We will be setting up another contest. Stay tuned!

2010/2011 Brazos Walking Sticks Photo/Video/Color Paintings/Black and White Drawings Contest Rules

Winner announced:

Valerie Golubic of Cooksburg, PA, won a FREE, handcrafted walking stick!

Plan for you to do the same for the upcoming 2011/2012 contest. Same details below. New dates to be announced.

Show us how you use your “wood” walking stick, hiking staff, trekking pole and cane.

Hiker in video is using a Brazos Walking Stick. This is a high-end video. Your home video submission would be great!

SPONSOR

Sponsor is Brazos Walking Sticks, 6408 Gholson Road, Waco, TX 76705, USA (“Sponsor” or “BWS”).

TERM

The 2010 Brazos Walking Sticks Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing Contest begins December 5, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. US Central Time and ends December 31, 2010, 11:59 p.m, EXTENDED now to January 31, 2011. US Central Time (“CT”) (the “Contest”). By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to the Official Rules, as a skill based contest only.

WHO MAY ENTER

Contest is open only to individuals who have reached the age of majority in the USA in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry and those who show the use of wood walking sticks and canes. Employees of Brazos Walking Sticks, and its subsidiaries and affiliates, and their immediate family members are not eligible. CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

HOW TO ENTER

Each Entry consists of an email with full name, address, phone number, Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing description, a single digital image or single digital video. If the video is too large to email, then go to www.yousendit.com and upload your video per the instructions on that web site.

The Categories for entries are: (1) People, (2) Places, and (3) Nature. There is no limit on the number of entries per person, of people using wooden walking sticks, hiking staffs, trekking poles and walking canes. Each entry must comply with the following requirements:

1. Photographs/videos/color paintings/black and white drawings must be in digital format. No print or film submissions will be accepted for entry into this Contest. The photograph need not be taken with a digital camera; scans of negatives, transparencies, or photographic prints are acceptable, as are scans of paintings and drawings. All digital files must be 5 megabytes or smaller, must be in JPEG or JPG format, and must be at least 1,600 pixels wide (if a horizontal image) or 1,600 pixels tall (if a vertical image). Video should be to YouTube’s specifications: http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?answer=55744.
2. Minor burning, dodging and/or color correction is acceptable. Hand tinting is acceptable, as is cropping. Fish-eye lenses are acceptable. High dynamic range images (HDR) and stitched panoramas are acceptable only if the combined parts are all made around the same time. Photographs that include sculptures, statues, paintings, and other works of art will be accepted as long as they do not constitute copyright infringement or fraud; provided entrants must be prepared to provide a release form as described below in “Release.” When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close-up of another person’s art.
3. The Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material taken by the Contest entrant. By entering the Contest, entrant represents, acknowledges, and warrants that the emailed Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing is an original work created solely by the entrant, that the photograph does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim, or interest in the photograph.
4. The Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Sponsor, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content.

All entries must be submitted and received by December 31, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. CT, EXTENDED now to January 31, 2011. Sponsor reserves the right to examine the original photograph/source material in order to confirm compliance with these rules.

RELEASES

If the Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing contains any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, and/or if any persons appear in the Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the photograph/video in the manner set forth in these Official Rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing is under the age of majority in their state/province/territory of residence the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.

Upon Sponsor’s request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within three calendar days of receipt of Sponsor’s request) a signed release from all persons, artists of copyrighted work and private property who/which appear in the Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing submitted, and/or from the owner of any material that appears in the Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing entry, authorizing Sponsor and its licensees (“Authorized Parties”) to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known. All releases must be in the form provided by Sponsor. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification at any time during the Contest and selection of an alternate winner. Request the Release form by email.

CONTEST PRIZES

The three adult winners and three children’s winners in will each receive a Traditional, Free Form or Kids Walking Sticks of Brazos Walking Sticks choice, but to the size of his/her choice and his/her winning Photo/Video/Painting/Drawing will be published in Brazos Walking Sticks Blog and Flickr for photos and YouTube for videos. [After signing a Release granting to Sponsor and its licensees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide non-exclusive license to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry (along with a name credit) in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest without additional compensation.]

