OFFICIAL RULES OF THE "HIT ME WITH YOUR SUNSHOT" PHOTO CONTEST We looking for the best solar photos from across the United States. Over a four week period, artists will compete for over $2,500 in prizes, including a $500 grand prize. The winning photos of the Hit Me with Your SunShot photography competition will be featured on the Department of Energy’s webpage and in promotional materials. Important Dates Submission Deadline: August 17, 2017 Winners Announced: August 31, 2017 Prizes Artists can win prizes totaling $2,500, including a $500 grand prize. The judge will select winners in each of the categories listed below. Each category winner will receive $250. The judge will also select a grand prize winner from the submitted photos and award them $500. Categories • Solar Installers and Installation • Utility-Scale Projects • Solar + Storage • Solar Hardware and Power Electronics • Concentrating Solar Power • Community Solar • University Research • Solar and Weather Selection Process All photos must be submitted via the Call for Entry (CaFE) website. An administrator will vet the photos to ensure that they are relevant to the category. The administrator may reassign a photo to a category other than that identified by the submission. The administrator will also ensure that the photos meet the selection standards laid out below. All photos that meet our selections standards will be posted on the Department of Energy’s Flickr page. Submissions will be judged by Simon Edelman, Chief Creative Officer for the Department of Energy, and Dennis Schroeder, photographer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Photos will be judged for the creativity, quality, and relevance. The Hannon Group, which has been contracted to run this contest on behalf of the Energy Department, will vet all photos for relevancy and to ensure they meet our selections standards. Selection Standards All photos must be submitted in the categories described below: • Solar Installers and Installation – Photos should depict the installation of a solar photovoltaic or concentrating solar power system or show a system that has been installed. • Utility-Scale Projects – Photos should depict a solar project that is over one megawatt in size. • Solar + Storage – Photos should depict solar systems that have battery storage systems installed. The photo can be of the battery system alone. • Solar Hardware and Power Electronics – Photos should depict the individual components of a solar system, like the inverter or the racking system. • Concentrating Solar Power – Photos should depict a solar system that uses mirrors to focus light to a receiver and collect energy. The project could be used for electricity or steam processes. • Community Solar – Photos should depict solar systems that utilize a community solar business model to be built or shows the activities around the installation of that system (eg, community meetings or events). • University Research – Photos should depict solar energy research being conducted at a university. • Solar and Weather – Photos should depict a solar installation in an unusual weather system like snow, clouds, hail, etc. All photos must: • Be the original work of the artist • Be taken within the United States • Be submitted through the Call for Entry website • Be submitted under the Creative Commons – Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)(See https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) • Be a high-resolution, digital copy (for more about submission requirements, please refer to CaFE’s Image Prep guidelines.) A Photo will be deemed ineligible if it contains the following: • Children or individuals appearing to be under 18 years of age as determined by the administrator. • Photos of adults without their consent. If the photo includes recognizable people, the photographer should submit a signed Model Release form with the entry. • Addresses, license plates, or other personally identifiable information. • Logos or other business marks. • Watermarks, dates, signatures, or copyright images. There should be no signifying mark of the photographer on the image. • Any offensive, unlawful or abusive content. Use of the Photos • All photos must be submitted under the Creative Commons – Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others, including the Government and the Hannon Group, the right to use, publish, copy, distribute and modify the photos provided proper attribution is provided. • All photos that meet the selection standards will be posted on the Department of Energy’s Flickr page under the under the Creative Commons – Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) and the photographer’s name. The photos may also be used in other electronic and print materials. • In the event that ownership of any photograph submitted to this photography contest is contested in any matter, the competition reserves the right to discontinue use of said photograph and disqualify the photograph from the contest. Eligibility All professional and amateur photographers are encouraged to submit their photos. If the artist is under 18, a parent or legal guardian must be present to accept the online terms and conditions. Artists can submit as many photos as they like. Current Federal employees and support service contractors working on a Federal site may submit photos but may not receive cash prizes. Application requirements All artists are required to submit their name, contact information and a brief description of each photo. The description should include the names of any people in the photo, the state where the photo was taken, and a short description of the activity. Questions For assistance with online entry system you may contact CaFE Support at 888-562-7232 or cafe@westaf.org. Video tutorial are available on how to use CaFE and how to how to Apply to a Call. Any questions about the competition or rules can be submitted via email at solar@energy.gov. All answers will be posted online here. Who We Are The Hannon Group is administering this photography contest to support the Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, a national effort to drive down the cost of solar energy and make it affordable for all Americans to power their lives with solar.