Rules

Submit your photos at gogophotocontest.com/SonomaCountyParksFoundation between 8:00:00 AM (Pacific Time) on Monday, July 15, 2024 and 5:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Thursday, August 15, 2024. Each entry costs $10, and we will automatically start your entry with 10 votes! By entering the contest, you agree to all Terms and Conditions.

Photo guidelines

• Photos of dogs, please no people/faces.
• Your dog photo can be taken at any location and does not have to be taken at a Sonoma County Regional Park or the Spring Lake Water Bark. 
• Please follow applicable leash laws. Photos of dogs off-leash in Regional Parks will not be accepted.

Photos are displayed on the website for public vote. Each vote costs $1. Each photographer may submit an unlimited number of photos. Keep in mind that spreading your friends' and family's votes among multiple entries could limit your chance of winning. Email links to family/friends and post on social media to encourage voting for your photo.

The contest will end at 5:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Thursday, August 15, 2024.

To ensure that we can use your photo for publication, please submit a digital photo with a file size of 1 MB or higher. Panoramas will not be eligible for a prize. To respect peoples' privacy, photos including identifiable features of any person will be disqualified and removed from the website display. There are no refunds for disqualified photos.

If taking photos in Sonoma County Regional Parks, please remember to stay on designated trails and respect private property and sensitive wildlife habitats. See recommendations from Sonoma County's Leave No Trace principles on enjoying outdoor spaces responsibly at parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/visit/leave-no-trace.

Thank you for participating and we are excited to review your submissions! Winners will be announced in the Sonoma County Parks Foundation e-newsletter, which you can sign up for at sonomacountyparksfoundation.org/e-news.html.

Terms and Legal Conditions appear below. For questions, please contact Amanda Alves at Amanda.alves@sonoma-county.org. Help Us Spread the Word! Tell your friends about the contest on social media. Please use #sonomacountytopdog and #socoparks.

The following generous organizations and businesses sponsor the Top Dog Photo Contest:
Green Valley Consulting Engineering;
Taylor Mountain Retreat
Western Farm Center
Shutterbug Camera Shops
Rob DeVenuto Photography
Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller & Moskowitz
AcCounting on Computers
Recology Sonoma Marin
Abacus Financial
The Halter Project
Stanley Steemer
Snark & Cuddles


The Top Dog Photo Contest is sponsored by the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation ("Sponsor"). Open to residents or visitors in Sonoma County. Void where prohibited.

The contest will end at 5:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Thursday, August 15, 2024, with winners selected by popular vote through gogophotocontest.com/SonomaCountyParksFoundation; separately, Judges' Choice winners will be selected by a panel of judges.  Participants may be any age, but any participant who is a minor in his or her state of residence must have permission from a parent/guardian before participating.

1. Photography Contest Period: The Top Dog Photography Contest ("Event"), is a one-time event hosted by the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation, between 8:00:00 AM (Pacific Time) on Monday, July 15, 2024 and 5:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Thursday, August 15, 2024. Entrants may submit their photographs at any point during the photo contest, and individuals may vote throughout the contest time period. The contest will conclude at 5:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Thursday, August 15, 2024, and the top three vote-getters of the popular vote and Judges' choice will receive contest prizes.
   
   
2. Eligibility: Open to residents or visitors to the County of Sonoma. Employees and Board Members of the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation, as well as members of their immediate families and/or those living in the same household, are not eligible to participate and win.
   
   
3. How to Enter: Entrants should submit photos by following the instructions at gogophotocontest.com/SonomaCountyParksFoundation . Photographs must feature a dog and contain no human faces. We will assume that, in submitting a photo, you are the owner of the photo, the photo was created solely by you, and you have the right to publish it. In our sole discretion, objectionable or offensive photos will not be considered. Images that depict nudity, political statements, violence, or any identifiable feature of any person will be disqualified and removed from the website. The Sponsor, in its sole discretion, will determine whether an Entry violates these prohibitions. There are no refunds for disqualified photos. Please note that photos can take up to 72 hours to be approved and available for display and voting. Submitted photos without photographer's contact information will not be eligible. Photos must be in jpg or png format and a maximum of 6 MB. Photos with watermarks will not be considered. By submitting a photo, you are giving us permission to use the photo for other purposes, such as on our website, on social media, and in other Sonoma County Regional Parks and Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation publications. We will provide credit to photographers whenever we use any of the photos. These photos are not for sale and are not for commercial use unless prior permission is arranged.
   
   
4. How to Vote: Individuals interested in voting for a photo should following the instructions at  gogophotocontest.com/SonomaCountyParksFoundation . This contest is a fundraiser, and votes cost $1 per vote.
   
   
5. General Rules: Prizes are non-transferable, and no cash substitution is allowed. Prize winners will be listed in the Sonoma County Parks Foundation monthly newsletter. Parks Foundation staff or board members also may contact winners via email. Your entry or vote will automatically subscribe you to the newsletter. You will have the option to opt out at any time.
   
   
6. Each participant, or a parent/legal guardian on behalf of a participant who is a minor in his/her state of residence, as a condition of participating in the Photography Contest, agrees to release and hold harmless the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation, Sonoma County Regional Parks, Sonoma Water, and each of their respective agencies, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, members, employees, agents, and assigns  (collectively the "Released Parties") from and against any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages, or losses to persons or property which may be sustained in connection with submitting an Entry in connection with the Photography Contest, the receipt, ownership or use of prize awarded, or any typographical or other error in these Official Rules or the announcement or offering of the prize. The Released Parties are not responsible for technical, hardware or software malfunctions, telephone failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete, garbled or delayed electronic communications or print communications, whether caused by the sender, by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Photography Contest which may limit the ability to participate, delays or misdelivery of entries by the U.S. Postal Service, or by any human error which may occur in the processing of the Entries in the Photography Contest.
   
   
7. As a condition of entering the Photography Contest, participant (or parent/legal guardian if participant is a minor in his/her state of residence) agrees that: 1. Participant is voluntarily participating in the Photography Contest and voluntarily assumes all risks inherent to participation in the Photography Contest; 2. Except for damages caused solely by the gross negligence or intentional misconduct of a director, officer, employee, or agent of the Sponsor, participant hereby waives all rights to claim any damages, including any punitive, incidental, consequential, travel or any other damages; 3. All causes of action arising out of or connected with the Photography Contest, or prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; and 4. In no event will participants be entitled to receive attorneys' fees or other legal costs.
   
   
8. Acceptance of the prize constitutes permission to use the winner's name, likeness, and Entry, excluding contact information, for promotional purposes (including any possible public relations opportunities) without further compensation except where prohibited by law. By participating in the Photography Contest, the participant accepts and agrees to be bound by the Official Rules and these Terms and Conditions.
   
   
9. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual that tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Photography Contest; violates the Official Rules; acts in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner; or acts with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person or wildlife. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, terminate or modify the Photography Contest if it cannot be completed as planned for any reason, including but not limited to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, technical failures or corruption of any sort. In such an event, Sponsor will award prizes at the end of the Photography Contest period. Void where prohibited by law and subject to all federal, state and local laws.
   
   
10. AI generated or altered submissions are not permitted in this photo contest.
    
    
11. Photos must be from a handheld device. Drones are prohibited in all Sonoma County Regional Parks. See parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/visit/park-policies.