New: 2011 FREE Amateur Photography PHOTO Contest Rules AND January 2011's FREE PHOTO CONTEST theme announcement!

For those of you that are regular Followers and Readers, you are already aware that
I host a FREE monthly PHOTO CONTEST for amateur photographers here on my blog.

Every month, even if you don't HAVE a blog of your own,
you can submit ONE photo to me
to be in the contest.

What do you win?:

1. bragging rights

2. If you have a blog, and you win the monthly contest: I send you an exclusive "winning widget" you can put on your blog forever stating you won that month's contest. If you do not have a blog, I can send you via mail, a letter certifying you won, which will include the winning widget logo as proof for your "portfolio".

3. If you win, you are also automatically entered into the end-of-the-year contest, where your photo competes against the other monthly winners of the year and if you win THAT, you get another widget you can put on your blog forever stating you won THAT ENTIRE YEAR's contest.  (If you don't have a blog, I can send you a letter for your "portfolio" stating you won also, which will have the winning widget logo on it in print).

4. You win the fun of being part of the contests and enjoying what everyone else sent in to compete against you...we all learn and enjoy it so much! DO NOT be intimidated by others' entries...we all appreciate ANY and ALL photos entered for their creativity and for the time you took to enter it.  Remember, the people competing against you are NOT professional photographers, so you don't have to be scared or worry!

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We have all learned a LOT from last year's contest....

and so it was only natural that I would tweak the rules a bit for 2011.

I also asked my regular readers if they had suggestions about changing some of last year's rules.

One thing that surprised me, is that the majority of you said it was OKAY for repeat winners. I was worried that people would "drop out" thinking they could never win if one or two people kept winning each month. But, no...almost all of you agreed that it is okay if you win several times a year...which was great, because it keeps the entries interesting and fun to see what past winners will keep producing as entries.

So, with that being said, here are the:

2011  FREE  Monthly PHOTO CONTEST
Rules*

*Please copy #1 through #7 below and attach it to your e-mails when you enter a photograph to make sure you give me all the information needed. It REALLY helps!)

1. Send your entry photo as an attachment in an e-mail to: jhaara@sbcglobal.net along with ALL of the following information:
1. State your real name:
2. State your e-mail address:
3. State your mailing address:
4. If you have a blog, state the NAME of your blog:
5. If you have a blog, state your BLOGGER NAME:
6. If you have a blog, state the exact address of your blog:
7. If you do NOT have a blog, tell me what EXACT name you want used on my blog to identify your entry (either your real name or a code name):

8. Send a reasonably-sized file attachment of your entry photograph. Extra large files will endanger my computer, so PLEASE do not send huge electronic files via your submission.
9. When you send your picture, make SURE it is right-side UP, not sideways or upside down...send it EXACTLY as you want it published.
10. You must already be (or immediately become) a Follower of The Retirement Chronicles blog to enter the contest. If you have not already done so, please do this before sending your entry via an e-mail to the above address.
11. Please e-mail your photo before 12 pm on the last day of the month of the current contest.
12. If the month’s theme involves a photograph of a person, please make sure you obtain and keep in your files : written permission of the subject of your photograph. If the subject is less than 18 years of age, you must obtain their parent’s dated, written permission before submitting the photo to the contest. The Retirement Chronicles blog site will hold the person sending in the photo for the contest responsible for getting written permission for the photo before it appears on its blog.
13. Please only submit ONE photo entry per month.
14. Please do NOT submit the same photo for any two themes or for more than one month.
15. Please keep a copy of the e-mail you sent in with your photo file attached. If you do not hear from me within 7 days of sending in your entry (by getting an e-mail from me that says I received it), then your entry is considered incomplete/not received, and this will be your backup for your file. If I publish the month's entry and accidently forgot to list YOURS, it is YOUR responsiblity to notify me immediately via e-mail. If this occurs, I will do a re-post to include your forgotten photo before I contact the judges.
16. The photo must be of appropriate content. No nudity or pornographic content will be tolerated or published. The Retirement Chronicles has the right to reject any photo from the contest that is deemed inappropriate. Any one submitting inappropriate photos will be reported immediately to the blog host site and to authorities, if needed.
17. You must not be a professional photographer. We are counting on you to be honest as this is an honor system.
18. The photo taken must be your original work and no one else’s. We are counting on you to be honest as this is also an honor system. If found that you have copied someone else's picture with or without his/her permission, you will be reported immediately to the blog host site and to authorities, if needed.
19. Past winners ARE eligible to enter and win any/all future monthly contests per majority vote of my blog readers.

Thanks again to EACH and EVERY person who have entered past contests

and also thanks (ahead of time) to those of you that will be entering photos in 2011!

Also, applause to my many judges, to whom this contest would not be possible without!

So, Go AHEAD....start ENTERING, People!!!

Good luck to each and every one of you!

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January 2011's
THEME
is:


Bridges!!!