WPPI First Half Contest 2019 ("Contest") begins on April 2, 2019 at 12:00 am United States Pacific Time ("PT") and ends at 11:59 pm PT on April 15, 2019 (the "Earlybird Entry Period"). There is a regular deadline of April 16, 2019 through May 23, 2019, at 11:59 pm PT with a $10 per entry late fee ("Regular Entry Deadline") There is an extended deadline of May 24, 2019 through June 6, 2019 at 11:59 pm PT with another $10 per extended entry late fee ("Extended Entry Deadline"). All entries must be received by the Extended Entry Deadline. Please visit www.worldtimeserver.com or other world time database to determine local time.

Open to legal residents of the following countries who are 18 years of age or older (or the age of majority in their jurisdictions of residence) and are professional or amateur photographers: 50 United States/DC (excluding AZ, MD, VT, ND, CO, NE, NJ, TN), Canada, Australia (excluding Tasmania), Belgium, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), Denmark, Greece, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom (collectively, "Eligibility Area"). Employees of Rangefinder^®, WPPI, The Photo Group, Emerald Expositions, Sponsor and each of their affiliates, subsidiaries and agents, and their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such individuals, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win a prize. CONTEST IS VOID OUTSIDE THE ELIGIBILITY AREA AND WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. Subject to all federal, state, local, municipal and provincial laws and regulations.

To enter electronically, please visit http://www.wppiawards.com ("website") to register. Once the registration process has been completed, follow the online instructions to upload photographs from your computer, pick your category(ies) and pay the entry fee (an additional $10 if during the non early-bird Registration Deadline and an additional $10 during Extended Entry deadline) (collectively, "Entry"). There is a discount for PHOTO+ membership. See website for details.

Digital images should have a long dimension of at least 1920 pixels and be saved at 300 dpi (Around 7" or larger). Sponsor recommends the compressed file size not be larger than 4 megabytes to ensure a fast upload experience. Sponsor can accept images that are up to 50 megabytes (uncompressed) if you do not have the ability to downsize the images (uncompressed is the size you see in Photoshop's "Image Size" display which represents the count of pixels in the image: It is not the file size on your computer's hard drive viewable on your desktop). Images may be color profiled in sRGB, Adobe-1998, or not color-managed. The person submitting the Entry must be the creator of the Entry and will be deemed the "Entrant." You can only use one (1) email address to enter. Normal internet/phone access and data/usage charges imposed by your phone/internet service provider may apply. For more information on electronic submission guidelines see our FAQ on http://www.wppiawards.com

Each Entry must be unique and not submitted to a WPPI Annual competition previously. Each Entry consists of an entry form; a single image or photo essay; and an entry fee.

Each submitted photograph, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material taken by the Entrant. By entering 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 The Photo Group/Sponsor/Judges from any and all third party claims arising from use of the photograph as provided below in "Third Party Releases/Licenses." If the photograph includes other people, you must be prepared to provide a signed written personal release from all persons who appear in the photograph submitted, authorizing use of the photograph (see below for more details).

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 that Entrants must be prepared to provide a release form (in Sponsor's sole discretion) as described below in "Third Party Releases/Licenses." 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.

The Entries will be judged in accordance with the Judging Criteria, as defined below. The photograph must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Sponsor/WPPI, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content. Photographs deemed inappropriate will be disqualified.

All Entries must adhere to the Entry Guidelines indicated below, as determined by Sponsor/Judges in their sole discretion.

ENTRY GUIDELINES:

• Entry must not (and Entrants represent and warrant that it will not), violate or infringe any third-party copyright, trademark, trade dress, or other proprietary right of any entity or person (living or deceased), including but not limited to rights of privacy, publicity or portrayal in a false light.
• Entry must not make reference to any commercial/corporate advertising, including but not limited to corporate logos, brand names (other than Sponsor's/WPPI's), slogans, political, or religious statements, or be otherwise objectionable, as determined in Sponsor/Administrator's sole discretion.
• Entry must not include any representation of celebrities, athletes, musicians, or any other public or private figure living or dead, or include any anti-social, political or religious groups, any commercial solicitation or promotional materials or address, phone number, or URL address.
• Any Entry deemed inappropriate or unsuitable, in Sponsor's/WPPI's sole discretion, will be disqualified.
• Entry must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age.
• Entry cannot defame, misrepresent or contain disparaging remarks about Sponsor/WPPI or any other entity associated with the Contest, or their respective products and services, or other people, products or companies.
• By submitting an Entry, you understand that if your Entry is deemed to be a winner, it will be posted and distributed in various media and any such posting/distribution will be deemed made at the direction of the Entrant within the meaning of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Communications Decency Act (of the U.S.).

