Photography / 探花精选 Photography Awards

2024 Official Contest Rules

Entry Period

探花精选鈥檚 2024 Photography Awards Contest (the 鈥淐ontest鈥) begins on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 12 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time (EST), and ends on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 12 p.m. (noon) ET (the 鈥淐ontest Entry Period鈥). Entry into this Contest constitutes your acceptance of these Official Rules.

Sponsor

探花精选, Inc., 225 Varick Street, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10014.

Who May Enter

探花精选鈥檚 2024 Photography Awards Contest is open to all legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 13 years of age or older as of the date of Submission. Participants between the ages of 13 and 17  years old must have their parent/legal guardian鈥檚 permission to enter, who must complete the participant鈥檚 registration on behalf of the child whether using the Online or Mail method of entry as detailed herein. Employees of the 探花精选, Inc., its officers, directors of its national, state and center boards, judges, and their immediate families (parents, children, siblings and spouses, regardless of where they reside) or those living in the same household (whether or not related) are not eligible to participate.

Division Categories

Eligible individuals (the 鈥淓ntrant鈥 or 鈥淵ou鈥) may submit multiple Photographs/Videos that depict birdlife in any form to one of the following five divisions (each a 鈥淒ivision鈥 or collectively the 鈥淒ivisions鈥):

1. Professional: You must be 18 years of age or older as of the date of Submission, and have earned $5,000 or more in the 2023 calendar year producing or selling photographs.

2. Amateur: You must be 18 years of age or older as of the date of Submission, and have earned no more than $4,999.99 in the 2023 calendar year producing or selling photographs.

3. Youth: You must be 13 to 17 years of age as of the date of Submission and have the permission of your parent/guardian to enter the Contest.

4. Plants for Birds: You must be 13 years of age or older as of the date of Submission, and your Photographs must include birds interacting with identifiable plants (flowers, trees, bushes, grasses), all of which are native to the area in the United States or Canada in which the image was taken. If you are between the ages of 13 and 17 years of age as of the date of Submission you must have the permission of your parent/guardian to enter the Contest.

5. Videos: You must be 13 years of age or older as of the date of Submission, and your Videos must depict birdlife. If you are between the ages of 13 and 17 years of age as of the date of Submission you must have the permission of your parent/guardian to enter the Contest.

You may submit Photographs to only one of the first three Divisions (Professional, Amateur, or Youth). You may also submit Photographs to the Plants for Birds Division regardless of having entered Photographs in any of the first three Divisions, and regardless of your status as Professional, Amateur, or Youth. The same Photograph cannot be entered in more than one Division. The Grand Prize, Fisher Prize, Female Bird Prize and Birds in Landscapes Prize are all special commendations and can be awarded to any image entered in one of the four Divisions for Photographs. You may also submit Videos to the Video Division regardless of having entered Photographs in the first three Divisions, and regardless of your status as Professional, Amateur, or Youth.

Eligible Photographs

To be eligible to win a prize, all submitted Photographs must depict birdlife (i.e., contain at least one bird or bird part) and accurately reflect the subject matter as it appeared in the viewfinder (a 鈥淧hotograph鈥). AI-generated images are not eligible. Normal processing of the original file is acceptable. That includes:

鈼 cropping

鈼 minor adjustments to color, white balance, tone, lighting levels and curves, shadows and highlights, saturation, contrast, sharpness

鈼 moderate dodging and burning

鈼 removal of dust spots and moderate reduction of image noise

Photographs that have been digitally or otherwise altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. That includes:

鈼 HDR frame stacking

鈼 stitched panoramas

鈼 images that have been manipulated by the addition, removal, or alteration (painting over, cloning, or blurring) of anything in the original subject and scene that were photographed

鈼 borders, signatures or watermarks

鈼 changes in color so significant that the processed colors are widely different from the original colors

鈼 changes in density, contrast, color and/or saturation levels and dodging and burning that significantly alter content by obscuring or eliminating information in the picture

You will be required to provide 探花精选 with original image files (RAW, jpg, etc.) in the timeframe provided upon request (generally within 7 days). Judges will determine whether changes to an image are significant enough to disqualify an entry. Failure to provide original files may result in the disqualification of the Photograph at 探花精选鈥檚 sole discretion. Any entrant that contacts a judge (not the general photo contest email account) while the competition is open or during the judging phase may be disqualified. The decision by the Sponsor to disqualify any Submission is final.

