Photo of the Month: official rules

Each month we pick one favorite from the photos people share with BloomingtonOnline. Here is who can win, how we choose and what the prize is.

No purchase is necessary. Entering is free.

How to enter

Every photo that is shared with us and published in the gallery in a calendar month is considered for that month. You do not need to do anything else. Each photo must follow our photo guidelines, and you can send as many photos as the guidelines allow.

Who can enter

You must live in the United States (the 50 states and the District of Columbia).
You must be 13 or older. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must agree to these rules for you and will be asked to confirm it if you win.
People who work for or with David Martin Design LLC, and the people they live with, cannot win.
The photo must be yours, or you must have the photographer’s permission to share it. If a person can be recognized in it, they (or their parent) must be fine with it being shared.

How the winner is chosen

Our editors choose one winner a month, usually after the month ends. They look at the photos for how well they show Bloomington, and for light, composition and feeling. It is a judgment, not a drawing, and the editors’ choice is final. We may choose not to name a winner in a month. Winners are listed on the Photo of the Month page.

The prize

The prize is one $10 gift card, from Pizza X, Soma, Upland Brewing, or another local business the winner names that we are able to buy a gift card from. There is no cash alternative, and the prize cannot be transferred. If a card is not available, we may give a gift card of about the same value instead. The winner is responsible for any taxes.

Claiming it

We email the winner a private link. The winner has 30 days to use it to choose a business and to answer a few questions about how we may share the photo. If we have not heard back in 30 days, or the winner cannot be reached or is not eligible, we may choose another photo for that month.

Your photo

You keep your copyright. Sending a photo gives us the license described in the guidelines, whether or not the photo wins. The gift card is a prize, not a payment for that license. Winning does not give us ownership of your photo, and nothing here limits what we may do under that license. The winner can tell us how they would like the photo shared, and we will consider it.

Other terms

We may change, pause or end the Photo of the Month at any time, and we may change these rules. The rules on this page apply to a month’s photos.
We are not responsible for entries or emails that are late, lost or not delivered.
Entries that break the rules, or that we think were sent to cheat, may be disqualified.
We use the names and emails you give us only to run the gallery and the Photo of the Month, as described in the privacy section of the guidelines.
This offer is void where it is prohibited by law. Indiana law applies to these rules.
The Photo of the Month is not sponsored or run by Instagram, Facebook, Google or any other social network.