2027 Calendar Photo Contest

Official Rules

1. Eligibility: The Centra Sota Photo Contest (the “Contest”) is open to all Centra Sota social media followers. Employees of Centra Sota Cooperative and their immediate family members are eligible to participate. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.

   
   

2. Contest Period: The Contest begins on May 15, 2026, and ends at 11:59 PM CST on Monday, August 31, 2026 (the “Entry Period”). Entries submitted after the Entry Period will not be considered.

   
   

3. Photo Themes & Requirements: We are looking for high-quality images that celebrate:

   • Farm Life: Crops, livestock, farm machinery, and daily farm operations.

   • Nature: Landscapes, wildlife, and seasonal beauty of Central Minnesota.

   • Community: Local events, heritage, and the rural lifestyle.

     
     

4. Technical Requirements:

   • Orientation: Horizontal (landscape) orientation is required for the calendar format.

   • Quality: Photos must be high-resolution (at least 300 DPI or a file size of 2MB or larger) to ensure quality printing.

   • Originality: Entries must be the original work of the entrant, not produced by artificial intelligence, and must not infringe on the intellectual property rights of any third party.

     
     

5. How to Enter: Only one entry per person. Entrant may submit photo via:

   • Social Media: Commenting on Centra Sota’s 2027 calendar contest social media posts and attaching submission photo.

   • Email: Sending the photo to kmiller@centrasota.com with the subject line "2027 Calendar Entry."

     
     

Note: Entrants must be able to provide the original high-resolution file via email if selected as a winner.

6. Selection & Judging: All eligible, appropriate, and unoffending photos entered will be posted on Centra Sota’s social media pages for public voting.  The 20 photos with the most “likes” will then be judged by a Centra Sota committee based on:

   • Relevance to the theme.

   • Composition and lighting.

   • Suitability for large-scale printing.

A total of thirteen (13) winners will be selected (12 monthly features and 1 cover photo).

Winners will be announced on or about October 1, 2026.

7. Prizes: Each of the 13 winners will receive:

   • Their photo featured in the 2027 Centra Sota Calendar with a photo credit.

   • A $50 Centra Sota Gift Certificate. 

   • A complimentary copy of the finished calendar.

     
     

8. Usage Rights & Release: By entering the Contest, you grant Centra Sota Cooperative a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, reproduce, and publish the submitted photos in the 2027 calendar, on social media, on the cooperative’s website, and in other marketing materials. The photographer retains the copyright to their work.

If your photo contains identifiable people, you must have their permission to share the image for commercial use.

9. Social Media Disclaimer: This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook or Instagram.