1. Disclosure; Submission Period; Voting Period
   No donation, purchase, or obligation of any kind by an entrant is necessary to win. Any donation or purchase made by you will not increase your chances of winning. The Ocean Conservancy Annual Photo Contest (the “Contest”) begins at 09:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDT) on May 02, 2024 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT on May 28, 2024. Voting begins at 09:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDT) on May 29, 2024 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. EDT on June 06, 2024. Winners will be announced publicly the week of June 26, 2024 via email and/or social media channels, and/or blog.
2. Eligibility and Disqualification
   If you are 18 years old or younger, you may participate in the Contest with the permission and assistance of your parent(s) or guardian(s). Void where prohibited by law. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Contest entrants do not need to be members of Ocean Conservancy to participate. Ocean Conservancy staff, Board Members, interns and their families are not eligible to participate. Each entry must be labeled with the name of the photographer, the name of the photograph, date and location of the subject, must be the original work of the contest entrant, and must not have been entered in previous contests or competitions.
   Ocean Conservancy reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify and eliminate any entry for any reason, including but not limited to, because the entry does not comply with these Contest Terms and Conditions.
3. Subject Matter and Ineligible Submissions
   The subject matter of the photograph submission must consist of marine wildlife or marine habitats and must be photographed in a natural setting. The following submissions are ineligible:
   A. Shots of aquariums, pools or other captive locations will not be accepted.
   B. Photographs of divers touching or stressing marine wildlife will not be accepted.
   C. Photographs that involve the willful harassment of wildlife or taken that cause damage to the environment by the photographer will not be accepted.
   D. Photos created by or with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence tools are ineligible.
4. Intellectual Property
   Ownership and copyright of all entries remain solely with the photographer. By submitting an entry, the entrant grants Ocean Conservancy and its affiliates, subsidiaries, licensees, and assigns an irrevocable, perpetual, and royalty-free license and rights to use, reproduce, edit, display, transmit, prepare derivative works of, modify, publish and otherwise make use of the submitted entry for any purposes based on Ocean Conservancy’s sole discretion. These rights include, but are not limited to, the right to modify, censor, compress, edit, affix logos to, and to otherwise alter or make use of the submitted entry, including the photo(s), stories, and responses to the questionnaire submitted to Ocean Conservancy according to the instructions described in Section 5 of these Contest Terms and Conditions. Entrant agrees that Ocean Conservancy shall have no obligation to post, display, or otherwise make publicly available the entry, and may, in its sole discretion, remove or delete the entry from Ocean Conservancy’s website, social media platform, or in other published locations.
5. How to Enter
   To enter, upload your contest photo and answer the questions about you and your photo(s) as directed. Responses to the questionnaire must be in English. Entry by contest entrants under the age of 18 must be submitted by a parent or legal guardian to affirm that these Terms and Conditions are binding as to the contest entrant. You may enter one photo in the Contest. Total vote count is associated with each photo—not each email address or account.
   Any entry will be deemed ineligible if it is illegible, incomplete, fails to meet the required specifications, is received before the Contest begins or after it ends or for any other reason at the sole discretion of Ocean Conservancy. If your entry is rejected, it will be removed from the Contest website.
6. Warranty & Indemnification
   By entering the Contest, you warrant that your entry is your original work of authorship, that the entry is not created by generative artificial intelligence tools, that you are the sole owner and copyright holder of your entry, and that you have not granted exclusive rights to all or part of your entry to any other person or entity. If your entry contains the likeness of any individual subject(s), you will provide Ocean Conservancy with the Release and Consent signed by the individual subject(s) with your submission to Ocean Conservancy. You also warrant that your entry does not violate the right of privacy or publicity of any individual; does not infringe any trademark, trade name, trade secret, intellectual property right, or other common law or statutory right; nor does it contain any material that might be deemed offensive or obscene, or that otherwise violates any criminal prohibition or the personal or proprietary rights of any person or entity. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Ocean Conservancy from any claims, costs and expenses that Ocean Conservancy may incur arising out of or in connection with your breach of the foregoing warranties.
7. Comments on Entries
   All comments posted on entries within the Contest website must adhere to the official commenting policy. Violation of this policy may result in removal of comments, termination of accounts, and/or disqualification from the Contest.
