Rules

Thank you for your interest in the Buffalo Toronto Public Media (“BTPM”) Seasonal Art Contest! This initiative celebrates the creativity of artists across Western New York and Southern Ontario, with entries inspired by the changing seasons in our region. Below are the rules and guidelines for participants:

• The Contest is open to individuals aged 18 years and older residing in Western New York or Southern Ontario.
• BTPM employees and immediate family members are not eligible to participate.

• Artists should create a work that is inspired by the fall/autumn season in Western New York and Southern Ontario.
• All mediums accepted.
• All submissions must be original work created by the entrant.
• Your artwork must not include reference to any existing intellectual property or be confusingly similar to any existing intellectual property or artwork.
• Each artist may submit as many entries as they like.
• Artwork that has been submitted to or has won other contests is not eligible.

• An entry fee of $5 is required for each artwork submitted via the online platform.

• Alternate Entry (No Purchase Necessary): Artists may also enter without a fee by mailing a digital version or photograph of the piece (JPEG or PNG on USB) to:

• Entry fees are non-refundable.
• No entry fee is required for mailed submissions.

• All artwork must be submitted digitally unless submission is mailed.
• If the original artwork is not digital, the artist is responsible for photographing or scanning it for entry.
• Include a title, brief description (50 words max), artist name, and your location (city & state/province) with your submission.
• Please note that the winning piece will be printed on a tote bag and/or other similar items. Keep this in mind and choose the aspect ratio of your piece accordingly.

• Public voting will take place on the GoGo Photo Contest platform from 7:00:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Monday, September 1, 2025 to 7:00:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
• Each vote requires a $1 donation, with proceeds supporting Buffalo Toronto Public Media.
• No donation is necessary to support an entry. To vote without making a donation, send an email to support@btpm.freshdesk.com with the subject line “Vote Request” and the name of the artwork you'd like to vote for. One free vote per artwork per person is permitted.
• The entry with the highest number of votes at the close of the contest will be declared the winner.
• In the event of a tie, BTPM will select the winner based on originality and relevance to the theme.
• The artist who submitted the winning entry will be notified no later than October 3, 2025 via email.

• The winning artwork will be featured on a limited-edition tote bag to be offered to the public beginning in the fall during BTPM fundraising events.
• The winning artist will receive a curated prize package and may be invited to participate in a future BTPM production or interview.  Prizes include:
• One (1) limited-edition tote bag featuring their piece
• $500 USD Gift Card for an art supply store of BTPM’s choosing
• The opportunity to have their entry featured as part of Group Chat or a similar BTPM production
• The approximate retail value of the prize package is $550 USD.
• Selected non-winning entries may also be highlighted in BTPM programming, promotions, or digital media with full artist attribution.
• Artists selected to receive a prize must correctly answer the following skill-testing question unaided: (2 × 4) + (12 ÷ 2) - 3 = ?
• Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received and the number of votes cast.

• By entering, artists grant Buffalo Toronto Public Media an exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license to use, reproduce, publish, display, and adapt their submission in any form or media for promotional, editorial, fundraising, or educational purposes.
• Artists understand that their submissions may be edited or modified by BTPM for formatting or promotional needs, such as cropping for social media, adjusting layout for merchandise, or combining with other BTPM content and branding.
• Artists agree and understand that no compensation, royalty, or share of any funds raised by BTPM will be paid to them for the submission of their work, or the use granted by artist pursuant to these rules.
• BTPM reserves the right to use both winning and non-winning entries in future projects, promotions, merchandise, and broadcasts, including integration with BTPM intellectual properties.
• BTPM will use their best efforts to credit artists by name if their work is used.

• By participating, artists agree to release and hold harmless Buffalo Toronto Public Media and its affiliates from any and all liability, claims, or actions of any kind arising from their participation in the contest or the use of submitted artwork.
• By submitting a work or works, artists represent and warrant that their work is their own original creation and does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights or other rights of any third party. This includes, but is not limited to, characters, images, or branding associated with public media programs — for example, Arthur, Julia Child, Bob Ross, Big Bird, Rick Steves, Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!, and Morning Edition — or any other copyrighted materials.
• Submissions must not contain any material that is defamatory, obscene, political or otherwise unlawful.
• BTPM reserves the right to disqualify entries that are incomplete, offensive, or do not meet the submission requirements.
• All decisions by BTPM regarding the contest and its outcomes are final.

For questions or technical issues, please visit help.btpm.org or email support@btpm.freshdesk.com

We look forward to seeing your vision of the seasons! Thank you for supporting public media and the arts in our region.