In order to enter the photo contest, you must be 21-40 years old and be following @paaoyo on Instagram. Only PAAO-YO members are eligible to receive a prize.

For more details on how to become a member visit our membership page.

Individuals affiliated with PAAO leadership and administration, including employees and Board Members are not eligible for any prize. The PAAO will determine winners’ eligibility in its sole discretion.

Enter photographs taken by you with a digital camera or your mobile device of things in nature that look like an eye or eyes. We are not looking for photos of animal or people eyes. Any photo in which a person is recognizable is automatically ineligible.

We do not accept digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered photos. However, cropping, and minor adjustments, including the removal of sensor dust or scratches, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast, toning, slight color adjustment and conversion to grayscale are acceptable. The addition and subtraction of objects is not permitted. If the judges determine that a photographer has altered his or her photo, they reserve the right to disqualify it.

Photos that depict other people’s work (such as sculptures, statues, paintings, and other copyrightable works) are not permitted.

You certify that you are the sole creator and copyright owner of the submitted photograph. Photos that violate or infringe upon another person’s rights, including but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.

Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content, as determined by the PAAO in its sole discretion, are ineligible.

Your safety, and the welfare of the subject and its environment must be placed ahead of the desire to capture a photograph. Upon entering the contest, entrants certify all subjects were treated with respect and dignity, and that no people, wildlife or the environment were harmed in creating a photograph.

The Contest must be entered by submitting an entry using the online form provided at http://paaoyo.paao.org/eyesinnature. The entry must fulfill all Contest requirements, as specified, to be eligible to win a prize. Entries that are incomplete or do not adhere to the rules or specifications may be disqualified at the sole discretion of the PAAO.

You may enter only two (2) photos. You must provide the information requested. You may not enter more times than indicated by using multiple email addresses, identities, or devices in an attempt to circumvent the rules. If you use fraudulent methods or otherwise attempt to circumvent the rules, your submission may be removed from eligibility at the sole discretion of the PAAO.

In order to be displayed in our online gallery without being stretched or distorted, photographs must be submitted in .jpeg, .jpg or .png format, at least 2,000 pixels wide and no larger than 10 MB. You must complete a separate form for each photo submitted. Smart phone photos are permitted.

We do not accept photographs submitted through the mail and each contestant must have their own email address. Photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible.

Please keep your original photos. Winners must be prepared to submit an original, unedited digital file.  Since we plan to print them for the PAAO-YO lounge a high-resolution photograph of at least 300 dpi at 3,000 pixels on the longest side will be requested of winners.  Mobile photographs are exempt from this size requirement but must be submitted at their highest resolution upon request.

The PAAO may collect a photograph’s metadata upon entry.

You retain your rights to your photograph; however, by entering the contest, you grant the PAAO (and those authorized by the PAAO) a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising, PAAO websites, exhibition, and commercial products, including but not limited to PAAO publications. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. The PAAO will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.

The contest begins February 4th, 2021, and ends 13 April 2021, at 23:59 Eastern Standard Time.

Photo entries will be judged based on:

• Creativity
• Quality
• Originality.
• Need to resemble an eye or eyes -but not be an actual eye
• Needs to be found in nature or in an urban setting

The PAAO judging panel will select 10 finalists. The 10 finalists will be notified of their status and appear on our website and on Instagram April 26th 2021. At that time, the public can start voting on our Instagram account (likes) to determine the top three photos from among the 10 finalists. Voting will end May 11th at 11:59 pm. Of the 3 pictures with the most likes, (finalists) the judging panel will determine the Grand Prize. All the winners will be revealed May 18th on the PAAO-YO website and Instagram.

The Winners will be notified by email within five (5) days following selection of the winners. The PAAO shall have no liability for the Winner’s failure to receive notices due to spam, junk e-mail or other security settings or for the Winner’s provision of incorrect or otherwise non-functioning contact information. If Winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim the prize within seven (7) days from the time award notification was sent, or fails to timely return a completed and executed declaration and release as required, the prize may be forfeited, and an alternate Winner selected. Receipt by the Winners of the prizes offered in this Photo Contest is conditioned upon compliance with any and all federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.

Three prizes will be awarded, as follows:

Grand Prize: Registration for the PAAO Congress 2023 in beautiful Buenos Aires in March 2023, plus $300 USD. (valued at over $700 USD) *

Top Two Finalists: Registration for the PAAO Congress 2023 in beautiful Buenos Aires in March 2023 (valued at over $400 USD) *

Actual/appraised value of prizes may differ at time of prize award. The specifics of the prizes shall be solely determined by the PAAO. No cash or other prize substitution shall be permitted except at the PAAO’s discretion.

The prize is nontransferable. Any and all prize-related expenses, including travel to and from the congress and lodging in Buenos Aires, without limitation any and all federal, state, and/or local taxes, shall be the sole responsibility of the Winner. No substitution of prize or transfer/assignment of prize to others or request for the cash equivalent by the Winner is permitted. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for the PAAO to use the Winner’s name, likeness, and entry for purposes of advertising and trade without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.

All entrants hold the Sponsors and their respective regents, directors, officers, employees, emeriti, fellows, interns, research associates, and volunteers (the “Indemnified Parties”) harmless from and against all claims of any nature arising in connection with entrant’s participation in the contest and acceptance or use of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not liable for any costs, damages, injuries, or other claims incurred as a result of entrants’ participation in the contest or winner’s acceptance and usage of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not responsible for incomplete or misdirected entries, technical or network malfunctions or failures, or causes beyond their control. Entrants are solely responsible for their entries. Entrants may not submit materials that introduce any software viruses, worms or other programs designed to damage software, hardware or telecommunications equipment or are off-topic, partisan-political, contain advertising, nudity, personal attacks or expletives, or is otherwise abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, discriminatory, libelous, obscene, false, sexually explicit, or that infringes on the rights of any third party.

The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. The PAAO reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at its discretion. In the event of a dispute regarding the winners, the PAAO reserves the right to award or not award the prizes in its sole discretion. The PAAO reserves the right to disqualify any entrant whose entry or conduct appears in any way to: inhibit the enjoyment of others; tamper with the competition; violate these rules or other applicable law or regulation; infringe on the rights of third parties; or act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Decisions of the PAAO are final and binding.