Photo Contest Rules and Prizes (Updated June 2023)

ELIGIBILITY

The Potography Monthly Photo Contest is intended for professional and hobbyist photographers focusing on cannabis-related imagery. We don’t care what camera you use or if you have a (hemp) business card; we just want to see cool cannabis photos.

ELIGIBLE CONTESTANTS 

All registered Potography members are eligible to submit entries in our photo contests.

In order to submit entries, you must first create a free account with potography.com. 

By registering for a free account and participating in our photo contest, you are verifying that you have read and agree to these Contest Rules and the site’s Terms and Conditions.

No purchase is required to participate in our photo contests, and purchases from our online store do not increase or decrease the chances of winning.

ELIGIBLE PHOTOS

We don’t require photos that feature the cannabis plant or any cannabis use, but we do encourage you to submit photos highlighting the beauty of the plant and the people and art it inspires. This means bud shots, hemp farms, landscapes, farmers, growers, glass art, and any work of art directly inspired by cannabis.

Potography reserves the right to deny submissions that fail to demonstrate a connection to cannabis-inspired art.

CONTEST DURATION, ENTRY, AND VOTING

All contests are divided into an Entry Period and a Voting Period as outlined below. The Entry Period is generally the first 3 weeks of the month, and Voting takes place during the last 7-10 days of the month. Under special circumstances, we may extend the Entry and/or Voting periods beyond their usual timeframes. 

DURATION

Unless otherwise specified, each month’s contest begins at 12:00am EST on the first day of the month and ends at 11:59pm EST on the last day of the same month. 

ENTRY PERIOD

The entry period for each contest begins at 12:00am EST on the first day of the month and ends at 11:59pm EST on the 21st day of the same month.

VOTING PERIOD

The voting period for each contest begins at 12:00am on the twenty-second (22nd) day of each month and ends at 11:59pm on the last day of the same month.

WINNER REVEAL

Winners for the previous month’s contest will be announced on the contest page and by the Potography Team within the first four (4) days of each month (we typically announce winners via Instagram and email on the first day of the month and no later than the first business day).

ENTRY METHODS AND INSTRUCTIONS:

WEBSITE ENTRY (Preferred)

The preferred method for submitting entries to the photo contest is to use the Contest Entry Form on the Active Contest Page. 

Users must register for an account on potography.com and be logged in to gain access to the Contest Entry Form.

The Contest Entry Form can be found under the ‘Submit Entry’ tab of the Contest Gallery. The ‘Submit Entry’ tab is only visible during an active Entry Period (the first 3 weeks of the month, unless otherwise specified).

A Contest Entry Form is also displayed on the Contest Portal Page.

Website entry instructions:

1. Login to your Potography account or Register for a new account
2. Navigate to the Active Contest Page
3. On the Active Contest Page, scroll down until you see the Contest Gallery.
4. Locate the Contest Gallery Toolbar (black bar above the gallery). On the Gallery Toolbar, you’ll see a “Submit Entry” tab.
5. Click the ‘Submit Entry’ tab to reveal the Entry Form.
6. Complete the form to submit your entries.
   
   Reminder: Users must register for an account on potography.com and be logged in to gain access to the Contest Entry Form. If you’re logged in but don’t see the ‘Submit Entry’ tab in the Contest Gallery Toolbar, this means the contest is not accepting entries.

EMAIL ENTRY (Backup)

In the event that you are unable to submit entries directly to the contest gallery, you may submit entries via email. 

To enter via email, send your full-resolution photo(s) to contest@potography.com with the following subject line (filled in with your information):

“Contest Entry for [MONTH-YEAR], [NAME].”

Email entries must be submitted during the Entry Period (before 12:00 a.m. EST on the 22nd day of the month) in order to be accepted to the contest. Please be sure each file is labeled with the name of the photo. This information will be displayed in the gallery as a caption and will be entered exactly as it appears in your email submission.

