Contest winners will be determined by the top 13 entrants that earn the most votes. 

The entry with the most votes (1st place winner) will win superior bragging rights, as well as the coveted cover photo for the 2026 Homeward Bound Animal Shelter Calendar! 2^nd through 13^th place winners will be featured as pet of the month in the calendar. The top 13 pets will be professionally photographed by Chaltron Photography for the 2026 calendar.

All winners must confirm or decline their spot in the calendar by completing the electronic form sent to the email address on file. The deadline to respond is 5pm on Friday, April 11, 2025. 

All winners will be offered the opportunity to upgrade to an extended photography session and to purchase artwork and products afterwards if desired.

*If your pet is one of the 13 to be photographed for the calendar, you must be able to bring your pet to the Manistee area at a pre-selected location (announced to the winners at the end of the contest) between May 16 - June 14, 2025 for a professional pet portrait photography session. If you are unable to commit to a photo session during those times or find yourself unable to travel to these pre-selected locations, you forfeit your winning and the next top vote getter will take your pets spot in the calendar, no exceptions.

In addition to the above mentioned GRAND PRIZES, the contest winners will also receive the following from our generous supporters:

Promotional prizes include a weekly contest where entrants compete for the most new votes for that week to win a prize from one of our many generous local sponsors. In the event of a tie for that week or if there are no new votes, a random computerized drawing will be held for all eligible pets. Each pet may only win a weekly contest once. Certain individual business restrictions and limitations may apply and may vary by business. Chaltron Photography, Manistee County Humane Society, nor Homeward Bound Animal Shelter are not responsible for these restrictions and eligibility requirements as determined by each business.

We are beyond excited to showcase the extraordinary generosity of our sponsors, whose support has made this contest truly special. From exceptionally generous prizes and weekly offerings to invaluable publicity, and the use of prime locations, these sponsors have truly gone above and beyond to elevate the competition and make a lasting impact for Homeward Bound Animal Shelter. Each week, we will reveal new sponsors, so stay tuned and watch as we unveil the next amazing prize and the businesses that made it possible!

• The ENTRY Period begins at 9:00:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 and ends at 9:00:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
  
  
• Each entry is $5.
  
  
• Entries can come from anywhere in the world, so long as those who win a spot in the calendar are willing to travel to the Manistee, Michigan area for their portrait session where their calendar image will be created. 

• Limit of 1 pet per entry. Limit 1 pet per photo. People are not allowed in photos, only your pet. Photos that do not follow these rules will not be eligible to win with no opportunity for a refund.

• Entries must be living dogs to be eligible to win. In Memoriam photos are welcomed in available calendar Grid Spaces for a $12 donation. Grid Spaces are reserved on a first come, first served basis. 

• All photos must be uploaded; we cannot accept printed photos. We cannot accept any copyrighted or professional photos.

• The Submissions Period begins at 9:00:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 and ends at 9:00:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

• Contest entry fees are tax deductible. The email acknowledgment to your online donation serves as your tax receipt.

• Any photograph that includes content that is deemed inappropriate, indecent, or obscene, as determined by Chaltron Photography in its sole discretion, will be removed from the contest with no opportunity for a refund.

• The winners of the photo contest will be determined by the top 13 entries that receive the most votes. The same pet can only win once. Attempts to win two spots in the calendar by the same pet will not be permitted.
  
  

• The Voting Period begins at 9:00:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 and ends at 9:00:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

• Votes can come from anywhere in the world.

• One (1) vote is a $1 donation. The minimum donation is $5 (five votes).

• All donations from voting are non-refundable. Entries and donations must be made via the online contest page. Contest payments online are through a secure site.

• Contest votes are tax deductible. The email acknowledgment to your online donation serves as your tax receipt.

• All winners will be determined by electronic vote tabulations under the supervision of the GOGO Photo Contest platform, whose decisions are final and binding.
  
