Cleveland Photographic Society Scavenger Hunt

The Contest

In 2012, the Cleveland Photographic Society will celebrate its 125th Anniversary. In continuous operation since 1887, the Society promotes photographic education and welcomes photographers of all skill levels. While the Society is currently based in Broadview Heights, all but the past seven years of its existence were spent in a variety of locations in the Downtown Cleveland area. Blending our history with our passion, we have conceived a photo scavenger hunt that will encourage participants to explore the various regions of Downtown Cleveland and capture what they see in photographs.

The contest will consist of 125 images captured within the contest boundaries. Some of the images will be general views, while most will focus in on specific details – some very small. Participants will be provided access to each of the pictures and will be asked to duplicate them as exactly as possible with their own photograph, using an upload web link provided upon registration.

Contest Entry

To enter the contest, visit the scavenger hunt website.

You will be asked to provide basic contact information and will create a unique user ID and password in order to upload the pictures you take. No personal information you provide will be used for any purpose other than contest communications. THERE IS NO COST TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTEST.

Contest Timeline

The contest will run from the beginning to the end of Daylight Savings Time: Sunday, March 11 through Sunday, November 4, 2012. The website to upload images will close at 11:59 pm on Sunday, November 4 – NO exceptions to this deadline can be made for any reason, so please allow plenty of time to upload your images and don’t wait until the very last minute. Contest organizers cannot be held responsible for any technical or other difficulties which might impede your ability to upload images by the deadline.

Contest Boundaries

All photos represent images taken within the following boundaries:

South: Carnegie Avenue
West: Cuyahoga River
North: Lakefront
East: East 18th Street

For specific boundaries, see the map provided on the Scavenger Hunt website.

Rules

The contest is open to all who wish to participate
Images can be captured with any type of camera, phone or other device, but all images must be uploaded digitally in a standard .jpg format. Any other image format will be disqualified.
Image size is not important, but you may want to re-size your images to approximately 1024 x 768 pixels at 72 dpi to speed the upload process. If none of that made sense to you, simply upload what you have.
Images submitted should duplicate the original as much as possible. Specifically, the angle from which the original image was taken and any other elements (trees, flags, park benches, etc., etc.) that appeared in the original image should also appear in yours. We want to see an image that was taken while standing in the exact same spot we stood when we took the original picture.
Images will NOT be penalized if your camera does not have the same zoom range used in the original picture. If a particularly wide angle or telephoto (zoomed-in) lens was used in capturing the original photo, you will not be penalized if your camera does not allow you to duplicate that effect – simply shoot from the same location.
It is NOT necessary to render your pictures exactly as you see them on our site. Specifically, if we render an image in black and white, you can submit a color image that depicts the same subject. The same applies to pictures we've posted that are very specifically cropped - as long as your image depicts the same subject matter, taken from the same general angle and location, it does not have to be cropped exactly as our original image in order to be accepted.
Images will NOT be judged on photographic quality – as long as the image is recognizable and taken from the same location as the original, it will qualify
Seasonal differences between the original photos and yours will NOT penalize your images: For example: if the original photo was obviously taken in the fall, your spring or summer shot will not be penalized.
Images must be uploaded as described in the detailed upload instructions you will receive when you register. No other form of image submission can be considered and no images can be accepted after the closing date and time for any reason.

Participation

Participants can choose to enter the contest in one of four categories:

CPS Members:
Individual
Team – any number of participants up to 4 (see below)

General Public:
Individual
Team – any number of participants up to 4

Rules for participation:

CPS members MUST enter in the CPS member categories
CPS members MUST team with other CPS members
The ONLY exception is as follows:
- A CPS member may Team with other members of his/her immediate family even if all participants are not CPS members

Fair Play

The purpose of the contest is to celebrate our great City and to have fun while doing so. Any attempt to deface or obscure any of the photographic subjects in an attempt to gain an advantage over other competitors will result in that photo being removed from the contest. Photographers record what they see and leave no evidence of their presence – please be respectful and play fair.

Judging

Judging will be conducted by the three CPS members who conceived and designed the contest
All decisions of the judges will be final
Images that obviously match the general location of the original contest photos will be accepted
Winners will be determined from those who submit the MOST qualifying images in each entry category – it is NOT necessary to find and submit all 125 images in order to be eligible to win
The individual or team which submits the most qualifying images will be determined to be the winner
If more than one Individual or team in each entry category submits the highest number of qualifying images, ties will be broken by a random draw of all qualifiers

Prizes

Winners will be determined in each of the four entry categories as described in the Judging section of these rules. Contest organizers will make every effort to ensure that prizes will be appropriate to the entry category. Scavenger Hunt organizers and judges and their immediate families are ineligible to compete for prizes. Winners will be announced on or before December 21, 2012. Winners will be posted on the scavenger hunt website and every effort will be made to contact winners by email. Prizes not claimed by January 31, 2013 will be awarded to the next highest qualifier in each category. As a condition of participation in the contest, winners consent to the use of their name(s) in announcing winners on the web and in any media releases or publications. Winners accept all responsibility for any applicable taxes.

Disclaimers

This contest is sponsored by the Cleveland Photographic Society and Downtown Cleveland Alliance in an effort to highlight the CPS 125th Anniversary celebration and to promote all there is to see and do within Downtown Cleveland. The contest is intended to be fun and educational and participants are encouraged to view the contest in this light. Judging and prize selection will be conducted under fair criteria as described in these rules, but some subjectivity on the part of the judges may be necessary in order to determine final winners. The contest organizers, judges, CPS Officers, Board members and Membership as well as Officers, Employees and all affiliated with the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, publicity partners or prize donors cannot be held responsible for any injury, damages or loss incurred as a result of participation in this contest, nor perceived damages from decisions rendered by the judges. Due to the nature of technology, contest organizers cannot be held responsible for lost images should the upload website crash or need to be restored to a previous state. Participants are strongly encouraged to keep a back-up copy of all uploaded images for protection against loss. Entrants certify that they have personally photographed each of the contest images that they submit. The judges reserve the right to request original versions of all images from contest winners for verification purposes - failure to provide requested images in a timely manner may lead to prize forfeiture. Prize winners assume all responsibililty for any applicable taxes. All decisions of the judges are final. By registering and participating in the Scavenger Hunt, entrants agree to abide by all contest rules, terms and conditions as stated herein.

Tours

During the contest period, we will conduct several tours throughout Downtown to help familiarize you with the area and to help answer any photography-related questions you may have. Tours will consist of a brief introduction to each area and then you will be free to roam as you wish. Tour dates and times will be as follows:

Sunday, April 15 – Noon to 2:00 pm
Sunday, May 13 – 10:00 am to Noon
Sunday, June 10 – 1:30 to 4:00 pm
Sunday, July 15 – Noon to 2:00 pm
Sunday, August 12 – Noon to 2:00 pm
Sunday, September 16 – Noon to 2:00 pm
Sunday, October 14 – Noon to 2:00 pm

Note: Specific locations for each tour will be listed on the updates page.

Contact

For any questions regarding the contest, please email us.

Contest Rules