The Arizona Game and Fish Department is hosting its seventh annual calendar photo contest. Winners will be published in the 2014 calendar issue of the department’s wildlife magazine, Arizona Wildlife Views.

Eligibility

The contest is open to any photographer except employees of the Arizona Game and Fish Department and members of their immediate family (parents, spouses, children, or siblings living in the same household).

Theme

Email us your best wildlife images. All animal photos must depict wildlife found in Arizona and all photos must have been taken in Arizona. Photos of pets, livestock, burros, or insects (including butterflies or dragonflies) are not eligible.

Format and Submissions

Submission: Digital images must be emailed to photocontest@azgfd.gov. You may use WinZip, Stuffit or DropStuff to compress the files before emailing. You also may upload images through the You Send It website, www.YouSendIt.com (for large individual files; you will have to set up a free account). If uploading files via YouSendIt, remember to follow the entry procedure (below), and include all required information in the same message with the files. Do not send a separate email.

Format: Images must be: HORIZONTAL format (not vertical), 300 dots per inch, jpeg or tiff files, 8 bit and at least 9x12 inches when printed at 300 dpi. To be sure your images qualify, check pixel dimensions as well. For a 300 dpi, 9x12 inch image, your pixel width should be 3600 and your pixel height should be 2700.

To capture the required high-resolution image, set your camera at the highest level of quality possible; on some cameras, this setting is called “super fine.” Read the owner’s manual for instructions. This setting will create big files (meaning fewer pictures will fit on each memory card). Digital pictures taken with a 6-megapixel camera or larger are preferred. Manipulation of digital images must be limited to the kinds of manipulation that can be done with traditional film printing techniques, such as burning in and dodging, eliminating dust spots, etc. Do not sharpen images or adjust the color or contrast. Images in which content has been altered will not be accepted.

Transparencies (slides) and prints are not accepted.

Images less than 300 dpi and 9x12 inches will be disqualified.

Entry Procedure

1. Each contestant may submit a maximum of 3 entries per person.

2. Email must contain the following:

• Name of photographer
• Mailing address (good through December 2013)
• Telephone number (good through December 2013)
• Subject/Location

3. Receipt of entries will be acknowledged.

4. Incomplete submissions will be disqualified.

Return of Entries

No materials will be returned.

Prizes

Twelve first-place awards will be given, plus one "Best in Show" for the cover photo. The only instance in which a person could win twice would be if awarded Best in Show and one first place. Cash prizes will be given.

All winners will receive complimentary copies of the calendar issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine. Winning names will be posted on www.azgfd.gov/photocontest.

Judging

Pictures are judged anonymously — there is no personal information included with them during the judging process. Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, photographic quality, and effectiveness in conveying the unique character of the subject. The judges’ decisions are final.

Deadline

The deadline for receipt of entries is 5 p.m. (MST) August 2, 2013. Entries received after this deadline will be disqualified. Email all entries to: photocontest@azgfd.gov.   

Rights and Permissions

Photographers retain copyright to their submitted photographs. By submitting one or more entries, contestants agree to have their submitted photographs published in the calendar issue of the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s magazine, Arizona Wildlife Views, and used in promotional materials for that magazine.