Rules

Puparazzi Photo Contest Official Rules 2023

• There are six different categories for photo entries:
  1. Working Guide Dogs: Dogs must be wearing their GDB harnesses in order to be approved for inclusion in this category.
  2. K9 Buddies: Photos showing the dog wearing the GDB-issued K9 Buddy scarf would be wonderful, but it is not required.
  3. Guide Dog Puppies: Dogs must be wearing their GDB puppy coats in order to be approved for inclusion in this category.
  4. GDB Breeder Dogs: Dogs should ideally be wearing their GDB breeder dog scarves in order to be approved for inclusion in this category.
  5. GDB Career Change Dogs: Dogs must be career change dogs from GDB to be approved for inclusion in this category. Photos showing the dog wearing the GDB-issued career change dog scarf would be wonderful, but is not required. Please note: photos will not be approved if they feature dogs in vests, coats, or scarves from other service dog schools or organizations. 
  6. Retired GDB Dogs: This category celebrates Retired Guides as well as Retired Breeder Dogs from GDB. Dogs should ideally be wearing their GDB Retired Guide or GDB Retired Breeder scarf in order to be approved for inclusion in this category
  7. Pet Pooches: Any dog of any breed, just great photos of dogs! Please note: photos will not be approved if they feature dogs in vests, coats, or scarves from other service dog schools or organizations. 
• Photo descriptions and identification must accompany all submissions. A submission must include the name(s) of the dog(s) and any people in the image, and a brief description of the photo. Example of an image description: Yellow Lab guide dog puppy Buffy posing in front of a field of colorful wildflowers.
• Please post the highest resolution/largest file size image available.
• Horizontal images are preferred.
• There will be one winner per category as well as an overall winner.
• Winners are determined by number of votes. Votes cost $1 each, and there's no limit on how many times people can vote. The photo that gets the most votes in its respective category wins that category. The photo with the most votes overall wins the overall contest.
• The voting proceeds are all tax-deductible donations to Guide Dogs for the Blind. All votes must be paid for online via the contest's secure checkout system; you will receive a tax receipt by email when your transaction is complete.
• You'll want to spread the word about the contest to friends, family, coworkers and anyone you can think of and ask them to support your entry by voting for your dog's picture. We will make it easy for you to get the word out, so when the contest begins you will be able to link your entry in the voting gallery directly to your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, email accounts, and more. It's up to you to spread the word, encourage people to vote by donation, and make sure your photo wins its category - all while supporting Guide Dogs for the Blind.
• The winning photo will be considered for inclusion in GDB’s 2023-2024 calendar.* The winner of the Pet Pooches category is not eligible for the Grand Prize.
  • The overall winner will receive 10 copies of the calendar, a GDB Prize Pack, and a $100 gift card to the GDB Store
  • Overall winner will also be prominently featured on the GDB website, and highlighted on GDB social media channels.
• The category winners (including Pet Pooches and the runner up in the same category as the overall winner) will be prominently featured on the GDB website, highlighted on GDB social media channels.
  • Each category winner will also receive a GDB prize pack and $50 gift card to the GDB Store.

*In order to be considered for inclusion in the GDB calendar, a high-resolution horizontal (landscape orientation) digital file of the winning photo must be available to send to GDB at the close of the contest. (A high resolution file is 8 megapixels or larger – cell phone photos may not qualify.) If for some reason the winning photo does not meet the calendar formatting criteria, GDB will work with the winner to highlight the photo in another GDB channel, and/or arrange to use a different photo of the same dog(s) that would meet the criteria. 

• You may enter as many photos as you like in the Puparazzi Photo Contest.
• Enter your photo in the category that fits the photo best, even if the dog's status may have changed since the photo was taken. (Example: a photo of a puppy wearing a green puppy coat should be entered in the "Guide Dog Puppies" category even if the dog has since graduated as a guide or been career changed.)
• Photos of retired and/or deceased dogs are welcome.
• Contest participants are responsible for ensuring that they have the right to submit the photos being entered in the contest. By submitting to the contest, you affirm that you are the photographer, or have been given unrestricted use permission by the photographer, to include the photo. If you choose to include people in your photo submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions from the individuals depicted.
• All photos must show dogs being handled in an appropriate manner and avoid polarizing situations.
• All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared (no collages, please). Photos that have been significantly digitally altered will not be considered for the contest (no filtered or HDR images, please).
• This online contest is the sole platform for photo submissions for consideration of inclusion in GDB’s calendar.
• Guide Dogs for the Blind reserves the right to utilize photo submissions in any manner deemed appropriate beyond the scope of the calendar contest.
• Due to the constraints of this platform we are unable to provide a Canadian tax credit. We apologize for the inconvenience.