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Essence of Bellingham Photo Competition

Photo Competition

The Whatcom Museum of History and Art is seeking digital or scanned photographs which capture the “Essence of Bellingham”.  Entries will be added to a collection documenting Bellingham life and may appear in Whatcom Museum and City of Bellingham publications displayed in various places such as print, TV, and the Internet.

Background

As we transition from film to digital cameras in our society, there are countless images being born digitally.  This competition aims to help preserve these images before they are lost.  The average citizen’s idea of what the "Essence of Bellingham" is will be an invaluable historical asset to this and future generations.

Eligibility

All residents of Whatcom County are eligible to participate with the exception of those called upon to jury the competition.

Jury Criteria

A jury comprised of representatives from the Whatcom Museum, professional art community, the Bellingham Arts Commission, and City of Bellingham staff will evaluate all eligible submissions received by the deadline. Winning entries will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:

  1. Photographic quality
  2. How well the photo captures the “Essence of Bellingham”
  3. Resolution of image (higher resolution images will be favored over lower ones)
  4. Classification of photographer (e.g. age group, amateur, professional)
  5. Category of subject matter (all entries will be categorized by the jury with winners chosen within each category)

In addition to classification and category winners, first, second and third place over-all competition winners will be chosen.

Application Instructions and Requirements

  1. Entries should be appropriate for all ages to view
  2. Entries must be of subjects within or related to the City of Bellingham
  3. Photos must have been taken between Jun 15, 2005 and Jun 15, 2006
  4. Photos may be enhanced to compensate for technical quality and esthetics but should not be “doctored” so as to maintain the integrity of the documentary nature of the images.
  5. An unlimited number of photos may be submitted but each photo may only be entered under one photographer classification (e.g. age group, amateur, professional)
  6. Complete an Entry Form for each photo submitted
  7. Complete a Photographic Materials Use Agreement for your entries
  8. Entries should include a fully signed model release form when appropriate.  For forms and guidance on their use, see http://ww.cob.org and click on the photo competition link.   
  9. Photographer must own all rights to any photographs entered in this competition.
  10. Submission of an entry to the competition automatically constitutes the acceptance of all conditions set forth in the above rules.
  11. Incomplete entries will not be included in the competition
  12. Winners will be notified by July 15, 2006.
  13. Submit a digital copy of each photo in JPEG or TIFF format along with the photographer’s name, address, and phone number by emailing to essence@cob.org (emails over 5MB in size will not be accepted - send individual images in separate emails if necessary) or saving to a Compact Disk (CDs will not be returned) and mailing along with your Entry Form and Memorandum of Agreement to:

Essence of Bellingham Photo Competition
Mayor's Office
210 Lottie Street
Bellingham, WA 98225

The deadline for entries is 4:30 p.m. on June 15, 2006 (post marks will not be accepted, all entries must be received by deadline).

Forms and Publications

More Information

Please contact Kristina Bowker at the City of Bellingham with questions about the competition.

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