Purpose

The Pacific Northwest Search & Rescue Conference logo will represent the conference across digital platforms, print materials, merchandise, and promotional items. This community-driven process is intended to ensure the conference identity reflects the SAR community it serves.

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Eligibility

• Open to members of the Search & Rescue, public safety, and outdoor response community

• Individual or team submissions are permitted

• Participants must be 18 years or older (or have permission from a parent/guardian if under 18)

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Design Requirements

Submitted logos must:

• Not include a year or date

• Incorporate elements representative of the Pacific Northwest

• Reflect the diverse aspects of Search & Rescue (e.g., ground, K9, technical rescue, aviation, marine, communications, medical, etc.)

• Be suitable for use in color and grayscale

• Be legible when scaled for small applications (patches, badges, digital icons)

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Submission Instructions

• Submit designs in .PNG or .JPEG format

• Email submissions to pnwsarcon@pcesar.org

• Include the following information in your email:

  • Full Name

  • Unit/Organization

  • County/Region

    • State, Country, etc. if not a Washington State SAR Unit​

• Submissions must be received by March 31 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time

• A confirmation email will be sent acknowledging receipt

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Selection Process

1. If a high volume of entries is received, the Conference Planning Committee will review submissions and select up to five finalists

2. Finalists will be announced and shared publicly during the first two weeks of April

3. The SAR community will vote via the conference website and social media platforms

4. The design receiving the highest combined support will be selected as the official conference logo

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Prize

The selected designer will receive:

• Announced via social media

• Announced at conference

• Conference registration fee waived
  (Prize has no cash value and is non-transferable)

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Intellectual Property & Licensing

By submitting a design, you agree to the following:

• You affirm the logo is your original work and does not contain copyrighted, trademarked, or licensed material that you do not have permission to use

• You grant the PNW SAR Conference and Pierce County Explorer Search & Rescue a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, and distribute the logo

• This includes use in marketing, merchandise, signage, digital platforms, print materials, and future conference promotions

• The conference may make minor modifications for usability (formatting, color adjustments, layout adaptations)

Designers retain personal portfolio rights to display their work.

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Disqualification

Submissions may be disqualified if they:

• Do not meet design requirements

• Contain copyrighted or trademarked elements without permission

• Include offensive, discriminatory, or inappropriate content

• Are generated from or derived heavily from existing protected logos

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General Conditions

• By submitting, participants agree to these rules and decisions of the conference planning committee

• The conference reserves the right to not select a winning design if no submissions meet the needs of the event

• Rules may be clarified or updated for administrative purposes if necessary

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Our Commitment

This process is being conducted to ensure the conference identity is created by the SAR community, for the SAR community. Your participation helps shape an event that reflects the people, missions, and partnerships that make search and rescue possible.