Rules, Guidelines

College Seen™ Photo Contest
Official Contest Rules


By entering the Foundation for California Community Colleges College Seen™ Photo Contest you agree to be bound by these Official Rules:

1. Eligibility

This photo contest is open to California Community College students over the age of 18. To take part, you must be currently enrolled in a California Community College course or have completed a California Community College course during the 2010–11 academic year. Contest officials may require you to provide a copy of a non-official transcript to verify your California Community College enrollment. Failure to provide the transcript may result in disqualification.

2. Contest Dates

The competition begins April 4, 2011, and ends June 30, 2011.  Entries must be actually received no later than June 30, 2011, to be eligible for awards.  Entries received after June 30, 2011, will not be considered for awards, regardless of whether the late receipt resulted from human, computer, or transmission error.

3. Entry Guidelines

Number - An individual who meets the eligibility requirements may enter up to eight photographs in total, one photograph per category.

Categories - Categories include: Campus Experience, Campus Elements, News and Events, Career Preparation/Work Experience, Technology and Learning, Portrait and Personality, Conceptual, and the Hands Across California special category. Each entry must include a description of how the photograph relates to the entry category. For a full description of the entry categories, see the Categories page of the College Seen website.

Entry Process - All entries must be submitted online, in accordance with the Entry Form requirements.

Image Format - Images may be in color or black-and-white, RGB color mode. All images must be submitted online in JPG format. File resolution must be a minimum of 1600 x 1200 pixels or larger. File size should be no lower than 1mb and limited to 15mb. Except with respect to cropping or resizing, digital editing of images is discouraged.

4. Judging

Submissions will be judged on the basis of visual impact, technical execution, style, and relevance to the category. Photo captions will also be taken into consideration in the judging process. The judging panel consists of Foundation staff members, faculty judges, and consultants familiar with photography and responsible for selecting photography for publications and marketing materials.

5. Awards

  • Grand Prize: $500 cash award, Adobe® Creative Suite® 5 Design Premium, lynda.com subscription, Wacom Intuos Small pen tablet, OnOne Software Perfect Photo Suite, and publication of the photograph inside Affinity, the magazine for California Community Colleges.
  • First Place in Category (eight total): Adobe® Creative Suite® 5 Design Premium, lynda.com subscription, OnOne Software Perfect Photo Suite, and publication of the photograph inside Affinity, the magazine for California Community Colleges.
  • Honorable Mentions: Honorable mentions will receive a selection of software and sponsored prizes. Additional photographs may be chosen for publication inside Affinity, the magazine for California Community Colleges, and other Foundation marketing materials.
  • Winners will be notified by phone, mail, or email in August 2011. If a winner does not respond to notification of the win within 14 days, the winner will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen, based on the established judging criteria.


6. Conditions of Participation

Original Work - Your submissions must be original work that have not been previously published or distributed. By entering the competition, you represent and warrant that you have created the work (including all elements), have obtained consent or approval from applicable third parties, including model releases from any persons featured in the submitted photograph, and that that no other party has any right, title, claim, or interest in the photograph.

Use of Submissions - In addition to showcasing student work in the new California Community College alumni magazine, the Foundation aims to create a library of photographic images of the colleges for use in subsequent Foundation publications. By entering this competition, you agree that the Foundation retains the right to unlimited use of the submitted photographs for Foundation publicity, promotion, and advertising purposes, without compensation. Name recognition will be given to the photographer when possible, but is not guaranteed. As a condition of participation, you waive any claim of infringement against the Foundation based upon use of the submitted photograph, and agree to hold the Foundation harmless from any claims or expenses arising as a result of any allegation that you did not own or were not authorized to allow publication and reproduction of the photograph.

7. Sponsors

The contest is being sponsored by the Foundation for California Community Colleges, CollegeBuys, Adobe®, and lynda.com.  Additional prizes provided by Wacom and OnOne Software.

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