2012 Friends of the Animal Village "It Takes a Village" Photo Contest

Hey everyone, we're excited to partner up with Friends of the Animal Village for a fun photo contest. Check out their flier below for the highlights of the contest, and the full rules underneath. We can't wait to see everyone's entries!

To register for the contest, click here. (Friends of the Animal Village site.)

Seven Photo Categories: (Listed below.) Two Winners in Each Category (1 dog, 1 cat), 14 Category Winners Total

Category Prizes: An enlarged canvas print of your photo and a dog or cat gift basket.

Two Grand Prize Winners
Best Dog Photo: $200 Gift Certificate from Bedford Camera & Video
Best Cat Photo: $200 Gift Certificate from Bedford Camera & Video

Accepting Entries: February 14 - April 30

Entry fee: 
$10 per photo – Enter several photos! But please do not enter the same photo in more than one category. All photo contest proceeds go toward subsidizing adoption fees at the Little Rock Animal Village during the Happy Tails Adoption Drive starting in Spring 2012! 

Photo Categories & Celebrity Judges:

1. Village Mayor  (Judge: Mayor Mark Stodola)
2. Village Sheriff  (Judge: Sheriff Doc Holladay)
3. Village Star Athlete  (Judge: Anthony Lucas)
4. Village Best Dressed  (Judge: Korto Momolu)
5. Village Clown  (Judge: Craig O’Neill)
6. Village Kid  (Judge: Dr. Lanessa Bass)
7. Village Elder  (Judge: Dr. David Lipschitz)

Contest Rules: 

Grand Prizes:
$200 Bedford Camera & Video gift certificate for winner of best dog photo.
$200 Bedford Camera & Video gift certificate to winner of best cat photo.
(The 2 Grand prize winners will be selected from the winners in the 7 dog and 7 cat categories - one of each in the Village Best Dressed, Star Athlete, Kid, Elder, Mayor, Sheriff and Clown categories.)

14 Category Prizes:   
The 14 Best in Category winners (such as best dog photo in Village Elder category, best kitten photo in Village Kid category) will each win an enlargement of their photo printed on canvas and mounted (gallery wrap) provided by Black Dog Photo Productions and a gift basket for a dog or cat.                                                                                                    

Entry fee: $10 per photo. 
A particular photo may be entered in only one category, which must be specified at time of entry. (For example, a particular photo of a dressed-up puppy may be submitted in either the Village Kid category or the Village Best Dressed category, but not both.) Photographers can submit an unlimited number of photos, so long as the correct entry fee is paid, and may enter different submissions in as many categories as desired. All proceeds will be given to the Little Rock Animal Village to support adoptions of animals at the Animal Village through the Happy Tails Adoption Drive.

Submission of entries: 
Entries are to be submitted online through www.FriendsoftheAnimalVillage.org. Photos submitted must be of an actual dog, puppy, domestic cat or kitten. Ownership of the animal is unimportant; the animal needs not be from the Little Rock Animal Village or any other rescue facility. Photos may be in color or black & white. Photos must be high quality, high-resolution digital image files, submitted in .jpg format. Each photo submitted must be entered in a particular category and must be accompanied by the $10 entry fee, which is paid through the Friends of the Animal Village secure website (www.FriendsoftheAnimalVillage.org). 

Manipulation of Photos: 
Photo images may be cropped and minor color corrections, minor alterations and sharpening are allowed. Major alterations, as determined by the judges, are not allowed.

Contest Deadline: 
Entries must be submitted online at www.FriendsoftheAnimalVillage.org by 11:59 p.m. Monday, April 30, 2012. 

Rights to photos: 
By submitting an entry, the photographer (1) declares that he or she is the person who took the photograph; (2) declares that no other person has the rights to the image submitted, and (3) agrees that Friends of the Animal Village has a non-exclusive right to use any image submitted for any purpose related to the Friends of the Animal Village and/or the Little Rock Animal Village, including but not limited to, advertising and promotion.             

Eligibility: 
Employees and owners of Bedford Camera & Video and Black Dog Photo Productions, the judges and their immediate family members, and current members of the board of directors of the Friends of the Animal Village and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter the contest. All other persons are eligible to enter.

Judging: 
Judges in each category will determine the best dog or puppy and best cat or kitten photo in the category. The criteria for judging consists of clarity of the photograph, its personal appeal, and suitability of the subject to the category (for example, a strong, tough image for the Sheriff category; a serious or dignified image for the Mayor category; an action photo or athletic pose for the Star Athlete category; use of clothing, accessories, or an especially well-groomed natural coat on an animal in the Best Dressed category; an engaging puppy or kitten photograph in the Kid category; a wise or experienced look for the Village Elder category; and a comic pose or funny expression in the Village Clown category). Bedford Camera & Video will select the best dog or puppy photograph and the best cat or kitten photograph from among the category winners. The same criteria, as well as the artistic and technical proficiency displayed in the photograph, will be used to determine the grand prize winners.

Award ceremony and display of canvas prints of winning photographs: 
An award ceremony to announce and display the winning photographs will be held at the Little Rock Animal Village at a time and date to be announced on the Friends of the Animal Village website. All entrants are invited to attend, but all winners will be notified in advance. The judges will also be invited and may attend if they are available. The canvas prints of the 14 winning photographs may, at the option of the Friends of the Animal Village, be displayed in a public location for one month following the award ceremony, and the canvas prints will then be provided to the winners.

To register for the contest, click here. (Friends of the Animal Village site.)