March 3, 2009 – As part of the Department of Tourism's overall Web redesign and rebranding initiative, it has launched a resident-only photo contest inviting Virgin Islanders to share their favorite shots of the U.S. Virgin Islands for a chance to win up to $2,000. The DOT will be creating a special collection of these images that best capture the essence of the V.I. to be used for marketing to potential visitors in 2009.
Many residents have already submitted photos, and the DOT invites you to not only view these images in the gallery but to also register and upload your own photos.
"There is so much talent in our own backyard that we wanted to create a special
Adults 18 and over have the opportunity to submit up to five photos win the grand prize of $2,000 cash or the runner-up prize of a digital camera valued at $500. This contest features five different categories to share the beauty and flavor of the Virgin Islands. The categories and descriptions are as follows:
Romance: Whether a photo of a sweet picnic for two or a special moment at sunset, share your most romantic snapshots set against a distinctly U.S. Virgin Islands backdrop.
Visiting for Business: Many people come to the V.I. for business travel, so show us your best examples of conferences, meetings, banquets, people working on the beach and any other business travel-related scene.
Activities and Adventure: Share your photos of activities showing diving, sailing, snorkeling, parasailing, sand castle building, eco-tourism or just about any other activity.
Culture and Heritage: Show off your favorite shot reflecting the heritage and culture of our people. From Carnival and Festival shots to images of historical sites and local food, we want you to capture the essence of our unique heritage.
From My View: Here's your chance to show us what you feel is special about our home. This may be your favorite spot or a special vista, and if you have a photo that doesn't fit into any of the other categories, add it here.
Young Virgin Islanders, ages 17 and under, can also be a part of the fun and compete for savings bonds worth $2,000 ($1,000 present cash value). The entrants from each of the following age categories with the highest number of votes per category will win a savings bond: ages 5-10, ages 11-13 and ages 14-17. Participants in these age categories must have parental consent to participate.
To enter, participants must visit www.sharemyusvi.com and follow the directions to create a login and enter the contest. Submissions must include a 25-word or less statement describing what is special about the photo and where it was taken, and entered photographs must be 2MB or less and at least 150 dpi, in either .jpeg, .gif or .png file format. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. on March 31.
A panel of expert judges from Caribbean Travel + Life, Travel Weekly and Black Enterprise magazine will select the finalists by April 17. The community will then have the opportunity to select the final winners in a public, online vote from April 20 – May 17. During this time period, residents can log on to www.sharemyusvi.com, and place one vote per category in both the ages 18-and-over contest and the ages 17-and-under contest (eight votes total). The photos with the highest number of votes will win.
The contest is only open to amateur photographers at this time. For additional rules and details of the contest, visit www.sharemyusvi.com. Status updates on the contest, along with reminders to vote and submit, can be found in the Commissioner's Column on. www.VisitUSVI.com
