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Official Photography Competition Rules

Moldova 4Ever is a 302Group, LLC company based in the United States.

Sponsor

Sponsor is 302Group, LLC, 2 Sykes Street, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, USA ("Sponsor," "Moldova 4Ever," or "MD4Ever").

Competition Theme

Seasons in Moldova

Term

The First Photography Contest for Moldova begins January 15, 2009, at midnight (12:00:00 a.m.) Moldova Time and ends March 31, 2009, 11:59:00 p.m. Moldova Time (the "Contest"). Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these official rules ("Official Rules"). By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to the Official Rules and warrants that his or her entry complies with all requirements set out in the Official Rules. This is a juried contest composed of professional photographers. The judges' make all decisions regarding the winners.

Who May Enter

The Contest is open to all Moldovan and international participants submitting only photos on the theme above. Employees of Moldova 4Ever, and its subsidiaries and affiliates, 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 employees, whether or not related, are not eligible.

1. How to Enter

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY. To enter, visit www.md4ever.com; complete an entry form with the required information, including your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and photo caption; and submit along with your photographs in accordance with the instructions below.

Each entrant may submit entries at different times during the entry period, but no entrant may submit in total more than three (3) entries. If an entrant exceeds any of these limits, Sponsor may at its absolute discretion either disqualify all the entrant's entries or select at its absolute discretion entries to go forward for judging and reject the remainder.

Each entry must comply with the following requirements (the "Photograph Requirements"):

  1. Photographs must be in digital format. Only online entries will be eligible. No print or film submissions will be accepted for entry into this Contest. The photograph can be from any of the following sources: digital camera; scans of negatives; transparencies; or photographic prints. 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).
  2. Photographs must have been taken within two (2) years before the date of entry and may not previously have won an award in any other photograph contest in the last two (2) years.
  3. Do not digitally enhance or alter your photographs, except for the basics needed to achieve realistic color balance and sharpness. Anything beyond that using Photoshop tools to change the original Photograph are unacceptable and will render the Photograph ineligible for a prize.
  4. 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.
  5. The photograph, 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 submitted photograph 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.
  6. The photograph must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Sponsor, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content.

The entries will be judged in accordance with the Judging Criteria, as defined below. All entries must be submitted and received by March 31, 2009, at 11:59 p.m. Moldovan time. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt. Entries must be 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, internet domain owner, or other person or organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Sponsor reserves the right to examine the original photograph/source material in order to confirm compliance with these rules.

2. Releases

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 Moldova, 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 seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Sponsor's request) a signed release from all persons who appear in the photograph submitted, and/or from the owner of any material that appears in the photograph 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, including, but not limited to: display at a potential exhibition of winners; publication of a book featuring select entries in the Contest; and publication in Moldova 4Ever tourist catalog or online highlighting entries or winners of the Contest. 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. (Download the Personal Release. Acrobat Reader is required to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

Similarly, upon Sponsor's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Sponsor's request) a signed written license from the copyright owner of any sculpture, artwork, or other copyrighted material that appears in the photograph entry, authorizing any Authorized Party 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, including, but not limited to: display at a potential exhibition of winners; publication of a book featuring select entries in the Contest; and publication in Moldova 4Ever tourist catalog or online highlighting entries or winners of the Contest. All releases must be in the form provided by Sponsor. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. (Download the Artist Release. Acrobat Reader is required to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

Finally, upon Sponsor's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Sponsor's request) a signed written license from the owner of any private property included in the photograph entry, authorizing any Authorized Party 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, including, but not limited to: display at a potential exhibition of winning photographs; publication of a book featuring select entries in the Contest; and publication in Moldova 4Ever tourist catalog or online highlighting entries or winners of the Contest. All releases must be in the form provided by Sponsor. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. (Download the Location Release. Acrobat Reader is required to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

For the purposes of these Official Rules, the entrant will be deemed to be in receipt of Sponsor's request or notification, (a) in the event that Sponsor sends the request by postal mail, five business days after the request was sent by Sponsor, or (b) in the event that Sponsor sends the request by email, on the day that the email was sent by Sponsor.

3. Contest Prizes

First, Second, and Third Place winners will be selected. The First Place winner will receive 2,500 lei; Second Place winner will receive 1,500 lei; and the Third Place winner will receive 500 lei. The prize is nontransferable. In addition, all winning photographs will be exhibited at the Moldova 4Ever Photography Awards Ceremony on a date and time to be determined shortly after the contest deadline.

Potential winners shall be required to sign and return within ten (10) days following an attempted notification, a Liability Release, and where legally permissible, a Publicity Release and Personal Release in which the entrant warrants that he/she is the owner of the photograph (and all the intellectual property rights in the photograph submitted) and grants to Sponsor and its licensees the irrevocable perpetual, nonexclusive 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. Failure to execute and deliver any required documents to Sponsor by the specified deadline may result in disqualification from the Contest, and selection of an alternate potential winner.

No prize transfer, assignment, or substitution by winners permitted. NONCOMPLIANCE OR RETURN OF PRIZE NOTIFICATION AS UNDELIVERABLE, WHETHER BY REGULAR MAIL OR BY EMAIL, MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION AND SELECTION OF AN ALTERNATE POTENTIAL WINNER.

4. Judging

Sponsor will submit entries to Jury marked with an identifiable number only--the photographer's name will be kept confidential until the winners are selected. Contest consists of two (2) rounds of evaluation. In round one, each judge in a panel of photographic experts ("Judges") will select ten (10) entries from among all eligible entries based on the following criteria ("Judging Criteria"):(1) Creativity 50%; (2) Photographic quality 50%. The entries selected in round one will proceed to round two. In round two, the Judges will collectively select a First, Second, and Third Place Winners based on the judging criteria. In the event of a tie, the tied entries will be resubmitted to the Judges for a rejudging between the tied entries alone. In the event that a tie remains after rejudging, the entry with the highest score in the creativity criteria will be declared the winner. Winners will be chosen on or around April 14, 2009, and notified by email by April 15, 2009. Decisions of the judges are final and binding.

5. License

By entering the Contest, all entrants grant an irrevocable perpetual, nonexclusive 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 Moldova 4Ever tourist catalog 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.

6. Limitation of Liability

By entering this Contest, all entrants agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless Moldova 4Ever 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.

Moldova 4Ever 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. MD4Ever 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.

7. 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 Maryland and the forum for any dispute shall be in Maryland, 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 in 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). All federal, state/provincial/territorial, and local taxes, fees and surcharges and taxes (whether foreign or domestic, and including income, sales, and import taxes) on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. In the event that the selected winner(s) of any prize is/are ineligible, cannot be traced or does/do not respond within ten (10) 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.

8. 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 MD4Ever that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, MD4Ever 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.

9. Winners List

Entrants are responsible for complying with these Official Rules. Winners' names will be available online at www.md4ever.com after April 15, 2009.

10. 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 Sponsor at 302Group, LLC, Department: Photography Contest, 2 Sykes Street, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. 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 Moldova 4Ever to mail tourist information or other offers. To elect to have an individual's name excluded from all such lists, submit a removal request in writing to: 302Group, LLC, Department: Photography Contest, 2 Sykes Street, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.


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