My Sunnylands: A community photo show

Past Event

Bring us your Sunnylands!

Members of the public are invited to share original photos that reflect their experiences at Sunnylands. Whether you’re inspired by its architecture, history, natural landscape, programs, or something else, we want to see Sunnylands through your eyes. In May 2020, Sunnylands will display a selection of the photographs submitted in an outdoor exhibition in the gardens.

  • We seek photos that provide a personal, fresh view of Sunnylands
  • We seek photos that provide a glimpse into your visitor experience at Sunnylands
  • We seek photos that transmit the energy and vibrancy of your visit to Sunnylands

Judges will select 20 photographs to be displayed in the Sunnylands gardens from Wednesday, May 27 to Sunday, May 31, 2020. If your entry is selected for display, you will be requested to submit the photograph printed on photographic quality paper and mounted on foam core. Framed entries will not be allowed.

Who may enter
This exhibition is open to people of all ages and all levels of experience. This is not a fine art or a technical photography contest but rather a way to celebrate, elevate, and spotlight visitors’ captures. Individuals affiliated with Sunnylands, including employees and their immediate families, and hired instructors, are not eligible to participate.

What to enter

  • Photographs taken between January 1 and December 31, 2019.
  • Photographs must have been taken on the premises of the Sunnylands Center & Gardens only (pictures of the historic estate will not be accepted; the historic estate includes the historic house and the 200-acre estate).
  • All photos must be original work of the participant and never have been the subject of a copyright or previously published.
  • Entries may be in color or black & white.
  • Entries must be submitted in .JPG or .TIFF. See photo size guidelines below.
  • All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared.
  • An entry form must be completed if photo is selected for the show.
  • If a photo is submitted in which a person is recognizable, the participant must submit a release from the subject or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian to Sunnylands upon request.
  • Photographs submitted must not violate or infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity, or other rights of any person or entity.
  • Photos should not feature actions or items prohibited on Sunnylands Center & Gardens property, i.e. inappropriate behavior, alcohol, smoking, disruption of gardens or wildlife, etc.
  • Participants may submit a maximum of two photographs.

Photo Size Guidelines

Minimum pixels 1600 x 1200
Maximum pixels 3264 x 2248

How to enter
All photos must be submitted through Instagram:

  • Participants will post submissions on their personal account with the hashtag: #SLphotoshow
  • Submissions also must tag Sunnylands: @sunnylands
  • Participants may submit two pieces. Each piece must be their own separate post. (Photos in a slide show will not be considered.)
  • Photos must be uploaded by (deadline) January 15, 2020
  • Do not direct message submissions to Sunnylands

We do not accept submissions through our website or through email or traditional mail. All work not submitted through the proper channels are immediately disqualified.

If your work is selected for display in our gardens, you will be asked to submit a print to us by March 30, 2020. (Finalists will be notified by February 15, 2020.) The image must be printed on photographic quality paper sized 16 x 20 inches. Entries must be mounted on foam core, framed entries will not be accepted.

Judging
Entries will be judged by the Sunnylands Social Media Team. Entries will be judged on subject matter, creativity, and originality. Sunnylands will select 20 entries for a pop-up exhibit on the Great Lawn. The decisions of the judges will be final. The judges reserve the right to disqualify entries which do not conform to the stated rules and criteria. This is not a contest, there will be no compensation, prizes or winners for the exhibition of selected works.

Selected photographs and exhibition
Photographs may be hand delivered or mailed in flat, reusable cardboard boxes with bubble wrap. Participants who wish to have Sunnylands return their work after the show are required to enclose a prepaid return shipping receipt when sending selected work. All work that is not picked up by Sunday, June 7, 2020 will not be returned and will become Sunnylands’ property.

The pop-up exhibition will take place on the Sunnylands Great Lawn from Wednesday, May 27 to Sunday, May 31, 2020. Sunnylands staff will display the selected photographs throughout the Great Lawn. Sunnylands assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to any entry.

The selected photographs also will be displayed online at www.sunnylands.org until May 2021.

For more information, please write to contact@sunnylands.org.