Photo Contest

Awards

Again in 2024 a $25 cash prize will be awarded to each Blue Ribbon Photo Winner!

Ribbons for 1st thru 3rd in each division category are awarded if there are 3 or more entries in the specific category.  Otherwise, only a first place ribbon to be awarded.

We are offering judging in the following categories:

• Alpacas and Friends
• Alpaca Close-ups
• Black and White
• Crias
• Farm Scene
• Humor

Definition of Categories

• Alpacas and Friends: Photos of alpacas interacting with their friends.  Friends may be other alpacas, other animals, or humans.
• Alpaca Close-ups:  Where the Alpaca(s) are the primary focal point of the picture.
• Black and White:  Black and white photos of alpacas printed in the grayscale color format.
• Crias: Creative and attractive photos of alpaca babies.
• Farm Scene: Scenic photos of Alpacas in their natural surroundings.
• Humor:  Photos of alpacas that make us laugh.

Photo Contest Judging Criteria

• Focus—Distinctness or clarity of an image rendered by the camera.
• Depth of Field—Range of acceptably sharp focus in front of and behind the distance the lens is focused on.
• Exposure—Light striking a sensitized material (film or paper emulsion).
• Lighting—Distribution of light on an object or figure in the photo.
• Composition—Placement or arrangement of visual elements in photo, as distinct from the subject in that photo.
• Rule of Thirds—Guideline which proposes that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and  important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections; thus creating more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.

Rules, Terms, Conditions, and Agreement

Submission & Deadlines

Only mail-in and check-in entries are available for this Contest. No digital or electronic submissions are accepted.

Mail-In entries must be received by November 1, 2024. All mail-in entries—only after you have submitted and paid for your entry/entries, must be properly packaged. Use hard cardboard backing so it is almost impossible to actually bend. Mark in large/bold letters as “DO NOT BEND“. Include return labels, packaging and postage in order to be returned if you desire. [Please note that ribbons that are returned to you do affect the return shipping weight. This would require additional postage above the weight of the picture(s). There is no way to determine the actual return shipping weight so it is best to pick them up at the end of the show. A-OK Alpaca Blast-Off Show / Alpacas of Oklahoma does not pay for return shipping charges.]

Delivered entries must be received at the Show by 8 pm (or earlier if all Animal Show entrants—Halter, Fleece, Walking Fleece, Performance, etc.—have been checked in) on Friday, November 8, 2024. The same matting/mounting rules as for mail-in entries will apply. Entries delivered on this day must be ready for judging.

Entries received after judging has commenced will be disqualified.

The mail-in address is:

Debbie Ashley
A-OK 2024 Photo Contest
425 Woodbine Estates Rd.
Gainesville, TX 76240

You may enter any number of entries in any of the categories. [The online registration website limits your number of entries to 10, but A-OK can make an adjustment to this limit if needed. Contact the Show Coordinator, Debbie Ashley, should you need assistance.] Photos entered into this contest may have been taken at any time.

Each entry must be paid for in the Show’s online show registration with payment being made for each image. The Photo Contest entries are in the “Stalls, Sponsors, Volunteering” subsection.

Please caption your photos on the front of your photo in the bottom of the matting area. Do NOT put the entrant’s name/ranch name on the front of the photo. Please label the back of your photo with the entrant’s name/ranch name and the category into which it is entered. Each delivered or mailed entry must be mounted as noted – 8″ x 10″ on photo paper on black mat with a 2″ (approx.) border around photo.

Format

Sizes—All photographs must be 8″ x 10″ printed on photo paper, matted on black matt
board with a 2″ (approx.) border around photo.  Landscape or portrait orientations are acceptable. A-OK is not liable for coincidental damage during shipping; photos will be displayed in the condition in which they are received.

Each submitted photograph, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material taken by the Contest entrant. By entering this contest the Contest entrant represents, acknowledges and warrants that he or she has full power and authority to enter the photograph, and that the photograph does not infringe any copyright or violate any other intellectual property rights. The entrant agrees to indemnify A-OK and any parties working on behalf of  A-OK from any and all third party claims or damages arising from the photograph.

If the Photograph includes other people, you must be prepared—at the judges discretion on the day of the contest—to provide a signed written personal release from all persons who appear in the Photograph submitted, authorizing use of the Photograph. If you are unable to provide a personal release upon request by A-OK and in the form provided by A-OK, or the judges are unable to contact you at the show, then your entry may be disqualified. No refunds of your entry fee will be made. While you are not required to send the release with your entry it is the wisest choice to do so to insure you will have no issues. You must be prepared on the day of the contest to be available at the judging and to provide the release to the judges during the judging times.

Photo Contest Judging, Display, & Pick Up

Closed judging—with every effort made to make the entrant’s names unknown to the judges—will be on Saturday, November 9, 2024 from 9:00 am until completion.

Entries will remain on display throughout the show and may be picked up at the show on Sunday, November 10, 2024 between 12 and 1 pm. Thank you for not removing them before 12 pm for the benefit of guests attending the show.

The entries will be judged in accordance with the Judging Criteria above.  The photograph must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of A-OK, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content. Photographs deemed inappropriate will be disqualified from the contest.

Photo Contest Third Party Releases/Licenses

Alpacas of Oklahoma reserves the right to display the photos at the 2024 event or as advertisement for subsequent A-OK Alpaca Blast-Off shows or Alpacas of Oklahoma Association events. Your images will not be sold without your permission and agreement. You retain the copyright to your photograph with the caveats mentioned herein.

All appropriate credits included in your entry will be displayed with the photos if and when used.

Entrants authorize A-OK to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the photograph entry in any media now or hereafter in connection with the promotion of A-OK.

Limitation of Liability

By participating, entrants agree to release, discharge and hold harmless A-OK and each of their respective partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, webmaster, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in this Photo Contest or any Contest-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder.

A-OK assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction of or unauthorized access to Contest entries, or alteration of entries. Alpacas of Oklahoma and/or the A-OK Alpaca Blast-Off Show is not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any entry to be received due to any reason, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof of any materials related to this Contest.

The Ethical Promotion of All Things Alpaca…