Eligible Videos

To be eligible to win a prize, all submitted Videos must depict birdlife (i.e., contain at least one bird or bird part) and accurately reflect the subject matter as it appeared in the viewfinder (a 鈥淰ideo鈥). Video captured by digiscoping (holding a mobile phone or digital camera to a spotting scope) is allowed. AI-generated videos are not eligible.  Normal processing of the original file is acceptable. That includes:

鈼 Minimal cropping (cropping works best if shooting in 4k)

鈼 Minor adjustments to color, white balance, exposure, saturation, contrast, sharpness

鈼 Removing sound (audio is optional)

Videos that have been digitally or otherwise altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. That includes:

鈼 Editing clips together

鈼 Watermarks

鈼 Vignetting

鈼 Adding audio from another clip

You will be required to provide 探花精选 with the original Video file and additional information (generally within 7 days). Failure to provide more information may result in the disqualification of the Video at 探花精选鈥檚 sole discretion. Any entrant that contacts a judge (not the general contest email account) while the competition is open or during the judging phase may be disqualified. The decision by the Sponsor to disqualify any Submission is final.

Ethical Bird Photography and Videography

探花精选 encourages every photographer/videographer to practice responsible bird photography/videography. Prior to submitting any Photograph/Video, you must read 探花精选鈥檚 Guide to Ethical Bird Photography and Videography. A Photograph/Video that appears to the Sponsor or Judges to reflect one of the following situations is not eligible for Submission and, if submitted, will be disqualified at 探花精选鈥檚 sole discretion. That includes:

鈼 birds (including chicks) that appear to be stressed or harassed by the photographer/videographer

鈼 birds at nests taken with wide-angle or macro lens

鈼 beach-nesting birds, including but not limited to solitary flightless chicks and adults brooding, feeding, or incubating chicks, where the photographer鈥檚/videographer鈥檚 distance appears to be closer than approximately 25 yards

鈼 birds (including but not limited to hawks, owls, eagles, ospreys, roadrunners) lured with bait. 鈥淏ait鈥 includes live animals (such as snakes, fish, mice, crickets, worms), dead animals or parts of animals, processed meat, and decoys such as fake mice. 鈥淏ait鈥 can be defined as anything that could lure a bird closer for photography.

鈼 nocturnal birds (e.g., owls, nightjars) taken with a flash at night

鈼 birds photographed/filmed by or with drones

鈼 birds photographed/filmed with a remotely triggered camera that uses a direct flash or for which bait or another lure has been supplied to attract the animal. Setting a camera trap around a fresh kill or cache is generally acceptable, as is the use of a flash with a filter that only lets through infrared light.

鈼 birds photographed or filmed using playback of bird call recordings

Judges will consider focal length, crop factor, species, and other variables to decide whether an image was ethically obtained. Judges鈥 decisions are final.

How to Enter

There are two ways to enter the Contest. However, you may submit Photographs/Videos by one method only. If you submit Photographs/Videos both online and by mail, only the Submission received by 探花精选 first will be eligible to be judged. You may, however, submit multiple Photographs/Videos over the Contest Entry Period as long as the Submissions are sent by the same method.

