Official Rules for the AARP Foundation Annual Calendar Contest

Entry Terms and Conditions

Entry Procedures: The theme for the 2027 calendar will be “Everyday Wonders.” Artists are requested to submit one to three images with original captions that depict the contest theme. You must take the following steps to enter the Contest:

1.    Take or select a previously taken photograph that depicts “Everyday Wonders” and include a written description.

2.    Fill out the online entry form: Between March 2, 2026 – April 20, 2026, visit [insert working URL] to complete the entry form and to upload and your Contest photo(s). 

3.    Submit your completed official Contest entry form. Each photo entered requires a separate entry form, limited to three (3) per Entrant.

All entries must be submitted through the Contest online entry form by 11:59 pm Eastern Time, April 20, 2026.

Original Work Only: Each photograph submitted by an Entrant in the Contest must be the Entrant’s own original work and must have not been previously published in any format, and Entrant must be the sole owner of all rights in, or otherwise have the right to license, the photograph to AARP Foundation.

Final Prize Determination: Administrator will not return any entry materials. Administrator will not be responsible for incomplete, illegible, unviewable, lost, or late entries, all of which will be disqualified. Administrator reserves the right to disqualify any entries by persons determined by Administrator in its sole discretion to be tampering with or abusing any aspect of the Contest or determined to be ineligible for any reason.  Administrator further reserves the right to disqualify any entry that is alleged to infringe on any third-party’s intellectual property or other rights, or that Administrator deems to be, in its sole discretion, obscene, offensive or otherwise inappropriate for viewing by a general audience.

Odds of Winning: The odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entry forms received and the respective judging and scoring of Entrants’ submissions.

Purchase / Payment Not Required: Individuals do not need to make any purchase or payment in order to enter and/or win the Contest. Making a purchase or payment will not increase an Entrant’s odds of winning.

Contest Prizes

Depending on the final design of the AARP Foundation 2027 calendar, Administrator will select a minimum of fifteen (15) and a maximum of seventeen (17) winners in the Contest. Each individual Entrant may have only one (1) photograph selected for the calendar. A photograph of each winner’s submission will be published in the AARP Foundation 2027 calendar. Entrants selected as winners will not receive any cash or other prizes in this Contest except for the publication of their winning entries as described in these Official Rules.

Photograph Specifications and Permission to Use Entry

Photograph Specifications: Each photograph must be in digital format between 8 - 20 megapixels (minimum 2550 x 3300 pixels). No print or film submissions will be accepted for entry into this Contest.  All photographs must be high resolution (300dpi - 600dpi) JPEG or .jpg. Please note that photographs need not be taken with a digital camera: scans of negatives or transparencies are acceptable. Photographs that fail to meet these specifications will automatically be disqualified.

Permission to Use Entry Photography: By entering the Contest, each Entrant agrees that Administrator and its licensees may publish his or her captioned photograph in the AARP Foundation 2027 calendar and exhibit, copy, publish, make derivative works from or otherwise use his or her entry photograph and other entry materials for any purpose, in any media now known or later developed, in perpetuity, without limitation or additional permission or compensation, except where prohibited by law. Each Entrant also agrees that Administrator may crop, resize, or otherwise alter the photograph to fit the media necessary to produce the calendar, at Administrator’s discretion. These rights include exclusive first worldwide publication rights in and to all entries for the period up to publication of the AARP Foundation 2027 calendar.

Judging

On or about April 22, 2026, all eligible Contest entries will be judged by Administrator. All decisions of Administrator will be final and binding in all respects. The judging will be based on the following criteria: (50%) artistic quality, and (50%) relationship of the photographs subject to the Contest theme. In the event of a tie, the photograph with the higher artistic quality score will win. Administrator will attempt to notify winners via email on or about May 1, 2026. Administrator’s inability to contact a winner may result in that Entrant’s disqualification and the selection of a substitute Entrant as the winner from among all remaining eligible entries.

Prize Claim

Except where prohibited, as a condition of being declared a winner in the Contest, each Entrant selected as a winner will be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability, Publicity and Copyright Release and return these documents to Administrator within 14 days of notification. Failure to return this documentation by the deadline may result in the disqualification of the Entrant and the selection of a substitute Entrant as the winner from all remaining eligible entries.

General Conditions and Miscellaneous

General Conditions: Entry in this Contest constitutes Entrant’s consent to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Administrator, and to the use of Entrant’s entry information and photography in accordance with these Official Rules and the terms and conditions stated on the official Contest entry form. Void outside of the fifty (50) United States/District of Columbia and wherever prohibited or restricted by law. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.

Publicity Rights: By entering the Contest and being selected to win, each Entrant grants Administrator & Others the perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, and worldwide right, license, and permission to use, record, reproduce, distribute, edit, reuse, transmit, publish, or republish, in whole or in part, Entrant’s name, image, likeness, voice, sound effects, biographical information, interview, statements, and actions (“Appearance”), in connection with the Contest, including for promotional purposes. Entrant understands that they will not have any right of approval or receive any compensation because of Administrator & Others’ use of Entrant’s Appearance. By entering the Contest, each Entrant waives any right to assert any claim against Administrator & Others and their respective employees, affiliates, agents, vendors, and licensees, relating to any use of Entrant’s Appearance and/or participation in the Contest.

Release / Limitation of Liability: By entering the Contest, Entrant releases and agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Administrator & Others from and against any and all costs, claims, damages, or any other injury, whether due to negligence or otherwise, to person(s) or property (including, without limitation, death or violation of any intellectual property or personal rights, such as violation of right of publicity/privacy, libel, or slander), due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, to participation in the Contest. Administrator, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to suspend, modify or terminate this Contest if it determines in its sole discretion that tampering, fraud, or any other cause beyond the reasonable control of Administrator has corrupted, compromised or impaired the security, integrity, fairness or proper operation of the Contest. Entrants agree to release Administrator & Others from any and all liability arising from: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by writer, printing, typographical or other errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the Contest; (4) printing, typographical, technical, computer, network or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest, the announcement in any Contest-related materials; (5) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrants’ participation in the Contest; or (6) any third-party claims of intellectual property infringement.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: ADMINISTRATOR & OTHERS MAKE NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NONINFRINGEMENT AS REGARDS ANY PRIZE OR ANY COMPONENT OF ANY PRIZE. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS OF EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS TO LEARN IF ANY OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

Privacy Policy: Any personal information collected during an Entrant's participation in the Contest will be collected, used and retained by Administrator in accordance with the AARP Privacy Policy as stated at https://www.aarp.org/privacy/.

Governing Law: Issues concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules shall be governed by the laws of Washington, DC.

Winner’s List and Administrator

Winner’s List: 2026 Calendar Contest winners will be available here by approximately June 1, 2026.

Administrator: AARP Foundation, 601 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20049.

AARP® and AARP Foundation® are registered trademarks of AARP. All rights reserved. These Official Rules may not be reproduced or reprinted in part or in their entirety without the express prior written permission of AARP.

Learn more about the 2026 AARP Foundation Calendar Contest