TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT!

The St. Charles Parks and Recreation Department is conducting its first Photo Contest! We want to see St. Charles City Parks through your eyes. Share your park experience with us by entering our Parks Photo Contest. Photos submitted may be used in future PLAY brochures or other promotional materials for the City of St. Charles Parks and Recreation Department. Whether your photo is from a day exploring a playground, making a splash at the pool, a beautiful scenic view in your favorite park or participation in one of our recreational programs or events, we want to see them!

WINNER WILL RECEIVE A $300 ST. CHARLES PARKS AND RECREATION GIFT CARD!

PHOTO SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2023.

PHOTO CONTEST GUIDELINES:

  • Contest is open to all ages and all skill levels
    • If under the age of 18, legal guardian is required to sign the Entry Form
  • Participants may submit up to 3 photos
  • Submitted photos need to include an entry form
    • For photos in which a person is recognizable, you must secure a model release form from the subject(s). In the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian must sign the model release form
  • City of St Charles Employees are eligible to participate
  • Photos must be taken at a St. Charles City Park (CLICK HERE for a list of St. Charles City Parks)
  • Photos must have been taken within the last 3 years
  • Photos need to be high resolution and submitted in the format of JPG or PNG
  • Submit original photos at their original size, please keep in mind photos saved from social media have been significantly reduced in size and will not be of high resolution
  • Submitted photos may not contain water marks, logos, borders, frames, dates, signatures or copyright images on the photographs
  • The City of St. Charles Parks and Recreation Department reserves the right to reject any entry deemed not suitable for consideration (inappropriate, indecent, obscene or poor quality)
  • Photos submitted to the contest become the property of the City of St. Charles Parks and Recreation Department and can be used in promotional materials, local publications for articles relating to the St. Charles Parks and Recreation Department and shared on the Department’s social media accounts, without fee or compensation

HOW TO ENTER:

  • Photos need to be emailed to info@stcharlesparks.com
    • If submitting more than one photo send each photo on a separate email
    • Do not embed the photo in the email, photos should be attached to the email and left at original size
  • ENTRY FORM needs to be completed and emailed with photo(s)
    • If under the age of 18, parent or legal guardian is required to sign the Entry Form
    • MODEL RELEASE FORM will need to be completed for each photo that includes a recognizable person, if the subject is under the age of 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign the form
  • If photo is too large to attach to an email please, give us a call at (636)949-3372 and we can suggest another way to send us your photo(s)

PHOTO JUDGING:

All submitted photos will be screened for acceptability based on contest guidelines. Acceptable submissions will be voted on by a staff panel. Photograph judging will be based on the following criteria:

  • Impact – the feeling the viewer gets when seeing the image for the first time, does it evoke any emotion (joy, sadness, wonder, etc.)
  • Technical Excellence – the quality of the photo itself (lighting, focus, exposure, etc.)
  • Creativity – how well the photo conveys an idea, message or thought in an original way
  • Composition – how well the visual elements come together to express the intent of the photo

Winners will be contacted by phone or e-mail and announced on Facebook. Prize must be redeemed at the St. Charles Parks and Recreation Department’s Administration Office in Blanchette Park during regular hours. Prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash value.