101 Days of Summer Photo Contest

Entry into the Air Force Photo Contest indicates agreement by the entrant to all Air Force Photo Contest Official Rules and Eligibility Requirements (Official Rules).

Theme

101 Days of Summer

What are you doing this summer? Capture the essence of summer through your lens and showcase your creativity, talent, and love for this vibrant season. This contest is a celebration of all the joy, warmth, and adventure that summer brings, encapsulating 101 days of unforgettable memories.

From the first days of June to the last moments of September, you'll have ample time to document the fleeting moments, breathtaking landscapes, vibrant colors, and cherished experiences that define summer for you.

Your subjects could be anything from joyful beach days, refreshing poolside moments, delightful family gatherings, captivating sunsets, bustling street festivals, vibrant flora, thrilling outdoor adventures, or even quiet moments of relaxation in nature's embrace. The possibilities are endless!

The addition of the composite photography category opens even more avenues for creativity— Entrants can create photo compositions of their own fantasy worlds or fictional scenes of their ideal summer. Feel free to let your imagination run wild, combining multiple images to bring your vision to life.

Eligibility

Authorized patrons of Air Force Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Programs (IAW AFI 34- 101, Air Force Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Programs and use Eligibility) are eligible to participate in Air Force Services Center (AFSVC) contests.

• Entrants in Adult Novice and Accomplished categories must be 18 years of age at the time of entry.
• Entrants in Youth categories must meet the following age requirements:
  – Child: Ages 6 to 8
  – Pre-Teen: Ages 9 to 12
  – Teen: Ages 13-17
• • A legal parent or guardian must submit entries on behalf of Youth Category participants.
• Force Support Squadron (FSS) Commanders, civilian leaders, and FSS marketing personnel may enter the contest, but are NOT eligible to win prizes.
• Participants must meet all eligibility requirements determined in the Official Rules.
• Prizes will be awarded to eligible participants.
• Failure to meet eligibility or submission requirements will render the submission ineligible.
• Photos are eligible in one category. i.e., submitting the same photo in more than one category is not permitted

Categories & Subcategories

This year, there are two main categories — Traditional Photography and Composite Photography. Entrants may submit up to two entries in each main category and must enter in their respective age/skill level sub-category. (See eligibility requirements.)

Traditional Photography (Main Category)

Subcategories:

• Adult Novice (Individuals who are new or inexperienced to working in the approved media)
• Adult Accomplished (Individuals who have higher levels of art skills obtained through experience, education, training or who operate as professional artists.)
• Youth Teen (Ages 13 to 17)
• Youth Pre-Teen (Ages 9 to 12)
• Youth Child (Ages 6 to 8)

Composite Photography (Main Category)

Subcategories:

• Adult Novice (Individuals who are new or inexperienced to working in the approved media)
• Adult Accomplished (Individuals who have higher levels of art skills obtained through experience, education, training or who operate as professional artists.)
• Youth Teen (Ages 13 to 17)

Traditional photography refers to the practice of capturing images by exposing light-sensitive film or a digital sensor directly to the scene being photographed. It involves composing a single image in-camera, without significant post-processing or manipulation. Traditional photography aims to depict a scene or subject as faithfully as possible, relying on natural lighting and minimal alterations.

Composite photography involves combining multiple images or elements to create a final composite image. It allows photographers to merge various elements, such as different photographs, backgrounds, textures, or objects, to produce a new and often more elaborate composition. With image editing software, photographers can blend, layer, and manipulate the different elements to create a cohesive and imaginative final image that may not exist in reality.

Both traditional and composite photography offer unique opportunities for artistic expression and creativity. While traditional photography captures the beauty of real-life moments, composite photography enables photographers to push the boundaries of their imagination and create captivating visual narratives.

Prizes and Winner Notification

• Winners will be notified via the email address provided during the submission process. Winners must respond via email within five calendar days of notification. An alternate winner will be chosen if communication is not received within five calendar days of notification.
• Prizes will be awarded to the top three (3) winners in each sub-category.
  o First Place: $500 Amazon Gift card
  o Second Place: $400 Amazon Gift Card
  o Third Place: $300 Amazon Gift Card
• Winners will receive an Amazon Gift Card presented by their installation Point of Contact (POC) in a method compliant with installation health and safety guidelines. If the winner is under the age of 18, a legal parent or guardian must be present with the youth to accept the prize.
• Acceptance of the prize grants the AF the right to use the winning submission in its entirety for any publicity, advertising, or promotional purposes without compensation.
• The winner must comply with all terms and conditions set forth in the Official Rules. Winning is contingent upon fulfilling all such requirements.
• No entrant may win more than one prize.

