg format must be submitted on a CD labeled with the photographer's name. Each photo's file name must be labeled with the following format: lastname_firstname_01.jpg, lastname_firstname_02.jpg, and so on. The numbers on the file name should correspond with the Image #s on the Photograph Entry Form.
    • A maximum of ten photographs per photographer may be submitted in any combination of the contest categories.
    • Photographers are to complete and sign an Entry Form and Photograph Waiver to be submitted along with their CD.
    • On the Entry Form, photos should be listed with the following information:
      • Image # - should correspond with the number on the image file name.
      • Location - identify the park, recreation facility, or other location where photo was taken.
      • Description - name of event, sport, program, or class, if applicable.
      • Category - choose one of the five photo contest categories. (Judges reserve the right to adjust the category selected when deemed appropriate.)
      • Year Taken - (No photographs older than two years, please.)
    • Mail or deliver the CD along with the Entry Form and signed Photograph Waiver by 5:00pm on March 1, 2010 to:
    Mailing Address:

    Photo Contest
    Parks and Recreation Department
    P. O. Box 6015
    Columbia, MO 65205-6015    		 Physical Address:

    Photo Contest
    Parks and Recreation Department
    One South 7th Street
    Columbia, MO 65201
  7. Judging - The judges appointed by the Parks and Recreation Department shall determine winner eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion. All decisions made by the judges are final. Photograph entries will be judged on the following criteria:
    • Overall impact
    • Originality/creativity
    • Technical excellence
    • Artistic merit
    • Relevance to theme: "Creating Community through People, Parks and Programs"
  8. Legal Conditions - By entering, participants agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the City of Columbia and the Parks and Recreation Department, its respective subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives, from any all third party liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the competition (collectively, "Losses"), including without limitation any third party claim for copyright infringement or a violation of an individual's right to privacy and/or publicity right. The contest is void where prohibited by law.
  9. Other - The Parks and Recreation Department is not responsible for lost entries. The Parks and Recreation Department reserves the right to adjust any deadline(s) as the result of causes beyond its immediate control.

Contest Sponsors

A special thank you goes out to our photo contest sponsors: Activity and Recreation Center, Deck the Walls, Grindstone Digital Imaging, Creative Photo, and Cultural Affairs!

Parks and Recreation Gift Certificates

Parks and Recreation Gift Certificates can be used for golf passes, ARC passes, pool passes, class registrations, facility rentals, and various other programs hosted by the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department. Call the Parks and Recreation Department, 573-874-7460 for more information.

Contact Us

Parks and Recreation Department
573-874-7460
email: ParksAndRec@GoColumbiaMo.com

 

Mailing Address:

Parks and Recreation Department
P. O. Box 6015
Columbia, MO 65205-6015

 Physical Address:

Parks and Recreation Department
One South 7th Street
Columbia, MO 65201

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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