1. Online: To enter online, you must: a) Log onto the Contest Website at ; b) Select the Division for which you meet all eligibility criteria; c) Fill in the required personal information for Step 1; parents/legal guardians of Youth Entrants must complete this step on behalf of their child and  grant permission for the Youth to participate; d) Follow the instructions to upload your Photograph/Video Submissions; and e) Complete the payment information and make the required payment, per Photograph/Video Submission (all such uploaded Photographs/Videos, together with the mailed Photographs/Videos described immediately below, collectively referred to as the 鈥淪ubmission鈥). Entry fees in the Professional, Amateur, Plants for Birds, and Video divisions are $15 per Photograph/Video.  Exceptions: (i) No payment is required for Submissions to the Youth Division or to the Plants for Birds and Video Divisions if Entrants are 13 to 17 years of age; and (ii) 探花精选 on Campus student affiliate (an 鈥淎ffiliate鈥) members and ambassadors may use the promo code provided by their Affiliate (a 鈥淧romo Code鈥) to receive a $10 discount on the Submission. Use of a Promo Code by any participant who is not a member or ambassador of an Affiliate may result in disqualification of such participant and all of their Submissions, whether submitted with the Promo Code or not. Entry fees help support 探花精选鈥檚 conservation mission.

Photographs submitted online MUST meet the following requirements: a) Depict birdlife (i.e., must contain at least one bird or bird part); b) Be no larger than 35 megabytes; c) Be at least 3000 pixels wide (for horizontal Photographs) or 3000 pixels tall (for vertical Photographs); d) Be saved in RGB mode; and e) Be saved in the JPG format. You must also fill in all information boxes, including where the Photograph was taken and any additional caption information, such as the name of native plants in Photographs submitted to the Plants for Birds Division. Note that additional information you provide at entry, such as the camera, equipment, location of Photograph, subject of Photograph, and the story behind the Photograph, may be taken into consideration when assessing compliance with our ethical guidelines.

Videos submitted online MUST meet the following requirements: a) Depict birdlife (i.e., must contain at least one bird or bird part); b) Be no larger than 50 megabytes; c) Be 1920 by 1080 or 1280 by 720 px; d) Be an .MP4 file (preferred) or .MOV file; e) Have a frame rate of 24 fps or higher; and f) Be  3 to 30 seconds in length. You must also fill in all information boxes, including where the Video was taken and any additional caption information. Note that additional information you provide at entry, such as the camera, equipment, location of Video, subject of Video, and the story behind the Video, may be taken into consideration when assessing compliance with our ethical guidelines.

2. Mail: To enter by mail, you must: a) Visit , navigate to the Personal Information page, and download the Contest Mail Entry Form; b) Fill in the required information on the Mail Entry Form and on the back of each Photograph, or in a .txt or .doc file on a USB key for Videos, as described on the Mail Entry Form; parents/legal guardians of Youth entrants must complete this step on behalf of their child and grant permission for the Youth to participate c) Select the Division for which you meet all eligibility criteria; d) Check that you have read and agree to the Official Rules and the Guidelines to Ethical Bird Photography and Videography; and d) Mail the completed Contest Mail Entry Form along with all Photographs/Videos to: 探花精选 Photography Awards, 225 Varick Street, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10014, Attn: 2024 Photo Contest Team. 探花精选 will acknowledge receipt of your Submission only if you provide a verifiable email address on the Mail Entry Form. Confirmation of receipt is not confirmation of eligibility. There is no fee to enter the Contest by mail. Please do not send a check with mail-in entries; if a check is included it will be processed as a donation to the 探花精选.

Photographs submitted by mail MUST meet the following requirements: a) Mail entries must be postmarked no later than February 28, 2024, and be received by 探花精选 no later than March 6, 2024; b) Only prints may be submitted, and they must be at least 5 x 7 inches but no larger than 8 x 10 inches. Digital files of Photographs saved onto CDs, DVDs, or any other media will not be accepted by mail; c) Each Photograph must have the following information written on the back or otherwise attached: your first and last name, mailing address, email address (optional), bird species鈥 name (and, if entering the Plants for Birds Division, plant species' name), location where the Photograph was taken, and the camera equipment used. If multiple Photographs are submitted for a single species, Photographs should be referenced numerically (e.g., Bluejay 2). Each Photograph must be d) numbered to correspond with the number associated with that Photograph on the Mail Entry Form, if applicable. No Photographs received by mail will be returned. Once a Photograph is received by mail, you will not be able to retrieve, change, remove, or exchange the Submission.

