The 2025 contest is now open!

Michael Foster Photography Award & Little Sprouts Eco-Club Photography Award

Terms and Conditions

 1. Eligibility:

- The Michael Foster Photography Award Contest is open to amateur photographers who are over the age of 16. There is a separate contest with Little Sprouts Eco Club Photography Award for anyone 16 years of age and under.

- Employees, officers, directors, agents, and representatives of the contest organizers, as well as their immediate family members and household members, are not eligible to participate.

2. Submission Requirements:

- Photos must be submitted electronically in either .jpeg or .tiff format with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.

- Each participant may submit a maximum of 4 entries. These photos should be taken within the last twelve (12) months.

- Photos must not be digitally altered beyond standard optimization (e.g., removal of dust, cropping, adjustments to exposure, color, and contrast). Composite images, heavily edited photos, or AI-generated content are not permitted.

- Submissions must include relevant metadata, including the title, description, location, and date of the photo and should be under 1MB in size.

- All entries must be received by April 21, 2025 at 11:59pm EST.

3. Copyright and Ownership:

- Participants must be the original creators of the submitted photos and hold all necessary rights and permissions.

- By entering the contest, participants retain ownership of their photos but grant the contest organizers a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, and publish the photos for various promotional activities, including but not limited to websites, social media, print materials, and exhibitions.

4. Privacy and Consent:

- Photos should not violate the privacy or rights of any individuals depicted in them. Participants must obtain consent from any recognizable individuals in the photos.

- Personal information collected during the contest will be used solely for the purposes of administering the contest and will not be shared with third parties without consent.

5. Judging and Prizes:

- Entries will be judged on creativity, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. We are looking for photographs that provide unique insight into the natural and cultural elements of Muskoka and the surrounding area. They will be judged by a committee of members of the Muskoka Conservancy.

- Winners will be announced on May 9, 2025, and notified shortly after by email.

- The winner will receive a mounted copy of their photo and named at Muskoka Conservancy's AGM as the recipient of the Michael Foster Photography Award or Little Sprouts Eco-Club Photography Award winner on June 6, 2025, in Bracebridge.

6. Disclaimers:

- The contest organizers are not responsible for any technical failures, unauthorized human intervention, or other errors that may affect the submission process or the administration of the contest.

- The contest organizers reserve the right to disqualify any entry that does not comply with the terms and conditions or that is deemed inappropriate or offensive.

7. Acceptance of Terms:

- By submitting an entry, participants agree to comply with these terms and conditions and acknowledge that the decisions of the contest organizers are final and binding.

When submitting your photo please specify in the subject line which photo contest is being entered. Also, make sure to clearly identify the title, description, location, and date of the photo. Thank you for your submissions! Only the winning recipient will be notified by email.