Who May Enter

This contest is open to all amateur photographers, except that employees of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Copley Press, Inc. and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and their immediate families are not eligible. Professional photographers who earn more than half their income taking pictures are not considered to be amateurs and are not eligible. Eligibility of winners will be the sole and exclusive determination of the Union-Tribune.

What to Enter

Original photographs that capture all aspects of the natural world. Photographs of domestic animals are discouraged. Cropped photographs are eligible. Digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered photos are not eligible.

Number of Entries and Categories

An individual may submit no more than two photographs for each category in which the participant is eligible.

The six categories are:

1. Landscape - Defined broadly as sky, earth or ocean vistas.
2. Wildlife - From back yard to exotic locales
3. Macro/Close up - The natural world up very close
4. Underwater/tidal - Submarine and shoreline life
5. Black & White - Composition and texture reign
6. Youth - For photographers who are under the age of 18 at the time of submission.

How to Enter

All photographs must be submitted through U.S. mail along with the following information typed on a separate piece of paper for each photograph entered: name of photographer, address, phone number, e-mail address and caption information (where the photograph was taken and what it is) Photos on CD or prints will be accepted.

Photographs should be mailed to: Quest Nature & Eye Photo Contest, San Diego Union-Tribune, P.O. Box 120191, San Diego, CA. 92112-0191

Photos on CD

Submit both a low-resolution and high-resolution version of each image. Low-resolution images should be 9.5 inches at the longest dimension at 150 ppi. High-resolution images should be 14 inches at the longest dimension at 300 ppi. The top of all images should be at the top of the file. All images must be in jpeg format, on high, or saved at a numerical value of eight. CDs will not be returned.

Print Photos

Must be 11 x 14 inches. No mounting or framing. Winners MUST provide a negative or slide if the photograph was shot on film.

The Union-Tribune will use its best efforts but cannot guarantee that prints will be returned at the Nature & Eye Reveal festival.

Deadline

All entries must be postmarked no later than April 7, 2006. The Union-Tribune is not responsible for lost, delayed or damaged submissions.

Judging and Prizes

Entries will be judged on technical quality, composition, originality and artistic merit. A total of 33 winners will be selected: One best of show, six first-place winners (one in each category) and six second-place winners. Twenty honorable mentions will also be selected. Judges will be selected by the Union-Tribune.

Best of Show will win a Giga Vue Pro 60, a portable device with a 60 GB hard drive that stores and displays photos. Six first-place winners will receive either $200 gift certificates to George's Camera or other prizes including the portable Delkin DVD BurnAWay, waterproof binoculars or Delkin 4GB memory card. Second prize for six winners is a 3-month Museum of Contemporary Art membership. Twenty honorable mentions will also be selected.

All participants will be invited to view winning photographs at a day-long festival of photography workshops and demonstrations at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla. Prize-winning photographs will also appear in Quest May 10 and online at www.natureandeye.com

Copyright

Entries must be submitted by the original photographer. Do not submit a photo taken by someone other than you. 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 creator and copyright holder of the photo. Photos previously published or that violate or infringe upon another person's copyright are not eligible.

Ownership/Use rights

Photographers retain the copyright to their photographs. By entering the contest, photographers agree to have their submitted photographs displayed by or for the Union-Tribune and/or any of its subsidiaries in print or electronic form without any fee or other form of compensation other than the prizes described herein. Photos will be credited to the photographer who entered it. In the event that ownership of any photograph submitted to the Union-Tribune is contested in any manner, the Union-Tribune retains the discretion to disqualify that photograph.

Additional Terms and Conditions

The Union-Tribune is not responsible for: (i) lost, misdirected, misplaced, illegible, unintelligible, incomplete or late entries or (ii) any act, failure to act or delay regarding the transmitting or processing of entries. The Union-Tribune reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend all or any portion of this contest without notice. The Union-Tribune may interpret these rules as needed and its decisions are final. The Union-Tribune reserves the right to disqualify any participant that it believed has submitted a photograph that is not the original work of the participant, or does not otherwise meet the contest rules. If a winner is disqualified or determined to be ineligible, an alternate winner will be selected using the same judging process/criteria described above. Alternate winners are subject to all requirements set forth in these Official Rules.

By participating in the contest, you agree to release and hold harmless the Union-Tribune and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents and advertising and promotional agencies 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 Union-Tribune and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents and advertising and promotional agencies 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.

For more information

(619) 299-3131 ext. 1745 or nature-eye@uniontrib.com