Please note: Email entries received outside the Entry Period will not be added to the Active Contest and will not be automatically uploaded to any future contests. To re-submit entries submitted outside the active Entry Period, you must re-upload your entries via the website, email, or Instagram during an active Entry Period.

Potography.com reserves the right to remove or disqualify photos from the entry pool at our discretion. If your photo was removed and you aren’t sure why, please feel free to get in touch with us and we will be happy to explain our reasoning.

VOTING METHODS AND INSTRUCTIONS

GENERAL VOTING POLICIES

All website visitors are eligible to cast three (3) votes per contest.

Users do not need to be registered or logged in to vote.

A Potopgraphy account is not required to vote.

Voters must verify that they’ve read our Privacy Policy before submitting votes.

Users may not vote for the same image more than once.

Users may vote for three different images (one vote per image, per user, up to three votes total per contest).

Competitors may vote for their own images, though we encourage you to explore other artists’ entries.

Any website visitor may vote by clicking/tapping the “heart” icon associated with an image. If the icon does not trigger a vote, that means the Voting Period is not yet active or it has ended.

If you’re having trouble submitting a vote and you’re sure the Voting Period is active, please review the instructions below. If you’re still experiencing issues, please email us at support@potography.com.

VOTING INSTRUCTIONS (WEBSITE):

1. Log in to your Potography account and navigate to the Active Contest Page
2. Scroll down to reveal the Contest Gallery and make sure the “Gallery” tab is active so the images are displayed
3. On desktop, hover your mouse over an image in the gallery to reveal the caption bar and click the “heart” icon to cast your vote.
4. On mobile, tap an image in the gallery to reveal the caption bar, and then tap the “heart” icon again to cast your vote.
5. You should receive a message confirming that your vote has been counted. If you don’t see a confirmation message, please confirm the voting period dates for the contest. If the error persists even after you’ve confirmed the voting period dates, please contact us at support@potography.com.

Any attempt to artificially increase the vote count of any submission is a violation of the contest rules and grounds for disqualification and a LIFETIME BAN from Potography.

We’re building a community of artists who operate with a high level of honesty and integrity. We also want our contest results to be an accurate form of feedback, so manipulating votes is just uncool on many levels.

Long story short: Please don’t cheat!

INSTAGRAM VOTING (**UPDATED JANUARY 2021**)

Contestants can secure a fixed number of votes on each entry by performing a few simple actions on Instagram.

In total, each contestant can earn up to 9 additional votes or 3 extra votes per entry. You’ll find the requirements below.

To earn votes by sharing on Instagram, please do one or all of the following:

1. Share your entries in an Instagram post and tag @potographymedia in the caption. You will earn one (1) vote per entry, or up to 3 votes total for this single action. This post must be made DURING the entry period.
2. Share a new post and tag a friend or photographer who you think should enter the contest. You will earn one (1) additional vote per entry for this single action (up to 3 votes total). This action can be combined with the action above, or it can be a separate post. Either way, you must tag @potographymedia in the caption of the post, and the post must be made DURING an active entry period.
3. Share a new post and tag 3 friends who you’d like to vote in the contest, and tag @potographymedia in the same post. This post must be made DURING an active voting period. It cannot be the same post as the above one or two posts. You will earn one (1) vote per entry (up to 3 votes total).

CONTEST WINNERS

SELECTING WINNERS:

The photo which accumulates the highest number of votes in a single contest will be the winner for that contest. If there is a tie, Potography will appoint judges to select the winners. Judges may include Potography team members, Livestream audience members (viewers watching our contest announcements on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc.), or anyone else Potography deems capable of making a sound judgment.

The second and third highest scoring photos will be featured as second and third place winners.

Photos that have placed first in a contest may not be entered into another Potography Monthly Photo Contest. 

