Overview & Submission Guidelines
July is Park & Recreation Month! Pinellas County joins the rest of the nation in promoting vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation. Get your cameras and join our photo contest.
Show off the beauty of Pinellas County in these categories:
- beaches
- recreation
- landscapes
- plant life
- playgrounds
- wildlife
Photos must be taken at a site managed by Pinellas County Parks & Conservation Resources. Find them all at pinellas.gov/parks.
Submit your best (only one, please) photo for each category (two per week) beginning July 1. Upload your photo with a title, location and #pcrpic on Facebook or through our online photo submission form.
Pinellas County staff will select the finalists in each category. Finalist photos will appear on the Pinellas County Government Facebook page beginning July 8. Winners will be determined through the greatest number of likes and comments received on Facebook during each voting week.
There will be one winner, one runner up and one honorable mention in each category. Every winner will receive a certificate. Photos from every winner, runner up and honorable mention will be featured on social media and the Parks & Conservation Resources administration building at 12520 Ulmerton Road in Largo.
Winners will be announced July 31. All Winners will receive a certificate, and their photos will be showcased online and used in future promotions.
Submission & Voting Schedule
July 1-5
Submit photos for “beaches” and “recreation” categories
July 8-12
Submit photos for “landscapes” and “plant life” categories
Vote for your “beaches” and “recreation” photos
July 15-19
Submit photos for “playgrounds” and “wildlife” categories
Vote for your favorite “landscapes” and “plant life” photos
July 22-26
Vote for your favorite “playgrounds” and “wildlife” photos
Contest Rules
- Original entries: Entries must be unreleased and unpublished original photos for which the copyright is entirely owned by the applicant. Photos that have won prizes or have been submitted in other competitions are not eligible.
- Photo submissions: Entries will only be accepted through the official online submission form or the Pinellas County Government Facebook page.
- One photo per category: Participants are allowed to submit only one photo per category. Multiple submissions in the same category by the same person will result in disqualification.
- PCR sites only: All photos must feature a trail, beach, park, preserve, playground, campground or similar site managed by Pinellas County Parks & Conservation Resources. Visit pinellas.gov/parks for a complete list.
- Alterations: The content of a photograph must not be altered by adding, rearranging, reversing, distorting or removing people and/or objects from within the frame. There are two exceptions:
a. Cropping that removes extraneous details is permitted.
b. Removing sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives is permitted. - Single frame photos only: Only single frame photographs will be accepted. The following will not be accepted:
a. Multiple exposures, polyptychs (diptychs, triptychs, and so forth).
b. Stitched panoramas, either produced in-camera or with image editing software. - Color adjustments: Adjustments of color or conversion to grayscale that do not alter content are permitted with two exceptions:
a. Changes in density, contrast, color and/or saturation levels that significantly alter content by obscuring or eliminating information in the photograph are not permitted. The jury determines which changes are significant.
b. Changes in color may not result in significant changes in hue, to such an extent that the processed colors diverge from the original colors. - Invididual consent: All individuals who appear in your photo must have given their explicit consent to be photographed and for their image to be submitted to the contest. By submitting your photo, you confirm that you have obtained this consent.
- AI images prohibited: No synthetic or artificially generated images are allowed, and no use of artificially generative fill is allowed in post-production. Any use of these tools will automatically disqualify the entry from the contest.
- Judging: Finalists for each category will be judged by Pinellas County government staff members. Finalists chosen by the judges will appear on www.facebook.com/PinellasGov. The public may vote for their favorite photo by selecting “like” on the photo and mentioning the entry number and/or title in the comments.
- Disqualifying and removing entries: All decisions are final. Pinellas County Government reserves the right to disqualify any entry that is deemed inappropriate or does not conform to stated contest rules. Entries posted to Pinellas County Government social media may also be removed if deemed inappropriate.
- Future use: Participants grant the contest organizers the right to use their photos for future promotional materials and products at no additional cost. This includes, but is not limited to, social media, websites, publications, and other marketing efforts.
- Winning entries: Winners will be contacted by the email address provided in the entry form or through their Facebook account. If no response is received after 10 business days, a new winner will be selected.
- Eligibility: This contest is void where prohibited by law. Pinellas County elected officials, employees, volunteers and those who become employees or volunteers during the contest period (July 1-31, 2024) are ineligible to participate.
Questions
For more information, please contact John Carkeet at jcarkeet@pinellas.gov.
