River Reels Rules & Guidelines

Failure to adhere to the following conditions and requirements will result in disqualification.

• Submissions will only be accepted by entrants who are currently enrolled in a middle school or high school in Duval County (including homeschoolers) or a college or university and reside in Duval County.
• All entries must be the original creation of the entrant(s).
• Entrants must not break any laws, endanger anyone, cause damage to the personal property of others, or cause injury to any animals and/or the environment in the process of creating the video.
• Entries cannot contain content that is vulgar, malicious, violent, or offensive to others.
• Entries must not infringe on the copyright, trademark or other rights of any individual, business or organization. Any copyrighted material or music cannot be used without written permission or acknowledgement.
• By submitting a video, all entrants grant St. Johns Riverkeeper and its authorized agents a non‐exclusive license to reproduce, prepare derivative works, and/or publicly display or distribute your work via email, social media, website, or events.
• All submissions must meet the minimum technical requirements, include all required forms, and be postmarked by Midnight, October 31, 2025.

A panel of judges will select one winner from each category. The winner of each category will receive $500. Winners will be announced by November 14, 2025.

The judges will take into consideration the following criteria when selecting the winner*:

• Message and impact: communicates the connection between litter and the health of the St. Johns River, and demonstrates accurate understanding of the issue.
• Creativity: presents the topic in a unique, engaging, or thought-provoking way.
• Clarity: video is easy to understand and well-organized with appropriate language and tone for the audience.
• Call to action/Solution: presents positive actions students and communities can take to reduce litter in our waterways.

*Entrants will receive more consideration from the judges for these criteria than for the technical attributes of their entries.

Entrants agree to be bound by the official River Reels Video Contest (“Contest”) rules and the decisions of the judges. The winner will be notified by phone or e-mail. If the winner cannot be reached or if a participating entrant cannot accept the prize, an alternate winner will be selected by the Contest coordinators based on the judging criteria outlined in these official contest rules. No substitution or transfer of prizes is permitted. All taxes, fees, and surcharges on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. If the winner is considered a minor by state law, the prize will be awarded to a parent or legal guardian, who shall also be bound by these rules.

Ownership of the underlying intellectual property of the project remains with the entrant, with the following exceptions:

• The winner and all entrants in the Contest grant permission to St. Johns Riverkeeper or its authorized agents, the right to print, publish, broadcast and use worldwide in any media and at any time the entrant’s name, picture, image, likeness, biographical information, statements, quotes, testimonials, and the name of the entrant’s school and district name without further compensation to entrant.
• Entrants also grant St. Johns Riverkeeper, or its authorized agents, to use, reproduce, reprint, distribute, perform, and/or display, and exhibit, at any time, in any form or by any means, the entrant’s project video or any portion thereof without review or without further compensation to entrant.
• St. Johns Riverkeeper or its authorized agents, maintain the right to reproduce, reprint, distribute, perform, display, and exhibit at any time any program or derivative works that are developed using material and images associated with the Contest.

All entrants assume all liability for any injury or damage caused, or claimed to be caused, from participation in this Contest or use/redemption of any prize. Entrants agree to hold St. Johns Riverkeeper, and its respective directors, officers, employees, and assigns harmless against any and all claims and liability arising out of participation in this Contest or use of any prizes.

St. Johns Riverkeeper or its authorized agents, are not responsible for any typographical, technical, or other error in the printing, advertising or communications relating to the Contest, administration of the contest, or announcement of the prizes. St. Johns Riverkeeper or its authorized agents are not responsible for cheating or fraud by any entrants. Any activities intended to disrupt or interfere with the proper play of the Contest, or defraud sponsors in any way will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.