The San Diego Humane Society and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is conducting its 13th annual search of photogenic pets for the 2007 “Make Your Pet a Pin-Up” calendar contest.
The contest is a fundraiser to support the society and its programs that serve both people and animals.
As a private non-profit organization, the Humane Society and SPCA rely on gifts from the community to fund programs. Services include the receiving and care of animals, education, animal cruelty investigations, pet-assisted therapy in hospitals, and health care facilities, said Kelsey Angus, SPCA public relations coordinator.
“By entering the contest, not only do you get to make your pet a star, you also help animals in need throughout the county,” she said.
All pets are welcome to participate, whether furry, feathered, scaly or otherwise. The society only asks that the animals be domestic companions.
All entries must be in color, horizontal in layout, no bigger than 4-by-6 inches, and contain only animals. If submitting a digital photo, make sure to set your camera to its highest resolution setting. Due to the variety of digital cameras, there is no standard acceptable file size, but in general larger file sizes provide better resolution. The contest requires well-focused, sharp images of 200 dots per inch (dpi) or larger in JPEG (JPG) or TIFF format.
Unfortunately, Polaroid-copyrighted or professional photographs and computer-generated photographs cannot be accepted. For clarity and quality photo reproduction, the society asks that participants do not stamp or write on the back of the photos. Submitted photos will not be returned.
There is no limit to the number of photos participants can submit, but there is an entry fee of $25 per photo, regardless of how many pets are in each picture.
“Every single pet entered in the contest will be featured as either a month winner, runner-up with a small picture within the calendar pages, or in the collage pages at the front and back of the calendar,” Angus said. “Best of all, by entering the contest, you’ll automatically receive a free 2007 calendar!”
All entries that meet requirements and are postmarked by the Wednesday, Aug. 16, deadline will be included in the 2007 calendar. Winners will be notified either by phone or mail. The calendar will be available in October 2006.
Participants can enter their pet’s picture online at www.sdhumane.org or mail an entry form, along with the entry fee, to Pet Calendar Contest, 5500 Gaines St., San Diego, CA 92110. Entry forms are available on the Humane Society’s Web site, or can be mailed to the applicant by calling (619) 299-7012.