Contest Rules/Guidelines:

To enter, you must be at least 18 years of age or if under 18, participation is valid with a parent/guardian signature. Only U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents are eligible. All artwork must be original, tasteful, and not reproduced elsewhere. 

Charlottesville Parks & Recreation will select 1 winning poster design that depicts a combination of engaging graphics, informative messaging, and regional or market identity. The winning artist will be awarded $500 and bragging rights. 

Entrance Requirements:

• A high-resolution (300 dpi) PNG/JPG and a PDF of the poster or flyer  

• 2:3 ratio preferred 

• Completed entry form 

• All entries must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET on March 12th, 2023 

All posters will be judged based on their ability to: 

• Clearly identify market information: 

  • When: April - November| Saturdays, 9AM - 1PM  

  • Where: 100 E. Water Street, Charlottesville, VA 

• Engage the audience 

• Represent a diverse market community and share market values 

• Communicate a sense of place: what makes the market unique and what is special to their community 

The deadline for entries is Sunday, March 12th, 2023. You are welcome to submit more than one entry. 

Submission: 

Complete the online form and submit your design HERE. Each file upload must be under 10 MB and be in either a .jpg,.jpeg,gif,.png,.tif,.pdf format. The uploaded file is for use by the judging panel. The winning logo must be available as an .eps, .ai or similar vector format for use in printed materials.   

Need some inspiration? Check out the National Farmers Market Poster Contest entries from 2019

Ownership/Use Rights: 

By entering the contest, artists agree to have their artwork used in whole or part, separately or in conjunction with other artwork, in any medium including (but not by way of limitation) illustration and promotion on Charlottesville Parks & Recreation marketing collateral, websites, advertising, media-kits, posters, banners, tradeshows, and for any other promotion. In the event that ownership of any artwork submitted to Charlottesville Parks & Recreation is contested in any manner, Charlottesville Parks & Recreation retains the discretion to disqualify that artwork and discontinue the use of the artwork.  

The winning artist and the City of Charlottesville hereby mutually agree that the City, its successors and assigns, may use, publish and copyright submitted artistic works, prints or images, and any other reproductions of the artwork submitted, or any part thereof, for advertising, publicity, and for any and all other bona fide commercial purposes whatsoever. Upon payment of the prize money to the successful artist, the artist thereby conveys, transfers and irrevocably assigns to the City all rights, title and interest to the artwork, including but not limited to, its entire and exclusive Copyrights under federal and state copyrights laws, in the United States and all jurisdictions outside the United States, its common law copyrights and all other intellectual property rights associated and subsisting in the artwork. The City shall be the exclusive owner of the artwork and of the Copyright in the artwork from the date of and payment of the award money forward and shall have the exclusive right to secure registration of the copyright in the artwork internationally. The artist, upon receipt of the award money, shall have no rights in the submitted artwork or in the Copyright in the artwork, nor shall there be any reversion of those rights to the artist in the future.

Winner / Financial Compensation:

Judges will select 1 winner. The winner will receive $500 for the selected poster. The winner will be notified approximately 1-2 weeks after the contest deadline by phone and contacted using the information on the entry form. Along with a winner notification, winners will be sent an affidavit of eligibility, release and request for W-9 or tax ID number (reporting is the sole responsibility of the winner). The winner must sign and return this release and the digital files for receipt by Charlottesville Parks & Recreation within 7 days of the date on the winner notification letter. Failure to execute and return this affidavit within 7 days will result in disqualification.  

Judging: 

Entries will be judged on the basis of creativity, quality, and effectiveness in conveying the spirit of the market using engaging graphics, informative messaging, and regional or market identity. A Charlottesville Parks & Recreation panel will judge the entries and all contest decisions are final. Entries that fail to comply with the Official Contest Rules will be disqualified.  Charlottesville Parks & Recreation reserves the right to not select any submissions if the panel feels there is not a viable design.  

Additional Terms and Conditions: 

Charlottesville Parks & Recreation and the City of Charlottesville are not responsible for the computer system, hardware, software, or program malfunctions or other errors, failures, or delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Furthermore, Charlottesville Parks & Recreation is not responsible for: (i) lost, misdirected, misplaced, illegible, unintelligible, incomplete, or late entries or (ii) any act, failure to act, or delay regarding the transmitting or processing of entries. Charlottesville Parks & Recreation reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend all or any portion of this contest without notice if factors beyond Charlottesville Parks & Recreation’s control, including technical difficulties, disruption or corruption of the fair or secure administration or operation of the contest. Void where prohibited. Charlottesville Parks & Recreation is entitled to interpret these rules as needed and its decisions are final. Charlottesville Parks & Recreation reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that it has reason to believe is not the original work of entrant, or does not otherwise meet the contest rules. If a winner is disqualified or determined to be ineligible, an alternate winner will be selected using the same judging process/criteria described above. Alternate winners are subject to all requirements set forth in these Official Rules.  

By participating in the contest, you agree to release and hold harmless Charlottesville Parks & Recreation and the City of Charlottesville and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents, and advertising and promotional agencies from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind resulting from your participation in this contest, including infringement of intellectual property rights. Charlottesville Parks & Recreation, the City of Charlottesville and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents, and advertising and promotional agencies assume no responsibility or liability for any damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind arising in whole or in part from this contest. 

Good Luck and Be Creative!