OFFICIAL RULES:
- Only photographs of wild birds are eligible.
- Birds must be photographed in the wild (no zoo photos or pictures of tethered birds, caged birds or dead birds mounted by taxidermy).
- Either the birds or the photographer must be from Oregon. (We are Oregon Outdoors, after all.) No out-of-state birds shot by out-of-state photographers, but out-of-state residents who shot photos here are welcome to submit. And Oregon residents who traveled on birding trips are welcome to submit.
- The contest is open to everyone except employees of Southern Oregon Media Group and Black Bird Shopping Center.
- You can enter up to 3 photos; however, each photographer is eligible to win only one award.
- The entrant of the photo must be the photographer who shot the photo.
- Only digital (jpeg) photos are eligible, submitted in RGB mode. If you shoot film, the photo must be scanned and submitted in digital format.
- Entries must be accompanied by an entry form which includes the photographer's name, phone, address and e-mail address.
- Please include the species name of the bird(s), the location where the photo was taken, the type of camera and lens used, the film speed (if not digital) and, if possible, the shutter speed and lens opening.
- Digital photos may be enhanced using tools such as exposure control, cropping and sharpening. Other major or obvious enhancements may render the photo ineligible. This will be a decision of the judges and all decisions are final.
Even though the greatest care will be taken with all photos, the Mail Tribune and BlackBird Shopping Center are not responsible for lost or damaged entries.
The contest begins Nov. 11, 2011. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. Dec. 9, 2011. When the entry deadline passes, we’ll kick off a week of online voting, which closes Friday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. The winning photos will be published in the Oregon Outdoors section of the Mail Tribune Dec. 23, 2011.
HOW TO ENTER:
Entries can be submitted online only, at www.mailtribune.com/birdcontest. Click on the contest-entry form and upload the photo(s) using the instructions on the site.
CRITERIA:
The judges will use the following criteria for grading all photos entered:
Composition
Technical quality (sharpness, depth of field, exposure, etc.)
How well the photo captures the essence of the bird
PRIZES:
Grand Prize
A pair of Pro Master Binoculars, EL 10 x 42, valued at $299, from
Total Camera and Video, 1310 A Center Drive, Medford, 541-772-6808
1st Place
A pair of Eagle Optics Denali 8 x 42 Roof Prism Binoculars, valued at $229, from
Wild Birds Unlimited, 712 Crater Lake Ave., Medford, 541-770-1104, www.medford.wbu.com
2nd Place
$100 gift certificate from Grange Co-op
3rd Place
A pair of Bushnell 8 x 42 binoculars, valued at $79, from Black Bird Shopping Center, 1810 W. Main St., Medford, 541-772-8036
4th Place
A Patriot bird feeder and 20-pound bag of bird seed, valued at $36, from Black Bird Shopping Center, 1810 W. Main St., Medford, 541-772-8036
Mail Tribune readers will be allowed to vote for their favorite photos between 5 p.m. Dec. 9, 2011 and 5 p.m. Dec. 16, 2011. Online votes will count for 25 percent of the total. Votes by The Mail Tribune’s expert judges will count for 75 percent of the total score.
If you have questions, e-mail Mail Tribune features editor David Smigelski at dsmigelski@mailtribune.com or call 541-776-8784.
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