2012 Calendar Contest

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Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
It's almost PAST time to start this event.

C'mon, folks, let's see some of the fruits of your labors!
Below are the rules.
Thanks to ScottM for getting them to me:

2012 North Carolina Woodworker Calendar contest
For the 2012 North Carolina Woodworker calendar we will be having a one picture per month format. That means there will be twelve winners in the following categories plus a cover entry winner. Winning monthly entries will get a $50 gift certificate (TBD) and a free calendar. The cover winner gets $100.00 gift certificate (TBD) and a free calendar.
As in past years, we will be doing advanced calendar sales which will save you money. More details will be posted at a later date.

Categories:
Turning (this includes anything made on a lathe: bowls, platters, turned boxes, pens, duck calls, weed pots, spindles, etc)
Furniture (this includes tables, chairs, cabinets, built-ins, desks, beds, etc)
Small items (this includes carvings, scroll saw, intarsia, marquetry, boxes, toys, games, etc)
Shop Items (work benches, tools, work shops, etc)
Cover (something that represents NCWW)
 
Schedule:
The contest schedule is:
Entry submissions start Today
Entry submission ends September 8
Voting will start on September 12
Voting will end on September 23
 
 
Submissions:
Please remember that this is primarily a Photo Contest, therefore, only photos that can be made to fit within the size and resolution requirements will be accepted.
Also remember the contest reflects
your wood working skills.
Photos submitted are implied to be released from copyright liability to NCWW. Any liability regarding the creation of photos will be the responsibility of the member submitting said photos.

Submit photos by uploading to the appropriate category in the 2012 Calendar Contest Album.

During this period of entry submissions, it may be found that certain pictures do not work at all. If the picture does not work, the submitter will be notified and given a chance to make the proper corrections. But the period will be short. Additionally, if there are not enough individual submissions in a category to have a meaningful vote, then some categories may be combined. This decision will be made by the BoD on the basis of what we think is best for the calendar.

Submission Rules:
All pictures must be submitted with a description that is suitable for inclusion in the calendar.
The pictures should highlight your efforts. Do not submit photos of other people's hard work.
You can not submit an entry that has won in a previous calendar contests.
Each picture must be capable of being re-sized and/or cropped into a picture that is 8 1/4" high and 11.5" wide and maintain at least a resolution of 200 dpi but 300 dpi would be considered ideal. At that size, there must be 1/2" border that could be trimmed off without cutting off any of the project image.
Do not lower the resolution of your images, please submit them at the highest resolution that you can.
Do not upconvert your pictures resolution.
You can submit as many photos as they wish and they can submit photos in multiple categories BUT you can only have one winning photo in any category. In the event of a tie the staff will decide the winner.
The staff reserves the right to move entries into what they feel is the proper category.
The staff reserves the right to return any pictures that do not meet the size and quality requirements or deem inappropriate for our calendar.
COVER SUBMISSIONS - The entries will be the same as other years. They must cover a 9" high by 11.5" wide area at, at least 200 DPI, but 300 DPI would be better. The cover should composite so that a 1/4" border will NOT be displayed due to full bleed printing.
 
Voting:
After the close of the submissions, all photos will be re-reviewed to ensure they meet the qualifications.
Voting will be done by the membership.
The top three entries in each monthly category will be declared the winner.
NO member may vote for their own entry.
 
Last edited:

JRD

New User
Jim
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

Dennis,

Submitted a photo this morning but can not figure out how to confirm it has been received.

Thanks,

Jim
 

sawman101

Bruce Swanson
Corporate Member
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

I have pictures of 2 clocks in my camera, but my I cannot down load them to my laptop. Any suggestions as to how I can submit them? The main PC bit the dust during a power outage caused by a vehicle taking out 2 power poles nearby. Thanks.:eusa_doh:
 

nelsone

New User
Ed
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

Guess I'll have to make something for next year. I got nothing this year. :tinysmile_cry_t:
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

There has been some discussion and questioning of the policy concerning photo submittals for the Calendar Contest. Many members have excellent WWing skills but lack the photo expertise to display those skills. For this reason we have decided to waive the requirement that the photos be done by the creator of the work. Please review the requirements for the following edited clause:

Also remember the contest reflects your wood working skills. Photos submitted are implied to be released from copyright liability to NCWW. Any liability regarding the creation of photos will be the responsibility of the member submitting said photos.
Submit photos by uploading to the appropriate category in the 2012 Calendar Contest Album.
[/QUOTE
]We hope this will alleviate any concerns about who took the picture.

Also, keep in mind that these calendars are printed and distributed to buyers on the site. Although it hasn't shown a profit, we'd still like to see some interest in its creation by your pictures.

Now, as soon as we're able to get the glitches out of the server, let's see some stuff!
 
Last edited:

JRD

New User
Jim
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

So what's going on with the contest?

Looking at the Photo Gallery and entries, there aren't enough to vote on, let alone make a calendar.
Have I just missed out on any updates?

