Contest Rules

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

1. Eligibility

Ouachita Parish Public Library River Reads Historic Photo Contest (the Contest) is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. Employees of Ouachita Parish Public Library and other companies associated with the promotion of the Contest, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and promotion agencies as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. The Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

2. Library

The Sweepstakes is sponsored by Ouachita Parish Public Library (the Library), located at 1800 Stubbs Ave, Monroe, Louisiana 71201.

3. Agreement to Official Rules

Participation in the Sweepstakes constitutes entrants full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Library, which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon being compliant with these Official Rules and fulfilling all other requirements set forth herein.

4. Contest Period

Entries into the contest will be accepted online only via the Ouachita Parish Public Library website (www.oplib.org) beginning at 8 a.m. CDT on June 11, 2012, until 5 p.m. CDT on July 10, 2012. Entries submitted before or after the contest period will be disqualified. Submissions will be accepted during the duration of the submission segment of the contest, and only via www.oplib.org.

5. How to Enter

Each Entry consists of an entry form, and a single image. To enter, visit www.oplib.org; complete an entry form with the required information, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, and photo caption including the identification of any people in the photograph; and submit along with your photograph.

There is no limit on the number of entries per person. Each entry must comply with the following requirements (the "Photograph Requirements"):

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 need not be taken with a digital camera; scans of negatives, transparencies, or photographic prints are acceptable. 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).

Only minor burning, dodging and/or color correction is acceptable, as is cropping. High dynamic range images (HDR) are NOT acceptable. Any changes to the content of the original Photograph not itemized here are unacceptable and will render the Photograph ineligible for a prize.

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.

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.

The photograph must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Library, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content.

The entries in each Category will judged separately. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt. Library reserves the right to examine the original photograph/source material in order to confirm compliance with these rules.

6. Finalists and Grand Prize Award

On or after July 10, 2013, judges will gather to determine the six finalist photos. These photos will be included in a contest for Ouachita Parish Public Library patrons and fans on Facebook, with voting taking place from July 16, 2012 to July 22, 2012. The photograph which receives the most votes on Facebook will receive the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize winner will be posted on Facebook and the Ouachita Parish Public Library website as soon as the winner has been informed.

7. 7. Winner Notification

The Finalists and the Grand Prize winners will be notified by email. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, or prize is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize. Potential winners must continue to comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules, and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. In the event that a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, Library will award the applicable prize to the finalist receiving the next highest number of votes on Facebook. Prizes will be fulfilled approximately 2-3 weeks after the conclusion of the Sweepstakes.

8. Prizes

Finalists: (6) a copy of "Amid the Swirling Ghosts and Other Essays" personally autographed by the author; Grand Prize (1): package by North Louisiana Trade Exchange to be announced.

9. General Conditions

In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, bug, worm, unauthorized human intervention or other technical problem, or in the event the Contest is unable to run as planned for any other reason, as determined by Library in its sole discretion, the Library may, in its sole discretion, either (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules or (b) terminate the Contest and, in the event of termination, award the prize at random from among the eligible, non- suspect entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Library reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to damage the website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, the Library reserves the right to seek damages (including attorneys fees) and any other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Failure by the Library to enforce any provision of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

10. Release and Limitations of Liability

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 state/province/territory of residence the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.

Upon Library's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Library'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 Library 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. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification at any time during the Contest and selection of an alternate winner.

Similarly, upon Library's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Library'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. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Finally, upon Library's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Library'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. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. For the purposes of these Official Rules, the entrant will be deemed to be in receipt of Library's request or notification, (a) in the event that Library sends the request by postal mail, five business days after the request was sent by Library, or (b) in the event that Library sends the request by email, on the day that the email was sent by Library.

By entering, participants agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Library, its respective subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives, from any and all third party liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the competition (collectively, "Losses"), including without limitation any third party claim for copyright infringement or a violation of an individual’s right to privacy and/or publicity right. Each entrant in the Contest is responsible for ensuring that he or she has the right to submit the photos that he or she submits to the Contest per these rules.

Once submitted the library retains the rights to use it in any promotion of the library.

11. Disputes

You agree that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved with the Library, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, before a mediator to be determined by the Ouachita Parish Police Jury, which shall apply the laws of the State of Louisiana without regard for rules of conflicts of law. IN ANY SUCH DISPUTE, PARTICIPANT SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO ANY PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ATTORNEYS' FEES, OR ANY DAMAGES OTHER THAN PARTICIPANT'S ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES (IF ANY) ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST. YOU HEREBY WAIVE ANY RIGHTS TO HAVE DAMAGES MULTIPLIED OR INCREASED. The Contest and the Library’s web site are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied.

The Library is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by web site users or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the photo competition, or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of submissions to the photo competition, including but not limited to any misprints or typographical errors. The Library assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. The Library is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of Facebook or any telephone network or lines, computer equipment, servers, providers, computer on-line systems, software, or failure of email on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any web site, including injury or damage to participant's or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating or uploading images or information in the photo contest.

12. Privacy

Information collected from entrants is subject to Library’s privacy policy.

13. Winner List

Photographs and lists of the Grand Prize Winner and the Finalists will be posted on the Library’s website, www.oplib.org, from July 31, 2012 until August 31, 2012.

14. Right to Cancel or Suspend Contest

If, for any reason, the photo competition is not capable of completion as planned, including but not limited to, any reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of The Library that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the photo competition, The Library reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the photo competition.