dp+' first ever photo challenge "Christmas is..." - full mechanics

photo by Gina Villanueva Uyan

a. who may join
The contest is open to all Digital Photography Plus MEMBERS casual, amateur, hobbyist, enthusiast or professional.

b. number of entry per member
A practice in selecting your best work, only one (1) entry per member will be accepted.

c. how to submit your work
To be identified as an entry, all entries must be posted to Digital Photography Plus official page wall
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Digital-Photography-PLUS/242285489128553) together with the following:
a) your best shot as an entry
b) indicate photo challenge number and theme, example for the first dp+ photo challenge, please include this with your entry: 
dp+ photo challenge no. 1 - "Christmas is..."
c) photo title
d) member name
e) camera used in taking the photo

d. how it works:
1. All entries should be submitted to dp+ official page wall (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Digital-Photography-PLUS/242285489128553). 
Submission starts on December 17 and ends in 
December 26, 2011, 12 midnight Philippine standard time.
2. Upon submission, photos will be put together in a single photo gallery or album in the group site 
(http://www.facebook.com/groups/164854913587122/?ap=1) within the day after it was submitted under the album title:
dp+ photo challenge no. 1 official entries. It is where all members will click Like to signify their vote/s.
3. Winning photos will be judged according to the number of Likes they received.
4. Liking starts as soon as an entry is posted to the official entries album.
5. ONLY members of dp+ can vote or Like an entry.
6. Members can like as many entries as they want including their own entries.
7. Deadline for liking photos will be on December 27, 2011, 12midnight Philippine standard time.
8. Entry with the most number of Likes wins.
9. Members are encouraged to vote or Like their preference according to their level of appreciation not of the photographer but of their work.

d. entry photo specifications:
1. All entries must be in digital format. It can be taken using a mobile, analog, manual or digital camera. Digital submission must be higher than 1Mb, must be in JPEG or JPG format, with a resolution of 300dpi.
2. Photos which have previously won in any photography contest worldwide is NOT acceptable.
3. Since this is a photography challenge all major photo manipulation is not acceptable like effects created through Photoshop or any other editing software. 
4. Minor editing, like cropping, color enhancement, color balance and correction, focus adjustment is acceptable. The object is to retain the integrity of the actual photo taken.
5. Entries must be taken within 3 to 4 years prior to the date of submission.
6. It must not contain any watermark or any identifiable signature.
7. Photo submissions must be entered by the actual member who took the photo. 
8. dp+ assumes that all entries are original photos of the entrants. It does not accept entries that violate any right to privacy or publicity, moral right or other people's intellectual property rights. Entries should be free of any copyright or trademark infringement.
9. dp+ reserves the right to disqualify an entry with inappropriate content or are defamatory, abusive, objectionable, obscene or sexually explicit in nature.

e. photo challenge theme
Entries to the first ever dp+ photo challenge submitted should revolve around this theme:
"Christmas is..." Photos not in keeping with the theme will be disqualified.

f. what you will get out of this photo challenge
Like what we said in the initial announcement, this photo challenge is not a prize-based competition just a fun activity for the group, an exhibition of prowess in a level playing field for the shooting stars and a challenge or goal to be reached for newbies and amateurs. What dp+ can offer INITIALLY is for the winning entry to be dp+ profile photo of the month or until such time when another winning entry is won. Another thing you will get from the competition is exposure. Winning entry will be featured in dp+ site (http://dpplus.blogspot.com/) and posted on other groups dp+ is affiliated with. There may or may not be additional prizes at stake but for now, this is all the group can offer.

g. dp+ right reserve
This competition will be in preparation to dp+ prospective year-long project for 2012, a photo calendar entitled dp+ best of the best. dp+ reserves the right to publish and include winning photo challenge photos to this print or digital publication project or for any of its promotion and marketing purposes with full credit to the photographer.
dp+ also reserves the right to award dp+ pick as it deem fit which will also be featured in dp+ site (http://dpplus.blogspot.com/).

For questions, suggestions, comments or additional prizes ;-) please send your pms (personal messages) to any of dp+ administrators. May the best of the best win!