Official Contest Rules and Information
These are the official rules and regulation for the Get to Know Contest in Canada. This contest is distinct from the similar Get to Know Contest held in the United States, and different rules apply to each contest.
Prizes
Prizes available to each winner of the contest include:
- The winning art or writing entry published in the 2011 Robert Bateman Get to Know Contest Calendar
- One winning entry will be featured as Wildlife Habitat Canada's 2011 Youth Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp
- The exclusive opportunity to enjoy a week-long art and nature camp in one of Canada's stunning national parks, joined by outstanding mentors and the American contest winners (sponsored by Parks Canada; for age 12 and up only)
- Cash prizes
- The winning entry published on www.gettoknow.ca
- VIP invitations to special events, held across the country
- Personal written congratulations from Robert Bateman
- Digital cameras from Panasonic (for photography winners)
- Additional prize packages from Opus Framing and Art Supplies and Scholastic (for art and writing winners respectively)
General Rules
The contest is open to all Canadian residents of age 19 or younger. No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win this contest.
Each participant is welcome to submit more than one entry. All entries must be submitted online or received in the mail by Get to Know no later than 4:00 PM Eastern (1:00 PM Pacific) on May 28, 2010.
All entries must be original, and must not be a copy of any existing work. Whether you mean to or not, claiming that someone else's work is your own (called "plagiarism") is a serious violation of copyright law. Plagiarism and forgery can result in charges being laid, fines imposed, or damages awarded. So, you must be very careful to make sure that your creation[s] are original and cannot be considered plagiarized. Be creative!
Every participant must experience nature firsthand as part of the process of creating their entry. This must involve going outside; visiting a zoo, museum, aquarium, or science centre; or experiencing an animal or plant that has been brought to the participant at an event or in the classroom.
Judging and administration
Winners are selected from each of the following categories:
- Kindergarten to Grade 4
- Grades 5 to 7
- Grades 8 to 10
- Grades 11 to 12
This contest is administered by the Get to Know Society (Get to Know). Get to Know reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who violates any of the contest rules, who attempts to influence or receive unfair consideration from the judges, or who tampers with the entry process or the operation of the www.gettoknow.ca web site or any affiliated websites. Get to Know reserves the right to cancel or modify the contest and/or the prizes in the event of grave circumstances beyond the control of Get to Know that would prevent the normal completion of the contest. Get to Know reserves the right to adjust the age categories listed above or change the distribution of winners amongst the categories as needed, depending on the number of entries received.
Art Entries
- Art entries should depict a "wild neighbor", which may be a plant or animal species native to your area. Pets or farm animals like dogs, cats, and horses do not count.
- Learn the name of the species and where it lives!
- Art entries should be full colour and no bigger than 17" x 12".
- Mailed in entries will be returned only if: they do not win and a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) that fits the artwork is included with the submission. Entries are separated during the judging process. Teachers who wish to ensure all class entries are returned are reminded to submit a SASE with each entry.
Writing Entries
- Entries must be 40 words or less. (Yes, forty!)
- Entries must be about biodiversity and/or our "wild neighbours."
Digital Photography Entries
- Entries must be photos that were taken by the participant.
- Be sure to use the highest quality setting on the camera – photos must be at least 3 megapixels, and ideally 6 or higher.
- Only JPEG images are accepted (no RAW/DNG images).
- Digital photography entries must be submitted online.
Entrant Agreement
By submitting an entry, the participant and his/her adult representative:
- Certify that the entry submitted is entirely orginal.
- Take any and all legal responsibility for breaches of copyright caused by plagiarism
- Grant Get to Know and its licensees and assigns an irrevocable, perpetual license to reproduce the submitted work, in whole or in part, for any purpose, including research, on the internet, in print publications and/or in any other medium without compensation of any kind and to publish the entrant's name, age, and home province in conjunction with the work.
- Authorize persons accessing www.gettoknow.ca or any affiliated websites to view, download and print the work for personal and classroom educational purposes
If selected as a finalist, entrants and/or their adult representatives will be required to sign a further agreement that transfers ownership of their work to Get to Know before they can be confirmed as winners.
