How Much Is The Entry Fee?
The entry fee is $25 per photo. You can make an additional donation during the entry process that will count as votes toward your submitted photo(s). All contest entries and votes are considered tax-deductible donations and will go directly to support Marin Humane’s vital programs and services.
How Many Photos Can I Enter?
You can enter as many pets in the contest as you like! Each entry has a $25 entry fee. Bear in mind that the winner is based on most votes, so it would be best to submit only one photo per pet/entrant to maximize your chances of winning.
How Do I Enter My Pet’s Photo?
To submit photos, click on the Participate tab above and follow the directions to upload a photograph of your pet.
Entries can only be made online and must be received by 6:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Monday, June 24, 2024.
What are the eligibility requirements?
- Photos should be high-resolution (300 dpi or greater) and/or a minimum file size of 4 MB, and in a standard file format such as .jpg or .png. (Some phone photos may not meet these standards. Please check your phone’s camera settings for default image file size or pixels. The larger the file size - at least 4 MB - or pixel dimensions, the better.)
- Photos should be landscape (horizontal) orientation.
- Your pet does NOT have to be adopted from Marin Humane or Hopalong to be eligible to enter the contest.
- Photos may contain more than one pet.
- Photos must only contain pets (no people or wildlife.)
- Photos must be in color.
- Photos must feature pets owned by the photographer OR the entrant must have permission to submit the photo. (Photographs with photographer’s watermarks will NOT be eligible to be included in the calendar.)
- To be considered for the Cover or as Pet of the Month, all cats and dogs shown outdoors MUST be wearing tags and collars. If we love your photo but your pet does not have a collar or tag, we will Photoshop them in.
View this helpful infographic on how to take a great photo with your cell phone:
How do I vote for a pet’s picture?
The best and easiest way is to vote online, by clicking on the Participate tab above.
The online voting period will end at 6:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Monday, June 24, 2024. You may also submit votes by mail or phone. Votes by mail should be sent to: Marin Humane, Attn: Photo Contest, 171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd. Novato, CA 94949. Envelopes must include your phone number, donation by check, the pet and entrant names, and your written request to apply your enclosed donation towards votes for them in the 2024 Photo Contest.
Votes by mail must be received by Thursday, June 16, 2024 at 5 pm PDT. To vote by phone with a credit card, please call 415.506.6231 during regular office hours.
Votes by phone must be received by Friday, June 17, 2024 before 3 pm PDT.
How are votes counted?
One vote is $1.00. All votes are considered tax-deductible donations.
Who gets one of the Pet of the Month calendar pages?
There are 13 winners.
- The animal with the most votes, regardless of category, wins the calendar cover.
- The next top 5 in the Dog category, top 5 in the Cat category, and top 2 in the Other category win a calendar month. All entries must receive a minimum of 25 votes to be eligible for the cover or a month in the calendar.
- All other entries will be featured on a collage page in the calendar.
How will winners be notified?
Winners will be contacted directly by Marin Humane within 2 business days after the end of the contest. You can also see the winning entries posted on our contest home page the day after the contest.
Do I get to choose what month will feature my pet(s)?
We will take into consideration any preferred months when we contact the winners. Ultimately it is up to Marin Humane to decide which pet is featured in which month.
Does my pet need to have been adopted from Marin Humane or Hopalong to enter their photo?
Not at all!
When will calendars be ready? How can I receive or purchase one?
- All entrants will receive one complimentary copy of the calendar.
- 2025 calendars will be available around October 2024. Entrants will receive an email notifying them of calendar availability, pricing details, and how to purchase additional copies.
Any Further Questions?
Please contact Maureen Reyes at mreyes@marinhumane.org
You may find our FAQ page helpful to review before entering. HOW IT WORKS:
- Votes will determine if your pet's photo will be featured in our calendar.
- The entry period is from 12:00:00 AM (Pacific Time) on Monday, May 20, 2024, until 6:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Monday, June 24, 2024.
