I’m in the process of producing my next album. I’ve got the song list and booklet cover photo ready. However, I need more photographs for the booklet.

I’m inviting you to participate in my photography contest.

The winning photographs will be put in the CD booklet for my next album. I still don’t know how many photographs I need. It depends on the outcome of the discussion between myself and my graphics designer. So far, it looks like I’ll need 2 photographs (but this can change).

The prize: A special copy of my album, autographed by myself.

Eligibility (partially copied from a previous post):

1. During the full period of the contest (10 February–17 April 2010), you must either (at least one is enough):
   • subscribe to my mailing list (if you’re not subscribed, subscribe now).
   • subscribe to my Facebook page.
   • follow me on Twitter.
2. In case of a tie, the amount of support your demonstrate to me will become a deciding factor. For example, if A and B obtain the same score, A subscribes to my mailing list and supports me on Facebook, whereas B only follows me on Twitter, I’d rather give the prize to A.

Rules and conditions:

1. I reserve the rights to alter the competition.
2. You can submit up to 5 photographs. Each photograph must be at least 1500 pixels in width and at least 1500 pixels in height.
3. Any photograph you submit must be your own work.
4. For every photograph that I choose as a winner, you must be willing to give me a licence to use it without any practical limitation. Well, I only intend to use it to support my music promotion (like putting it on my website), not to decorate my house. I have to say this just in case you hate me in the future, you will not sue me for using your photograph. In addition, I will not need to pay you any royalty. More on licensing later.
5. You retain the copyright on your photograph (if you have not waived the copyright). I have no objection that you use the photograph for something else, like, for example, re-submitting it for someone else’s album.
6. The submission deadline is 24 February 2010.
7. My verdict will be final. In plain words, whoever win(s) is/are up to me.

What sort of photographs I’m looking for: The theme is nature. Bear in mind the following keywords: butterfly, flowers, leaves, grass. Example 1, Example 2, and Example 3 should give you the rough idea, but be creative. Excite me with your shots!

How to submit: Email me with the subject “Photography Contest”. In the body of the email:

1. Provide the links containing the photographs. Do make sure that I can easily access them without having to do extra hassle, such as typing a password, or waiting for a confirmation. I suggest that you put your photographs in on a photo hosting site, such as Flickr, Picasa Web, or PBase.com (if you do, make sure to set the submitted photos public). It’s a suggestion only, not a requirement.
2. Tell me how you are supporting me online. If you subscribe to my mailing list, simply send from the same address you use to subscribe to my mailing list or mention which address you use for that. If you subscribe to my Facebook page, just tell me your screen name. If you follow me on Twitter, just tell me your username.
3. Declare that all photographs submitted are your own work.
4. Declare that you give me a licence to use any winning photograph without any practical limitation. I am not comfortable asking you to reliquish your rights totally. What you can do:
   • Put your photograph in the public domain. Or,
   • Apply Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence and grant me the permission to attribute your work to you by simply putting your name in my CD booklet, use it commercially, and create derivative work from it. Or,
   • Come up with your own licence. Warning: I don’t like reading long text.

Here is an example email body:

I'm following you on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mytwitterusername

I declare that the following photographs are my own work:

http://abc

http://def

http://ghi

The CC Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence applies to these photographs.
For details of the licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Any questions? Feel free to ask me.

What are you waiting for? Join now!