Give Us Your Best Shot

Golden Valley Electric Association is again offering members the chance to have their photos featured on the cover of the Ruralite magazine. Over 32,000 copies are distributed each month offering great exposure for local photographers – professionals and amateurs. Send us your best shots and your photo could be selected to appear on a future 2010 cover of this magazine.

Contest Details

• Winners will be chosen by an independent judge.
• Final decisions will be made on April 1, 2010.
• Winning photos will be featured on the cover of Ruralite magazine for one issue in 2010, at our Annual Members' Meeting on April 27 and on www.gvea.com. Winners will receive $100 per winning photo.
• Photos will not be returned.
• GVEA retains the right to use winning photos in additional media including print and web. Photo credit will be given.

Required Forms

• Application Form
• Permission Form

Contest Rules

• Photographers must be GVEA members or family members - GVEA employees and immediate family members are not eligible to participate.
• Photos must be from within GVEA's service area.
• Content can include scenery, community events and community residents enjoying local activities. Photos from all seasons will be considered.
• Only vertical photos are eligible to win the cover photo contest.
• Maximum submission of six photos per contestant.
• Each photo submission must include a digital and printed copy at 8x10 inches. Digital file must have a resolution of 300 dpi at 8x10 inches.
• Each submission must include the photographer's name, location of the photos and photo titles.
• Photographer submissions must include permission form.
• Deadline to submit photos is March 15, 2010.
• Photos must be mailed or delivered to GVEA's Fairbanks office:
  Ruralite Cover Photo Contest
  Golden Valley Electric Assn.
  PO Box 71249
  Fairbanks AK 99707-1249

Cover Photo Tips
from a Pro

Here are some tips from professional photographer and assistant Ruralite editor Mike Teegarden. Follow his tips when taking and submitting photos for GVEA’s Ruralite Cover Photo Contest.

• Shoot vertical photos. The magazine cover is a vertical format and requires a vertical photo. Cropping horizontal photos often yields a poor quality image at the magnification required for a cover.


• Successful cover photo submissions take into account the Ruralite flag location at the top of the page.


• Try new angles. Get up high or down low for a different vantage point on your subject. Make us see something in a new and different way.


• Use shallow focus (depth of field) to make the photo subject stand out from the background. By selecting a large aperture (small number), you can make the background more out of focus and less distracting.


• Find the light. Great photos are made even better by dramatic light. Shoot when the sun is low in the sky.

Mike has been the independent judge for Golden Valley’s 2008 and 2009 photo contests and has volunteered to judge this year’s Ruralite Cover Photo Contest as well.