CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS:
The San Diego Floral Association is proud to present our first annual Photo Contest “The Power of a Single Flower”. Amateurs and
professionals alike, this is the time to showcase your favorite photograph(s) depicting “The Power of a Single Flower”. Winning photo will be featured on the front cover of San Diego Floral’s renowned magazine California Garden in the July/August 2023 issue. Flowers have always captured the imagination of photographers. Their colors and textures are unique. Natural photography celebrates beauty and is an effective way to capture a moment in time to be admired for years to come. Photo entries will open Feb 1, 2023 and will end March 31, 2023. Entry fee revenue will support the mission and the educational and outreach programs of the San Diego Floral Association,
a non-profit organization. Please go to www.sdfloral.org for contest information.
Photo Contest Rules
CONTEST RULES AND INFORMATION
Theme
The power of a single flower.
A single flower can evoke a memory,
Radiate beauty,
Bring joy, heal the heart and calm the soul,
Communicate love and friendship.
A single flower can produce a fruit or spread seeds far and wide to create more flowers.
A single flower can attract a bird, bee or butterfly from miles away.
A single flower can symbolize strength, hope, resilience and determination.
A single flower can connect the universe or speak to you in a language only you understand.
It is this energy, emotion, inspiration and communication that should be captured in your photograph of a single flower.
ENTRY INFORMATION
Subject Matter
- Subject matter must include a live single flower in its natural, naturally occurring or uninterrupted habitat, location or garden.
- No cut flowers, dried flowers or human-made flower arrangements.
- No people, pets, staged poses or manual arrangement of components.
- Inclusion of insects or animals found naturally in the habitat are allowed, but the flower should be the primary subject.
Entry Period
The online entry window opens February 1, 2023 12:00 noon (PST), and closes March 31, 2023 at 11:59 pm (PDT). No early or late submissions will be considered.
Judging and Awards
Award winners will be notified via email in May 2023.
Award winners and their winning entries will be posted on the San Diego Floral Association webpage and Facebook page.
Entries will be judged on originality, creativity, artistic merit, technical excellence, composition, use of color, lighting and shadows, and the technical suitability of the photograph as a cover for California Garden magazine.
The judging panel includes:
- Executive Editor/Creative Director of California Garden magazine.
- Trustees of the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) in San Diego.
All decisions of the judges are final.
Awards
- First Place: The winning photograph will be featured on the cover of the July/August 2023 issue of California Garden magazine, which will also carry a full page feature article on the winning photograph and biographical information on the photographer.
- Second Place: The Second Place photograph and a 200 word biography of the photographer will be published in the July/August 2023 issue of California Garden magazine.
- Third Place: The Third Place photograph and 200 word biography of the photographer will be published in the July/August 2023 issue of California Garden magazine.
- No monetary award(s) will be given for this contest.
How to Enter
Only online entries will be considered.
Photographers may submit up to three(3) entries. NOTE: Each photograph must be entered with a separate Entry Fee and accompanied by a separate Entry Form.
- START at the San Diego Floral Association Photo Contest 2023 Payment Page to pay the $15 Entry Fee.
- NEXT, after payment is made, navigate to and complete the online Entry Form and upload your photograph.
Contestants may submit up to three (3) photographs.
Repeat this two-step process for each additional entry.
All photos must have complete information attached:
• Photographer’s name
• Contact information: email, phone and mailing address
• Title of photograph
• Location where the photo was taken
Incomplete information will disqualify your entry.
Entry Fee
$15 per entry, payable at the time of entry.
Entry fees from this Contest will support the mission and educational and outreach programs of the San Diego Floral Association, a non-profit organization 501(c)3 (Tax ID #95-0647745).
Technical specifications and requirements
- Only digitally uploaded images may be entered.
- Acceptable formats for photographs: jpg (jpeg) or png
- Photos must be print ready at 300dpi.
- Maximum file size: 5 MB
If we need a larger file size, we will email you. - Photos should be vertical (“portrait”) in orientation and at least 12 inches in height (3600 pixels). The winning photo will be trimmed to an 8.5” wide x 11” high format with a full bleed. The final cover placement of the winning photo is at the discretion of the Executive Editor/Creative Director of California Garden.
- Color (RGB, sRGB, CMYK) or black and white. RGB/sRGB will be converted to 4-color CMYK for printing.
- Photos containing date/time stamps, watermarks or other superimposed logos will be disqualified.
Enhancements and editing/optimization of images
Photographs should represent the subject matter and the scene as it appeared at the time of capture. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified.
Acceptable alterations are:
- Adjustments to color, contrast, brightness and sharpness
- Removal of dust and scratches
- Cropping
- Black and white conversions
Unacceptable alterations are:
- Photo composites (a combination of two or more photos, not of the same scene).
- The addition, duplication, deletion or moving of objects in the photos.
- The use of artistic digital filters and effects. Examples of artistic filters and effects are watercolor, neon glow, posterizing, stained glass, tinting and others that do not show the scene in its natural way.