Contest Period

Submissions will be accepted beginning on 15 September 2023 at 12:00 p.m. CT and end on 15 November 2023 at 12:00 p.m. CT.

Entrants are responsible for determining the corresponding time zone in their respective geographical area. No exceptions will be made for missed deadlines.

How to Enter

No purchase is necessary to enter or win.
To enter the contest visit forcesupport.awardsplatform.com during the contest period and follow the instructions for submitting photographs.
AFSVC will not accept entries via any other means. The entrant must meet all eligibility requirements and the entry must meet all submission requirements.

Photograph Submission Requirements

By submitting an entry in the contest, regardless of country of entry,
each entrant represents and warrants that his or her photograph(s)
conform to these Official Rules and meet the following criteria.

1. Submissions must be the original work of the entrant.
2. Photographs eligible for submission must have been made between 29 May and 4 Sep, 2023.
3. Photographs must convey the theme “101 Days of Summer.”
4. Submitted photographs may not have won a previous contest.
5. Photographs must be submitted as high-quality JPG/JPEG or PNG files, and must be 300 dpi when saved at approximately 8.5” x 11” (3600 px minimum width required ). Files may not exceed 9MB in size.
6. Participants may enter up to two images in each main category. However, only one prize will be awarded per entrant.
7. Photographs may only be submitted in an entrant’s respective age sub-category.
8. Traditional Photography: The practice of capturing images by exposing light-sensitive film or a digital sensor directly to the scene being photographed. It aims to depict a scene or subject as faithfully as possible, with minimal post-processing or manipulation.
9. Composite Photography: The technique of combining multiple images or elements to create a final composite image. It involves blending, layering, and manipulating different elements using image editing software to produce a cohesive and imaginative composition that may not exist in reality.
10. Photographs may not bear watermarks, logos, signatures, or markings of any kind.
11. Photographs may be cropped.
12. Traditional photographs may only be minimally processed.
13. Composite enhanced photos must include at least one original photo. The entrant must submit the final composite photo, original photo(s), and any other elements used in creation of the final composite photo.
14. Photographs must have a title. “Untitled” is not acceptable.
15. Each submission must have an accompanying caption that tells the story of the image and how it was made.
16. By submitting, the entrant is guaranteeing that he/she holds the rights to everything in the image, and that it does not contain any copyright protected material that would require the consent of any third party; and does not violate any copyright, trademark, publicity right, or any other right of any third party.
17. Photographs must not be obscene or libelous, must not contain defamatory or derogatory remarks, must not use inappropriate language or slang, and must not violate any rights of any third party. Any submission violating these guidelines will be disqualified from the competition.
18. Photographs must not contain content, element or material that violates a third party’s intellectual property rights, including, but not limited to copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, logos, contract and licensing rights, rights of publicity or privacy, moral rights, or any other intellectual property rights.
19. Photographers and/or parents or legal guardians are solely responsible for obtaining proper releases for photographs which contain material or elements that are not owned by the entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, and/or if any persons appear in the photograph, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission or the photograph, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the photograph in the manner set forth in these rules without additional compensation.
20. If any person appearing in any photograph is under the age of eighteen, the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required for each release.
21. Photographs must not be subject to any third party agreements which may require AFSVC to pay any sum of money to any person or entity as a result of its use or exploitation of the photographs or rights therein.
22. AFSVC reserves the right to request proof that the image submitted is an original work. Non-compliance with this rule will result in disqualification of the entry.
23. The entrant will hold AFSVC harmless for unauthorized use of photographs by third parties.
24. Submissions may be used without restriction by AFSVC, including without limitation, rights to use images in digital, social, broadcast, and printed media for the purposes of advertising, publicity and promotion. AFSVC reserves the right to modify images.

Judging

A panel of photo experts will evaluate each entrant’s photo submission based on the following criteria: Impact, Creativity andTechnical Excellence as defined by the Professional Photographers of America’s International Photographic Competitions Committee. Determinations made by judges are final and binding.

