GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

Download information and submission guidelines as a printable PDF file

  1. ELIGIBILITY: The design contest is open to all public, private and home schooled 9th-12th grade students in Minnesota.
  2. ACCEPTABLE MEDIA: Short video, photography, graphic design, illustration, painting and drawing submissions will be accepted.
  3. SPECIFICATIONS: All entries will be submitted electronically on this website. Submissions received outside of the following specifications will be disqualified. All entries must contain text or be titled in a way that supports the theme Soak it Up and your concept. An artist statement and entry form must also accompany each submission.
  4. IMAGE FILES: All art and graphic entries should be submitted in the largest, highest quality version possible in jpeg, tif or pdf formats. Scanned prints and photographs should have a resolution of 600 dpi or higher. File size should not exceed 20MB.
  5. VIDEO: Short video entries must be at least 30 seconds in length, but not exceed 3 minutes. All short video submissions must be submitted in an uncompressed format (such as .avi or .mov). Submissions must be made directly to www.freshwater.org, not linked to another site.
  6. ARTIST STATEMENT AND ENTRY FORM: Each design must be accompanied by an essay (200 word limit) that describes the work in relation to the theme Soak it Up. The artist’s statement is important in conveying the concept of the work to a broad audience. In the artist statement, artists may also specify the type of messaging tool (billboard, yard sign, t-shirt, PSA, etc.) would be most successful for their concept.

    One entry per student will be accepted for each contest, with the exception of the short video category. Multiple students may collaborate on a video entry, but the submission must be submitted in one student’s name.

    Each entry must be original in concept, design and execution and not violate any U.S. copyright laws. Student/parent/teacher may be required to certify authenticity. All entrants must complete an on-line entry form. The artist statement and entry form should be submitted on-line with the entry at www.freshwater.org.
  7. JUDGING CRITERIA Submissions will be judged on the following criteria:
    · Clarity of communicating theme Soak it Up to viewer
    · Effectiveness at motivating, encouraging behavior change
    · Use of text, artist statement to explain entry
    · Artistic merit, creative expression
  8. CONTEST DATES and DEADLINES: All entries must be submitted to www.freshwater.org by midnight on:
    1st Contest: January 13th, 2012
    2nd Contest: April 30, 2012
  9. COMPETITION AND NOTIFICATION: The competition will be two-tiered: Three finalists will be selected from each of the nine service cooperative regions in MN. Regional finalists in the first contest will be notified by January 20, 2012.Regional finalists in the second contest will be notified by May 7, 2012. The 27 state finalists will be entered to compete for the state competition. Three winning entries will be chosen in the state competition. State finalists for the first contest will be notified by January 27th, 2012 and state finalists for the second contest will be notified by May 14, 2012.
  10. PRIZES: $500, $300 and $200 prizes will be awarded to the three top state competition winners in each contest. All remaining finalists will be awarded a certificate of participation.

    The winning entries will become the property of the Freshwater Society and will be displayed in a variety of media throughout Minnesota to educate citizens about the importance of taking action to protect freshwater resources.
  11. USE OF SUBMISSIONS: The Society reserves the right to feature all entries submitted in activities that promote the conservation, preservation and responsible management of freshwater resources. Artists will be identified in all promotions.
Freshwater Society | 2500 Shadywood Rd., Excelsior , MN 55331