This Weekend's Patch Fishing-fest and Photo Contest will be Fish-tastic

Saturday marks the inaugural Ashburn Patch Kids Fishing-fest and Photo Contest, which is shaping up to be quite the affair, complete with prizes, celebrity guests (sort of), and ... balloons! Get the kids out on the water and swing by the Brambleton Community Center to pick up cool free stuff and learn about Patch and how to enter the contest.

One lucky winner will receive a kid's fishing fun pack donated by Ashburn-based Blue Moon Construction.

The Ashburn Patch editor, Dusty Smith, and sports editor, Sean Farrell, will be on hand from 7 a.m. to noon at the . Look for the balloons our green Patch T-shirts. Contest entries may be submitted throughout the weekend.

Patch will have a table setup with free educational materials about fishing courtesy of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF), including coloring books, fish identification pamphlets, and certificates of participation. Balloons will also be available, even though they technically don't have anything to do with fishing.

Stop by Saturday and besides members of the Ashburn Patch staff, meet special guest Blue Moon, the official mascot of Blue Moon Construction (see picture).

Brambleton residents can take the quick walk from the Community Association to one of the nearby ponds to get their fishing on.

Don't have a fishing license? No problem. The contest coincides with Virginia's "Free Fishing Days," so no license is required. Don't know how to fish? Volunteers will be available to help show you the ropes.

Don't have a fishing pole? No problem! As part of the Fishing-fest, we've secured twenty-four fully-rigged fishing poles from the VDGIF, which will be available free of charge on a first come, first served basis at the . We will also have a limited amount of free live bait available for those early birds who "catch the worm."

In addition to the Fishing-fest, the Youth Photo Contest will run all weekend. The contest is simple. Take a kid – 12 years old or younger – fishing on any lake or pond in Ashburn and start snapping photos. The photos don't even need to have fish in them, just shots of the kids having a great time fishing in Ashburn. Then, upload the pictures here [this link will not function until 7 a.m. June 4] or send them to dusty@patch.com.

The grand prize for best photo will be a kid's fishing fun pack donated by Blue Moon Construction, complete with a fishing pole, tackle box and lures. Patch T-shirts will also be awarded to two runners-up.

Ashburn Patch is sponsoring the event as a "catch-and-release" contest. Participants are encouraged to take a photo of any fish caught and release them back to the water. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a fish dinner, but due to the small size of many of the ponds in Ashburn, this contest will focus on creating memories, not meals.

All participants are reminded to check local rules and regulations before fishing in any body of water.

The Ashburn Patch Fishing Photo Contest
Official Rules

No Purchase Required to Enter or Win

 1. Eligibility: The Ashburn Patch Fishing Photo Contest (the “Contest”) is open only to individuals who are legal residents of Ashburn, Virginia and are 18 years of age or older. Employees of Patch Media Corporation, AOL Inc., their advertising or promotion agencies, those involved in the production, development, implementation or handling of Contest, any agents acting for, or on behalf of the above entities, their respective parent companies, officers, directors, subsidiaries, affiliates, licensees, service providers, prize suppliers any other person or entity associated with the Contest (collectively “Contest Entities”) and/or the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members (whether related or not) of each such employee, are not eligible. All U.S., federal, state and local and Canadian federal, provincial, and municipal laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law. 

2. Sponsor: The Contest is sponsored by Patch Media Corporation, 584 Broadway, Suite 1206, New York, NY 10012 (“Sponsor”).

3. Agreement to Official Rules: Participation in the Contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

4. Entry Period: The Contest will begin at 7:00am ET on June 4, 2011, and end at 11:59pm ET on June 5, 2001, (the “Entry Period”). Entries received prior to or after the Entry Period will not be accepted.

5. Entry: To enter the Contest, go to and follow the directions to submit a photo of your child(ren) (age 12 and under only) fishing in Ashburn, VA (the “Submission”).  Limit one (1) entry per person.  The use of any agencies or automated software to submit entries will void all entries submitted by that person.  See Section 11 for additional information regarding submissions. 

6. Judging:  Submissions will be judged by a panel of judges from Patch.com based on the following criteria (the “Judging Criteria”): “The photos that best memorialize a child(s) having a great time fishing in Ashburn will be deemed the winners.  To be eligible, the child must be 12 years old or younger.  All photos must be taken in Ashburn. In the event of a tie, the entries involved in the tie are subject to review by an additional judge who will serve as a tiebreaker and who will evaluate entries according to criteria listed above.  The Submission with the highest score will be deemed the potential Grand Prize Winner.  Decisions of judges are final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest. 

