2025 BoatU.S. Photo Contest Official Rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST. THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE TO PARTICIPATE IN OR WIN THIS CONTEST.

Eligibility: The 2025 BoatU.S. Photo Contest (“Photo Contest”) is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, who are at least eighteen (18) years old as of the date on which that photographer submits an entry. Employees, officers, or directors of Boat Owners Association of the United States (“BoatU.S.”), Boat America Corporation, BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, or Government Employees Insurance Company, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of those employees, are not eligible to enter.

Sponsor: The Photo Contest is sponsored by BoatU.S., 5323 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, VA 22151 (“Sponsor”). 

Entry Period: The Photo Contest submission period begins 12:00 a.m. ET on June 1, 2024, and ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on November 1, 2024 (“Entry Period”). Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the Photo Contest. Winner will be announced on or about January 6, 2025.

Entries: Send us your best boating shots! Dramatic weather, fishing, family, local color, close-ups of boating gear, glorious seascapes, boat chores, and seasonal fun. Each photo must contain a boat or be set on a boat. Photos must fall into one of five (5) categories as outlined in the “Judging” section below.

Entries may originate in any format but must be submitted online at https://woobox.com/ezofbe. Photo entries in all categories EXCEPT Cover Image must be a minimum of 5x7 inches at 300 dpi (approx. 1500 x 2100 pixels). Cover Image entries must be photographed or cropped in vertical orientation and be a minimum of 9x12 inches at 300 dpi (approx. 2700 x 3600 pixels). Photos not meeting minimum criteria may be disqualified.

The following information must be included with each submission for it to be eligible for judging:

  1. Photographer’s full name (first and last)
  2. Photographer’s mailing address
  3. Photographer’s phone number
  4. Photographer’s email address
  5. Judging category entered
  6. Title for your entry
  7. Short description of the photo, identifying every person visible in the photo, where and approximately when it was taken, and any other details you’d like to include (e.g., your inspiration for the photo). If your image is selected as a winner or honorable mention, this information will be published with your image in the February/March 2025 issue of BoatU.S. Magazine. The editors reserve the right to edit descriptions. If the submission was previously published, include where and when.

Photo(s) may only be submitted by the original photographer, and all copyrights must be held by the person named on the submission. Photographer does not need to be a current BoatU.S. Member to submit. Entries are limited to two (2) photos per photographer in each judging category, up to a maximum of ten (10) photos total across all categories. Photos may not be cross-entered in more than one category, except for Cover Image, provided it meets the judging criteria of both categories. In the event more than two entries are received from the same photographer in a single category, only the first two entries received (according to upload time stamps in Woobox) will be accepted.

Photographs submitted to any previous BoatU.S. contests are not eligible.

Previously published photographs for which nonexclusive rights were granted may be entered, as long as you maintain the right to grant us a license (see “Your Rights” below). You must disclose when and where the photo appeared previously to BoatU.S. in the photo description on your entry.

If you choose to include identifiable persons in your submission(s), you are responsible for obtaining necessary model releases from the individuals depicted and must be able to provide copies of those releases to BoatU.S. on request. Submissions of images that include minors under the age of 18 require written permission from the child’s parent or guardian, if other than the person submitting, to be provided to BoatU.S. on request.

The Sponsor shall determine entry eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion.

How to Enter: Entries must be made online at https://woobox.com/ezofbe. Each entry must include the photographer’s full name, address, email, category entered, and all other required information requested at the entry website as specified in the “Entries” section above. Incomplete entries may be disqualified.

Sponsor reserves the right to reject any entries that do not comply with these Official Rules. By entering, you indicate your unconditional agreement to, and acceptance of, these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding. You cannot win a prize unless you comply with all requirements in these Official Rules. Entrants may be asked to supplement their submissions (e.g., additional information, highest resolution version of their photo, model releases) any time on or after the beginning of the Entry Period.

