NC Nature Break Contest 

Announcing our Contest Winners! 

Thank you to everyone who shared their breathtaking work in our first ever Nature Break Contest. We’re blown away by the number of submissions (596 in total!) and the artistry you showed in celebrating the natural beauty of North Carolina. Your work reminded us to get outside and enjoy all that our state has to offer, from beaches and forests to wildlife and landscapes.

These six entries rose to the top with their wonderful footage and exquisite storytelling. Congratulations to the winners and everyone who participated! 

PBS North Carolina is proud to partner with these funding sponsors:

This contest has concluded. No additional entries will be accepted at this time.

Submit a short nature video and you could win prizes and see your video on PBS North Carolina

Nature lovers, time to stop and smell the roses. Our first ever NC Nature Break Contest is happening NOW! Submit a short video of a moment in nature for your chance to win a $3,000 grand prize. No professional experience needed. Just head to your favorite nature spot in North Carolina and film what moves you—a dewy flower on a hiking trail, an Outer Banks sunset or maybe a critter in your own backyard. 

Submit your best NC nature moments by May 31, 2022. See full contest rules below.

About the NC Nature Break Contest

The PBS NC "Nature Break Contest" sponsored by NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources will be a user-generated submission contest. Participants are encouraged to submit a short nature videos (water, mountains, greenery, animals, flowers, etc.) for a chance to win prizes and have their video showcased on PBS NC.  

PBS North Carolina will award the following prizes:

• Grand Prize winner will receive $3,000 USD
• 2nd Place winner will receive $2,000 USD
• 3rd Place winner will receive $1,000 USD
• Up to five honorable mentions will receive PBS NC logo items
• All winners will receive a mention on PBS North Carolina’s television channel and digital presences.

Contest Rules

Questions and inquiries about contest rules can be emailed to videocontest@pbsnc.org.  

Eligibility

The PBS North Carolina “Nature Breaks” Video Contest (“Video Contest”) is open to all who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry. Trustees, Board Members, Employees, interns, or partners of PBS North Carolina, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of those employees, are not eligible to enter. 

By submitting an entry to the Video Contest, entrants certify that their participation in this Video Contest is not illegal or in violation of any law, regulation, treaty or administrative act, and that the laws of their governing jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry do not prohibit or restrict the receipt of any Prize under this Video Contest. 

Reservation of Rights

PBS North Carolina (“PBS NC” or “Sponsor”) reserves the right to reject any entry if, in PBS NC’s sole discretion, the laws of an applicable jurisdiction, including but not limited to the entrant’s jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry, would prohibit or limit PBS NC from proceeding with the Contest as intended or the consideration or awarding of any Prize would impose additional administrative, tax, operational, or legal burdens on PBS NC.  

Furthermore, individuals residing in any “Excluded Jurisdiction” are ineligible to enter the Video Contest. Excluded Jurisdiction means any country listed on the US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Active Sanctions Programs list: https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/. 

Sponsor

PBS North Carolina’s 2022 Video Contest is sponsored by PBS North Carolina located at 10 UNC-TV Drive, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709.  

Partner 

PBS North Carolina’s 2022 Video Contest is developed in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources located at 109 East Jones Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601. 

Entry Period 

The Video Contest begins at 12am EST on April 22, 2022, and ends at 11:59pm EST on May 31, 2022 (the “Entry Period”). Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the Video Contest. 

What to Enter

Videos will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. 

To ensure functionality on our submission platform, please submit files no larger than 250 MB at the time of entry. Files should reflect 16:9 aspect ratio and at least 1080p.  

All videos should feature wildlife, landscapes, or locations in North Carolina. Videos should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Videos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization (cropping, reasonable adjustments to exposure, color and contrast, etc.) will be disqualified. 

Entries must be submitted electronically in a .mp4 or .mov format. HD video is acceptable.  

Previously published material for which non-exclusive rights were granted may be entered as long as you maintain the right to grant us a license (see "Your Rights" below). You must be able to disclose when and where the video appeared previously to PBS NC upon request. 

If you choose to include people in your submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary releases from the individuals depicted, and must be able to provide copies of those releases to PBS NC upon request. 

PBS NC will not accept watermarked submissions. 

The following submissions are ineligible: 

• Videos of captive animals photographed in zoos and commercial game farms.
• Videos that violate or infringe upon another person's rights, including but not limited to copyright and videos of persons without the necessary consent required by law in your jurisdiction. PBS NC reserves the right to require entrants to submit evidence of the subject’s legal consent to be filmed for the submitted video, which may include a signed waiver from the subject or the subject’s legal guardian or representative. NOTE: Waiver requirements vary by jurisdiction, and the entrant is responsible for obtaining a legally enforceable waiver from any filmed subject.
• Videos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content.
• Videos that involve the willful harassment of wildlife.
• Videos taken that cause or caused damage to the environment by the videographer; this includes taking videos from areas where human presence is restricted by authorities or relevant property managers.
• Videos that involve putting any individual or animal in danger.

PBS NC shall determine entry eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion. 

How to Enter

All videos must be submitted though our video submission website. Videos that are sent via mail or email will not be accepted. If possible, please embed the videographer’s name and caption information in the video’s metadata. 

The entry forms contain required fields for information about the video and contact information for the entrant, including an email address. 

Entrants will be asked to provide the following information in the contest entry process: 

• Title of the video
• Caption: Describe what we see, where it was taken and the story behind the video
• County in North Carolina where video was filmed

You may enter an unlimited number of videos, but you may not use an agency or automated system to enter. 

Sponsor reserves the right to reject any additional entries or entries that do not comply with these Official Rules. By entering, you indicate your unconditional agreement to, and acceptance of, these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding. You cannot win a prize unless you comply with all requirements in these Official Rules. 