8. How the Winners Will Be Determined
   There are two ways to win:
   Judge’s Choice (1)
   Finalists will be evaluated by a panel of judges from among the eligible entries based on the quality of the contestant’s entry and how well the images convey the theme of the contest. The panel will select one grand prize winner. All decisions of the judging panels are final. You do not need to collect votes to win the Judge’s Choice Category.
   Category Winners (3)
   Three entries will be selected by the voters as winners in each of three categories. These categories will be announced on Ocean Conservancy’s website and/or social media channels by May 02, 2024. The eligible submissions that received the most eligible votes during the Voting Period will be deemed the winner in each of the three categories.
9. Prizes
   Every photo entered has a chance to be featured in Ocean Conservancy’s 2025 Calendar. Only the Judge’s Choice winner is guaranteed a spot in the 2025 calendar.
   The prizes will be announced on Ocean Conservancy’s website and/or social media channels by May 02, 2024. There will be one Judge’s Choice winner. The Judge’s Choice winner will receive gifts of approximately $1500 in value from Ocean Conservancy.
   Three category winners will receive a gift of approximately $300 value from Ocean Conservancy.
   Other prizes may be added and may be available only to United States Residents. Ocean Conservancy reserves the right to substitute a prize (or portion thereof) with one of comparable value, at Ocean Conservancy’s sole discretion. Prizes may be reported as income to a winner and the winner will be responsible for all taxes associated with the receipt of a prize.
10. Winner Notification/Prize Claims
    Winners will be notified by email and/or telephone by June 21, 2024. In the event of noncompliance with these Terms and Conditions or if a Winner is unable to accept a prize, an alternate Winner will be selected. If the prize is won by an eligible person who is not of legal age in their state of residence, the prize may, at Ocean Conservancy’s sole discretion, be forfeited and awarded to an alternate Winner, substituted for another prize of equal or lesser value, or awarded in the name of the Winner’s parent or legal guardian, who must sign and return all required documentation prior to receiving the prize. In the event of noncompliance with these Terms and Conditions, or if a prize or prize notification is unclaimed or returned as undeliverable, the prize will be forfeited and may be awarded to an alternate Winner.
11. Prize Restrictions
    Prizes are not transferable. No substitution of prizes is permitted except at the sole discretion of Ocean Conservancy. Any federal, state or local taxes on prizes and any expenses related to the acceptance and/or use of the prizes not specified herein as being awarded is the responsibility of the Winners.
    By accepting a prize, each winner grants Ocean Conservancy permission to use his or her name, likeness, voice, and/or biographical information for promotional and other purposes related to the 2023 or any future Ocean Conservancy Photo Contest without compensation, except where prohibited by law.
12. Entry Constitutes Agreement
    By entering the Contest, entrant agrees to be bound to and abide by these Contest Terms and Conditions, the decisions of the judges, and the results of the votes. These Contest Terms and Conditions form a binding legal agreement between the entrant and Ocean Conservancy. By entering the Contest, entrant consents to have the photo publicly displayed on Ocean Conservancy’s website and social media platforms, as well as published in Ocean Conservancy’s promotional materials, and for any purposes based on Ocean Conservancy’s sole discretion.
13. Limitation of Liability
    Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages in connection with Entrant’s participation in the Contest. Ocean Conservancy and its respective affiliates, officers, directors, employees and agents do not have and will not have any liability whatsoever for, and shall be held harmless against, any liability for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize or participation in this Contest or any Contest-related activity; or for any typographical or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any prize. OCEAN CONSERVANCY MAKES NO WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS OR GUARANTEES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, AS REGARDS THIS CONTEST.
14. Governing Law
    By entering, all entrants agree that the Contest is governed by the laws of the District of Columbia for the resolution of all claims and disputes (excluding any claims against or disputes involving parties other than Ocean Conservancy relating to any prize awarded in the Contest).
15. Sole Sponsor
    Ocean Conservancy (1300 19th Street NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20036) is the sole sponsor of the Contest.

By submitting your photograph to the Ocean Conservancy 2024 Photo Contest, you agree to be bound by these photo contest terms and conditions.