Terms:
The Association for Prenatal & Perinatal Health’s (APPPAH) 40th Anniversary Photo Contest begins January 1, 2022, and ends March 15, 2023, at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. By submitting an entry, each contestant agrees to the rules of the contest and states that he or she is 18 years old or older.
Who may enter:
The Grand Prize, Weekly Theme Winners, and Entry Prize are open to photographers who are 18 years old or older. Employees affiliated with APPPAH, and their immediate families (children, parents, siblings and spouses) and others living in their households are not eligible for any prize. APPPAH will determine winners’ eligibility in its sole discretion.
What to enter:
Visuals that use photography as a creative and imaginative platform to express an idea or concept. These images can be manipulated in any method, either through photo editing software or other techniques. Video reels that compile photos into a collage of streaming images that last no longer than 60 seconds may also be included.
To be eligible, a photograph or reel must have been shot by the entrant. The contestant certifies that he/she is the sole creator and copyright owner of the submitted photograph(s).
Cropped photos are eligible. Minor adjustments, including the removal of sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast, toning, slight color adjustment and conversion to grayscale are acceptable. The addition and subtraction of objects are not permitted. If the judges determine that a photographer has altered his or her photo beyond normal photojournalism best practices, they reserve the right to disqualify it. Image composites including HDR and stitched panoramas will be judged as Artistic Images.
For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you must be prepared to provide a model release from the subject or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian, to APPPAH upon request. A sample model release form is available here. (click for the Release Form)
Similarly, entrants whose photos depict other people’s work (such as sculptures, statues, paintings, and other copyrightable works) must be prepared to provide a release from the rights holder to APPPAH upon request. When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close-up of another person’s creation. A sample art release form is available here. Click for the Release Form.
If the entrant is unable to provide all required releases, the Smithsonian in its sole discretion reserves the right to disqualify the submission, seek to secure the required releases, or permit the submission to remain in the contest.
Photos must be taken in accordance with federal, state and local laws.
Photos that violate or infringe upon another person’s rights, including but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.
Photos that contain sexually explicit, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content, as determined by APPPAH in its sole discretion, are ineligible for all categories of this contest.
Ethics:
Entrants must disclose the circumstances under which an image was captured as well as any instructions given to a subject.
The welfare of a subject and its environment must be placed ahead of the desire to capture a photograph. Upon entering the contest, entrants certify that subjects were treated with respect and dignity, and that no people or the environment were harmed in creating a photograph.
How to Enter:
Please submit photographs and requested information online through our website at www.birthpsychologymonth/photocontest. You may submit up to 10 photographs and/or 3 video reels. In order to be displayed in our online gallery without being stretched or distorted, photographs must be submitted in .jpeg, .jpg or .gif format, edited for web in sRGB color space, at least 2,000 pixels wide and no larger than 10 MB. You must complete a separate form for each photo submitted.
We do not accept photographs submitted through the mail and do not accept more than one contestant per e-mail address. High-quality scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Digital photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible.
Finalists must be prepared to submit an original, unedited digital file. APPPAH reserves the right to disqualify incomplete entries and/or contestants who are unable to submit, upon request, a high-resolution photograph of at least 300 dpi or an original photo negative, print or slide. Mobile photographs are exempt from this size requirement but must be submitted at their highest resolution upon request.
APPPAH may collect a photograph’s metadata upon entry.
You retain your rights to your photograph; however, by entering the contest, you grant APPPAH (and those authorized by APPPAH) a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of collateral and its website, exhibition, and commercial products (this includes any sales of products utilizing the photograph), including but not limited to APPPAH publications. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. APPPAH will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.
Use of your personal data:
Participation in the contest requires the collection of your name and email address. By entering this contest, you are consenting to the use of your name and email address for further communications regarding this contest. To access our privacy statement, click here for the privacy statement.
Entry deadline:
The contest begins on January 1, 2023. All entries must be received through APPPAH’s Photo Contest Google Form by 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on March 15, 2023.
Judging
Photo entries will be judged based on creativity, quality, originality, responsiveness to the prompt and overall impact.
APPPAH will select 4 finalists for Artistic Image Rewards and a Grand Prize winner from all contestants. The 5 finalists will be notified of their status and appear on our website and social media in March 2023. The Grand Prize winner and category winners will be revealed online during the Birth Psychology Month Summit. These dates may be subject to change.
APPPAH will notify winners via the contact information provided at the time of entry; APPPAH may disqualify anyone who fails to respond to the notification within five business days.
Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.
Prizes:
Five prizes will be awarded, plus consolation prizes, as follows:
Grand Prize: $250 Visa Gift Card, $250 APPPAH Premier Annual Membership, & The Bond Film Viewing, an unreleased documentary by Stephen Gyllenhaal.
Weekly Theme Winners: The winners of each weekly theme of Birth Psychology Summit will receive $110 Annual APPPAH Community Membership, and The Bond film viewing, a new documentary by Stephen Gyllenhaal.
In the categories of:
- Preparing for a Compassionate Birth: Pregnancy, Bonding, and Birth Plans
- Compassionate Birth Practices: Safe and Nurturing Births for Babies and Their Mothers
- The Positive Power of Peaceful Birth
- Compassionate Recovery
Consolation Prizes: Every registered contestant receives What Babies Want film viewing & Panel Discussion by Debby Takikawa, and Facebook & Instagram posts of your image/reel submissions on APPPAH’s social media platforms linked to your social media and tagged with #Birth4Peace.
One cash prize; winners may receive additional non-cash prizes. Winners must sign a release and license, as well as a declaration of eligibility, and will be responsible for paying any fees or taxes associated with the prize. All prizes are awarded “as is” and non-transferable. In case applicable law prohibits APPPAH from awarding a photographer the cash prize and/or any non-cash prize, APPPAH may award the prize in name only.
Online Features:
APPPAH may select photos to highlight on its website or display in a publicly accessible contest archive. Such selections will be made in APPPAH’s sole discretion.
Conditions of Entry:
All entrants hold the Sponsors and their respective regents, directors, officers, employees, emeriti, fellows, interns, research associates, and volunteers (the “Indemnified Parties”) harmless from and against all claims of any nature arising in connection with entrant’s participation in the contest and acceptance or use of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not liable for any costs, damages, injuries, or other claims incurred because of entrants’ participation in the contest or winner’s acceptance and usage of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not responsible for incomplete or misdirected entries, technical or network malfunctions or failures, or causes beyond their control. Entrants are solely responsible for their entries. Entrants may not submit materials that introduce any software viruses, worms or other programs designed to damage software, hardware or telecommunications equipment or are off-topic, partisan-political, contain advertising, sexual nudity, personal attacks or expletives, or is otherwise abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, discriminatory, libelous, obscene, false, sexually explicit, or that infringes on the rights of any third party.
The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. APPPAH reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at its discretion. In the event of a dispute regarding the winners, APPPAH reserves the right to award or not award the prizes in its sole discretion. APPPAH reserves the right to disqualify any entrant whose entry or conduct appears in any way to: inhibit the enjoyment of others; tamper with the competition; violate these rules or other applicable law or regulation; infringe on the rights of third parties; or act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Decisions of APPPAH are final and binding.