CONTEST GUIDELINES

My East Oakland - Photo Contest

"My East Oakland" is an online photo contest open to individuals only. You must have permission from your parent or legal guardian to enter if you are under 18 years of age. No purchase or payment necessary to enter. 

What is an entry?
An entry consists of one original photograph about East Oakland, plus a brief statement (minimum of 2-3 complete sentences please!) that describes this image and explains why the photo illustrates your personal connection to East Oakland. The photo should be a single image and not a composite.
 
How many photos can I submit?
Please limit your entry to one photo per participant.

Who is eligible to enter?
Anyone is eligible as long as the subject of the photograph relates to East Oakland.  You must have permission of your parent or legal guardian to enter if you are under 18.

How do I enter?

Submissions can be entered online or dropped off/mailed in.

Online:

1. Go to ouroakland.org
. Create a new account (if you already have an account, log in and go to step #3).
2. To create a new account: select "Create" on the main menu bar (top of page). Select the tab "Create New Account." Follow prompts to create your account.
3. After creating your account, log in to upload your photo by selecting “Create.” 
   
4. Select the "Photo Contest" check box on the "Create" page. Upload your photo and type in your description under the “Story Description” heading. Fill in the required information, click on "Save” — that’s it!

Note: Make sure to select ‘Photo Contest’ when creating your submission so we know you’re a contestant.

Drop off/Mail in:

1. Click here to download and print out a submission form (Submission forms can also be picked up at the drop off/mail in location).
2. Fill out the entire submission, consent & release form.
3. Submit your 5x7 photo print (make sure to protect the photo for mail-ins) with the completed submission form.
4. Photos and release forms can be mailed or dropped off at: Eastmont Branch Library, 7200 Bancroft Avenue, Suite 211, Oakland, CA 94605.
5. Important, please label your mail-in or drop-off entries with: ‘MY EAST OAKLAND PHOTO CONTEST’, attn Derrick DeMay.
   

If you are under 18 years of age make sure to get your parent's or legal guardian's permission and click on the button at the bottom of the form.

What should my photo be about?
Your photo should illustrate and represent what you feel is unique and/or special about East Oakland and this community you are connected to.

Examples:

• PEOPLE (such as one or more family member, friend, teacher, coach, mentor, neighbor, colleague, or it can be someone you don’t know, who represents what East Oakland means to you)
• PLACE (such as home, school, backyard, park, community center, market place, public art, murals, streets, signage, building(s))
• OBJECT (such as memorabilia, prizes, heirloom–such as a photo album, or some object passed down to you in the family)
• GROUP or ORGANIZATION (such as team, church group, class, colleagues)
• EVENT (such as graduation, birthday party, fundraiser, bbq, festival, parade)

Be Creative. Let you photo speak for you, take charge of what the world gets to see about East Oakland! And have fun!

What should the description be about?

Your photo description should talk about:

• What the image is, what or who you want folks to look at.  If it’s a place, where is it? If it relates to an event, what/when is it?  (Some examples include: "This is a photograph of my grandmother'" or ''This my backyard on 88th Ave.” or "This is a corner that I walk past every day on my way to work.")
• What makes this image important or special to you. (Examples: "Grandma is always there for me when I need someone to talk to, she's lived in East Oakland ever since I can remember," or "My backyard is where I can really relax with my friends and my family,"' or "There used to be an ice skating rink at this corner when I was growing up and it was a special treat for me and my family to come here on weekends.")
• How your photo addresses your connection to your neighborhood or community in East Oakland. (Examples: "My grandma not only helped me, she's like a grandma to all my friends too and gives us a safe place to be after school and she makes the best pie in the world," or "My backyard is a gathering place for my friends and neighbors for barbecues, hanging out, and celebrating special occasions, this is my neighborhood and my connection to East Oakland," or "It was the only iceskating rink in East Oakland and a really safe and fun place for kids to go to, Now it’s a convenience store.")

Other accepted images and descriptions include:
 
•    Your hopes and dreams for your community in East Oakland
•    Your concerns for your community in East Oakland
•    Your ideas on how to address community issues in East Oakland

You words should communicate how you feel about what your photo shows and about East Oakland, include emotions like affection, sadness, hope.
 
What size/format should I save my digital photo in?
You should submit high quality JPEG images. Please make sure your image is large enough for us to see the details. We suggest the long dimension should be at least 1,000 pixels at 72 to 300 dpi, saved with max quality compression. Please do not submit images larger than 2 Megabytes. 

How are winners chosen?
Entries will be judged based on the following:
•    Creativity and originality – 30%
•    Aesthetic appeal – 25%
•    Best explanation of your image– 20%
•    Personal and emotional reaction to subject – 25%

What is the People’s Choice award?

The People’s Choice winner will be based on the highest number of popular votes on the site. Public votes can be cast on your photo by site visitors viewing your photo on ouroakland.org  The votes will not influence the judges decision about finalists and winners. Voting for the People’s Choice Award will remain open until June 13th, 2010 11:59 pm PST.

How do I vote for People's Choice?

In order to vote you need to register on ouroakland.org, only one vote per person is allowed. If you vote more than once on an entry your vote will be automatically canceled. 

When will the winners be announced?
The Finalists will be notified via email on or about July 12, 2010 and announced on ouroakland.org . The Grand Prize, Second Prize, and People Choice Award winners will be notified via email on or about July 16, 2010 and announced on the website.

Do you still have questions? 
For additional questions contact us at stories@ouroakland.org.

Fore more information see Official Rules. Terms and conditions apply.

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