Videos submitted by mail MUST meet the following requirements: a) Mail entries must be postmarked no later than February 28, 2024, and be received by 探花精选 no later than March 06, 2024; b) All Video Submissions must be on a USB key; c) Each Video must be accompanied by the following information: your first and last name, mailing address, email address (optional), bird species鈥 name, location where the Video was shot, and the camera equipment used. If multiple Videos are submitted for a single species, Videos should be referenced numerically (e.g., Bluejay 2). Each Video must: d) be numbered to correspond with the number associated with that Video on the Mail Entry Form, if applicable; e) be no larger than 50 megabytes; f) be 1920 by 1080 or 1280 by 720 pixels; g) be an .MP4 file (preferred) or .MOV file; h) have a frame rate of 24 fps or higher; and i) be 3 to 30 seconds in length. No CDs or USB keys received by mail will be returned. Once a Video is received by mail, you will not be able to retrieve, change, remove, or exchange the Submission.

Judging

Judging will be conducted by a panel of photography/videography and bird experts to be appointed by the Sponsor. Judges will score eligible Photographs and Videos using the following criteria: a) Technical Quality (33 percent); b) Originality (33 percent); and c) Artistic Merit (34 percent). Prizes will be awarded as follows: a) One Grand Prize to the highest-scoring Photograph across all Divisions; b) One Professional Prize to the highest-scoring Photograph from the Professional Division; c) One Amateur Prize to the highest-scoring Photograph from the Amateur Division; d) One Youth Prize to the highest-scoring Photograph from the Youth Division; e) One Plants for Birds Prize to the highest-scoring Photograph from the Plants for Birds Division; f) One Female Bird Prize to the highest-scoring Photograph depicting a female bird across all Divisions; g) One Birds in Landscapes Prize to the highest-scoring Photograph depicting a bird in a landscape across all Divisions; h) One Fisher Prize to the Photograph with the highest score in the Originality and Artistic Merit criteria only across all Divisions; i) One Video Prize to the highest-scoring Video from the Video Division.

No entry may win more than one prize. In the event of a tie for any prize, the Judges will use the Artistic Merit score of each tied Photograph/Video to rank the Photographs/Videos. The Photograph/Video with the highest Artistic Merit score will be the winner of that prize. If there continues to be a tie after the Artistic Merit scores are compared in determining a Grand Prize, Female Bird Prize, or in any single Division, the Judges will compare and rank the Technical Quality scores, and then the Originality scores, in that order. For the Fisher Prize, if there continues to be a tie after the Artistic Merit scores are compared, the Judges will compare and rank the Originality scores. If the scores of the Photographs/Videos are still tied for a prize category, the Sponsor will assemble a separate panel of judges who will review the tied Photographs/Videos using the above criteria. The decisions of the Judges and the Sponsor will be final. Winners will be contacted and confirmed by U.S. mail, email, and/or telephone on or about April 19, 2024 and required to complete and return the Releases/Declaration as detailed in the Prizes section below.

Prizes

There are nine Prizes available to be won: 

1. Grand Prize: There is one (1) Grand Prize available to be won of $5,000.00 USD 

2.Professional Prize: There is one (1) Professional Prize available to be won of $2,500.00 USD

3. Amateur Prize: There is one (1) Amateur Prize available to be won of  $2,500.00 USD

4. Plants for Birds Prize: There is one (1) Plants for birds Prize available to be won of $2,500 USD

5. Video Prize: There is one (1) Video Prize available to be won of $2,500 USD

6. Female Bird Prize: There is one (1) Female Bird Prize available to be won of  $1,000 USD

7. Birds in Landscapes: There is one (1) Birds in Landscapes Prize available to be won of $1,000 USD

8. Fisher Prize: There is one (1) Fisher Prize available to be won of  $1,000 USD

9. Youth Prize: There is one (1) Youth Prize available to be won. Youth Prize consists of: Six days at winner鈥檚 choice of one (1) Hog Island 探花精选 Camp for Teens during the 2025 season. If the Youth Prize winner will be age 18 at the time of the camp, they may choose another Hog Island 探花精选 Camp session for which they are eligible. 
Prizes will be awarded only to the person whose name is on the winning entry at the time of Submission.

