Photoshop or Photo Effects Contest Rules and Guidelines

How do I enter a community contest here?

1. Register a designer account with DesignCrowd
2. Learn how to earn money from participating in paid contests and what our Fun, free contests are all about.
3. Browse free contests in categories such as photoshop, illustration and photography and test your technical and creative skills.
4. Make sure your submissions are according to our 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 contest categories run on the community site?

Categories include Photography, Photoshop, Illustration, Logo, Web and Graphic Design.

Does my submission 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 submissions 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 Open or 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. .

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!

Voting

What to consider when voting:>/p>

There are three general aspects to a photo you want to consider:

• Technical execution
• Artistry
• Appeal

Ratings Guidelines

1 star - Very bad - Low quality idea and/or execution. Didn't meet the minimum requirements of the brief.

2 stars - Poor - The idea is unoriginal and/or execution is below average in quality. Not much effort afforded. Has some problems such as a poor editing and composition. 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 layout and concept. It may not be amazing and may lack personality or finesse. A good entry.

4 stars - Very good - Interesting idea / concept with strong execution. Professional and competent editing, concept or message. A strong entry.

5 stars - Outstanding - Exceptional idea and execution. The entries in this range are likely to be technically well produced and be the most distinctive and memorable entries of the whole contest theme. A standout entry.

Technical Guidelines, Definitions, Copyright

Terms: Photorealism, Photo-realistic

Photo-realistic - A photorealistic image at DesignCrowd can be best described as a potential hoax image. It *looks* like it could be a real photograph. Even if the image depicted is impossible, it *looks* like a real photograph. Note that this definition does *not* take into account how much of the image is hand drawn or how much is taken from photographic sources. If it looks real, it's allowed.

Non-Photorealistic - A non-photorealistic image at DesignCrowd can be best described as any images that is not intended to be viewed as a possible real photograph; they are unrestricted by reality. definition does *not* take into account how much of the image is hand drawn or how much is taken from photographic sources.

What cannot be used in a submission?

(1) Controversial or illegal submissions

• Your entry has elements that are not safe for work (i.e. blurred out porn/hate crimes/injury/sickness/obscene gestures).
• Your entry has elements that would likely be offensive to the majority of people who see it.
• Your entry contains children for which you personally do not have a model release. If you have a model release you must state so in your author's comments.
• Your entry contains material that you didn't have the legal right to use. It's your responsibility to determine if your source images are copyrighted, and you must ask a) have permission or b) attribute borrowed elements via their original source url when you submit your entry.
• You changed an insignificant part of an otherwise outstanding image that you didn't create (regardless of whether you had permission and/or credit it appropriately).
• Your entry is a re-creation (source for source) of an existing photo manipulated image or tutorial, whether hosted by DesignCrowd or not.
• Your entry contains someone else’s material that you did have a legal right to use, but without crediting them, it appears as if you are the sole creator.

(2) Non-photorealistic images

• Unless the contest brief asks for non-photorealistic images, you should subnmit photorealistic submissions.
• Your entry contains illustrated elements that are illochop/painterly in a contest where the intent is realism.
• Your submission should not contain a web address or your signature. If you want to sign your work, embed or hide your signature in your image so that it's 'invisible' (unobtrusive to the casual viewer).
• Don't add obvious signatures or sig-images to your images.
• Your entry contains a web address (all areas).
• Your submission will be eliminated if there is an ownership watermark and you have a) not sought and declared you have permission to use it or b) you have not provided appropriate attribution.

(3) Annoying, overused entries or cliches

• Your entry contains scantily clad women (i.e. in bikinis) for no practical reason.
• Your entry contains the World Trade Center buildings.
• Your entry contains Adolf Hitler, or Nazi references.
• Your entry contains Osama Bin Laden or terrorist references.

(4) Lazy Entries

• You reused a past contest's source picture in a different contest.
• You resubmitted an entry that had previously been voted on in ANY contest.
• Your entry used an idea too similar to a previous entry. Entries that are deemed too similar risk disqualification.
• You used the image as a whole in a different background, instead of actually editing the image itself.
• Taking the source image in a contest and inserting it into a scene of a painter painting it as his artwork, or the background of a postcard, or as a framed photograph on a wall).
• Your entry abuses program filters. (i.e. changing a source themepost to a charcoal sketch using a simple filter and submitting that as your entire entry; using excessive or gratuitous lensflare filters)

(5) Off-Topic Entries

Your entry doesn't meet the intention and worded requirements of the contest rules.

What are the size requirements for an entry?

Image entries should be a minimum of 100-150 DPI and 600 pixels in width is recommended (unless otherwise requested by the contest rules), in order to be big enough to see the image. The maximum of 1200x1000 pixels.

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.

Copyright

Where can I find sources for my entries

The Creative Commons Search is a fantastic way to search for sources that you may adapt, modify, or build upon for recreational purposes. It searches across multiple websites including Google, Yahoo, Flickr, and Wikimedia Commons.

When you're selecting sources to use in a Photoshop contest, it's your responsibility to determine if the source images are copyrighted. You must know before you submit the entry if it's copyrighted or not, and if it is, you must ask permission to use the image BEFORE submitting it to a contest. You should attribute the author in your submission and include urls for source elements you used to create your submission.

If you keep a morgue file of images that you've collected over the years, as many of us do, you need to be cognizant of 2 things. 1) Whether they are copyrighted. 2) If they're licensed under the Creative Commons, you need to know the requirements of the CC license (i.e. do you need to link or attribute the image in your Author's Comments).

By using images from your morgue file without remembering/knowing where they came from, you run the risk of the image being flagged for copyright infringement by members and/or the original photographer/creator.

If this happens, our Admin team will follow the site protocol, and disqualify your entry.

Points/Results

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.

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.