There are two (2) rounds of judging: In Round One, a panel of WPPI experts in photography (the "Judges") will each review the Entries in each Category (and determine a select amount of Entries, minimum 1) to proceed to Round Two based on the following judging criteria: skills, creativity and uniqueness. In Round Two, the select Entries will be re-judged by the Judges to determine (32) First-Place winners, (32) Second-Place winners and (32) Third-Place winners (subject to verification and compliance with these Official Rules). Limit one (1) prize per Entrant. All decisions of the Judges/Sponsor are final and not subject to appeal.

All First-Place winners will be featured in a gallery in the July/August 2019 issue of Rangefinder, First-Second-and Third-Place winners will be featured in an online gallery on wppiawards.com and will receive a trophy. Grand Award winners will be honored at the 2020 WPPI Awards ceremony in Las Vegas.

All winning images will appear in a Sponsor-specified Rangefinder issue and in an online gallery, as determined solely by WPPI and Sponsor. No cash alternative or substitution of prizes will be allowed, except by Sponsor who reserves the right in its sole discretion to substitute a prize of comparable value if prize listed is unavailable, in whole or in part, for any reason. All portions of the prize(s) are non-assignable and non-transferable. Any prizes pictured in any online, television and print advertising, promotional packaging, and other Contest materials are for illustrative purposes only. In the event there is a discrepancy or inconsistency between guidelines, disclosures or other statements contained in any such promotional materials and the terms and conditions of these Official Rules, the English version of these Official Rules shall prevail, govern and control. All details and other restrictions of the prize(s) not specified in these Official Rules will be determined by Sponsor/WPPI in their sole discretion.

Potential winners will be contacted via phone/email provided at time of Entry and will then be required to complete and return via email/mail, an Affidavit (or Declaration) of Eligibility, Release of Liability/Prize Acceptance Form and a Publicity Release (where imposing such condition is lawful) and Assignment of Rights (collectively, “Prize Documents”). Prize Documents for potential winners will be sent to the email address submitted at the time of Entry. Potential winners will be required to sign and return Prize Documents via email/mail within five (5) days of notification attempt or prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner may be determined. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and an alternate may be determined. Winners may be required to participate in any media interviews, at the sole discretion of Sponsor, with no additional compensation, unless prohibited by law. If a U.S. winner, a 1099 tax statement will be filed with the IRS for the winner for the value of the prize in the year the prize is fulfilled. For all non-U.S. Winners, up to 30% of the Prize value may be due to the IRS to comply with U.S. tax laws. Depending on your country of residence, taxes may also be due to one or more jurisdictions.

By participating in the Contest, Entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor/Judges. Sponsor's/Judges' decisions are final on all matters relating to the Contest and are not subject to appeal. All material submitted becomes the sole property of Sponsor and will not be returned. Sponsor assumes no responsibility or liability for damages, losses or injury resulting from acceptance or use of any prize. In no event will more than the stated number of prizes be awarded. All Entries will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of Entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. NOTICE: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. The Sponsor and its agencies are not responsible for technical, hardware, software or telephone malfunctions or failures of any kind, including any injury or damage to any person's computer related to or resulting from participating in or experiencing any materials in connection with the Contest, lost, late stolen, misdirected, damaged, incomplete and/or garbled Entries, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled or delayed electronic communications caused by the user or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest or by any human error which may occur in the Contest. Consequently, Sponsor and its agencies are not liable in the event your Entry is not captured due to the aforementioned reasons. The Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual that tampers or attempts to tamper with the Entry process or the operation of the Contest; violates the Official Rules; or acts in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be in violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of the Sponsor which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest or the website, Sponsor reserves the right to cancel the Contest and determine the winners based on the Judging Criteria in accordance with these Official Rules. By participating in the Contest, each Entrant agrees that the Authorized Parties (A) shall not be responsible or liable for, and are hereby released from, any and all costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including, without limitation, death and bodily injury, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, to participation in the Contest or any Contest-related activity, or from Entrants' acceptance, receipt, possession and/or use or misuse of any prize, and (B) have not made any warranty, representation or guarantee express or implied, in fact or in law, with respect to any prize, including, without limitation, to such prize's quality or fitness for a particular purpose. FOR RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: THIS RELEASE DOES NOT APPLY TO CLAIMS FOR PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH CAUSED BY THE NEGLIGENCE OF SPONSOR.