Judging: Entries will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, artistic merit, and subject matter relevance. Judging will be conducted by a panel of BoatU.S. employees and/or by persons chosen as judges by BoatU.S. (“Panel”). The Panel will evaluate all valid entries and pick one winner in each the following five (5) categories:

Categories

  1. Set the Scene: Boats as part of a dramatic landscape/seascape or a landscape/seascape taken from a boat.
  2. Living the Boating Life: Capture people fully in the moment aboard (e.g., lifestyle, boatwork, joys, challenges, tranquility).
  3. Part of the Action: Portray the excitement and drama that happens aboard or around boats (e.g., active fishing, watersports, racing).
  4. Artistic Photography: Get creative and show boating from your unique perspective, such as incorporating unusual angles or creative photography or Photoshop techniques. Images may be digitally manipulated.
  5. Cover Image: Submit vertical images that get attention, connect to the hearts of boaters, and have space at the top for our logo. Images may be digitally manipulated.

For all categories EXCEPT Artistic Photography and Cover Image, photo submissions may not be manipulated in any way, except for basic adjustments to exposure, lightness, color correction. No elements may be added or removed. Artistic Photography and Cover Image submissions may be manipulated in-camera or using software like Photoshop and/or contain multiple images within the final image. Images created in whole or in part using artificial intelligence (AI) are not accepted in any category.

Potential winners will be notified on or around January 6, 2025, and the winning photos along with honorable mentions will appear in the February/March 2025 issue of BoatU.S. Magazine. All judging decisions are final. Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging. BoatU.S. will notify potential winners via the contact information provided at the time of entry.

Potential Winner Requirements: Except where prohibited, a potential winner may be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, including proof of age, and liability/publicity release within seven (7) days of notification. Potential winners may also be required to complete and sign a W-9 form. If a potential winner fails to return these documents on time, an alternate winner may be selected in their place.

Prizes: BoatU.S. will award the following prizes to the first-place winner in each category:

Winners are responsible for paying any income taxes on prizes. A prize may not be transferred and must be accepted as awarded. A winner may not request cash or a substitute prize. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the published prize is not available for any reason, as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion.

Your Rights:

1. You will retain all rights to any photograph you submit, including ownership, if applicable.

If you submit a photograph to enter the Photo Contest, you grant BoatU.S. and its affiliates a perpetual, royalty-free, nonexclusive right to:

If your photograph is honored by the competition as a category winner or honorable mention, you grant BoatU.S. the royalty-free, nonexclusive right, in perpetuity, to:

BoatU.S. will endeavor to credit all photographs with the photographer’s name whenever possible.

General Conditions: In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Photo Contest is impaired in any way, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either (a) suspend the Photo Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Photo Contest; or (b) award the prize(s) from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify and seek damages from any individual who tampers with the operation of the Photo Contest, violates these Official Rules, or acts in a disruptive or unsportsmanlike manner. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Proof of sending any communication to Sponsor by mail shall not be deemed proof of receipt of that communication by Sponsor. In the event of a dispute as to the owner of an online entry, the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter will be deemed to be the owner. The Photo Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.

Release and Limitations of Liability: By entering, you agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, its respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliated companies, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (“Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Photo Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Photo Contest; (b) technical errors; (c) printing errors; (d) late or undelivered mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Photo Contest; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property. You waive the right to claim any attorney fees and any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

Privacy and Publicity: Any information you submit as part of the Photo Contest will be used in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy. The information you provide when you enter is provided to Sponsor only. Except where prohibited, you consent to Sponsor’s use of your name in any list of winners (if applicable) and for promotional purposes in any media without further payment or consideration.

Disputes: You agree that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Photo Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in the Eastern District of Virginia. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules, your rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of Sponsor in connection with the Photo Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Virginia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of Virginia or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than Virginia.

Results: To request a list of winners, send a self-addressed stamped envelope with your request to BoatU.S. Magazine Photo Contest, 5323 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, VA 22151. 

Questions: Questions and inquiries about contest rules may be emailed to Magazine@BoatUS.com. Do not submit photos to this email address.