How does Weekly Photo Comp work?
It is very simple. There is a new competition run each week. Entrants pay $3 US to enter a single photograph into the current competition. The entries are submitted to our email server. The competition closes at midnight every Friday (GMT + 10hrs). After the current competition has closed, all entries go through the first round of judging, according to the criteria set out on the terms and conditions page. The top 50 photographs are uploaded to the website for public display. The judges then select a final winner from the top 50 photographs. The winner is notified by email and paid half of the entry fees using Paypal. The entries not selected for the top 50 do get displayed on the website only smaller with the letter “r” in front of the number to indicate remainder. No refund is given if you are not successful in having your photo in the top 50. As the number of entries increase, so does the prize money every competition. We rely on you telling all of your contacts worldwide about this competition so that the prize money becomes very large. Word of mouth is the strongest advertising tool.
Are there any hidden charges or fees associated with entering?
No, Weekly Photo Comp uses the very secure Paypal service for collecting the entry fees. The entrants are charged US$3.00 per entry, no extra fees and charges are applicable. The US $3.00 will be converted into whatever currency your bank account or credit card uses.
Are professionals, amateurs and beginners expected to compete against each other?
Yes, it encourages beginners and amateurs to improve their skills and learn from the pros.
Photos will be judged on artistic merit / discretion of judges rather than professionalism.
It would be almost impossible to verify whether the entrants are pro or amateur.
We want to give everybody the same opportunity to win what could potentially be a large cash prize.
Is there a theme to follow in each weekly competition?
Sometimes there will be a theme announced for a particular competition, this will be notified on the home page and also via a newsletter sent out to our database of previous entrants. Sometimes we prefer to open up the competition to any type of photograph or subject, judging the entries based on the criteria as set out in the terms and conditions of entry.
How many entries can I make in each weekly competition?
Contestants may enter any number of photographs into the weekly competition. Each photograph will incur the US $3.00 entry fee.
Contestants may enter the same photograph into the weekly competition as many times as desired. Entering the same photograph multiple times in the same week will not influence the judging in any way. Each time the photograph is entered it will incur the US $3.00 entry fee. Therefore it does not make sense to enter the same photograph multiple times in the same week, however; contestants may enter the same photograph into successive weekly competitions if desired. The results for the same photograph may vary from week to week depending on the competing entries.
Is there a facility on the website for the public to comment on the entries?
No, we prefer to keep the format of the website simple and not get distracted by comments on the photographs which may or may not be helpful to anyone. There are many other photography websites and forums where the public can critique or comment on other people’s work. These commentaries often contain lame or useless comments and often end in slanging matches between members of the public.
Can a photograph be edited using a third party program such as Photoshop etc?
Yes, a photograph may be edited as much as you like. Keep in mind that over editing of the photograph may make it less appealing to the judges although this is not necessarily the case in all instances. The photograph is also to contain your own material only, so do not merge the photograph with somebody else’s photograph for example.
Are the photographs made available to stock agencies or to private customers as stock photographs?
No, the stock photo industry is well and truly covered already with a number of reputable businesses offering photos for stock used in advertising etc. Weekly Photo Comp has no intention of breaking into the stock photography market, preferring to concentrate on the judging of photographs and facilitating the sale of the photographs as fine art.
How does the sale of photographs happen?
Weekly Photo Comp has a facility for selling photographs as fine art only if the photographer chooses. If you wish to put your original photograph up for sale, please nominate the desired amount in $US. If your photograph is displayed in the top 50 for any given week and somebody wishes to purchase your work, we will then facilitate the sale by contacting the photographer and organising the transfer of the original full size digital file to the purchaser. Weekly Photo Comp will charge the seller a commission of 10% of the purchase price.
If you wish to purchase a photo, use the tab at the top of the website, quoting the week number, number of the entry and name of the photograph. We will then obtain the details of the original photo - size, file type etc and contact you and the owner to arrange the transfer of payment and photo file. All payment will be handled through Paypal. At no time do we require your bank details.
Why does my entry never appear in the top 50?
Keep trying, keep improving your skills and techniques, learn from the featured photographs. The number of entries may be large so the competition will be great. As a positive result of this, the potential prize money will also be great. Keep trying with the same or new photographs each week. You have to be in it to win it.
How do I know that this is a legitimate competition?
www.weeklyphotocomp.com is owned and run by Weekly Photo Comp Pty Ltd, a proprietary limited company registered in Australia with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, Australian Company Number (ACN) 95 136 736 788.
Weekly Photo Comp Pty Ltd is registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Australia and is open to auditing by the Australian Tax Office like any other Australian company.
The entry fees are processed through Paypal and the prize money distributed to the winners also through Paypal. It is the winners responsibility to provide the correct bank account details to Paypal if they are notified that they have won the weekly competition. The prize money will be made available to the winner through Paypal as soon as possible after final judging. Weekly Photo Comp Pty Ltd does not require the bank details of entrants. Payment is strictly handled through the secure service provided by Paypal.
Can i enter if I don’t have a credit card?
Yes, although it is much easier to enter with a credit card as you don’t have to open a paypal account. If you do not have a credit card, you can open a paypal account and link it to your bank account. As you go through the normal weekly photo comp entry process, you can then make a payment of $3 US by logging in to your paypal account and nominating to pay using your bank account, e-cheque or the balance in your paypal account if you have transferred funds from your bank account.
How do I get paid if I am the winner?
We will use our paypal account to send you funds. You will be notified by email that you have funds to be collected. Follow the links in the email and you will be prompted to set up a paypal account. Once the funds are in your account, they can be transferred to any bank account you nominate. It is easy and worth the effort to collect your winnings. It is critical that you give us the correct email address in the entry process, otherwise the funds will not reach you.
What are the credentials or skills of the judges?
As set out in the terms and conditions of entry, the photographs will be judged by professional photographers with industry recognised experience, employed by weeklyphotocomp.com.
At the moment there are two judges employed by weeklyphotocomp.com. As the competition increases, there will be more judges employed from various areas of the photography industry to spread the workload and provide unbiased opinions.
Skeet Booth is an Australian professional photographer who has worked primarily in the field of advertising since 1984.
During his career he has won numerous international and Australian awards and produced photographs for advertising agencies and clients too numerous to mention.
Skeet is currently represented by Samiam Photo in Sydney. www.samiam.com.au
Otto Knaus is an Australian professional photographer. Otto has 26 years experience as a professional photographer and has won numerous awards for his craft. Otto specialises in portraits, weddings and other event photography.
Is there a risk that inappropriate images will appear on the website?
No, the photographs are entered via the website to an email server. From there the photographs are processed by the judges before the top 50 are displayed on the public parts of the website. As set out in the terms and conditions, no photographs shall be published on the website if they contain nudity, implied nudity, exploitation of children or animals, morbid images (images depicting human death or mutilation), suggestive sexualisation of minors. The judges decision on what is deemed inappropriate is final.
Can other companies or businesses advertise on www.weeklyphotocomp.com or have a live link on the website?
No, we prefer to keep the website clean and simple, not being distracted by advertisers or sponsors.
Will I need to provide a model release form if my photograph contains recognisable images of people?
No, model release forms are not required to be submitted with photographs of people because the photographs are not intended for commercial use. It is not the intention of Weekly Photo Comp Pty Ltd to publish the photographs for advertising purposes, linking the subject to any product or idea.
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Updated 7 May 2009
