2010 PHMC Photography Contest

Written by in the News category and the Summer 2010 issue Topics in this article: artifacts, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, photographs, photography
News presents briefs about current and forthcoming programs, events, exhibits and activities of historical and cultural institutions in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is hosting a great way to showcase your photography of historic sites along the Trails of History.

Contest Rules:

  • The contest runs from July 1, 2010, through January 1, 2011.
  • Photographs must have been taken by the person entering the contest within the last three years (since June 30, 2007) at any PHMC Trails of History historic site.
  • PHMC employees and their immediate family members (children, siblings, and spouses) are not eligible. PHMC volunteers are eligible to enter.
  • Entrants are responsible for securing photo releases (covering all potential use) from identifiable subjects in photographs.
  • Fifty photographs will be selected from all submissions for final judging.

Categories

  • Exteriors: Outdoor photographs of our sites that may include buildings, artifacts, activities, people, animals, and scenics.
  • Creative Interpretation: Exterior photographs of our sites that have specifically been manipulated for artistic interpretation using digital and traditional photographic special effects.

Please note:Photography,flash photography, and use of tripods may be restricted at some locations. Check with the site’s visitor services for specific details. Photographs are only to be taken during regular hours of site operation.

Awards

Awards for first place, second place third place, and honorable mention will be given for each category with a “Best Overall” award selected from the place winners.

“Best Overall” and first-place winners receive a $100 gift certificate for PAbookstore.com and a Pennsylvania Heritage Society membership. Second-place winners receive a $50 gift certificate for PAbookstore.com and a Pennsylvania Heritage Society membership. Third-place winners receive a $25 gift certificate for PAbookstore.com and a Pennsylvania Heritage Society membership. Honorable mention recipients receive a Pennsylvania Heritage Society membership.

All winners will be listed in Pennsylvania Heritage and on PHMC’s Web site. All submissions may also be posted to our Flickr® account for display.

Submissions

Each photograph must be accompanied by a completed entry form.

Participants are limited to two entries per category.

Digital photographs for initial submission should be taken at the highest resolution possible. Do not submit file negatives, slides, or prints. Photographs must be supplied in .jpg format. Files submitted may not be larger than 2 MB. High-quality digital scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Finalists will be required to submit a higher-resolution file or an original print of slide for final judging. PHMC reserves that right to disqualify finalists who are unable to submit a high-resolution photograph of at least 4 million pixel resolution (pixel height multiplied by pixel width) or an original print or slide for final judging.

Cropped photos are eligible in all categories. We do not accept digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered photos, except for those entered in the Creative Interpretation Category. Minor adjustments, including spotting, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast, and slight color adjustment or the digital equivalents, are acceptable for both categories. If our judges determine that a photographer has extensively altered a submitted photograph, they reserve the right to move the photo to the Creative Interpretation category or to disqualify it.

PHMC shall have the right and permission to digitize and use all submissions for publishing, illustration, Web display, advertising, exhibits, promotion, and in any other use and medium without compensation. All contest submissions become the property of PHMC and will not be returned.