  

• The 13 pets with the most votes overall will be photographed for the calendar by Chaltron Photography. The sessions will take place between May 16 - June 14, 2025 in the Manistee, Michigan area (exact location announced to the winners at the end of the contest). If you are unable to commit to a session between these dates, you forfeit your winning and the next pet will take your pet’s spot in the calendar, no exceptions.

• Optional: All winners will be offered the opportunity to upgrade to an extended photography session and to purchase artwork and products afterwards if desired.
  
  
• Chaltron Photography will choose all calendar images as well as which month each image will appear.

• The top vote recipient will win the coveted cover photo for the 2026 calendar. The following 12 recipients with the most votes will be featured as dog or cat of the month in the calendar.
  
  

• The pet receiving the highest number of new votes each week over the course of the four-week contest will win a weekly contest prize from one of our generous participating sponsors. Each pet may only win a weekly contest once. In the event of a tie, a random computerized draw will be held between the highest vote getters of the week to determine that week's winner. In the event that there are no new votes for that week, a random computerized draw will be held for all eligible pets. Certain individual business restrictions and limitations may apply and may vary by business. Chaltron Photography and Manistee Humane Society / Homeward Bound Animal Shelter are not responsible for these restrictions and eligibility requirements as determined by each business.

• The Weekly Contests run from Sunday 9 am ET to the following Sunday at 8:59:59 am ET, except in Week 4 when the weekly contest ends with the Calendar Contest at 9:00:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
  
  

• By submitting a photo entry, you warrant and represent that your entry is your own original work created by you and that you own or otherwise control all rights to your entry materials. If you submit an entry that is copyrighted by another individual, you are responsible for any legal action the copyright holder takes against you.

• By participating in the contest you agree to receive e-mail from Chaltron Photography to keep you updated on the contest. You can unsubscribe any time if you do not wish to receive these e-mails.

• Calendars will be made available for purchase by 30 October 2025. Two versions of the calendar will be available for ‘print-on-demand’ purchase: 8x10 calendar for $25, 11x14 calendar for $33.

• By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless Manistee Humane Society, Homeward Bound Animal Shelter and Chaltron Photography and each of their respective officers, directors, representatives, volunteers, and agents (the Released Parties) from and against any claims of any nature arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize.

Keep an eye on the live leaderboard here on the contest site to make sure that your favorite pets are in the running for a spot in the calendar. 

Stay up to date on contest happenings by following Chaltron Photography on Facebook at at https://www.facebook.com/ChaltronPhotography/ 

Send an e-mail with questions to Bonnie at bonnie@chaltronphotography.com. She'll get back to you promptly.

Donations made in support of Homeward Bound Animal Shelter are valued at 1 vote for every $1.00 donated. The minimum donation is $5, which equals 5 votes. There may also be promotions where donors can get bonus votes. The contest platform will automatically tally votes as they come in.
 

Campaign to keep your pet in the top 13 of the leaderboard. Get your family and friends to vote for your pet(s) in the contest. You can also vote for your own pet! It all supports the Homeward Bound Animal Shelter. Each week of the contest, there are lots of fantastic prizes for top-voted pets. The first thirteen pets with the most votes at contest end win a spot in the calendar.

Because each calendar winner will be photographed for the calendar by Chaltron Photography, the winners have to be living pets. You can honour your pet in memoriam by Reserving a Grid Space for his/her photograph HERE.

Chaltron Photography will contact you soon after the contest is over to verify your acceptance of your spot in the calendar and to organize a complimentary session to photograph your winning pet for the calendar. If you would like to have more images taken or include more pets or people in your session, you can upgrade to a full photography session at a special contest rate.
 

The calendars will become available for purchase online no later than 30 October 2025. Chaltron Photography will keep you informed when the calendars are ready to be ordered.

Chaltron Photography reserves the right to disqualify an entry based on objectionable content or depiction of the animal or persons in a photo.
 

You'll receive the news regarding the contest to the e-mail address you provide with your entry information. Chaltron Photography will keep you posted about prizes, weekly winners and what happens after the contest.

The automatic confirmation after you have made a donation serves as your tax receipt. It includes all the details required. Please save it for your records.