Second and third place winning photos will remain eligible for future Potography Monthly Photo Contests unless and until the photo places in second or third more than two times. If an entry places in second or third more than two times, that photo may not be entered into any more Potography Monthly Photo Contests. Instead, it will be forever featured on potography.com as an Honorary Contest Winner.

Potography.com reserves the right to remove or disqualify votes from the voting log at our discretion. This usually only happens when there are technical glitches or we catch someone trying to cheat.

CONTEST PRIZES (**UPDATED JUNE 2023**)

CONTEST PRIZES & REWARDS

Voters

All voters win the satisfaction of showing love to one or more cannabis artists with just a few simple clicks.

Note: We’re working on some new features that will reward registered members based on website activities like voting. Stay tuned for updates!

3rd place*

One 4” x 6” (or 4” x 4” square) hemp print featuring the 3rd place winner’s photo, a 10% off coupon code to our online store, and a random assortment of Potography swag (cards, gift wrap, etc.). Total value: approx. $10+

2nd place* 

One 5” x 7” hemp print featuring the 2nd place winner’s photo, a 25% off coupon code to our online store, and a random assortment of Potography swag (cards, gift wrap, etc.). Total value: approx. $20+

1st place*

One 8.5” x 11” hemp print featuring the 1st place winner’s photo, a 50% off coupon code to our online store, and a random assortment of Potography swag (cards, gift wrap, etc.). Total value: approx. $30+

First-place winners will have the additional option of requesting either two 5″ x 7″ prints or three 4″ x 6″ prints instead of one 8.5″ x 11″ print. This request can be made via email or direct message on Instagram and must be made no later than the first day of the month following the contest month (the day winners are announced).

Important note about coupon codes: All coupon code prizes are single-use only. We’re working on a system that delivers codes automatically to winners, but for now, coupon codes must be requested by winners within the month following the associated contest and prior to placing an order. Codes will be delivered to the email associated with the winner’s account within 48 hours of being requested and will remain valid for one month after the request is fulfilled. This means winners have a maximum of 2 months to place an order with a discount after winning a contest. Users must be logged in at the time of purchase in order for the code to be recognized.

*All contest prizes are subject to availability. We do our best to keep prize items in stock at all times. If an item is not available when winners are declared, we’ll contact the winners to let them know and it will be their choice to either wait for our inventory to be replenished or to choose another prize offered by Potography (we’ll provide alternative options based on what’s available, if not otherwise specified). Potography reserves the right to change contest prizes at any time. 

PHOTO CONTEST RULES – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Potography.com reserves the right to remove or disqualify photos from the entry pool at any time and at our sole discretion. We will remove any and all photos that fail to abide by the contest rules. If your photo was removed and you aren’t sure why, please feel free to get in touch with us and we will be happy to explain our reasoning.
  
  
• Please BE PROFESSIONAL, and refrain from submitting inappropriate or offensive photos. Any photos deemed inappropriate and/or offensive will be disqualified.
  
  
• THREE (3) winners will be chosen each month (first, second, and third place)
  
  
• Each contestant may submit up to three (3) photos for each monthly contest. Any additional photos submitted will not be added to the contest. Additional photos may be submitted in future contests.
  
  
• If your photo doesn’t win, it’s still eligible for future Potography Monthly Photo Contests. Don’t give up! Re-enter your photos each month for another chance to win.
  
  
• Max photo submission size is 8MB (8192KB). There are no minimum size requirements for photo submissions; however, we do ask that you submit your photos at the highest resolution available to you. We recommend sRGB files with a resolution of 300dpi or higher. Better quality photos have a better chance at winning votes, and if we need to print the image for your prize, this helps us avoid the need to request another file from you.
  
  
• We reserve the right to disqualify photos that do not meet our quality standards or that violate the photo contest rules. If you think your entry was removed or denied by mistake, please reach out at support@potography.com.
  
