There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning.

SPONSOR: The 2007 Refuge Photo Contest (Contest) is sponsored by the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA).

We also acknowledge the generosity of our Contest Partners, Steiner Binoculars, TrekTechnologies, Swarovski Optik of North America, Wild Bird Centers, and Houghton Mifflin in supplying prizes for this contest.

ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open to amateur and professional photographers who are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia and are 18 years or older at time of entry, except for Contest judges and employees of the Sponsor and of the Contest Partners, their respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, and advertising, promotion and production agencies and their immediate families and members of their households.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Images must meet the Submission Requirements to be eligible. Entries not meeting these requirements will not be considered.

JUDGING: Our judges will be Maria Cecil, principal, Cecil Editorial, editor of Wildlife Refuge magazine and former editor of Defenders magazine; Jim Clark, contributing editor for Outdoor Photographer Magazine, motivational speaker and instructor; and Karen Hollingsworth, professional nature photographer.

• Winning entries will be selected by two rounds of judging. The first round will to be to select up to 200 images to be included in the NWRA Refuge Image Library. The second round will result in the selection of the Top Prize winners.
• Entries will be judged on reflection of theme, technical excellence, visual impact, and composition.

All decisions of the judges on all matters relating to the competition are final.

PRIZE DETAILS: Top Prizes will be awarded to first through fifth place winners. These prizes will be awarded without regard to image category. Two Special Recognition Prizes will be awarded in the "People" image category.

• One (1) first prize: Steiner Merlin 8 x 24 Binoculars, Wild Bird Centers 4 sided Hopper feeder, "Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion", "Identify Yourself: The 50 Most Common Birding Identification Challenges" and "Kaufman Field Guide to the Birds of North America" (First Prize Approximate Retail Value "ARV": $379). One (1) second prize: Swarovski Extremadura carrying bag and Wild Bird Centers 24” tube feeder (Second Prize ARV: $373). One (1) third prize: TrekPod with MagMount/VersaMount and Wild Bird Centers 24” tube feeder (Third Prize ARV: $265). One (1) fourth prize: Wild Bird Centers 4 sided Hopper feeder, "Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion","Identify Yourself: The 50 Most Common Birding Identifiction Challenges", "Kaufman Field Guide to the Birds of North America" and "Peterson Field Guide: Trees" (Fourth Prize ARV: $159)
• Twenty (20) fifth prizes: a pair of Houghton Mifflin field guides, including"Kaufman Field Guide to the Birds of North America" and one of the other guides listed above, "The Shorebird Guide" or a Peterson Field Guide to either Ferns, Reptiles and Amphibians, Ferns, or Animal Tracks (Fifth Prize ARV: $40 each pair)
• Two (2) Special Recognition Prizes in the "People" category: a Wild Bird Center Professional Ranch Feeder (Special Recognition Prize ARV: $50 each).

Total ARV of all Prizes: $2055. No prize substitution or cash redemption allowed by winners. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of comparable or greater value.

• Each photographer submitting an entry will receive a complimentary one year membership in NWRA.

The Sponsor is not responsible for entries that cannot be processed due to network, hardware or other technical failures or lost e-mails. The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel the Contest if it becomes technically corrupted or because of unauthorized human intervention. In the event of cancellation, the Sponsor reserves the right to judge the eligible entries received prior to date of cancellation and award the prizes outlined.

AWARDING OF PRIZES: The determination of the prize winners will be made no later than 3/14/07. The First Prize winner will be notified by e-mail and phone; the remaining prize winners will be notified by e-mail. If a prize winner does not respond by e-mail to claim the prize within 15 days of notification, the prize will be forfeited. If a prize is returned as undeliverable, the prize will be forfeited. At the discretion of the Sponsor, any forfeited prize may be awarded to an alternate winner. No photographer will be eligible for more than one of the Top Prizes described above. However a photographer may have more than one image in the NWRA Refuge Image Library.

GENERAL: By entering, entrants agree to be bound by these Contest Rules and Procedures, the Terms and Conditions on Use of Images, and the decisions of the Sponsor and judges, which are final and binding on all matters. This Contest is void where prohibited and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws. Any applicable taxes are the sole responsibility of the winners.

RELEASE: By participating, entrants release the Sponsor and the contest partners, their parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries and their agents, respective officers, directors, employees and agents from any and all liability or responsibility for any claim arising in connection with participation in the Contest or any prize awarded.

WINNERS LIST: The Top Prize winning images and the names of the Top Prize winning photographers will be posted on this website by 3/14/07. For the names of the winners (available after 3/14/07), send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Contest Winners, National Wildlife Refuge Association, 1901 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 407, Washington, DC 20006. Requests must be received by 4/15/07. Thumbnails of the images selected for eventual inclusion in the NWRA Refuge Image Library will be posted online by 3/31/07.

PRIVACY: The National Wildlife Refuge Association does not sell, trade, or barter names, e-mail addresses, or other personal data that we collect on our website. For more information, see our privacy policy.

If you have any questions regarding the contest, send us an e-mail.