Youth Prize includes:

鈼 Round-trip coach airfare from within the United States or Canada to Portland, Maine

鈼 Ground transportation to/from the airport/accommodations;

鈼 Hotel accommodations (standard room, double occupancy) during the program;

鈼 Three meals a day; and

鈼 All programs for the chosen Hog Island 探花精选 Camp. Youth Prize winner may choose from any of the available and qualifying Hog Island 探花精选 Camps during the 2025 season. Camps are subject to age and possibly other restrictions.

鈼 Total maximum ARV of Youth Prize is $3,500 USD. The ARV may vary based upon the camp chosen, dates of travel and point of departure. The difference between the ARV and stated ARV of the Youth Prize will not be awarded.
The total ARV of all Prizes available to be won: $21,500 USD.

Winners will be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability and Publicity (together, the 鈥淩eleases鈥), where permitted, or, if winner resides in Canada, a Declaration and Release Form (the 鈥淒eclaration鈥), and return the Releases/Declaration, properly executed, to 探花精选 within seven days of being notified. If a winner is a U.S. resident, Releases will require the winner to furnish their  Social Security Number for the sole purpose of tax reporting, as required by law. If a winner is otherwise eligible under these Official Rules, but is nevertheless deemed a minor in their state of primary residence, their prize will be awarded in the name of their parent or legal guardian who must execute the Releases/Declaration on the minor winner鈥檚 behalf. Sponsor may disqualify any winner who fails to respond to the prize notification or fails to return the Releases/Declaration within the seven-day period and, at Sponsor鈥檚 sole discretion, select an alternate winner. If any Prize or Prize notification is returned as undeliverable, a winner declines their Prize, or a winner fails to comply with any of these Official Rules, that winner will be disqualified and the entrant with the next-highest scoring Photograph in that Division may be deemed the potential winner for such Prize.  

Winners are responsible for the payment of any taxes on Prizes.

Prizes will be awarded within 45 days of each winner being confirmed.

Prize Conditions

All expenses related to the acceptance or use of any Prize is the sole responsibility of the Prize winner.
All travel-related expenses including but not limited to ground transportation to and from home, taxes, gratuities, incidentals, upgrades, insurance, service charges, airport surcharges, luggage fees, departure taxes, resort or property fees, food & beverage and personal expenses such as telephone/Internet charges, and gift shop purchases are the sole responsibility of Youth Prize winner. Youth Prize winner must have valid travel documents, including a photo ID and/or passport, as necessary.  Passports may be subject to additional local rules to be valid for foreign travel. Travel is subject to availability and camp dates are subject to change. Trip must be booked at least three weeks prior to the requested travel dates.

All reservations are based on availability and holidays may be excluded. Accommodations are subject to availability at time of reservation. Blackout dates, advance booking requirements, and travel restrictions may apply. Availability is subject to factors such as weather, seasonality and space availability. If weather affects the ability of winner to redeem any portion of prize during the scheduled date and time, then the Sponsor shall have no further obligation to the winner other than to supply the remaining elements of the prize package minus the unused portion of prize. If Youth Prize winner cannot attend the selected camp on the dates specified or the selected camp is canceled for any reason outside the Sponsor鈥檚 control, 探花精选 may, in its sole discretion, offer Youth Prize winner the opportunity to attend another 探花精选 camp. If for any reason whatsoever, winner is unable to travel after all travel arrangements have been made and paid, the Sponsor shall have no further obligation to the winner. 

