dp+ photo challenge general rules and guidelines

photo by Gina Villanueva Uyan

This comprises
the general mechanics to all dp+ photo challenges:


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

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
1. For the first entry, post it to the group wall with this link:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/164854913587122/ and tag the main administrator to create a photo album for all official entries. (An initial photo post is needed to create an album, thus all initial submission will be posted by the main administrator)
2. All succeeding entries may be posted by the entrants themselves to the Official Entries Album created for each challenge.
3. Please include the following with each entry submission:
a) your best shot as an entry
b) Entry number - it can be derived from the order of posting in the album
c) your name
d) indicate photo challenge number
e) photo title
f) camera used in taking the photo
g) NOTE: ALL LIKES TO THIS PHOTO ARE CONSIDERED VOTES TO THIS ENTRY.

d. how it works:
1. For each monthly challenge, there is a specified schedule of posting photos, liking or voting of photos and start of judging date. Please refer to individual deadline of submission or voting on each theme announcement and please follow  that deadline be it entry submission or clicking to vote.
2. Liking or voting starts immediately upon the submission of photo/s in the official entries album. It ends at the specified date and time stipulated with each theme announcement that comes with every new photo challenge.

3. Clicking Like signifies a member's vote/s. Only Likes on the dp+ photo challenge - official entries album will be counted as votes. Likes on photos appearing on any other dp+ page or site will not be counted as votes.

4. Winning photos will be judged according to the number of Likes they received.
5. ONLY MEMBERS of dp+ can vote or Like an entry. Membership for voting purposes only and campaigning of entries to non-members are not allowed.
6. Members can like as many entries as they want including their own entries.
7. Entry with the most number of Likes wins.
8. Members are encouraged to vote or Like their preference according to their level of appreciation, not of the photographer but of the photographer's work.

e. 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, color conversion to black and white and 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. The object of this is for the timeliness of entry. It should not look dated or 3 to 4 years older.
6. It must not contain any watermark or any identifiable signature as much as possible. Watermark or any identifiable signature will be deducted to the overall technical merits of an entry in the dp+ pick. The point is for the photo to be judged  without any embellishment or obstruction in viewing it in full.
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.

f. photo challenge theme
There is a specified theme for each photo challenge. dp+ reserves the right to disqualify an entry totally not in keeping with the theme. In the dp+ Pick certain percentage are allotted to theme adaptation and where there is a difficulty selecting the best entry - the one that adheres more closely or get to interpret correctly the theme wins.

g. what you will get out of this photo challenge
Like what we stated in the initial announcements, 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 in the Popular Votes Pick to be dp+ profile photo of the month - or until such time when another winning entry is won. Winning both the Popular Votes Pick and the dp+ Pick makes the winner eligible to be judge in the next photo challenges.
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.

h. dp+ right reserve
Competition from December 2011 to November 2012 will be in preparation to dp+ prospective year-long project of a 2012 photo calendar. Entitled dp+ best of the best, it will publish either electronically or in print winning entries in the Popular Votes Pick and the dp+ Pick. 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.

i. dp+ Pick
Aside from the ultimate winner, the one with the most Likes or the dp+ Popular Votes Pick, dp+ is also awarding a dp+ Pick award which will be judged by selected members of the group. This Special Award will also be featured in dp+ site (http://dpplus.blogspot.com/). The object of an entry is to be both dp+ Popular Votes Pick and dp+ Pick. Decision of the judges is final.

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