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This contest will be open for submissions from June 4 to July 30, 2024. 

Online voting will take place on SMC’s website from August 6 – August 13, 2024. 

The final winners will be selected by popular vote and announced on August 16, 2024. 

Winners will be notified on or shortly after August 16, 2024. 

The 2024 Manatee Art Contest is open to all people, regardless of age or nationality. There is no cost to enter. Employees of the Club or their family members are welcome to participate but are not eligible to win. 

Photo submissions of manatee-themed creative endeavors are welcome. Artists are allowed to make multiple submissions. Art in any medium is welcome.

All submissions will be reviewed for appropriateness and in accordance with Save the Manatee Club’s mission and core values. Photos that contain sexually explicit, obscene, violent, or other objectionable or inappropriate content will be deemed ineligible. For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you must be prepared to provide a model release from the subject or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian.

All artwork submitted must be original and created by the submitting artist. AI-generated art will be automatically disqualified. If it is later determined that the artwork is not original and violates copyright laws, the artist is liable for any legal costs incurred by SMC. The originating artist maintains ownership and use rights of their original art.

Entrants whose photos depict other people’s work (such as sculptures, statues, paintings, and other copyrightable works) must credit the original creator in the description and be prepared to provide a release from the rights upon request. When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close-up of another person’s creation.

The contest will have 3 age-based categories and one Professional category open to all ages, each with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. 

Categories are as follows: 

• 10 and under
• 11 to 17
• 18 and up 
• Professional

Images will be displayed on Save the Manatee Club’s social media platforms, both during and after the contest. This art contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with any social media platforms. By submitting art, the artist agrees to allow the Club to use this art free of charge under a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for promotional and educational activities online. Any photograph reproduced will include artist credit. 

Artists will be contacted directly to grant explicit permission for use of their art outside of these online promotional and educational activities. 

Minors will be presumed to have parental permission to participate in the contest. Parental/guardian permission will be requested in the event that art submitted by a minor is later considered for use outside of the art contest. 

To enter, submit a high-resolution image of the artwork through the form on this page. We can accept most standard filetypes, but strongly encourage your submission to be in PDF, JPEG, or PNG format.  To ensure the best quality for online display, we recommend submitting images with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Please do not mail physical art submissions to the Club. If you or someone you know is unable to submit through the online portal, please contact us at contest@savethemanatee.org and we will be happy to review options with you.

Entrants should include a description of their art and disclose the circumstances under which an image was captured. Under no circumstances will violence or violations of the law or Save the Manatee Club’s mission be accepted. 

First-, second-, and third-place winners of each category will receive a prize.

1st Place – $35 Friend Level Manatee Adoption
2nd Place – Save the Manatee Club Official Membership T-shirt
3rd Place – Save the Manatee Club Plush Toy

By entering, entrants agree to be bound by these Contest Rules and Procedures, the Terms and Conditions on Use of Images, and the decisions of the judges, which are final and binding on all matters. This Contest is void where prohibited and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws.

By entering the contest, participants agree to the collection and use of their personal information as described in Save the Manatee Club’s privacy policy, which complies with applicable data protection laws. Participants’ contact information will be used solely for the purposes of administering this contest unless they have opted to receive additional communications from the Club.

Any disputes arising out of or related to the contest will be resolved through good faith negotiations.

Please send an email to contest@savethemanatee.org.