Official Rules

The National Railroad Hall of Fame (NRRHOF) is looking for photographs that help fulfill our mission to educate and inspire the public about the role that railroads play in building our nation and shaping our future. Twenty-four photographs will be selected for public exhibition by the NRRHOF at the 2018 Railroad Days Festival in Galesburg, Illinois, and for a chance to win up to $650.00.

If your photograph is selected as a Finalist, you will:

1.        Receive $50.00.

2.       Have your photograph featured on NRRHOF’s website and social media (with credit).

3.       Have your photograph professionally showcased in public exhibitions.

4.      Be eligible for a Grand Prize title and additional cash prizes (see below for more details).

How to Enter

Beginning on May 1, 2017, and ending on March 31, 2018, both professional and amateur photographers are invited to submit photographs related to the history and current operations of United States of America’s railroads as entry into the NRRHOF Photography Contest.

·         Contestants must be 18 years or older at the time of entry.

·         Each photographer may submit up to three (3) entries.

·         The photograph must be taken in the United States.

·         Photographs should depict and/or highlight railroads or activities related to railroads (including activities, structures, places and/or people).

·         The artist’s statement must describe the significance of the subject material in the photograph and how the photograph fits into the story of the United States of America’s railroads.

·         The artist must also specify the location (city and state or county) of the subject material in the photograph. All photographs must be taken within the United States of America.

·         Participants must submit their photographs by uploading their image(s) to the callforentry.org website.

·         Contestants must pay a non-refundable processing fee of $15.

·         All entries must be submitted by midnight on March 31, 2018.

·         All photographs submitted must have been taken anytime on or since January 1, 2007. 

·         Photographs may be in either black & white or color.

·         Photographs may be either in vertical or horizontal format.

·         When submitted to the callforentry.org website, the file for each entry must be a JPEG no smaller than 1920 pixels on the longest side. The file must be 72 ppi/dpi (standard web resolution) with a file size no larger than 5 mb.

·         Photographers must have a high resolution JPEG file for each entry that is at least 300 ppi, and must be at least 8 megapixels in size. (A TIFF or RAW file may be required upon request.) The contest director may request this file from you. All finalists will be required to submit the higher resolution file for printing.

·         Entrants should not place borders or frames around their images, or place watermarks, signature, dates or copyright notices on their images.

·         By entering this Contest, participants agree to have their name and photographs used publicly for the purposes of promoting the contest and for announcement as a winner of the contest.

·         Multiple “grand prizes” will not be awarded to any individual. Only one entry per artist will be selected.

·         NRRHOF employees, board members, advisors and the family members of the aforementioned groups are not eligible to enter. 

·         Photographs that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content as determined by the NRRHOF or jury in its sole discretion will be disqualified.

·         Entries that fail to comply with the rules will be disqualified.

·         NRRHOF reserves the right to change the contest rules as necessary.

·         By participating, entrants agree to these official rules and the decisions of the judges, which are final and binding in all matters related to this contest.

The NRRHOF reminds photographers to respect all safety policies and right-of-way boundaries when photographing trains. Any photographs that appear to have been taken while trespassing on the right-of-way or violating other railroad safety policies will be disqualified.

Entry Assistance

Eligible contestants with questions should contact the NRRHOF Director of Marketing And Communications, Mae Gilliland Wright, PhD, at wright@nrrhof.org.

Judging

All entries will be judged on artistic merit, originality, subject, style, and technique. Judging in all categories (except “People’s Choice”) will be performed by a jury panel selected by the NRRHOF. After the jury process is complete, the public will have a chance to vote electronically for their favorite entry. The entry receiving the most votes from the public will be named “People’s Choice.”

Winners and Awards

All entries compete for one of 24 “Finalist” titles, a $50.00 cash prize, and the chance to win a Grand Prize title and the People’s Choice Award. Each Finalist will have their photograph displayed as part of a public exhibition hosted by the NRRHOF. Each finalist will also have their photograph displayed on the NRRHOF website and social media platforms.

Grand Prizes:

·         Best in Show - One grand prize winner will be awarded “Best in Show” for best picture over all. In addition to the Finalist prizes, the Best in Show winner will receive a $500.00 cash prize and will have their photograph showcased on the NRRHOF website.

·         First Place - One First Place winner will be selected. First-Place winners will receive an additional $250.00 cash prize and will have their photograph showcased on the NRRHOF website.

·         Second Place - One Second Place winner will be selected. Second place winners will receive an additional $100.00 cash prize and will have their photograph showcased on the NRRHOF website.

People’s Choice:

After the jury process is complete, the public will have a chance to vote electronically for their favorite entry. The entry receiving the most votes from the public will be named “People’s Choice.” The People’s Choice winner will receive an additional $100.00 cash prize and will have their photograph showcased on the NRRHOF website.

Terms and Conditions
By submitting your photograph(s) to the National Railroad Hall of Fame Photography Contest, you agree to the following:
• You certify that you are the person who took the photograph(s) submitted here, that you own the copyrights to the photograph(s), that you have the authority to enter into this release, and that the photograph(s) submitted here does not infringe upon the rights of any third party including but not limited to copyright, trademark, privacy and personality rights.
• By submitting your photograph(s) to the NRRHOF, you grant NRRHOF the royalty-free and non-exclusive right to use your photograph(s) as follows: (i) for public exhibition and display (ii) for use as a contest gallery exhibition on the NRRHOF’s website and social media platforms (iii) for NRRHOF posters, brochures, books and activity guides (iv) in NRRHOF electronic emails (v) on the NRRHOF website (vi) and in other internal or external marketing materials or media coordinated by NRRHOF. You further waive the right to inspect or approve the final use of your photograph(s) by the NRRHOF. Photographs will be credited when possible. In all cases, the photographer retains the copyright to the image.
• NRRHOF reserves the right to crop registered photographs for display purposes, if necessary, and for other needs as required.
• You understand the NRRHOF will request additional permission from you before using your photograph(s) for purposes other than those listed above.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria