Common Editing Rules

The restrictions below are common to all rule sets on DPChallenge.

• taken with a digital camera that records EXIF data (including original date, modified date, and file-type).
• a JPEG (.jpg) file.
• no larger than 1400 KB (1,433,600 bytes)
• at least 160 pixels, and no more than 1200 pixels on each side
• taken after the challenge is announced and before the deadline, based on the Current Server Time (US Eastern Standard/Daylight Time) displayed at the bottom of every page on this site.
• taken and post-processed by you. Someone else may press the shutter button if you set up the shot and the camera settings. No one else may post-process your entry for you. Exceptions must be approved by the Site Council in advance.

• comply with the DPChallenge Terms of Use.
• ensure that your camera date and time are correctly set. If the date recorded in your original image file is not within the specified challenge dates, your entry will be disqualified - NO exceptions! If your photo was taken in a different location than indicated in your profile, you MUST note the location in the submission form so that we can adjust accordingly. If you chose to reset your camera's clock to local date and time where you were shooting, you MUST tell us this in your submission data.
• retain your original, unedited file (exactly as recorded by your camera), and provide it to the Site Council along with a list of your editing steps within 48 hours of any validation request. Said list must include sufficient detail such that we can substantially re-create* the entry from the original. This notice with instructions will be sent to your listed email address, and will also appear on the left side of your DPChallenge home page when you are logged in. Files that have been saved or altered with any editing or transfer software are NOT originals.
• *For example, we might not need the exact values used in a Tone Curve, but the use of a Tone Curve should be listed.

• submit more than one entry per challenge.
• use the same original image in more than one challenge.
• hold more than one DPChallenge account, ask anyone to vote on your behalf, or link to your entry's voting page.
• submit a photograph depicting male or female genitalia, or acts of sex deemed inappropriate by a majority of the Site Council.
• add graphics or clip art images to your entry or its border during editing.
• include AI-generated or AI-created content, where the software synthesizes or creates new imagery not found in the original file(s).

• request removal of your own entry during the voting period IF none of your last 25 entries (or entries within the previous 6 months) were disqualified or removed, and no rules were violated.
• include existing artwork in your entry, but photo-realistic artwork such as printed photos, monitor images or realistic illustrations must either be clearly presented as artwork or used only as a minor supporting element. Using photo-realistic artwork to simulate physical objects or backgrounds that provide the primary impact of an entry will be grounds for disqualification.

• An entry will be disqualified when a majority of the Site Council finds that any of the generic rules above or in the rule set specific to the challenge were not followed.

• In order to discourage repeated disqualifications and abuse of the disqualification system, the following penalties will apply for repeat disqualifications:
  • 1st DQ/Removal in last 25 submissions/6 months: no penalty
  • 2nd DQ/Removal in last 25 submissions/6 months: 1 week suspension of submission privileges
  • 3rd DQ/Removal in last 25 submissions/8 months: 2 week suspension of submission privileges
  • 4th DQ/Removal in last 25 submissions/12 months: 4 week suspension of submission privileges and 3 months of required “pre-submission” of proof file.

• The above penalties will be assessed only after review by the Site Council. In exceptional circumstances, the Site Council may elect not to apply a penalty. If a user is found to have intentionally violated the Challenge Rules, the above penalties will be in addition to any assessed for the violation itself.