The Council of Virginia Archaeologists invites its members to participate in the fourth annual CoVA Public Outreach Committee Archaeological Photo Contest. Winning images will be displayed on CoVA's website and social media sites. Submissions are open from October 1-14. All entries must be submitted by a CoVA member in good standing or must be sponsored by a CoVA member in good standing. Voting is open to anyone; CoVA membership is not required to vote in the contest.

Categories

1. Archaeological Landscapes/Site Overview
2. Archaeological Field Work in Progress
3. Archaeological Lab Work in Progress
4. Artifact
5. Public Outreach
6. Vintage (taken prior to 2000; includes excavation and lab/artifacts)
7. Graphics, Maps, and Visualizations

Entry Specifications

Submissions should be at least 300 DPI and in .jpg format

General Conditions of Entry 

1. The competition is open to all CoVA members (dues must be up to date).
2. In the event a non-CoVA member wants to participate, they must be sponsored by a CoVA member in good standing.
3. The subject may be terrestrial or underwater.
4. Subjects have to be related to Virginia Archaeology.
5. Permission to reproduce, display, or use any entry for the promotional purposes of CoVA will be assumed. No entry will be sold.
6. Individuals/groups may only submit one image per category.
7. Individuals/groups may submit in as many categories as they wish.
8. Except for the Artifact and Graphics/Maps/Visualization categories, no composed shots (including publication layouts and 3D images) are permitted.
9. There is no restriction on the prior publication of the photograph providing the entrant holds copyright or exhibition rights and posting to CoVA's web site is permitted.
10. All pictures must be taken in the past five years, except for the vintage category, which has to have been taken before 2000 .
11. Entrants must obtain all appropriate permissions prior to submission of photographs. CoVA assumes no responsibility for ensuring that appropriate permissions are obtained.
12. Images of human remains or grave goods will not be considered.

Schedule

October 1-14 Submissions open at https://www.cova-inc.org/photo-contest

October 17-23 Voting for all categories

October 24-30 Category winners voting for Grand Prize

Voting

1. The first round of voting will be held between October 17-23, 2022. Category winner will be announced on October 24. These winning entries will be displayed on CoVA's website and social media sites throughout the next year.
2. Category winners will automatically be placed in a runoff and compete for the Grand Prize, with voting open between October 24 and 30.
3. Entrants cannot claim the same category or the overall prize for the competition for two consecutive years.
4. Voters are allowed one vote per day per platform. Voting is tracked by cookies and relies on the honor system. Attempts to subvert the voting limit will be removed and entrants may be publicly shamed.
5. The winning entry for the Grand Prize round will have the option to enter into the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology's annual Archaeological Photo Festival held at this year’s Society for Historical Archaeology’s virtual conference as the official CoVA entry.
6. The overall winning entry will be printed and posted at DHR.