7. Requirements of the Potential Winners: Except where prohibited, the potential winners may be required to complete and return an affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release (the “Affidavit/Release”) within seven (7) days of being notified. If a potential winner fails to sign and return the Affidavit/Release within the required time period, an alternate entrant may be selected.

8. Prizes: One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a kids fishing kit with pole, tackle box, lures and a Patch t-shirt.  Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of Grand Prize is $50.  Two (2) First Prize Winners will each receive a Patch t-shirt (ARV: $10).

No cash or other substitution may be made, except by the Sponsor, who reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the prize is not available for any reason as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion. The winners are responsible for any taxes and fees associated with receipt or use of a prize.

9. General Conditions: In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, or other technical problem, the Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules; or (b) award the prizes at random from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. The Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. In case of a dispute as to the owner of an entry, entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized account holder of the screen name from which the entry is made. The authorized account holder is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

10. Release and Limitations of Liability: By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Contest Entities from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (b) technical errors related to computers, servers, providers, or telephone or network lines; (c) printing errors; (d) lost, late, postage-due, misdirected, or undeliverable mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or receipt of any prize. Entrant further agrees that in any cause of action, the Contest Entities’ liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest, and in no event shall the Contest Entities be liable for attorney’s fees. Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

11. License to Use Submissions: Sponsor shall have the right to disqualify any entries that they deem to be obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, lewd, derogatory, inappropriate, or otherwise not in good taste, as determined by the Sponsor in its discretion. Submissions must be 100% your original work, that is, portraits or other photographs of your child(ren) taken by a professional photographer unrelated to you, where the photographer retains ownership of the photographs, are specifically prohibited from entry unless you have written permission from the photographer.  Submissions must not contain any third party material or content (including but not limited to any company logos or trademarks, photographs, likenesses, film or video clips, music, or any other copyrighted or trademarked content) for which you have not been granted specific written permission for this use by the copyright or trademark rights holder. You grant to the Sponsor and its designees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, edit, market, store, distribute, have distributed, publicly and privately display, communicate, publicly and privately perform, transmit, have transmitted, create derivative works based upon, and promote your image, biographic information, and comments, or, as applicable, your child’s or childrens’ image(s), biographic information, and comments (collectively, the "Submission") in connection with the Contest and such other products or services as the Sponsor may designate in any medium now known or hereafter devised for editorial, commercial, promotional and/or any other purpose. In addition, the Sponsor shall have the right to reproduce and distribute your Submission for promotional purposes in broadcast, print and or other media as the Sponsor may determine in their sole discretion. You retain ownership of all right, title, and interest in and to your Submission. You agree that the Sponsor owns all right, title, and interest in any compilation, collective work, or other derivative work created by the Sponsor using or incorporating your Submission. You hereby grant to the Sponsor the right to edit any of your Submission, in whole or in part. In addition, you hereby grant to the Sponsor and their designees the right to use any edited Submission, or parts of a Submission, without your approval and waive any right to inspect or approve uses of the Submission prior to or following publication and any right to compensation for the Submission. All elements of your Submission must be your original work and must be owned by you, and you must have the right to grant any and all necessary rights and licenses, including without limitation, all necessary copyright and other related rights to all of the materials, free and clear of all claims and encumbrances without violating the rights of any person or entity, including any right to privacy or publicity. Your Submission should not include the likeness of a third party, unless permission of said third party has been given, or contain elements not owned by you (including but not limited to trademarks or logos). By submitting your Submission, you agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of your Submission or your participation in any phase of this Contest.  By submitting your Submission, you further warrant and represent that: (i) you are the parent or guardian of any minor child(ren) seen in the Submission; or (ii) have obtained written consent from the parent or guardian of such minor child(ren) to include the minor children in the Submission and to grant to Sponsor all rights granted herein, and will be able to provide these permissions to Sponsor upon Sponsor’s written request.

12. Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrant’s rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth of Virginia.

13. Contest Results: To request the name of the Grand Prize Winner, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Ashburn Photo Contest, 43010 Chesterton St, Ashburn, VA 20147.  Requests must be received by June 30, 2011.