Rules and Guidelines
These rules help keep Photo Comp welcoming, fair, and safe for everyone who visits, submits work, or votes.
1) Eligibility and submissions
- Students and club members may submit; guests may view and vote.
- Original work only. No AI‑generated images or stock photography.
- Themes this term: Views from the Sea, Emotions of Nature, Cats.
- One image per post; include a short title and 1–2 sentence caption.
- File format: JPG/PNG; minimum 1600px on the long edge; max 10MB.
- People and property: If anyone is identifiable, obtain permission.
- Prohibited: harassment, hate, explicit sexual content, illegal acts, graphic gore, plagiarism, deepfakes, or deceptive edits.
2) Editing and image integrity
- Allowed: crop, exposure, color, tone, denoise, sharpen; black‑and‑white; exposure/focus stacks and panoramas.
- Disclose composites or sky/background swaps in your caption.
- No AI content-aware fills that add critical subjects; no AI‑generated imagery.
3) Submission process
- Use the Submit a Photo page to provide title, caption, category, and contact email.
- Confirm you own the rights and consent to display your work on Photo Comp.
- Submissions are reviewed for theme fit, quality, and safety before publishing.
4) Voting and highlights
- Voting occurs on the Blog page via Like buttons.
- Votes are session‑based (stored in your browser); counts may reset.
- No bots, scripts, or coordinated spam. Suspicious activity may be removed.
- End‑of‑term highlights include top‑voted images and editor picks (no cash value).
5) Conduct and community
- Be respectful. No harassment, trolling, or derogatory comments.
- Offer constructive feedback: talk about composition, light, and technique.
- Do not repost or download others’ work without permission.
6) Accessibility
- All published images include meaningful alt text and clear captions.
- We aim for readable type, keyboard-friendly navigation, and good contrast.
- Report issues via the Contact page; we prioritize accessibility fixes.
7) Privacy
- We use your contact details only to communicate about submissions or site matters.
- Do not submit images of minors without parent/guardian consent.
- Request image removal anytime via Contact; include the image title or URL.
8) Academic integrity (course context)
- Follow your course rubric for required pages, navigation, and CSS usage.
- Submit your own work; do not upload others’ images for credit.
- Cite references or inspirations in captions when relevant.
9) Technical notes
- sRGB color space recommended for consistent web display.
- Keep horizons straight and files reasonably sharp; avoid heavy artifacts.
- Small corner watermarks are okay; avoid marks that cover the scene.
10) Enforcement
- Moderators may decline or remove content that breaks these rules.
- Repeat violations may lose submission or voting privileges.
- Rules may be updated; changes take effect upon posting.