Rules

• To submit your pet’s photo, a minimum $25 donation is required. This amount will enter you into the contest. The entry fee will be included in the overall funds donated to your campaign.

• Entries must be submitted online. You may submit as many entries as you like. However, if friends or family members are encouraged to spread their votes out over multiple campaigns, this will reduce the chance of each pet photo winning a prize in the contest.

• Once entered, all photos become the property of the Michigan Humane Society to be used for print and marketing purposes.

• Any photo or caption deemed inappropriate as determined by the staff of the Michigan Humane Society will be removed from the photo contest

Your pet’s photo could win a spot in the MHS Calendar and other prizes in one of three ways!

• First, at the end of the contest, the top six (6) entries in terms of votes, and with a minimum of $500 raised, will receive a large “Pet of the Month” feature in the MHS 2018 Calendar (photo and short bio). See the “Prizes” section for additional prizes.

• Second, the next top (36) entries in terms of votes, and with a minimum of $50 raised, will be included in the MHS 2018 Calendar in a smaller format (photo only). See the “Prizes” section for additional prizes.

• Third, the Michigan Humane Society will select an additional (12) entries for inclusion in the calendar in a smaller format (photo only). These will be chosen based on merits of the pet’s photo.

• Please note: Due to a change in calendar format, only the winning photo entries as described above and meeting the “Photo Requirements/Guidelines” below will be included in the MHS 2018 Calendar.

• See the “Prizes” section for complete prize information.

• All entries must be in color.  

• Your photo entry may contain one or more pets (photos with humans are not eligible).

• Horizontal/landscape orientation is recommended for all entries and will be required for winners of a large “pet of the month” placement in the calendar.

• The top entries who win a large “Pet of the Month” calendar placement will be required to provide their photo to MHS in a high-resolution format (JPEG preferred).

• If your entry was taken by a commercial studio, you must have a signed copyright release.

• MHS recommends that your pets wear a collar and ID tag and that you photograph cats indoors.

• Each dollar donated to a pet’s campaign represents one vote.

• Due to processing costs, a minimum $10 donation is required.

• All donations are tax-deductible by law.

• All donations to the photo contest are final.

• An email address is required to make an online donation so a receipt with tax information can be sent to the donor. If you would not like to receive MHS news and solicitations via email in the future, there is a checkbox that you can un-check at the time of your donation.

• The Michigan Humane Society strongly prefers that all donations for the Pet Photo Contest be made online.
  
  However, in the event that you must submit an offline donation, please mail your gift to:

Michigan Humane Society
ATTN: 2017 Pet Photo Contest
30300 Telegraph Rd., Ste. 220
Bingham Farms, MI 48025 

In the memo line of your check, please indicate whose campaign you are voting for (ex. "Vote for Bailey Smith of City Name.”)

• To vote by phone using a credit card, call (248) 283-5657, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST.

• The winning entries in the contest (see “How You Can Win Prizes” above) ranked by total funds raised at 10:00:00 p.m. EST on June 30, 2017 will be included in the MHS 2018 Calendar provided they meet the above Photo Requirements/Guidelines. In the event of a tie(s) for any prizes, the earliest entries will be included.

• Online entries and votes must be submitted before the contest ends at 10:00:00 p.m. EST on June 30, 2017.

• Contest winners may need to re-submit their photo to Michigan Humane Society as a high resolution, print quality image. Winners will be notified where to send photos.

• Prize announcements will be revealed on the contest homepage with one week of the contest end-date.

• The value of any prizes won in this contest must be reported on your taxes as income. For more information, please refer to: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch12.html#d0e46809

• For fair market value of prizes, please contact MHS at (248) 283-5657.