All entries and votes must be submitted by the deadlines listed below in order to be included in the final vote count. Entries can include animals that have died; however, to be eligible for the grand prize and any runner-up spots, animals must be alive and available for a photograph.
Photo entries must be no smaller than 1575 pixels x 2100 pixels, in RGB, .jpg or .eps format. Photos must be high resolution for printing purposes.
If you are taking photos with your phone, please be sure to capture your image at the highest possible setting in order to meet resolution criteria.
People are NOT allowed in photos, but photos of domestic animals can accompany your featured dog. Your dog does NOT have to be from Dogs for Better Lives, and it does NOT need to be a rescue dog. It CAN be adopted, rescued, or bred, and it CAN be your pet or your assistance dog to be eligible to enter the contest.
Multiple animals are allowed in one photo if they are domestic animals. We will NOT accept entries with photos of wildlife.
Employees and board members of Dogs for Better Lives are welcome to enter the contest and encouraged to seek votes but are not eligible for prizes.
We strongly recommend that all photo submissions are digital, as printed photos and Polaroids are unlikely to be high enough quality to be reproduced in the Fall Canine Listener featured stories. We cannot accept photos with digital overlays, photo stickers, doodles, or any digital effects. Copyrighted photos may only be included with the written permission of the copyright holder. Approvals from the copyright holder must be submitted to Dogs for Better Lives in advance of the June 15 deadline.
Once entered, photo submissions become the property of Dogs for Better Lives to be used at its discretion for print and marketing purposes.
Dogs for Better Lives reserves the right to decline the publication of any photograph for any reason. Should this happen, we will notify you and, if an appropriate replacement cannot be obtained, Dogs for Better Lives will refund your entry fee (votes), if desired. Dogs for Better Lives has final approval on all photos submitted and reserves the right to replace any photograph to overcome production issues.
The submission and voting periods begin on May 1, 2021, at 8 a.m. PST, and end on June 15, 2021, at 8 p.m. PST.
Winners will be announced on Facebook and Instagram on July 1. Winners will be contacted by phone (first) or email (alternatively) by the last week of June.
Voting
Each vote is equal to $1, and there is no limit to the number of votes one may cast for the duration of the contest. Each contestant must purchase a minimum of ten votes at the time of entry for a minimum charge of $10 - voting for your own photo. You can vote as much as you want for your own photo, but you must place at least 10 votes to enter your dog(s) into the contest. Online voting begins as soon as the photo is registered and ends June 15 at 8 p.m. PST.
In addition to our online system, voting can be done by mail or by calling 541-423-8385. Votes made over the phone with a credit card are restricted to a $20 minimum donation. Offline votes (mailed or by telephone) must be received by 12 p.m. on June 15, 2021. Any calls or mailed votes received after 12 p.m. on June 15, 2021 will NOT be allowed in the final tally for the contest prizes.
To make sure a vote is credited to the correct photo, voters must identify the pet and owner's name. Please make checks payable to Dogs for Better Lives with the memo line or an inserted document identifying the pet and owner's name.