Photography Contest Rules

Section 1. Contest Rules

A. Contest Description

    Contestants submit photos to one or more categories. A panel of
ClubLexus Moderators will select photos from the pool to become
finalists for each category. This Moderator panel will select finalists
based on the theme, "Lexus in Springtime". At the end of the photo
submission period, all the finalists are presented on a voting page for
each category.

    ClubLexus general members will view the photos and vote for their
favorite in each category using an online voting ballot. At the end of
the voting period, the votes are tallied and the Best of Category
winners are announced. The Best of Category winners are then entered
into a Best of Show contest. After the Best of Show contest period has
ended, a Grand Prize winner will be determined and announced.

B. Dates of Contest

This photo contest begins on March 24, 2003 12:00 AM PST and ends on April 23, 2003 11:59 PM PST.

C. Contest Prizes

Grand prize: ClubLexus polo shirt

Best of Category Prize: stainless steel ClubLexus coffee mug


D. Public Voting

All Best of Category and Best of Show winners are determined through a
web-based vote by registered ClubLexus members. Reasonable measures are
taken to assure fairness in voting. A voter is allowed one vote per
category.

E. Contest Rules and Restrictions

1. Only registered ClubLexus members are eligible to enter the contest.
2. Photographs will be accepted only from the original photographer.
3. Size limits: maximum dimensions 2048 x 1536 pixels and 1024 KB or smaller.
4. Categories: Lexus ES, GS, GX, IS, LS, LX, RX, SC. Entrants must
   upload a photo (with a maximum of one photo per category) into the
   correct contest gallery. Photos must include the appropriate Lexus
   model in the image submitted.
5. Only original photographs made with a digital camera, or photograph scanned from an original image will be considered.
6. The original, unmodified digital camera image must be available to
   ClubLexus upon request. The original digital camera image must contain
   valid, unmodified EXIF data. EXIF data is information that the camera
   embeds in the original file and enables the ClubLexus system to
   properly validate contest entry. The original, unmodified camera film
   image and negative must be available to ClubLexus upon request.

F. Restrictions

1. There are no age limit restrictions except where prohibited by law.
2. You may submit one different photograph to each category.
3. Photographs that have been selected, in a previous ClubLexus
   contest, as a Category Finalist, Best of Category Winner, or Best in
   Show Winner, may NOT be entered again in any ClubLexus Photography
   Contest.
4. In any category, there must be a minimum of two (2) members with
   valid entries to be considered for selection as a finalist. Any
   category with only one entry will cause that entry to be ineligible to
   compete for any prizes.
5. The same photograph may not be submitted into multiple categories.
6. ClubLexus administrators may elect to re-categorize a submitted
   photo if appropriate. Inappropriate categorization by the entrant,
   however, will most likely result in the photo not being selected as a
   finalist.
7. Obscene, provocative, or otherwise prurient content will not be
   considered. Photographs containing nudity will not be considered.
   Nudity is defined as the torso being completely or partially unclothed
   below the waist for all models and above the waist for female models.
   ClubLexus retains sole discretion as to what constitutes unsuitable
   content.
8. Entrants may not promote or publicize their contest submission(s)
   in ClubLexus forums or use ClubLexus software (Private Messaging) to
   promote or publicize their contest submission(s). No entrant may
   publish negative remarks toward another entrant or contest entry. Such
   actions will result in disqualification.
9. The contest selection decisions are final and are be made under
   sole discretion by the ClubLexus moderators. However, entries not
   chosen to progress into the finalist round may be resubmitted into
   future photography contests.
10. In the event of a tie during the Best of Category voting or Best
    in Show voting, the ClubLexus administrators will select the winning
    photo.
11. System malfunctions, network delays, and other technical problems
    can happen and ClubLexus is not responsible to assure that photos are
    properly submitted into the contest, nor does it make any guarantees of
    when the photos will be entered into the selection pool.
12. Employees, Moderators and Volunteers connected and working with
    ClubLexus or any of its sponsors, and their families, are not eligible
    to enter the contest. Moderators are not eligible to enter the contest
    only during their judging tenure.
13. Prize winners may be responsible for shipping charges, taxes, and/or import tariffs according to location and/or local laws.
14. All federal, state, provincial, and local laws apply.

Section 2. Additional Contest Rules

A. Copyrights and Permissions

1. The photographer must hold the copyright to all photos he or she
   is submitting into the contest. Photographs that violate the copyright
   laws will be disqualified.
2. The use of public domain images is prohibited in all categories.
3. Photographers retain ownership of all copyrights.
4. If an entrant?s submission is selected as a contest winner,
   ClubLexus retains the rights to store and display the bordered image
   and its thumbnails indefinitely as part of the Photo
   Archives/Galleries, on any page at ClubLexus.com, and in any
   advertising for any of its web sites.
5. Photographers must have sufficient permission of any recognizable
   models or other persons appearing in the photograph to be able to grant
   to ClubLexus the right to display their photographic submission online.
6. Any contest entrants meeting legal challenges from either
   copyright or insufficient model permissions will be removed and
   replaced.

B. Image Modifications (Applicable only to those who have altered their image(s).)

1. This is a photography contest, not a Photoshop contest.
2. Camera add-on lenses, filters, and scopes are permitted without restriction.
3. Third party software filters or plug-ins are discouraged. Obvious
   manipulation of an image may prevent the image from being selected to
   compete at the category level. Please keep in mind that the intent of
   any modification is to produce a more natural looking photograph rather
   than an obviously manipulated one; judges will make their selections on
   this basis.
4. Cropping and Rotation: Images may be cropped and rotated as long
   as a rectangular format is maintained. Contestants may submit images
   cropped into a panoramic format from a single photograph. However,
   contestants are not allowed to use photo-stitching software to create
   one image from two or more images.
5. Resizing: Images may be resized as long as aspect ratio is maintained.
6. Borders and Frames: No borders or frames shall be added to images
   prior to submission. ClubLexus may add Borders to all entries upon
   submission.
7. Watermarks, Signatures, or Copyright Notices: These marks may be
   added to the photos to protect the photographer’s copyright. Keep in
   mind, however, that excessively large, distracting watermarks may
   weaken the submitted photo and thus hinder its chances of being
   selected as a finalist.
8. Spot Editing, including Red-eye Removal: Spot editing refers to
   the application of a change or effect to a selected portion of a photo.
   Spot editing and red-eye removal are permitted for the purpose of
   improving the appearance of a photograph and to give it a more natural
   look. Keep in mind, however, that excessive spot editing may weaken
   your photo and thus hinder its chances of being selected as a finalist.
9. Adding or Replacing Elements: Elements or objects that do not
   exist in the original photo shall not be added to an image. For
   example, improving a sky by replacing it with a sky from another
   photograph is prohibited.

C. Examples of Permitted Modifications (Applicable only to those who have altered their image(s).)

1. One-step enhancement (known in various software packages as Auto Levels, Enhance, Intellihance, Quick Fix, etc.)
2. Use of filters such as sharpen, unsharp mask, soften, blur,
   despeckle, JPG cleanup, and remove noise. These filters should not be
   used to the extent that they create a non-realistic or artistic effect.
3. Use of corrective functions such as levels, contrast, brightness,
   curves, gamma, intensity, tone, hue, saturation, desaturation,
   lightness, value (in HSV model), RGB color channel adjustment, color
   balance, and tint.
4. Use of the cloning or rubber stamp tool to remove minor blemishes
   and small, unwanted items such as power lines and debris that may spoil
   your composition.
5. Barrel distortion and pin-cushioning correction.