- There are 13 full pages to win (the cover and each month). In order to feature all kinds of animals in the calendar, there are three categories: Dogs, Cats and Other (any other domestic animal such as a bird, reptile, horse, rabbit, etc.)
- The overall top fundraiser regardless of category will be awarded the cover.
- The next five spots from the Dog and Cat categories, and the next two spots from the Other category will be awarded a full page Pet of the Month page in the 2025 Marin Humane + Hopalong Calendar.
- Entries who are not one of the top 13 winners will still be featured in the collage pages.
Please see the image specifications in the following section to ensure your photo will meet the requirements for a full page image.
All proceeds from entry fees and votes will help us provide shelter and care for the animals at Marin Humane + Hopalong.
HOW TO ENTER PHOTOS:
- Entries can only be made online and must be received by 6:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Monday, June 24, 2024. To submit photos, click on the Participate tab above and follow the directions to upload a photograph of your pet.
- There is a $25 fee for submitting a photo to be included in the Marin Humane + Hopalong 2025 Photo Calendar.
- You may make an additional donation during the entry process with each dollar counting as one vote.
- All eligible photos submitted by 6:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Monday, June 24, 2024 will be included in the 2025 calendar, either in a collage page or as a full-page Pet of the Month.
- Fees and votes are considered donations and are fully tax-deductible as permitted by law. Marin Humane is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All entrants will receive email receipts for their contributions.
- Marin Humane reserves the right to disqualify an entry based on objectionable content or depiction of an animal. The registration fee will not be refunded. Donations (votes) will be refunded upon request of the donor.
- All photos become the property of Marin Humane and by submitting a photo, you acknowledge and give permission to Marin Humane to use the name, story, and photo of the animal in future publications, including the 2025 calendar.
IMAGE RULES:
- Photos should ideally be high-resolution (300 dpi or greater) and/or a minimum file size of 4 MB, and in a standard file format such as .jpg or .png.
- Some phone photos may not meet these standards. Please check your phone’s camera settings for default image file size or pixels. The larger the file size (at least 4 MB) or pixel dimensions, the better.
- If your pet wins the Cover or the Pet of the Month, but your photo is not high enough quality, we will ask you for a new photo which must be provided by June 30, 2024 to meet the calendar printing deadlines.
- Photos should be landscape (horizontal) orientation.
- Photos may contain one or more pets.
- Photos may not contain people.
- Photos must be in color.
- Photos must feature pets owned by the photographer OR the entrant must have permission to submit the photo. (Photographs with photographer’s watermarks will NOT be eligible to be included in the calendar.)
- To be considered for the Cover or as Pet of the Month, all cats and dogs shown outdoors MUST be wearing tags and collars. If we love your photo but your pet does not have a collar or tag, we will Photoshop them in.
Are you in need of some helpful tips on how to take a great photo with your cell phone? Please see our handy infographic below:
VOTING:
- To vote online, click on the Participate tab above. The online voting period will end at 6:00:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Monday, June 24, 2024.
- Each $1 donation counts as one vote. You can place all votes on one entry or divide them among multiple entries.
- All votes for photo submissions will be tabulated and displayed online.
- All donations (votes) are non-refundable.
- Marin Humane is a 501(c) (3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible.
- The email acknowledgment reply to your online donation serves as your tax receipt.
- Voting by mail will be accepted and must be received by Marin Humane no later than Thursday, June 16, 2024 at 5 pm PDT. Mail-in votes should be sent to: Marin Humane, Attn: Photo Contest, 171 Bel Marin Keys Blvd. Novato, CA 94949. Envelopes must include your phone number, donation by check, the pet and entrant names, and your written request to apply your enclosed donation towards votes for them in the 2024 Photo Contest.
- To vote by phone with a credit card, please call 415.506.6231 during regular office hours, before 3 pm PDT on Friday June 17, 2024.