Entrants may be asked to supplement their submission with more explanation about the video or to provide a higher resolution version of the video anytime during the contest period. 

Judging

Judging will be conducted by a panel to be selected by the Sponsor at its sole discretion (the “Panel”). Videos will be judged by the Panel on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, artistic merit and subject matter relevance to PBS NC’s partnership with North Carolina Department of Cultural and Natural Resources on furthering the mission of the PATH Initiative.  

The Panel will evaluate all valid entries and make selections into a group of Judges’ Favorite Videos (“Judges’ Favorites”). All winners will be selected from the Judges Favorites. Winners will be selected by 11:59pm EST June 15, 2022. All judging decisions are final. Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging. 

Results

All winners will be announced on pbsnc.org/nature-contestby 11:59pm EST on June 30, 2022. PBS will notify the winners via the contact information provided at the time of entry. 

To request a winners list by mail, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your request to PBS North Carolina, Video Contest, 10 UNC-TV Drive. Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Requests must be received by July 31, 2022. 

Prizes 

All winners will receive mention on PBS North Carolina’s television channel and digital presences. In addition, PBS North Carolina will award the following prizes: 

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive: 

• $3,000 USD

One (1) 2nd Place winner will receive: 

• $2,000 USD

One (1) 3rd Place winner will receive: 

• $1,000 USD

 Up to Five (5) Honorable Mentions will receive: 

• PBS NC logo items

To the maximum extent permissible by law, all winners are responsible for paying any taxes and any and all other costs and expenses associated with claiming the awards, including but not limited to customs fees, taxes, and any other administrative costs, if applicable. If the prize value equals or exceeds $600, prior to the award of any prize the winner will need to complete, sign and return an IRS W-9 form and/or any applicable tax forms for awarding the prize in the winner’s jurisdiction. Any prize details not specified above will be determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. A prize may not be transferred and must be accepted as awarded. A winner may not request additional cash or a substitute prize; however, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute the prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the prize is not available for any reason, as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. 

Potential Winner Requirements 

Except where prohibited, a potential winner may be required to complete and return an affidavit of eligibility, including proof of age and liability/publicity release within 10 calendar days. If a potential winner fails to return these documents on time, an alternate potential winner may be selected in his/her place. 

Your Rights 

Your videos help PBS NC celebrate North Carolina’s amazing diversity of wildlife, plants and habitats. Thank you for helping to further our mission through your videography. 

You will retain all rights to any video you submit—including ownership if applicable. 

If you submit a video to the Video Contest, you grant PBS NC and its related entities such as affiliates and subsidiaries, and any and all third parties that PBS NC decides to provide the video to in its sole and absolute discretion, a royalty-free, non-exclusive right in perpetuity to: 

• Show the video on PBS NC’s four broadcast channels including PBS NC, Explorer, Rootle, and North Carolina Channel and all PBS stations and affiliates.
• Display the video on pbsnc.org and video.pbsnc.org and potential third-party digital platforms including but not limited to the Video Contest submission webpage.
• Allowing third-parties, including but not limited to media partners and individuals, to share the video on social media.
• Use the video on the Internet and in social media in support of our mission.
• Use of video footage to create still images across PBS NC’s digital platforms.
• Use of the video in PBS North Carolina and related entities’ internal and external communications materials including but not limited to web sites and web publications, fact sheets, fund raising publications, advertising, multimedia, presentation and membership services, annual report, newsletters, and Centerpiece magazine.
• Providing your video to other individuals and organizations for PBS NC and related entities’-related use in news stories, social media, newsletters, reports, slide shows, displays, web pages, videos, membership premiums, and the like.
• Use of, in connection with the Video Contest, your name, city, and state of residence in promotions and other publications.
• Retaining a digital copy of your video that will be archived in the PBS NC video library and accessible to PBS NC and related entities’ staff via PBS NC’s internal video archive.

PBS NC will endeavor to credit all videos with the credit "Person's Name" when the full name is available. 

General Conditions

In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Video Contest is impaired in any way, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Video Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Video Contest; or (b) award the prize(s) from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify and seek damages from any individual who tampers with the operation of the Video Contest, violates these Contest Rules, or acts in a disruptive or unsportsmanlike manner. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Contest Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Proof of sending any communication to Sponsor by mail shall not be deemed proof of receipt of that communication by Sponsor. In the event of a dispute as to the owner of an online entry, the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter will be deemed to be the owner. The Video Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited. 

Release and Limitations of Liability

By entering, to the maximum extent permissible by law, you agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, their respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Video Contest, use of the video or associated data (including personal data), or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Video Contest; (b) technical errors; (c) printing errors; (d) late or undelivered mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Video Contest; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property. You waive the right to claim any attorneys’ fees and any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages. 

E-Newsletter Subscriber

When you enter, there will be an opt-in to become a subscriber to PBS NC emails. This includes special event invitations and e-newsletters. You may cancel and unsubscribe at any time following the unsubscribe instructions provided via those channels. 

Privacy and Publicity

Any information you submit as part of the Video Contest will be used in accordance with Sponsor’s Online Policy. By submitting such information, you expressly consent to the PBS NC’s Privacy Policy. The information you provide when you enter is provided to Sponsor. Except where prohibited, you consent to Sponsor’s use of your name in any list of winners (if applicable) and/or for promotional purposes in any media without further payment or consideration. 

Disputes

You agree that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Video Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in North Carolina. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Contest Rules, your rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of Sponsor in connection with the Video Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of North Carolina, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of North Carolina or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than North Carolina.  

Questions

Questions and inquiries about contest rules can be emailed to videocontest@pbsnc.org