TAY Calendar - 2009 Photo Contest

Each month I will hold a photo contest for the top photo taken in the previous month.  For example, photos taken in February 2009 will be eligible to win in March 2009.  By mid-December, a photo calendar will be sold containing winning photos taken between December 2008 through November 2009.  The December 2009 photo will be the "Editor's Choice" photo.  Please read all rules prior to submitting photos.  By submitting a photo, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

Timeframe

• Photos must have been taken during the previous month and current year to be eligible.
• Photos may be submitted until the 20th day of the month after they were taken, after which voting will begin.
• November photos must be submitted by December 2nd, 2009, in order to allow voting and processing so that calendars may be printed prior to Christmas.

Image Requirements

• Submitted entries should be in JPEG format and no larger than 10MB in size to allow for easy processing.  Should larger or uncompressed (RAW/TIFF/etc) formats be available, please specify so in the e-mail, as the highest quality version will be used for printing.
• Preferred image size is 3300x2550.  Images as small as 1650x1275 will be accepted, although print quality may be considered in the judging process.
• Aspect ratio should be landscape (wider than the image is tall) at a 1:1.294 ratio.  This is NOT the default ratio for digital cameras, and images must be cropped to meet this ratio.  Images submitted at other ratios will be considered, however, they will be cropped as the editor sees fit.
• "Photoshopping" or digitally altering photos is acceptable as long as the image is primarily a photographic work and not a digital creation.  Adding text, cartoonish backgrounds, etc., is not permitted.
• Visible watermarks such as photographer's name or studio are not permitted.
• Borders on photos are not permitted.
• No limitations are placed on subject matter, although judging will weigh heavily towards scenes of backcountry beauty and/or snowsports activities.

Submission Procedures

• Photos should be submitted as an attachment in an e-mail to (month)@hedgie.com.  For example, a photo taken in March would be submitted to march@hedgie.com.
• Photos must be submitted by midnight on the 10th day of the month after they were taken.  A photo taken in March 2009 would therefore need to be submitted by the end of April 10th.
• E-mailed entries should contain the name of the photographer, the name of any athletes (if known), a general location, and the date of the photograph.  If a higher-resolution or uncompressed image is available, please mention that as well.
• Up to three images per photographer per month may be submitted.  Any additional entries by a single photographer will be discarded, unless they are submitted with instructions to disregard specific prior entry(s) for that month.
• The editor may submit his own photos, however, he will be limited to one photo per month, and will not be eligible for the Editor's Choice award.

Judging Procedures

• Shortly after the deadline for entries, a public public vote will be opened.  Members of TAY may vote on the best image until the end of the month after the photos were taken.
• The November voting period will be restricted to one week to allow for timely processing and printing.
• Only the five best images, as judged by the Editor, will be posted and eligible for votes.
• The "Editor's Choice" award will be chosen at the sole discretion of the editor from the pool of photos posted for voting.  Should the Editor's Choice also be a winner for a specific month, the runner-up for that month will earn photo of the month.

Legal Concerns

• Permission must be obtained from any clearly recognizable persons in the image.  Permission is not required if the person cannot be easily identified, although it is still polite to obtain such if feasible.
• By submitting a photo you attest that you own the copyright for a photo or are authorized by the copyright holder to transfer limited copyright privileges to the editor for the purpose of conducting the competition, manufacturing and selling the calendar, and advertising same and future competitions.
• Clearly visible copyrighted logos, such as ski resort mascots and logos, are not permitted in photos.  Logos on gear and clothing used in photos are acceptable.
• Photos must be taken on public land unless permission is obtained from landholder to use images in this contest.
• These rules may be modified at any time.  Should it be neccessarily to modify the rules, any entrant may withdraw based on the new rules, if he so choses.

Calendar Information

• Pre-orders will be accepting starting in the Fall of 2009 for calendars.  Money raised from pre-orders will offset the cost of printing.  Final costs for calendars will be determined prior to accepting pre-orders, but will be in the vicinity of $15.  Calendars will be put on sale in mid-December, and sold until stock is depleted.
• All profits will be donated to FOAC to support the NWAC.
• Should sponsors be obtained, tasteful advertisements may be added to the calendar to raise additional funds for NWAC.

Good luck, and start taking photos!



-- Original thread starter follows --

I was planning to put together a calendar of the photos that I've taken while skiing each month of 2008 to hang in my office.  I then figured, "Hey, I could sell those and donate the money to FOAC.  I bet TAY'ers would buy that!"  Then I figured, "Why use my photos?  Why not use TAY'ers photos?"

So I asked Charles what he thought, and he thinks the idea has possibilities.  This is my rough idea, all comments are appreciated:

Every TAYer can submit up to one photo taken in each month of 2008.  A judge, presumably me, will narrow each month down to the top five.  A quick voting round on TAY will determine the photo of the month to be displayed on each page.  The calendars would then be sold, profits being donated to FOAC.

I have no problem handling the contest portion.  I can write some legelese about who retains which rights to photos, ensure photos are high enough quality for printing, etc.  I would need help in two areas:

Printing via Cafepress is easy, and there's no need to handle money.  However, to make any appreciable money, we'd have to charge a lot for the calendars, and Cafepress would make most of the money.  Is there a cheaper POD printer?  Or would we be better off buying a stock (pre-orders?), printing a run, then selling them ourselves?  The latter is far more work, and I would need help on that end.  Also, if we sell them ourselves, are we liable for sales tax?  On the extreme end, a partnership with a few local ski stores might simplify distribution -- I've seen the TAY CD for sale in Marmot, so maybe Charles knows a way to handle that.  ProSki is a sponsor, and they might be willing to help out, too.

The other obvious problem is December.  If we hurry, we could use December 2007 instead of December 2008, run the contest in early-mid December, and have calendars ready for the new year.  If we go with December 2008, we'd be running the contest in early January, and getting the calendars out in late Jan... Not really ideal.

Okay, I've laid out the idea.  What does TAY think?

I think instead of 100% of the profits going to FOAC it should be 90% (or even 80%) and you should keep the rest.  In my view something like that is inherently more sustainable if there is a little benefit for the person who makes it happen.  It would also provide a "market-driven" incentive for you do do the best job possible in making it a success. 

I give a small amount weekly to United Way, and I believe they keep about 10% of the donation $$.  It doesn't bother me at all because I think people helping in the community do deserve to compensated if they are making a difference.  Helping the helpers is an important part of helping.

Of course, in terms of cash we're probbaly talking about a pizza and a pitcher of beer for you, but it would be well earned.

i like it. i think sponsors are key. a small advertisement in the corner of each month is a small price to pay to make a bit more money for the cause and gain capital to print/compile/distribute the calanders. i'm sure more of the small shops around the state would be glad to put them up, and sell them for us. especially if they are beautiful and stunning pictures. also, a printing place may be willing to cut a deal if the money is going to FOAC. Something to think about...i'd be willing to ask around the shops in bellingham to gauge some support. anyone else up for it in your area? I love the idea lordhedgie. need to start moving quick if we're serious about this getting out by new years!

Great idea! When and where do we start submitting photos?

I have no problem handling the contest portion.  I can ensure photos are high enough quality for printing, etc.    What does TAY think?

I would be interested in taking part. What size of jpeg files are we talking here; my old camera limited my photos to about 1.2 MP.

I vote only pictures of women. The " Women of TAY" Calendar.
Don't want to see  any pics of all you crusty old farts skiing in long johns and shorts!( I incude myself as a crusty old fart!)