If the photograph 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 photograph, the Entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the photograph, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the photograph in the manner set forth in these Official Rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any photograph is under the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence, the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.

By participating, ALL ENTRANTS grant the Sponsor, WPPI and their designees, licensees and affiliates (the "Authorized Parties") a non-exclusive, worldwide license, through September 2020, to reproduce, distribute, display and post the entries online. In addition, each WINNER grants to the Authorized Parties a license for use of his/her winning Entry in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known, including but not limited to, print or digital publication in Rangefinder magazine showcasing the winners, and promotions related to the Contest. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use.

By entering the Contest, each Entrant understands that they retain their copyright. Winners authorize Sponsor to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the photograph Entry in connection with Contest, in any media now or hereafter known, including but not limited to: publication in Rangefinder^® showcasing the winners; WPPI Annual Contest live gallery; the website and on wppionline.com; and in exhibits and promotions related to the Contest. Winners authorize Emerald Expositions Photo Group to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the photograph Entry in connection with the Content of the Contest through September 2020.

Each Entrant represents and warrants that he or she has read, understands and will follow the Official Rules. Entrants further represent and warrant that their Entry and all materials and matter therein: (1) (except for elements that are within the public domain) are wholly original with such Entrant and are not a copy or imitation of any other material; (2) will not infringe or violate any right whatsoever, including, without limitation, any personal rights (e.g., defamation, privacy, false light, moral right, etc.) or any property rights (e.g., copyright, trademark, right to ideas, etc.) of any person or entity and the use thereof will result in no third party liability or obligations; and (3) is not the subject of any threatened or pending litigation, claim or dispute that might give rise to litigation, which adversely affects or in any way prejudices, impairs or diminishes the rights granted hereunder or the value thereof. Each Entrant further represents and warrants that he or she has the right to agree to and fully perform consistent with these Official Rules and the consent of no third parties are required to grant the rights hereunder. Entrant further acknowledges and agrees that he/she has not previously granted, assigned or otherwise hypothecated his/her Entry to any other third party. Further, each Entrant represents and warrants that Sponsor's use of any Entry shall not violate an agreement to which such Entrant has signed. Entrants agree to indemnify and hold the Authorized Parties harmless from and against any third party claim, to the extent relating to any breach or alleged breach of any representation, warranty or covenant made by such Entrant in connection with his or her acceptance of these Official Rules or Contest activities.

Sponsor collects personal information from Entrants when they enter the Contest for use in administration of the Contest. The information collected is subject to the Privacy Policy located at https://www.emeraldexpositions.com/privacy-policy/. By participating in the Contest, Entrants hereby agree to Sponsor's collection and usage of their personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted Sponsor's privacy policy. For residents of the E.U.: Your personal data will be transferred out of the European Union to the United States. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides a number of protections for the collection and use of your personal data. Any personal data collected from you shall be subject to the Sponsor's privacy policy located at https://www.emeraldexpositions.com/privacy-policy/ and the GDPR. The Sponsor will only use your personal data for the purposes of administrating this Contest, unless you provide consent signifying your agreement to any other processing or use of your personal data. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting Info@thephotoannual.com.

Sponsor shall have no obligation (express or implied) to use any Entry or to otherwise exploit any Entry, or, if commenced, to continue the distribution or exploitation thereof, and Sponsor may at any time abandon the use of the Entry for any reason, with or without legal justification or excuse, and Entrants shall not be entitled to any damages or other relief by reason thereof.

ALL ISSUES AND QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY, INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEABILITY OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES OR THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF ENTRANTS OR SPONSOR IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE INTERNAL LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY CHOICE OF LAW OF CONFLICT OF LAW RULES OR PROVISIONS THAT WOULD CAUSE THE APPLICATION OF ANY OTHER STATE'S LAWS.

For any legally required winners list, click on the winners list section of the website after July 15, 2019.

The sponsor of the Contest is Emerald Expositions, Inc., 100 Broadway, 14th floor, New York, NY 10005 ("Sponsor").