• Impact: Viewing an image for the first time always evokes a feeling. Sometimes images make us sad, happy or angry. Sometimes they force us to look inward at ourselves. That’s called impact, and the more powerful the image, the more powerful the emotional response of the viewer.

• Creativity: Your point of view is exactly that– yours, and it’s unlike anyone else’s. This element speaks directly to that perspective. It shows your imagination and how you used the medium to convey an idea, a message or a thought to the viewer. This is how you differentiate yourself from others.

• Technical Excellence: This is the print quality of the actual image itself as it’s presented for viewing. There are a lot of aspects that speak to the qualities of the physical print.
  These can include:
  – Retouching
  – Manipulation
  – Sharpness
  – Exposure
  – Printing
  – Mounting
  – Color correction
  There is no requirement to be a professional photographer when entering the Air Force Photo Contest; however Air Force Arts and Crafts strives to help photographers improve their skills. While your image will be judged on Impact, Creativity and Technical Excellence you should consider the following tips for creating superior photographs. After reviewing the list we feel confident you’ll begin your image capture process with more thought, thus making you a better image creator.
  While every image will have traces of some of these elements, only the best have them all.

• Style: There are many ways to apply this element to your work. Perhaps you use light in a specific way, or you make a technical decision for the express purpose of creating impact. When subject matter and style come together, the effects on an image can be spectacular. But remember, when subject matter and style don’t work together, the results can be less than spectacular.

• Composition: When the visual elements of an image come together to express intent, compositional magic happens. Good composition captures a viewer’s attention and directs it where
  the artist, wants it to be. Depending on the intent, you can make something that pleases the viewer or disturbs them.

• Presentation: How you showcase an image is just as important as how you compose it. Everything in the presentation should work to enhance your image and not distract from it. Keep this inmind when choosing mats, borders and everything in between.

• Color Balance: Proper color balance can bring a sense of harmony to an image. When the tones all work together to support an image, the emotional appeal is that much greater. Color balance doesn’t have to be used to bring harmony to an image. Color balance can be used to evoke any number of feelings from a viewer. The choice in how to take advantage is entirely up to you, but no matter what, be sure your choice enhances rather than distracts.

• Center of Interest: This is where an image’s creator wants a viewer’s attention focused. Sometimes there can be a primary and a secondary center of interest. Sometimes everything in an image will work together to create that center of interest.

• Lighting: The use and control of light has an effect on every aspect of an image. It informs dimensions and shape, it sets tone and mood, and, like every other technique, proper lighting can be used to enhance your image while improper lighting can detract from it.

• Subject Matter: Even though it lacks words, your image is still telling a story, and your subject matter is central to that. So make sure that your subject matter is right for the story that you’re trying to tell.

• Technique: How you choose to execute your image is key. It’s also a holistic decision. Technique informs everything in the creation of your image. From lighting and posing to printing and presentation, it all works to show off the techniques that you’ve mastered and applied to your craft.

• Story Telling: What does your image evoke in a viewer’s imagination? What do you want your image to evoke in a viewer’s imagination?

Keep in mind: You are creating art. And while the act of creating is a personal thing, so too is the act of viewing. Your image is a story, and the one it tells your viewer may be one you never knew you were telling.

Release Statement

Limitation of Liability: By entering the Air Force Photo Contest, all entrants agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless the Air Force Services Center (AFSVC) and its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in the Air Force Photo Contest or any contestrelated activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder. The entrant is responsible for ensuring submissions are received by the specified deadline. AFSVC is not responsible for the condition, delivery, or non-delivery of any submission or communication regardless of the cause or type of error be it human, electronic, virtual, technical, or mechanical.

Disqualification: AFSVC reserves the right to disqualify any entry submission for any reason at its sole absolute discretion. The decisions of AFSVC with regard to the entrant eligibility, disqualification and determination of winners shall be final and binding.

Privacy Act Statement: Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) Purpose: To contact winners participating in web contests featured on https://forcesupport.awardsplatform.com and to add to the AFSVC and FSS customer databases for email notification of events, activities, and information. Routine Uses: This information will not be disclosed outside DoD. Disclosure/Effects: Disclosure is voluntary; however, entrant cannot participate in this contest without providing the contact information requested.

The winner must comply with all terms and conditions set forth in these official rules.