EFD 2016 Rules and Prizes

#EXPIREDFILMDAY2016 WAS MARCH 15!

Note: These rules and prizes are out-of-date now; expect details for Expired Film Day 2017 to be posted shortly after the beginning of the year!

EXPIRED FILM GIVEAWAY

In the days leading up to the Ides of March, we’ll give away a pile of expired film from Daniel J. Schneider and Englewood Camera. All you have to do to qualify for some free film is fill out this quick form! Giveaway submissions will be accepted until Feb. 25; winners will be drawn and notified on Feb. 26 so we can get shipping underway.

Expired Film Day film

Expired film giveaway provided by our sponsors (and friends!) at Englewood Camera. Get a shot at some for yourself!

WIN PRIZES!

After you use your expired film on March 15 (and starting that day) you can submit up to three (3) images to our shared gallery for a chance to win a variety of fun prizes. Make sure to pick your favorite!

Each image you submit needs to have been taken on March 15. There’s little way for us to check up on you (remember, CSI: Miami isn’t real), so you’re on your honor. If you somehow get caught cheating, you’ll forfeit any prizes you may have won, be banned from participation in the future, and basically be the laughingstock of the film community because … really?

Also: don’t process the crap out of your stuff digitally. Removing dust and slight adjustments to exposure and color (consistent with typical darkroom processes) are fine.

Submissions will be open for an entire month — from March 15 through April 15 — so you should have plenty of time to process and scan your film. Winners will be chosen and announced by April 30.

Winning photos will be featured in a gallery here, so check back! All submissions are automatically displayed here once they have been approved.

UPDATE: 2016 Expired Film Day winners have been announced!

Prizes from us

The organizers will select three winning photos for valuable prizes. Awards will be given for the following categories:

  • Wackiest Color Shift
  • Most Obviously Expired Film
  • Best Use of Overexposure

In addition to the directly-awarded prizes above, certain sponsors will also select winning photos using their own criteria and award prizes to winners. (A few details are still being finalized for these prizes, so check back before entering!)

Sponsor prizes:

Schneidan.com
Prize: Mystery goodies from the camera closet!
Criteria: Best day-of tweet: Send the best tweet on March 15 sharing your #ExpiredFilmDay experience. Include a photo of your film, your camera, or your subject, and a short message. I’ll pick my favorite one and get in touch with you. Be sure you include the #ExpiredFilmDay hashtag so I can find your tweets!
ShootFilmCo
Prize: THREE Shoot Film Co. prize packs worth $20 featuring goods from ShootFilmCo.com AND 1 roll of expired film.
Criteria: Winners will be picked on: 1) Most creative use of color; 2) Most unusual composition; and 3) Best choice of subject matter in relation to the theme “expired.”
Old School Photo Lab
Prize: Film and developing goodies!
Criteria: Poppers wants to see your funnest or best pet photos (using expired film)!
EMULSIVE
Prize: TBD
Criteria: “Pusherman Award” — multiply the number of years since the film expired by the number of stops pushed while maintaining a usable result. Highest Pusherman Factor wins. (It’s worth noting that, when shooting expired film, it is common to compensate for age by rating the film at a lower speed; it’s also true that you can shoot it at box speed and compensate through push-processing.)
Let’s Explore Magazine
Prize: Launch issue (Issue 0) of Let’s Explore Magazine, themed Be | Long | Ing
Criteria: “Most Brutal Lines,” which Kilian explains thusly: “Lines in an image will guide you, one way or another. They can draw your attention towards something, or even guide your eye away from something. They can provide a pleasant structure within an image or create tension. They can be glorious in minimal appearance, or bold and right in your face. They don’t have to be actual lines — a line of sight, or a mirroring of color can work just as well — but they are like the building blocks of an image. We’re looking for the most ‘brutal’ form of visual guidance imaginable.”
The Impossible Project
Prize: 3 expired film bags! Winners can choose from SX-70, 600 or Spectra formats.
Criteria: “We want to see photos shot on expired film in which light plays a vital role. It could be strong light that creates vivid contrast. Subtle light that draws attention to a subject. Or something more unexpected: lens flare, or your flash reflecting against a window.”

SPONSORS!

Expired Film Day 2016 is sponsored by:

  • Englewood-Camera-Logo
  • shootfilmco-logo
  • ospl-expired
  • emulsive-mug
  • ex-LEM-green
  • Impossible Project

RULES AND STUFF

You don’t have to buy anything from anyone to join in the fun. In fact, you can participate with just the hashtag. You will have to submit according to the guidelines above for the sweepstakes (the film giveaway) or contest (the prizes part).

Key dates Submissions for the sweepstakes are open from midnight UTC, Feb. 11, 2016, through midnight UTC, Feb. 25, 2016. Submissions for the contest are open from midnight UTC, March 15, 2016, through midnight UTC, April 15, 2016.

Eligibility To be eligible for the contest, you must be a resident of Earth and a photographer. (You’ll also need some expired film. And a camera.) Organizers are exempt unless a sponsor chooses one of our submissions for their contest (we have no control over their choices). Organizers’ families, employees or contractors; sponsors’ families, employees or contractors, and anyone who shares an address with an organizer or sponsor is, unfortunately, prohibited from winning by U.S. laws.

Sweepstakes winner selection Film giveaway winners will be drawn at random from the full pool of submissions.

Contest Judging We’re judging you! The organizers are, that is. We will select, at our sole discretion and by our own interpretations of the criteria, the winners of the directly-awarded contest prizes. Sponsor prizes will be selected at the discretion of them or their assigns, using whatever criteria they choose.

Notification We will try to get in touch by the contact methods (specifically, email) that you provide when submitting. If you don’t get back to us, we’ll be forced to award prizes to runners-up.

Odds and exclusions Your individual odds of winning anything depend entirely on how many people enter. The whole shootin’ match is void where prohibited.

Quick list of dates

There have been some questions about dates. Remember you must shoot your #ExpiredFilmDay photographs on March 15. Here’s a list of all the important dates with explanations:

Feb. 11, 2016: Start of Giveaway entry period.
Feb. 25, 2016: End of Giveaway entry period.
Feb. 26, 2016: Giveaway winners chosen and notified.
March 15, 2016: EXPIRED FILM DAY. Make your expired film photographs!
March 15, 2016: Start of Contest submission period.
April 15, 2016: End of Contest submission period.
April 20, 2016: Contest winners chosen and announced.