In the event Youth Prize winner's home is in close enough proximity to trip destination, Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion that a flight is unnecessary, and the prize will not include air transportation. If Youth Prize is forfeited prior to Sponsor finalizing and paying for travel, and there is sufficient time to notify an alternate winner, the prize will be awarded to the Entrant who submitted the next-highest scoring Photograph from the Youth Division. 

In the event the Youth Prize winner engages in behavior that, as determined by the Sponsor and in its sole discretion, is obnoxious or threatening, illegal, or that is intended to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, the Sponsor reserves the right to terminate the trip prize in whole or in part, with no further compensation.

Prizes are not redeemable for cash, assignable, transferable and may not be substituted except at Sponsor鈥檚 sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value at its discretion. Any other incidental expenses on Prize not specified herein are the sole responsibility of each winner. Once a Prize has been delivered to the winner鈥檚 residence, the Prize is considered awarded.

General Conditions

By submitting a Photograph/Video to the 2024 探花精选 Photography Awards Contest, entrants and the parent/legal guardian of any Youth entrant agree to the following:

1. You represent and warrant that: a) You are the sole and exclusive author and owner of the Photograph/Video and all rights therein; b) You have the full and exclusive right, power, and authority to submit the Photograph/Video and to grant 探花精选  the rights granted herein, including a worldwide copyright license, upon the terms and conditions set herein; c) No rights in the Photograph/Video have been previously granted to any person, firm, corporation or other entity, or otherwise encumbered such that the prior grant would limit or interfere with the rights granted to the Sponsor herein; d) No part of the Photograph/Video has been published by 探花精选, including in 探花精选 magazine, on any portion of 探花精选鈥檚 website () (except Photos/Videos published by you on 探花精选鈥檚 social media platforms may be submitted) and, e) No part of your Photograph/Video defames or invades the privacy or publicity rights of any person, living or decreased, or otherwise infringes upon any third party鈥檚 copyright, trademark or other personal or property rights.

2. You acknowledge that: a) Sponsor has the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any Photograph/Video at any time if they determine that the Photograph/Video is offensive, inappropriate, or contrary to the Sponsor鈥檚 reputation, or that you or your Photograph/Video have not complied with any of the Official Rules; b) Sponsor is not responsible for misdirected, incomplete, lost, late, undelivered, inaccurate, illegible, or delayed Submissions, for technical, hardware, or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions, for human, mechanical, typographical, printing, electronic, or network errors, for errors which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing of Submissions, the announcement of prizes, or any other errors, any of which may limit or affect your ability to participate in the Contest; c) Sponsor has the right to modify, suspend or cancel the Contest in the event that it becomes infected by a computer virus or is otherwise technically impaired, and to suspend the Contest, modify the Contest to address the impairment then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules, and/or cancel the Contest in its entirety should tampering, unauthorized access, fraud, technical failures, acts of God, epidemics, or other causes corrupt the administration, security, fairness, or integrity of the Contest. If the Contest is suspended, Sponsor may select winners from the set of all non-suspect, eligible Submissions received up to the date of cancellation using the judging procedure outlined above; d) You may be disqualified from entering the Contest if it is determined by the Sponsor that you engaged in false or deceptive acts; e) Mass entries generated by script, macro or use of automated devices will be disqualified; f) By entering the Contest, you are not creating a confidential or fiduciary relationship with the Sponsor; g) Sponsor may itself create other artwork, receive Submissions from other Entrants for this Contest, or receive Photographs/Videos from third parties in connection with Sponsor鈥檚 customary business that are similar or identical to your Photograph/Video in theme, idea, format or other respects.  You waive any and all claims you may have now or may have in the future that your Photographs/Videos are substantially similar in theme, idea or format to any Photographs/Videos or other artwork in Sponsor鈥檚 possession; and, h) Sponsor and its designees have the right, unless prohibited under law, to use your name, city and state of residence, voice, picture and likeness, without compensation, notification or approval, for the purpose of advertising and publicizing the Sponsor鈥檚 goods and services and publicizing the Contest, in any manner or medium, now or hereafter known, worldwide and in perpetuity.

