Maryland Horse Council Logo Contest

MHC is updating its logo – and they need your help!

WHAT IS THE MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL?
The Maryland Horse Council, Inc. (MHC) is the trade association that represents all breeds and all disciplines of the Maryland horse industry, including equine-related organizations, businesses, and clubs, as well as individual horse people on state and local legislative and regulatory matters.

We publish The Equiery, a widely-read publication that provides the Maryland horse community with horse industry news, educational articles, photos, and profiles on horse businesses and horse people, as well as a service directory for businesses that serve the Maryland horse industry.

MHC SLOGAN
One common bond: the horse; one common voice: the Maryland Horse Council

WHO IS THE AUDIENCE FOR THE LOGO?

• Maryland horse people
• Equine- and equine-adjacent businesses
• Elected Officials
• State and local executive, legislative, or regulatory agencies

WHAT SHOULD THE LOGO COMMUNICATE?
Unity and the common interests of the Maryland horse industry.

WHERE WILL THE LOGO BE USED?

• Print (e.g., letterhead, business cards, posters, white papers, infographics, Equiery articles, etc.).
• Social Media (e.g., websites, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, MailChimp).
• Embroidery, silk screening, and similar.
• Magnets, stickers, pins and more!

DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
The image must incorporate the Maryland Horse Council name spelled out.

The image must incorporate the colors of the Maryland flag.

Images of horses must  be generic and should not be identifiable as one type of equine (such pony, draft, or gaited horse) or one specific discipline (such as eventing, dressage, or barrel racing).

The image must be appropriate for a professional business setting and not overly detailed or ornate.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
For purpose of judging, images must be submitted at a minimum size of 3”x3” and a minimum resolution of 350 dpi. PDF and/or JPG images will be accepted for judging purposes.

The winning designer will be contacted for addition versions of logo to be used in print, web and other purposes. Thus, scalable vector graphic formats will be needed. Specs and formats for additional versions of the logo will be sent directly to the winning designer.

Colors must be CMYK.  Do not use gradients or half-tones.

Contestants are permitted to submit different scaled versions (landscape vs square vs vertical) of their images. We strongly recommend including these options when submitting logos.

Images must not contain any watermarks.

Images must not contain raster based elements.

The limit on attachment sizes for our email is 10Mb. If your submission exceeds this size, even after compression, please send the images individually and note clearly in your emails that you are doing so.

CONTEST RULES
Contest is open to all Maryland residents.

Images must be submitted by email and must include: the full name(s) of the person(s) who designed the logo, age, postal address, phone number, and email address.

Each contestant can submit up to 3 entries.

Each contestant must warrant that each submission is his/her original work; has not been copied from others or from previous designs, including his/her own; and does not violate the intellectual property rights of any other person or entity.

All submissions become the sole property of MHC and may be used by MHC for any purpose, including display on websites, business cards, letterhead, posters, and other materials, or for no purposes at all. Contestants must assign all copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property rights to MHC.

MHC has the right to adapt, edit, modify, or otherwise use any submission in part or in whole in whatever manner it deems appropriate.

The winning entry will be selected by a panel appointed by the MHC Executive Committee. The panel’s decision will be final.

Entries will be judged on their visual appeal, adherence to the contest guidelines, quality of design, and ease of reproduction for the purposes stated above.

The designer of the winning image will receive:

• $200
• Lifetime membership in MHC
• 1 Embroidered polo shirt or cap featuring the new logo
• Profile in The Equiery
• Bragging rights

The designer of the winning image will be notified via email or telephone before any public announcement is made by MHC.

MHC is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, illegible, or otherwise unusable entries, including entries that are lost or unusable due to computer, internet, or electronic problems.

If MHC determines that the winner violated a contest rules, the winner will be required to forfeit or return the prize, even if that determination is made after the prize has been awarded

MHC reserves the right to cancel or modify the contest. MHC also reserves the right to rescind an award, if fraud or technical failure is determined at any time by MHC, including after the submission window has closed.

CONTEST OPENS:  December 1, 2021.

CONTEST CLOSES: January 31, 2022.

SEND ENTRIES TO: editor@equiery.com

MHC will unveil the winning image at the Winter Quarterly Board Meeting.