Capture CoMo Budget Photo Contest

The department will select photos to be used in the fiscal year 2026 budget. Anyone 18 years and older can submit photos via email to Budget-contest@CoMo.gov along with a completed submission form. Photographs must be submitted by 5 p.m. on May 16, 2025. Additionally, three finalists will receive a framed version of their photograph that will be included in the budget at a City Council meeting. Photographers of the selected photos will be contacted by phone or email.

The City of Columbia will be conducting a photo contest where the selected photos will be highlighted in the FY 2026 City of Columbia Budget. The photographers of the top three images will be presented with framed copies of their selected photos. Our mission is to encourage community involvement in the budget process. Participants may submit photographs taken of landscapes, cityscapes, artwork, or landmarks that are unique to Columbia and the Greater Columbia community. Individuals submitting an entry must be 18 years or older, and reside in the state of Missouri. No purchase is necessary, and void where prohibited by law. There is no entry fee to participate. The contest sponsor is the City of Columbia, Missouri, 701 E. Broadway, Columbia, Missouri 65205.Enter by emailing your photo and a completed entry form to the Finance Budget Office at: budget-contest@como.gov. All entries must be received by 5 p.m. May 16, 2025.By entering the contest, you represent that you own all legal rights to the photograph(s) submitted and that you grant the City of Columbia an irrevocable license to use, display, publish, and reproduce the photograph or digital image on paper, digitally, and online for any purpose whatsoever. All photographers must sign their entry form, constituting an agreement with the City of Columbia. Official entry forms are available online at the link provided above or at 701 E. Broadway, Columbia, Missouri 65205 through May 16, 2025, during normal working hours. Entries must include a completed entry form with signature and a photograph of a landscape, cityscape, artwork, or other landmark that can be found in Columbia, Missouri. Entries containing low resolution, blurry, or poor-quality images (such as obstructions or distortions), or photos that are inappropriate in any way, may be rejected at the City’s sole discretion. The City reserves the right to reject any entry that is incomplete or does not appear to comply with all contest rules. Electronic files containing the photos submitted will not be returned. This contest will be conducted as follows: From April 1, 2025, through May 16, 2025, photo entries will be accepted via email. From May 17, 2025, through May 19, 2025, the City of Columbia Finance Department, based on designated objective selection criteria, will determine the 12 finalists. Objective criteria for selecting the top photos include: Aesthetic Composition, Picture Clarity and Quality, Promotion of the City of Columbia.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite entries from May 20 to May 22, 2025, on the City’s Facebook page. The 12 selected entries will be featured in a photo gallery, where the images with the highest number of reactions will advance. This process will continue until only the top three images remain, which will be used in the FY26 budget. Photographers of the final three selections will be notified via email or phone. A list of the selected photographers will be available on the City of Columbia website at CoMo.gov/finance/budget-photo-contest. Prizes while no cash prizes will be awarded, the photographers of the top three entries will each receive a framed version of their image, which will be included in the fiscal year 2026 budget. The photographs will also be showcased online, at City Hall, and throughout the community as part of the City of Columbia's promotional efforts. Public Records Notice Please note that all entries are public records and are subject to Sunshine Law requests. The City of Columbia will not publish the submitting photographer's address or other identifying details, except for their first and last name. Legal and Eligibility Information The City of Columbia, along with any affiliates, sponsors, and their respective directors, officers, employees, and agents, will not be held liable for any claims made by contest winners or participants. This contest is not open to advertising or promotional agencies. No company names or logos (other than the City of Columbia logo) may be included in any photograph. By submitting a photo with a completed entry form, you certify that you are the original photographer and grant the rights outlined in the following paragraph. Except as specifically provided herein, by entering the contest, you hereby grant to the City of Columbia, its licensees, distributors, agents, representatives, and other authorized users a perpetual, nonexclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, sub-licensable, and transferrable (in whole or in part) worldwide license under all copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, privacy and publicity rights, and other intellectual property rights you own or control to use, reproduce, transmit, display, exhibit, distribute, index, comment on, modify, create derivative works based upon, perform and otherwise exploit your entry (including without limitation the photograph) in whole or in part, in all media formats and channels now known or hereafter devised for any and all purposes, including entertainment, news, advertising, promotional, marketing, publicity, trade, or commercial purposes, all without further notice to you, with or without attribution, and without the requirement of permission from or payment to you or to any other person or entity. Nothing herein in any way obligates the sponsor to use any materials submitted, except for the winning photos and those deemed necessary by the City of Columbia, Missouri.