The beauty of the Interlake awaits you and we want to see your views. The theme for our third H2O Photo Contest is "Interlake Impressions", a theme inspired by the beauty of the province of Manitoba. There are no separate categories within this theme, but the sky is the limit. When you visit the Interlake, Manitoba's pristine playground, you'll encounter fascinating people, gentle wildlife, breathtaking scenery, and events that will entice you to run for your camera! But don't forget about the little things...zoom in on the flowers you find nodding at your feet, your beach-combing treasures, or that fascinating insect you discover as you hike through the woods.

Our judge will choose three winning photographs and one Honourable Mention. The names of our 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winner, plus Honourable Mention, will be announced in our 2012 issue of the H2O Guide and in December, 2011 on this website. Check out the fabulous prizes that await you by clicking on "Contest Sponsors and Prizes" We also have a section with a list of helpful "Photography Tips" to help get you on your way. The key to a good photograph is not how expensive your equipment is, but how you present your subject through composition, light and imaginative perspective.

We look forward to receiving expressive images taken in spring, summer and fall. We've decided to leave winter behind (we all had enough of winter, am I right?) However, we are not looking for photos that have been digitally manipulated in any way (please read more on this subject, below). NO WINTER PHOTOS PLEASE!.

Please read through the all rules for details on how to enter. Only digital submission will be accepted - our webmaster, Norman Shewchuk has worked extremely hard to ensure that the process of entering is not only fun, but also easy!

1. Term The contest begins on May 22, 2011. Final submissions of images will be accepted up to October 30, 2011. Winners will be announced in December, 2011.

2. Who may enter The contest is open to anyone who wishes to enter. However, we ask that submitted images represent the Interlake region only. Visitors to the area, from outside of Manitoba, are welcome to enter. Winners will be asked to submit details on how and where the photos were taken, so please keep notes related to the images you submit.

Employees of H2O Gimli & Beaches Adventure Guide along with their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees, whether or not related, are not eligible.

3. How to Enter To enter, please click on "Photo Contest" on our H2O website at www.h2oguide.ca and choose either a Personal Release Form or a Location Release Form. You cannot proceed without choosing one. If your photo subject does not include a person or persons, or private property, and no signature is required (for example, if your photo is of wildlife or landscape), please choose Personal Release.

If you need signatures for the Personal (including minors) or Location Release forms, you will be prompted to print out a form. Once you have obtained the necessary signature, the form must be mailed in to the H2O Guide. Without the form, your photo will not be accepted.

You may proceed to "upload" you photo where you will be asked to fill in blanks related to your submission. This will include your name, title of the photo, your telephone no., mailing address as well as your email address. All categories are necessary to enable you to proceed with the uploading process.

Each entrant may submit up to three (3) photographic images at different times during the entry period. There is only one category: Interlake Impressions. The theme, inspired by the beauty of the province of Manitoba, is broad enough to allow a large variety of images to be submitted. Imagination and creativity are always plusses when entering such a contest. We look forward to receiving images that depict the Interlake during spring, summer and fall. No winter photos will be accepted.

4. Digital Image Information 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.

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

Photos being submitted must be between 600 KB's and 2 MB's. Only jpg or jpeg formats will be accepted.

Colour as well as black and white images will accepted. Sepia and images taken with "fish eye lenses" will be accepted. Cropping and basic colour correction are acceptable on images being submitted. We will not accept hand tinted photographs, HDR (High Dynamic Range images) or hand-stitched panoramic images (horizontal) or hand-stitched vertical panoramic images (vertoramas). A vertorama is a photograph that contains a foreground from one photograph and a sky, for example, from another photograph, stitched together digitally. All entries must be submitted before midnight on October 30, 2011.

1. Personal Release Form A personal release form is a binding contract between the photographer and the subject(s) of the photograph. By signing the release, the subject of the photograph forgoes the right to sue for specific types of claims. Personal release forms for anyone under the age of 18 years of age must be signed by the subject's legal guardian-not by the child.

If your photo subject does not include a person or persons, or private property, and no signature is required (for example, if your photo is of wildlife or landscape), please choose Personal Release.

2. Location Release Form A location release form is a binding contract between the photographer and the owner)s) of private property within or upon which a photograph was taken. By signing the release, the owner of the property forgoes the right to sue for specific types of claims.

Please see individual Release Forms pages for details regarding the re-use and publication of submitted photographs for editorial, commercial, promotional and/or trade purposes.

Without sponsorship this photo contest would not be possible. We are overwhelmed with the amount of interest our Photo Contest has generated. Thanks once again to our generous advertisers, we are excited to announce that valuable prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place as well as one Honourable Mention. Our photo contest sponsors, along with a list of what they have donated toward our prizes are outlined in detail on our Contest Sponsors and Prizes page on this website.

We have over $2700.00 in prizes to give away! First prize includes a $300 Gift Certificate from Don's Photo. Other fabulous prizes include one-night stays in our largest hotels in the area (Lakeview Resort, Southbeach Casino, Arborg Hotel and The Viking Inn), as well as gift certificates for $100 of fuel (Red River Co-op), $100 for the Mask Restaurant, $100 for Fat Cat Bistro, $200 from Interlake Garden Centre and many more exciting and valuable prizes. Be sure to click onto our Sponsors and Prizes link to see the full list with all the details.

Winners' names will be available online at www.h2oguide.ca December, 2011, along with the winning photographic images. Winners names and the winning photographs will also be published in the subsequent 2012 issue of the H2O Guide.

Our Judge will select the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winning photographs, as well as one Honourable Mention photo. Photographs will be judged on i) adherence to our theme of i) "Manitoba's Magnificent Interlake" ii) creativity iii) photographic merit and iv) digital quality

Winners will be chosen during the month of December, 2011 and will be notified by email or phone in December, 2011. The names of the winners, along with the winning photos will also be announced on our website, and in the subsequent issue of the H2O Guide. Let it be known that the decisions of the judge are final and binding.

H2O Gimli & Beaches Adventure Guide (Rune Stone Publications, Inc.) assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission; communications line failure; theft or destruction of or unauthorized access to Contest entries or entry forms; or alteration of entries or entry forms. H2O Gimli & Beaches Adventure Guide (Rune Stone Publications, Inc.) is not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrants' or any other persons' computers related to or resulting from participation, uploading or downloading of any materials related to this Contest.

An entrant's personal information (address, email, phone no. etc) given during the Contest submission process will remain private and will not be shared with any other parties.

By entering, entrants also agree (a) to be bound by these Official Rules; (b) that the decisions of the Judge is final and binding with respect to all matters relating to the Contest; and (c) if the entrant wins, that Sponsor may use the winning photographs and each winner's name, photograph, likeness, and/or voice in any publicity or advertising relating to the Contest or future promotions without compensation or approval (except where prohibited by law).

If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, due to infection by computer virus, bugs, worms, trojan horses, denial of service attacks, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of H2O Gimli & Beaches Adventure Guide (Rune Stone Publications, Inc.) that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, H2O Gimli & Beaches Adventure Guide (Rune Stone Publications, Inc.) reserves the right, at it's sole discretion, to disqualify any individual(s) who tamper with the entry process, and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. If Sponsor elects to cancel or terminate the Contest, Sponsor will not retain any rights in the submitted photographs.