Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo & Video Contest

Submit your best photos and videos showing Missouri agriculture to be eligible for the 2012 Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo & Video Contest!

This is your chance to showcase your amateur rural and farm photos and videos for all to see.

Contest entries will appear on the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Flickr & YouTube sites. Winning entries will be displayed in the Agriculture Building at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, August 9-19, 2012, and will be included in agriculture promotion on http://www.mda.mo.gov and http://www.mo.gov.

The contest is open to Missouri’s amateur photographers of all ages.

Photos and videos must be submitted no later than Friday, June 15, 2012. Contest winners will be announced in August during the 2012 Missouri State Fair.

Photography Contest guidelines:

1. Photos must show some aspect of agriculture including food production or agritourism in Missouri.
2. Photos must have been produced in Missouri since Jan. 1, 2009 by the person submitting the image.
3. Submitted photos must have captions including:
   1. Photographer’s full name
   2. Hometown
   3. Email address
   4. Desired contest category
   5. A title and a brief description of each photo, explaining what it shows and when and where it was taken
4. Limit of three entries per category per photographer.
5. Significant digital manipulation of photos is not allowed. Normal cropping, color correction, etc. are acceptable.
6. Photos previously entered into the Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo Contest are not eligible.
7. Employees of the Missouri Department of Agriculture and their immediate families are not eligible.
8. Photos entered in the contest may appear on the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s website, Flickr page and other online venues. Winning photographs will be displayed at the Missouri State Fair and in the Missouri Department of Agriculture offices.

**NEW this year – an opportunity for photographers to submit their images directly onto the Missouri Agriculture Flickr site for entry. Entrants may submit photos by adding them to the group “The 2012 Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo & Video Contest” on Flickr with caption information as specified in the guidelines.

Photographers may also submit their images via email:

• Submit up to three .jpg-formatted digital files per category to PhotoContest@mda.mo.gov
• Provide the following information:
  1. Photographer’s full name
  2. Hometown
  3. Email address
  4. A title and a brief description of each photo, explaining what it shows and when and where it was taken
• Submitting photo(s) is agreement of all terms and conditions set forth in the guidelines.

** Winners will be contacted via email therefore it is very important that all photographers provide contact information.

Videography Contest guidelines:

1. Videos must show some aspect of agriculture, including food production or agritourism in Missouri.
2. Videos must have been produced in Missouri since January 1, 2009 by the person submitting the video.
3. Submitted videos must have captions including:
   1. Photographer’s full name
   2. Hometown
   3. Email address
   4. Desired contest category
   5. A title and a brief description of each photo, explaining what it shows and when and where it was taken
4. Videos must be no longer than 5 minutes; all PSA entries must be 30 seconds in length.
5. Limit of two entries per category per videographer.
6. Employees of the Missouri Department of Agriculture and their immediate families are not eligible.
7. Videos entered in the contest may appear on the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s website, Flickr page and other online venues. Winning photographs will be displayed at the Missouri State Fair and in Missouri Department of Agriculture offices.

How to enter:

• Submit up to two videos per category to Focus on Missouri Agriculture by emailing hyperlinks for videos hosted on YouTube.com to PhotoContest@mda.mo.gov.
• Provide the following information:
  1. Photographer’s full name
  2. Hometown
  3. Email address
  4. A title and a brief description of each photo, explaining what it shows and when and where it was taken
• Mail or hand-deliver a CD or DVD containing video file(s) of entry/entries to:
  

  Missouri Department of Agriculture
  PO BOX 630 
  Jefferson City, MO 65102

• Submitting video(s) is agreement of all terms and conditions set forth in the guidelines.

Categories for Photography & Video

Photography:

The Beauty of the Farm – Enter photographs that show the pictorial, scenic or graphic nature of Missouri farms, farming or agricultural products. Whether it’s a stunning agricultural landscape, a sunrise over the barnyard, the play of shadow and light from a hay rake or a cornucopia of fresh produce bursting with color, we’re looking for your interpretation of beauty on the farm.