  
• By entering the Potography Monthly Photo Contest, you agree to grant Potography.com permissions and rights to use the submitted image indefinitely on any page at potography.com, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and any other media channels, and in any and all online or print marketing materials, except those intended for commercial sale, so long as proper attribution is given in each instance of use. If you have any questions relating to copyright, licensing, or attribution, please don’t hesitate to contact us at support@potography.com.

  
  Additional note: If you submit a great photo, we want to show it off! You will always retain ownership of your photos, and if we want to commercialize the photo in any way (by printing it on our hemp paper, clothing items, etc.), we’ll be sure to get your permission first and make sure you get paid! We built this platform to support artists, not set them back. Please remember to include attribution information for any content you submit to our contests.

COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMERS

COPYRIGHT AND IMAGE RIGHTS

You retain all rights and ownership over any works you submit on Potography.com. By entering the Potography Monthly Photo Contest, you agree to grant Potography.com permissions and rights to use the submitted image indefinitely on any page at potography.com, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, Pinterest and any other media channels, and in any and all online or print marketing materials, except those intended for commercial sale, so long as proper attribution is given in each instance of use. If you have any questions relating to copyright, licensing, or attribution, please don’t hesitate to contact us at support@potography.com. We will never intentionally misattribute your work!

Additional note: If you submit a great photo, we want to show it off! You will always retain ownership of your photos, and if we want to commercialize the photo in any way (by printing it on our hemp paper, clothing items, etc.), we’ll be sure to get your permission first and make sure you get paid! We built this platform to support artists, not steal from them or set them back. Please remember to include attribution information for any content you submit to our contests, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you see your work being displayed in a way you’re not comfortable with.

The photos you submit must be yours or you must have proof that you’ve been granted the right to use the images in our photo contest.

Submitting a photo that you do not have the right to use is a violation of the contest rules and can lead to disqualification from all future contests.

You must also have the full permission of any recognizable persons appearing in the photograph to be able to grant McBlaze Media, LLC (DBA Potography) the express right to display the photo online and/or in printed material.

Potography may, at its discretion (and at any time thereafter), request that you submit a simple Model Release for any recognizable person(s) in the photo. If you can’t provide the release for all recognizable subjects in the photo, we will unfortunately have to disqualify the photo and/or choose a new winner.

By submitting a photo to our website, you are attesting to your ability to verify your right to display the photo online and/or in printed material regardless of when or if Potography requests a Model Release or any other form of verification.

DISCLAIMERS

IMPORTANT: Whether you are consuming or possessing cannabis or not, we always ask that you be as safe as possible. This means double and triple-checking cannabis possession and consumption laws in places where you will be taking photos and ensuring you’re not documenting activity that could incriminate yourself or anyone else.

Please ensure you have proper authorization to tour dispensaries, extraction labs, grow facilities, etc., so that nobody’s licenses or freedoms are put at risk.

Please remember that some forms of cannabis are still illegal under federal law, even in states with legal cannabis programs.

It is the user’s responsibility to know the laws in their jurisdiction and to ensure their use of potography.com does not violate any laws they may be subject to following or cause damage to any third parties.

Potography reserves the right to disqualify any entries that promote illegal and/or blatantly unsafe use of cannabis products.

None of the pictures submitted or chosen as winners are intended to be official endorsements by Potography, nor do they serve to modify or negate any of our recommendations.

Potography.com reserves the right to modify these photo contest rules at any time to make sure the contest is run fairly and efficiently for all parties. We’ll let our community know whenever we make any important changes to the contest rules.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDERS

Potography has long maintained the strong belief that cannabis prohibition in any form is wrong. Potography strongly supports the complete erasure of all cannabis-related crimes from all laws of all nations.

We believe cannabis, in all its forms, is good, and that the only cannabis criminals are those who prevent their fellow humans from using it through prohibition, regulatory capture, or any other legal or illegal means.

A request from our team: Please help us keep this photo contest from turning into another cannabis industry d*ck-measuring contest! 

Thank you!