The 2022 contest is closed. Thank you!

Contest rules and submission guidelines

River Alliance of Wisconsin invites photographers to enter 5 digital photographs in our ninth annual photography competition. Please read the following rules, terms and conditions before submitting photos before the November 15, 2022 deadline.

The River Alliance of Wisconsin Ninth Annual Photography Competition (the “Contest”) is open to ALL photographers, except employees of the River Alliance of Wisconsin and the immediate families of such employees.

YOUR RIGHTS
You will retain all rights to any photograph you submit — including ownership if applicable — other than those rights licensed in the next sentence. By submitting your photo, you hereby grant to River Alliance of Wisconsin (i) a royalty-free license to reproduce, distribute, publicly display and publicly perform the photographs you submit to River Alliance of Wisconsin, and (ii) the right to use your name and city of residence in promotions and other publications.

WHAT TO ENTER
We’re looking for photography that represents the diversity of life that thrives in and along our rivers (including people) as well as the looming threats to this diversity. There are five categories: animals, plants, people, landscapes, and threats. Please note which category you are entering when you submit your photograph.

Animals – unique images of native, wild animals in river corridors. Please no photographs of your pets (we still love them though!). These photographs should demonstrate how a river’s ecosystem truly is teeming with diverse wildlife from the bugs on the bottom to the birds in the trees.

Plants – vivid photographs of native Wisconsin flora in our river corridors. We’re not just talking about showy flowers. Show us your pics of all that amazing habitat that our rivers provide!

People – heartwarming photographs of people enjoying Wisconsin’s flowing waters. Traditionally, we have received a lot of photographs that fall in this category. We have plenty of photographs of the bows of boats and people’s backs, so please knock our socks off with something truly creative.

Landscapes – breathtaking photographs of Wisconsin’s rivers that make us fall in love with them all over again.

Threats to our Rivers – unique photographs that will help us educate folks about the threats to our rivers in Wisconsin (i.e. pollution, dams/culverts, invasive species, sloppy shoreland development, etc.). Powerful pictures will include a river in them.

Photo captions must accompany all submissions. Please include the category, the subject of the image, the location the image was taken, and the name of the photographer (example: photograph of the eagle on the Lemonweir River).

Images will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. Judges for the 2022 photo contest include past winners Jon Beers, Cynthia Hoffman, Matt Oehmichen, Tina VanZile and Jonah Westrich. River Alliance of Wisconsin shall determine winner eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion. All decisions made by River Alliance staff and photo judges are final.

Photographs will be credited to the photographer when used by the River Alliance of Wisconsin wherever possible unless there are space or design constraints in print publications or digital platforms.

All recognizable people in submitted photos must be willing to have their picture used in River Alliance’s print and digital communications. Photographers must be able to document subject consent upon request (any documented confirmation – email, video, voice recording, etc. will be accepted) or download the River Alliance Photo Release Form and submit to [email protected] or by mail to 612 W Main St. STE 200 Madison, WI 53703.

HOW TO ENTER
Each photo must be submitted electronically, by one (and only one) of the following two methods:

•Via Flickr™ — If you have multiple photos to enter in the competition, please consider using this method to enter the contest. Upload your photos here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/riveralliancephotocontest/

If you have trouble using Flickr™, please consult their online help files. The River Alliance is not responsible for any issues or problems you encounter while trying to upload a photo on Flickr™.

•Via Manual Submission Process — If you choose not to use Flickr™ to submit your image, you may email your photo to [email protected]. Ensure that the required information is included (the category, the subject of the image, the location the image was taken, and the name of the photographer).

The River Alliance of Wisconsin reserves the right to upload photos submitted through this process to its public group on Flickr™.

ELIGIBILITY AND JUDGING
To ensure eligibility for the contest, entries must have a resolution of 4 million pixels or greater (4 megapixels). Resolution can be calculated by multiplying the pixel width of the image with the pixel height. Images that do not meet this standard may or may not be judged at the judging panel’s sole discretion.

Images will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. River Alliance of Wisconsin shall determine winner eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion. All decisions made by the judges are final.

DEADLINES
Deadline for submitting entries is 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time on November 15, 2022. Entrants may be asked to submit a paragraph about the story behind the photo anytime on or after November 16, 2022. The winners will be announced on or before December 1, 2022. The River Alliance of Wisconsin reserves the right to adjust any deadlines.

WINNING PHOTOS
The entries will be judged by past photo contest winners Jon Beers, Cynthia Hoffman, Matt Oehmichen, Tina VanZile and Jonah Westrich, along with the assistance of the River Alliance staff. Judges will select one winner from each category and one grand prize winner. All of the winning images will be printed in the January 2023 edition of River Alliance of Wisconsin’s print newsletter WaterWays with the grand-prize winner’s image featured on the cover.  

PRIZES

Prize packages for photo category winners

Your choice of a River Rat t-shirt, a Browning headlamp and flashlight, or a Kavu sling bag in denim corduroy, plus a copy of Wisconsin’s Great Waters calendar while supplies last.

Grand prize package

St. Croix & Namekagon Rivers — The Enduring Gift, Souvenir Edition, signed by author Craig Blacklock, a Peak Design Everyday Sling 5 camera/drone bag in ash grey, and a copy of Wisconsin’s Great Waters calendar 

Thanks to Joe Shaffer, Craig Blacklock, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and annual business sponsor Fontana Sports for donating contest prizes. 

Questions?
Contact River Alliance of Wisconsin Communications Director Stacy Harbaugh at [email protected].