Faces of the Farm – We’re looking for portraits of Missouri’s farmers, farm families and the people who make agriculture great. It might be a toothy-grinned smile of a child beaming over a slice of watermelon or the weathered face of an old farm hand, but the story of agriculture is often told in the people who work and live on the land. Show us the faces of the farm.

The Farmer’s Life – This is the category to show the humor, drama and fun of the farm. Whether it’s a picture of grape pickers filling their baskets in the early morning sun, a farmer racing a storm to bring in the crop or cowboys breaking a stallion, we want to see the activities of agriculture. Work, play, friendship and farm families sharing their love for one another – they all fit.

The Pride of the Farm – It doesn’t matter whether it’s green or red, show us your pride-and-joy tractor in the field, your trusty farm truck that helps you get the job done or any other way you use equipment and machinery to make your job easier.

Children’s Barnyard – Open to children ages 12 and younger. All agriculture and farming related pictures will be accepted.

Videography:

Stories of Years Gone By – Capture the historical memories the family farm or an old-timer telling stories of the days gone by.

Humorous Farm Stories – Show us the fun and humorous stories you have from the family farm or rural Missouri community.

Farm Safety – Develop a 30 second Public Service Announcement on the importance of farm safety.

Legal:

Missouri Department of Agriculture Photo Contest Terms and Conditions

Photographer/videographer affirms that you are at least 18 years of age and competent to contract in your own name or if younger than 18 years of age your parent or guardian is submitting photograph(s) or video(s) on your behalf. Also, you or your parent or guardian, have read this release before submitting photograph(s) and video(s) and fully understand the content, meaning, and impact of this release. By submitting the photograph(s) and video(s) you have thus attached your electronic signature and are in agreement with all terms and conditions presented here.

Photographer/videographer certifies photograph(s) and video(s) as original work taken by them in the state of Missouri after January 1, 2009, and that they are Missouri residents at the time of submission.

Photographer/videographer understands and agrees that obscene, provocative or otherwise questionable content will not be considered; the Missouri Department of Agriculture retains sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content, and retains the right to remove any and all photographs and videos it considers inappropriate.

Photograph(s) and video(s) must be submitted by the actual photographer or the photographer’s parent or legal guardian. The submission of the photograph(s) or video(s) is the guarantee that the entrant is the author and/or copyright holder of the photo.

Photographer/videographer gives permission to the Missouri Department of Agriculture to use photograph(s) and video(s) in any and all of its publications, including, but not limited to, social media websites, the Missouri State Fair display, calendars and other promotional items and Missouri Department of Agriculture website, without payment or other consideration.

Photographer/Videographer waives any right to royalties or other compensation arising or related to the use of the photograph(s) or video(s) by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the State of Missouri.

Photographer/videographer, also, irrevocably authorizes the Missouri Department of Agriculture to edit, alter, copy, archive, exhibit, publish or distribute this photo or video for purposes of publicizing its programs or for any other lawful purpose. Photographer/videographer waives the right to inspect or approve any finished product, including written or electronic copy.

Photographer/videographer hereby holds harmless and releases and forever discharges the Missouri Department of Agriculture from all claims, demands, and causes of action which you, your heirs, representatives, executors, administrators, or any other persons acting on your behalf or on behalf of your estate have or may have by reason of this authorization.

By submitting a photo that includes an adult and/or child model, you agree to the following conditions:

Photographer/videographer affirms that you have obtained full photograph and video filming releases for every identifiable model in any and every photograph or video submitted by you. The photo/video release must include the following:

Model Release

In exchange for consideration received, model hereby grants the Missouri Department of Agriculture permission to use your name and photographic likeness in Missouri Department of Agriculture web pages or other materials. If model is under 18 years of age, you certify that you are the parent/legal guardian of the individual and that you have read this release and approve of its terms.