Salem Rowing Club is hosting a photography contest fundraiser with a unique theme: Think Outside the Boat! Participants must submit original photos of their “wrong answers only” interpretation of a rowing term (e.g. a photo of a crab in a net as a wrong interpretation of “catching a crab”). No rowing knowledge is needed to participate – in fact, the less you know about what these terms mean, the better! We strongly encourage participants to have fun when conceptualizing and shooting their entries.

How it works:

·         Participants may submit entries through January 30, 2023. Judging will occur in February with winners announced by the end of February.

·         There are 13 rowing terms to choose from (one for each month of the year and a cover photo for our calendar). Participants may enter as many categories as they wish, but may only submit one photo per category per ticket purchased. However, you may buy multiple tickets if you want to have multiple entries in the same category. The entry fee for each photo is $5, and entering all 13 is $50. You will get the submission link in the "ticket" you receive for this virtual event after purchase. If you misplace the link or can't find it, please e-mail salemrowing@gmail.com from the e-mail address you used to sign up and we will send it to you. You are not allowed to share the link as only photos submitted by e-mail addresses that have paid will be accepted and judged.

·         All entries must be original photos. Any submission found to be plagiarized will be removed and the participant will be excluded from the competition. By submitting photos, you give Salem Rowing Club full authority to use, or publish your photo at any time and, and sell your photo as part of the 2024 calendar fundraiser. You will be credited in all locations it is published or sold.

·         All entries must be appropriate for audiences of all ages – think PG movie rating. Any rude, crude, lewd, or otherwise inappropriate content, as determined by our committee of judges, will be removed and the participant will be excluded from the competition.

·         Our panel of judges will evaluate the submissions on the following criteria:

o   Connection to the Category- There needs to be a notable, even if subtle, or abstract or non-sensical connection to the theme it represents in rowing terms, or in plain English.

o   Setting-be creative with your location & background

o   Creativity-Putting a creative spin on the category. Remember, you need to "think outside the boat" It is winter training season right now afterall!

o   Photography skills- use of color (or B&W), contrast, lighting, effects, composition, rule of 1/3s, movement, perspective, etc.

o   Caption- to include a caption, please name your file with your caption when you submit it in the google form.

·         A winning photo will be selected from each of the 13 categories to make a 2024 calendar available for sale after the contest concludes. The winners from each category will receive a calendar as a prize. All submissions will be posted on Salem Rowing Club’s website and social media feeds.

·         There will also be a  Grand Prize award and a crowd favorite photo. Once submissions are received, there will be an opportunity to vote for your favorite!

All proceeds from the contest and calendar sale will directly benefit Salem Rowing Club and our ability to provide better rowing opportunities to our members and community around us.

Please visit the following link  above to register and receive your link to submit photo entries.

Please submit .jpg or .jpeg files less than 10 MB. Other file types should be converted before submission and cannot be accepted for security reasons. Those submitting malicious files will be turned over to the appropriate authorities and/or sued for any damages, so please just be nice and just submit good, clean  photo files!

Submissions will be made through a google form. You must have a google account to participate. By registering for this event you agree to use that platform and understand that it is a 3rd party and Salem Rowing is not responsible for any issues caused by Google, or the way their system works.

Please email salemrowing@gmail.com with any questions you have about the contest.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!