2021 Southeastern Railway Museum Photography Competition
The annual photo competition at the Southeastern Railway Museum is back! Photographers are invited to submit up to 5 photos taken at the Southeastern Railway Museum for exhibit in a gallery at the Museum and online. Entries will be accepted January 1-February 19. Photographs will be on display from the end of February through the end of March, and visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorite.
Photos will be judged in three categories:
- Equipment (exteriors AND interiors of trains, vehicles, and other equipment at SRM)
- People (staged or candid – portraits, models, group photos, family photos, even selfies)
- Macro (We’re looking for interesting textures, unique viewpoints, and different perspectives. Think extreme close-ups.)
For details including submission guidelines and judging see the information and official rules below.
SUBMISSIONS
Submissions must be received by February 19, 2021!
To enter, the following are required:
- Digital submission (via email, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, or Twitter). Either:
- Send photos by email to photo@train-museum.org. Include your name and contact information, photo titles, which category each photo will be judged in (only 1!), and any interesting or relevant information to help tell the story of your photos. Photos may also be submitted on a CD or USB drive in person.
- Post your photo to the Facebook Event ‘SRM Photo Contest 2021’ on the Southeastern Railway Museum’s Facebook page with its title and category to be judged in (only 1!). Include any interesting information to help tell the story of your photos!
- Submit via Instagram, Flickr, or Twitter by using the hashtag #SRMphotocontest2021. Include any photo titles and interesting information to help tell the story of your photos. Include which category the photo will be judged in (only 1!). Make sure your social media profile is public so we can see your photos!
- Model release (only if persons under the age of 18 are recognizable)
By submitting your photo to the 2021 Photo Contest, you acknowledge that you have read and understand the official contest rules in their entirety.
ENTRY FEE
There is no entry fee for the 2021 photo contest.
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION AND AWARDS
Photos will be exhibited at the Museum during February and March 2021. Admission to the exhibition is included in Museum admission and attendees are encouraged to vote for “People’s Choice”. Recognition of the winners will take place April 2. All entrants are invited to attend.
Submission details:
- Photos must have been taken at the Southeastern Railway Museum on or after January 1, 2020.
- Digital submission via email or in person: High quality JPG, PNG, or TIFF either via email to photo@train-museum.org or by CD/USB drive in person
- Print submission: not needed. If desired, 4×6 glossy photo (please note this is different than previous years) in additional to a digital submission
- Up to 5 submissions per person
Terms and Official Contest Rules:
OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES
Please read the complete contest rules before entering. No purchase or payment necessary to enter or win.
PHOTO ELIGIBILITY: To enter, you must be at least 18 years of age. All photos must have been taken on or after January 1, 2020 at the Southeastern Railway Museum.
PHOTOGRAPHER/COPYRIGHT: Entries must be submitted by the original photographer. You may not submit a photo taken by someone else. You must be the sole owner of the copyright of any image submitted. Your submission of the photo is your guarantee that you are the author and copyright holder of the photo.
NUMBER OF ENTRIES: Photographers may submit up to 5 photos.
SUBMITTING IMAGES: Photo Formats: At this time we are accepting both print and digital images. Digital submissions should be at least 300 dpi with no watermarks, signatures, borders, or copyright notices added to images. Print submissions are not required but should be 4×6 photographs (please note this is different than in previous years). Photographers who submit printed photographs must also submit a digital version to be eligible to win.
HOW TO ENTER: Submit each photo to photo@southeasternrailwaymuseum.org, post it to the Facebook event ‘SRM Photo Contest 2021’, or tag the photo on Instagram, Twitter, or Flickr with #srmphotocontest2021. Photos may have been posted at any time on or after January 1, 2020. Include the titles of all photos either in the filename, in the body of the email, or in the caption/description. Include which category your photo(s) belongs to. Each photo may be judged in only one category (People, Equipment, Macro). In the description or email content, include any information about the photograph that might be of interest to engage judges and the general audience (for example: names/relationships, hometown, number of times you’ve visited SRM, stories of family members who worked for the railroad, any other interesting tidbits…). Photos submitted without titles or categories will be assigned titles and categories at the discretion of Southeastern Railway Museum staff and volunteers.
All entries must be received by Friday, February 19, 2021.
PERSONAL RELEASE: Any photos containing images of identifiable minors (persons under 18 years of age) must be accompanied by signed releases from a parent/guardian. Releases may be emailed to photo@southeasternrailwaymuseum.org.
GALLERY: After all submissions are received, the Southeastern Railway Museum will print 4×6 photographs of all entries for display in a photo contest gallery. Images not submitted with dimensions to allow 4×6 printing will be cropped or resized at the discretion of Southeastern Railway Museum staff and volunteers. Visitors to the museum between February 23 and March 21 will be able to vote for their favorite three (3) photos.
JUDGING: Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity and effectiveness in capturing the subject matter. Categories to be judged are People, Equipment, and Selfie. Each photo may be judged in one category only.
WINNERS: The judges appointed by the Southeastern Railway Museum will select winners in each category. Social media accounts must be public for photos to be entered via Twitter, Instagram, or Flickr. Photos submitted digitally will be posted on the Southeastern Railway Museum’s Facebook Page. An overall People’s Choice winner will be selected based on a combination of in-person votes and Facebook Likes/reactions. A Grand Prize winner selected by the judge(s), the People’s Choice winner, and category winners will be notified via the platform in which they submitted their photo. All category winners will receive Southeastern Railway Museum prizes to be determined. Grand Prize winner and People’s Choice winner will receive a 1-year SRM membership plus other prizes, to be determined.
Winning photographs, along with the photographer’s name, city and state, and information about the photo, may be displayed on the Southeastern Railway Museum website or social media pages at any time. No financial compensation is provided to winners.
ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
All digital submissions become the property of the Southeastern Railway Museum. By entering the Contest, photographer grants full and unlimited license to the Museum to use the image(s) as exhibits and for marketing, fundraising, or any other purpose, without compensation. Photographers will be credited where possible. Entries may be selected for display or use in Southeastern Railway Museum websites and social media, without permission from the photographer. In the event that ownership of any photograph submitted to the Southeastern Railway Museum is contested in any manner, the Southeastern Railway Museum retains the discretion to disqualify that photograph and discontinue use of the photograph.
The Southeastern Railway Museum reserves the right to cancel or suspend all or any portion of this contest without notice. Void where prohibited. The Southeastern Railway Museum is entitled to interpret these rules as needed and its decisions are final. The Southeastern Railway Museum reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that the Southeastern Railway Museum has reason to believe is not the original work of entrant or does not otherwise meet the photography contest rules. If a winner is disqualified or determined to be ineligible, an alternate winner will be selected using the same processes and criteria described above. The Southeastern Railway Museum reserves the right to exclude any entry for any reason. Any photograph obtained by or documenting the breaking of posted Museum safety rules will be disqualified. Any photograph taken in an area not open to the public will be disqualified.
By participating in the contest, you agree to release and hold harmless the Southeastern Railway Museum and its employees, volunteers, affiliates, and agents, from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind resulting from your participation in this contest, including infringement of intellectual property rights. The Southeastern Railway Museum and its employees, volunteers, affiliates, and agents assume no responsibility or liability for any damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind arising in whole or in part from this contest.
2015 Winner Shawn Robertson’s “Check Out My New Toy”