3. If any Photograph/Video in your Submission contains any material or elements not owned by you, or which are subject to the rights of third parties, you are responsible, prior to submitting the Photograph/Video, for obtaining any and all releases necessary to permit the use and exhibition of the Photograph/Video in all the manners contemplated by these Official Rules, including, without limitation, permission to use the name and likeness of any person who appears or is identifiable in the Photograph/Video. You may be required to provide proof of these permissions in a form acceptable to 探花精选, and if you fail to provide such proof within seven days of request by 探花精选, your Photograph/Video will be disqualified.

4. You irrevocably grant to 探花精选 a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license to use the Photograph/Video in any manner related to the Contest, including all associated use, reproduction, distribution, sublicense, derivative works, and commercial and non-commercial exploitation rights in any and all media now known or hereafter invented, including, but not limited to: a) 探花精选 magazine and all 探花精选 websites and blogs related to the Contest; b) any slideshows, brochures, newsletters, articles, reports, calendars and publications related to the Contest; c) solicitations for the Contest; d) promotions and communications related to the Contest; and e) physical and digital galleries and exhibitions of Submissions, including, but not limited to, exhibitions of Contest Submissions and/or Prize winners at 探花精选 offices, centers and sanctuaries. You may be required to execute any documents necessary to perfect such rights in the Sponsor.

5. You hereby release 探花精选, its subsidiaries, affiliates and divisions, and its respective directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability, loss or damage arising from or in connection with your participation or attempt to participate in the Contest, and/or the awarding, receipt, use or misuse of a Prize or participation in any Prize-related activities; from claims based on publicity rights, defamation or invasion of privacy; and from claims based on the infringement of or protection of the copyright in your Submission.
6. You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Sponsor against any claims by any third party related to a breach of any of these General Conditions, including, but not limited to, a claim of ownership of any copyright, trademark, or any personal or property rights, libel, defamation, invasion of privacy or right of publicity, or your failure to pay taxes on any Prize.

7. The Sponsor and its subsidiaries, affiliates and divisions, and their respective directors, officers, employees, attorneys, representatives and agents make no warranties, and hereby disclaim all warranties, express or implied, concerning the Contest and any Prize furnished or awarded in connection with the Contest, including, but not limited to, 探花精选鈥檚 ability to award a Prize due to its bankruptcy, insolvency or failure to continue its business. WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, PRIZES ARE PROVIDED 鈥淎S IS鈥 WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND THE CONTEST ENTITIES HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL SUCH WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND/OR NON INFRINGEMENT.

8. If your Photograph/Video is determined by 探花精选 in its sole discretion to be ineligible at any time during or after the Contest Entry Period, that Photograph/Video will be removed from the judging. If your Photograph/Video is found to have been ineligible after it was awarded a Prize, you agree to return the Prize or the value of such Prize to 探花精选 immediately following notification of ineligibility. Failure to comply with these Official Rules may result in disqualification of an Entrant and all their Submissions from the Contest. No refunds for Submissions will be granted as a result of disqualification.

Privacy

Personal information collected from online entries is subject to , which can be found at audubon.org/privacy-policy; provided that, in the event of any conflict between these Official Rules and such Privacy Policy, the terms and conditions of these Official Rules prevail. As a condition of entering the Contest, each entrant gives consent for Sponsor to obtain and deliver his or her name, address and other information to third parties for the purpose of administering this Contest and to comply with applicable laws, regulations and rules, including, without limitation, the storing of your personal information for purposes of complying with state record retention requirements.

Winner Confirmation

Winners will be announced on or about June 26, 2024 . You may obtain the name and city of residence of the winners by mailing a self-addressed stamped envelope to: 2024 探花精选 Photography Awards 鈥 Winners List, PO Box 654, Social Circle, GA 30025-0654. Requests received after July 25, 2024 will not be honored.

This Contest is void where prohibited by law. Contest is governed by U.S. law and subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.