# Sticky  POTM and TOTM Rules and how to submit a picture



## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Rules for submission:
1. *One photo per person per contest per month.* In other words you can submit one picture for the POTM and one for the TOTM every month.
2. *Pictures should be clear.* If it is possible please do not submit fuzzy photos, or pictures with dirty glass, or no lighting, etc. 
3. *Do not let others know which photo is yours.* So don't tell people. This means indirectly too. Don't link to the photo in another post, or upload it to the site, or make it your avatar, etc. 
4. *Keep the photo accessible.* If you upload it to a file sharing site like PhotoBucket or Flicker, keep it available until the end of the month. I will download them at the end of the month and upload them to my own PhotoBucket account.
5. *Keep it clean.* Please don't send me porn or stuff people don't want to see.
6. *It must be YOUR photo.* It doesn't have to be your fish or tank, but it has to be your photo. You should have held the camera in your hands. No pictures from the internet or from magazines, etc.

Rules for voters:
1. *One vote per person per contest per month.* In other words you can vote for one picture for the POTM and one for the TOTM every month. Don't try to get around the polling system. It just ruins it for other people.
2. *Don't vote based on the person who submitted it.* If you know who submitted a certain photo, you should not pick that picture only for that reason. If you sincerely think its the best photo, pick it.
3a. *POTM ONLY: Vote on the photo, not the fish.* Vote which photo you like the best, not which fish you like the best. If your favorite fish is in a really blurry picture, its probably not the best one to vote for. This is only a suggestion though, you can vote for which ever picture you like the best.
3b. *TOTM ONLY: Vote on the tank, not necessarily the photo.* With the TOTM you should vote on the aquarium and aquascaping. The quality of the photo should not affect your vote, unless the quality of the photo makes it difficult to see the tank.
4. *When posting comments, keep it on topic.* Keep the topics on the pictures, not on how unfair you think the poll is. Also, don't post questions about how to take care of your fish. There are plenty of other threads to post those in.

How to submit a photo:
There is a detailed step-by-step guide here.

Tips:
-You can vote for your own photo, but you don't have to.
-Submitting a name for your fish when you submit the picture will really help me out and will make it easier for people to figure out which is your picture in the poll part.
-Don't resize the picture. The pictures are the best quality when they are unchanged. I will shrink the pictures for the poll, but link to the original. If you want to be really helpful, send me the original and one with it resized to 450px width. 
-Submitting a picture every month is a really good thing to do. It increases your chance of winning, and it makes a more interesting vote for the next month.
-You can take a picture of any of your aqualife, not just fish. Take a picture of your corals, starfish, crabs, frogs, snails, shrimp, plants, etc.
-You may submit the same tank more than once (different months though). You may not use the same image. Take a new pic of your tank!
-Have fun. It is supposed to be a fun contest, not a stressful one. We have rules to make it less stressful (I know it sounds backwards but live with it). There isn't a physical prize so don't get too worked up if the poll doesn't go the way you want.


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