Photography Contest Rules and Guidelines

How do I enter a community contest here?

1. Register a designer account with DesignCrowd
2. Learn more about paid design contests and about fun free community contests.
3. Browse open contests in Photoshop, Photography, Illustration and more!
4. Make sure your submissions follow the Minimum Design Standards
5. Submit your artwork via the 'submit' button on the individual community contest page
6. Don't forget to vote and leave helpful comments!

What contests can I enter?
You can enter any contests you feel suitable according to your skillset. Each project will be tagged as Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. What do the different skills levels mean?
Community admins can preset a level of difficulty for a contest (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced). The level determines the minimum skill level and submission quality participants are expected to meet. Contests can also be tagged as "Open", where there are no restrictions on participants. Who launches the contests?
Community admins, users like yourself, launch contests as well as the DesignCrowd team. See this FAQ for more details. What sort of editing is allowed in these contests?
All results must remain photo-realistic and editing should always be in the vein of coaxing the best out of a capture rather than creating a new image using the editing process. Broadly speaking, you may use post-capture editing to enhance an illusion or effect, but not create the illusion or effect. What contest categories run on the community site?
Categories include Photography, Photoshop, Illustration, Logo, Web and Graphic Design.
Do my photos stay mine after I enter them?
Yes. DesignCrowd doesn't take away any of your rights to your art, you simply give us permission to use it. You can read what you allow DesignCrowd to do with your photos in the Terms of Use. Can I make comments on other participant's submissions?
Yes, you may upload comments on community contest submissions. Comments should be positive and/or constructive in nature. We encourage a constructive criticism, however we would not tolerate any inappropriate behaviour/comments. If you receive an inappropriate comment email support'@'designcrowd.com about the matter. Any comments which are considered inappropriate will be removed and your account may be suspended. Can I enter any contest category I like?
Yes. The community site can help you develop new skills and mentor others. However, you should carefully read the contest description, requirements and rules before entering to ensure your submission meets the standards for that contest. If you're new to the site you should start by entering Beginner level contests. Who can I turn to if I need help?
You can contact DesignCrowd's support team at support@designcrowd.com for any questions you have. You can join the DesignCrowd forum and ask questions there. Please use the Report function on any images or comments that you feel need to be brought to the attention of Admins or Moderators.

I got eliminated, what should I do?
During the submission period, moderators will review your entry and eliminate entries that are duplicates or do not meet the criteria of the brief. Check the contest page and your account for feedback on your submission. If the contest is still open for entry, you can replace your eliminated entry with a new one and it will have a chance at being reinstated into the contest if there is enough time for an Admin or Moderator to review it before the contest closes for voting. Don't worry, we all get DQ'd at some point; don't forget to read the rules of the contest carefully!

Submission / Ratings / Voting Guidelines

• 1 star - Very bad - Low quality idea and/or execution. Absolutely a snapshot without any merit. A poor entry.
• 2 stars - Poor - The idea is unoriginal and/or execution is below average in quality. Not much effort afforded and maybe a snapshot. Has some problems such as a distracting background or compositional error. A below average entry.
• 3 stars - Good - Interesting idea / concept with fair to good execution. Most of the basics are done well (although not great or brilliant). It's clear some thought was put into composition, lighting and concept. It may not be amazing and may lack personality or finesse, but is certainly not a snapshot. A good entry.
• 4 stars - Very good - Interesting idea / concept with strong execution. Professional and competent use of composition and lighting, and concept or message. A strong entry.
• 5 stars - Outstanding - Exceptional idea and execution. The entries in this range are likely to be the distinctive and memorable entries of the whole contest theme. A standout entry.

Where will my community contest results be displayed?
The community leaderboard will display the overall points or rankings for community contest participants. You will also be able to toggle between rankings for specific categories and overall rankings to see a list of top creatives from each category. What to consider when submitting and voting
There are three general aspects to a photo you want to consider:

• Technical execution
• Artistry
• Appeal

The first can concern composition, lighting, pose, subject arrangement; the second will concern creativity and clarity of idea or expression; the third is a smaller factor which has to do about how well the image speaks to you. No photo should score low based on the failure of any one criterion. How you weigh the criteria will depend on the context of the contest - for example awarding points for "achieving good greenness" in a "Green" contest is a bit irrelevant; an interesting point of view on the subject and technically superior lighting or a deliberate mood successfully created should weigh heavily.

Most contests do not specify a photographic style or end medium or context; a journalistic photo has a different aesthetic and ideal than a successful stock photograph. It is therefore important to try and consider what the artist was attempting in his or her photograph and rate accordingly. Keep an open mind and consider the intent of each photo when voting.

What are the size requirements for an entry?
Image entries should be a minimum of 100-150 dpi or 600 pixels wide to maximum size of 1200X1000 pixels in width is recommended (unless otherwise requested by the contest rules), in order to be big enough to see the image.

Files should not be bigger than necessary, so use the JPEG-format to its fullest. Less than 200KB usually works for a 625 pixel image, and less than 400KB for a 1000 pixel image, but these are only recommendations. For larger images try to stay under 1 MB.

Post-processing Allowances
All results must remain photo-realistic and editing should always be in the vein of coaxing the best out of a capture rather than creating a new image using the editing process. Broadly speaking, you may use post-capture editing to enhance an illusion or effect, but not create the illusion or effect.

• You are allowed selective manipulation techniques, i.e. non-global adjustments.
• You may retouch away minor detail flaws like skin blemishes, dust, scratches, and distracting scene elements.
• No illustrative elements may be added.
• You may not drastically alter lighting by adding light sources or changing day to night, etc.
• You may blend several exposures from the same photographic moment - e.g. HDR, panoramas, but you may not combine separate and completely different images (i.e., no texturising, overlays, etc.).
• You may not add major scene elements that were either not present originally or not in context. Neither may major scene elements be replaced or moved in this way - e.g. you can bring back a blown-out sky but only if it is the same sky from that photographic moment.

Points/Results

How do points work? When I win a contest, what can I do with the points?
We're introducing Community Points as a way of tracking your activity and success on the Community Site. You'll be able to earn points for various activities on the site, including participating, voting and winning Contests. We're still developing our systems and processes around tracking your activity, so at present, points will be limited to Contest wins and participation awards.

Your points don't carry a monetary value and can't be concerted into cash. Your points will, however, affect your standing on the Community Leaderboard. More points, more glory! Where are my points displayed?
Your points will be publicly visible on a Community Leaderboard and will be one way of demonstrating skill and competence in a particular creative field (alongside your feedback scores and career earnings).

In the future we'll also be introducing badges (which will be visible in your profile) linked to your community activity. What is the highest points you can receive?
There is no limit to the points which may be set by a Community Admin, however, most First place prizes range from 500-1000 points.