JUDGING

Contest consists of all eligible entries based on the following criteria: (1) Creativity 34%, (2) Photographic quality 33%, (3) Integrity to the walking sport and the hiking experience 33%…of people using wooden walking sticks, hiking staffs, trekking poles and walking canes in many different situations. Winners will be chosen February, 2011, and notified by email. Decisions of the judges are final and binding.

LICENSE

By entering the Contest, all entrants grant an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide non-exclusive license to Authorized Parties, to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the entries (along with a name credit) in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known, including, but not limited to: Display at a potential exhibition of winners; publication of a book featuring select entries in the Contest; publication in Brazos Walking Sticks newsletter or online highlighting entries or winners of the Contest. Entrants consent to the Sponsor doing or omitting to do any act that would otherwise infringe the entrant’s “moral rights” in their entries. Display or publication of any entry on an Authorized Party’s website does not indicate the entrant will be selected as a winner. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use. Additionally, by entering, each entrant grants to Authorized Parties the unrestricted right to use all statements made in connection with the Contest, and pictures or likenesses of Contest entrants, or choose not to do so, at their sole discretion. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

By entering this Contest, all entrants agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless Brazos Walking Sticks and its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in this Contest or any Contest-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder.

Brazos Walking Sticks 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 entry forms; or alteration of entries or entry forms. BWS 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 email entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrants’ or any other persons’ computers related to or resulting from participation, uploading or downloading of any materials related to in this Contest.

CONDITIONS

THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Entrants agree that this Contest shall be subject to and governed by the laws of the State of Texas and the forum for any dispute shall be in the State of Texas, United States of America. To the extent permitted by law, the right to litigate, to seek injunctive relief or to make any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or on connection with this Contest are hereby excluded and any entrant expressly waives any and all such rights. Certain restrictions may apply. Entries void if the Sponsor determines the photograph to not be an original, or if the entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error or obtained through fraud or theft.

By entering, entrants also agree (a) to be bound by these Official Rules; (b) that the decisions of the Judges are final and binding with respect to all matters relating to the Contest; and (c) if the entrant wins that Sponsor may use the winning photographs and each winner’s name, photograph, likeness, and/or voice in any publicity or advertising relating to the Contest or future promotions without compensation or approval (except where prohibited by law).  In the event that the selected winner(s) of any prize is/are ineligible, cannot be traced or does/do not respond within three days to a winner notification as required by the “Contest Prizes” Rules above, or refuses the prize, the prize will be forfeited and Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may choose whether to award the prize to another entrant.

The Sponsor reserves the right to verify the validity and originality of any entry and/or entrant (including an entrant’s identity and address) and to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry that is not in accordance with these Official Rules or who tampers with the entry process. Failure by the Sponsor to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.

RIGHT TO CANCEL OR SUSPEND CONTEST

If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, due to infection by computer virus, bugs, worms, trojan horses, denial of service attacks, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of BWS that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, BWS reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual(s) who tamper with the entry process, and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. If Sponsor elects to cancel or terminate the Contest, Sponsor will not retain any rights in the submitted photographs, and will return the fees submitted with each entry.

WINNERS LIST

Entrants are responsible for complying with these Official Rules. Winners’ names will be available online at  www.brazos-walking-sticks.com/blog after January 5, 2011. Alternatively, for names of winners send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Brazos Walking Sticks, 6408 Gholson Road, Waco, TX 76705.

DATA PRIVACY

Entrants agree that personal data, especially name and address, may be processed, shared, and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the Contest and any other purposes outlined in these Official Rules. The data may also be used by the Sponsor in order to verify the participant’s identity, postal address, and telephone number or to otherwise verify the participant’s eligibility to participate in the Contest. Participants have the right to access, review, rectify, or cancel any personal data held by Sponsor by writing to Brazos Walking Sticks 6408 Gholson Road, Waco, TX 76705. Personal data will be used by Sponsor and its affiliates exclusively for the purposes stated herein.

NOTICE TO INDIVIDUALS: REMOVAL FROM MAILING LIST: Any individual (or other duly authorized person) may elect to exclude the name and address of that individual from all lists used by Brazos Walking Sticks to mail skill contests or sweepstakes. To elect to have an individual’s name excluded from all such lists, submit a removal request in writing to: Brazos Walking Sticks 6408 Gholson Road, Waco, TX 76705. This notification system may be used to prohibit mailing of all skill contests by Brazos Walking Sticks to such individual.