Thanks,

Jim
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

Apparently when we switched to the new server, the parameters for photo downloads were very low. The Photo Gallery will not currently allow downloads of photos >150mb. We ask that anyone submitting for the Calendar Contest downsize the photo file to below that threshold for the judging. We anticipate having the problem solved by the end of judging. At that time we will ask the winners to resubmit at the higher file size so that the calendar photos will be clearer.
We thank everyone for their patience and understanding on this.
 

ehpoole

Moderator
Ethan
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

The Photo Gallery will not currently allow downloads of photos >150mb.

Just a followup, are you sure that is 150MegaByte and not 150KiloByte?

Don't get me wrong, I have a medium-format film scanner (Nikon LS-8000) that can generate nearly 150MB Raw images from 35mm film (or nearly 1GB from medium-format film) -- but I have a hard time believing that there are many users on NCWW that can create a 150MB photo! :rotflm:

My own upload tests (to my album) were successful provided the image was no more than about 200KB and no greater resolution than 640x480. My tests were a few days ago, so unless things have gotten worse since then this should still hold true.

I wish everyone the best of luck -- I have no submissions of my own (especially for this year).
 

ehpoole

Moderator
Ethan
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

I have pictures of 2 clocks in my camera, but my I cannot down load them to my laptop. Any suggestions as to how I can submit them? The main PC bit the dust during a power outage caused by a vehicle taking out 2 power poles nearby. Thanks.:eusa_doh:

First - the most probable damage to your PC is a damaged power supply. If this is a desktop/tower PC then the power supply is usually one of several ATX style power supplies (exact style will depend on the chasis format) -- this is a servicable component and can be replaced. If it is a laptop then a replacement brick-style power supply will likely rectify this issue.

This is a good reminder of the importance of a whole-house Surge-breaker (a surge protector that installs in your load center in the space of a double-pole breaker). This shoud be followed up with a good quality point-of-use surge protector outlet strip. I strongly recomend TrippLite IsoBar surge protectors -- better than most anything else on the market.

Second - as for your 2 photos. Most cameras will function as a rudimentary flash drive when they are plugged into a PC/laptop via their USB cable. In most cases plugging in the USB cable and powering on the camera will create a 'Removable Drive' (or 'Removable Storage') or a drive named for the camera (for example, if I plug my Canon G11's USB cable into my netbook, it will create a flash drive instance named 'Canon PowerShot G11'). You can then use Windows Explorer (NOT Internet Explorer), available under the Programs/Accessories list, to browse the folders (often under folder DCIM) to the desired photo and either COPY the selected photo(s) or, alternatively, drag-and-drop the photo(s) onto your Desktop. (Note: This 'flash drive' interface is not always a full implementation, so some features may not be available until after you copy the selected photo(s) to your local harddrive or Desktop).

The above, of course, assumes you are using a Windows PC. If you are running a Mac then it will be a slighly different process, but the USB flash-drive implementation remains and I know both Linux and Mac operating systems implement and detect the USB flash drive interface.

If that does not work for you, then any camera capable of meeting the resolution and image quality requirements for this competition will also require an internal flash card (xD, SD, MemoryStick, or CompactFLASH) for its internal storage. You can remove this card, insert it in an external USB card reader (either a universal reader or a single-format reader made for your flash card technology) and it the flash card's contents will be available as a standard Flash Drive under Windows Explorer (or Mac/Linux desktop equivalent). You can then browse the flash card's folder structure (usually under a folder named DCIM) to locate your desired photo(s) and COPY (or drag-and-drop) the selected photo(s) to a new folder (or Desktop) located on your PCs harddrive.

None of the above options requires any special drivers (unless you are using Win95 through Win98, in which case it is well past time to upgrade) to access your photos. You do not have to install any support software either. It is literally equivalent to inserting a USB Flash Drive and copying files to/from that flash drive.

Hopefully that answers your question, if not feel free to inquire further.
 

JRD

New User
Jim
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

Dennis,

Perhaps I'm just really dumb. A lot of folks would agree with that, but when I go to the Photo Gallery Contest Photo's, I only find 6 to vote on.

Where are the rest that have been submitted for voting?

Jim
 

ehpoole

Moderator
Ethan
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

Where are the rest that have been submitted for voting?

As a general FYI since I suspect many users still are not aware of this issue yet:

Nobody is holding anything back. Since the server was upgraded and replaced with a new server the image upload function has been partly broken. (Note: Be sure to thank the board and admins -- especially TracyP and Froglips!)

Anyone trying to upload a full-size image (such as outlined in the entry rules) will receive a "500 Error" upon uploading to the server because the server is not properly resizing and optimizing large hi-res images.

This is why Dennis is asking entrants to upload smaller (less than 200KB) images of no more than 640x480 for judging (these parameters worked in my upload tests several days ago). These small images do not trigger the issue and are suitable for voting purposes. Uploading of full-size full-resolution photos will not be possible until the server issue is corrected. Hopefully this will be fixed soon, if not then winning entrants will need to send in their high-resolution photos via email for publication in the annual calendar.

To keep up to date on the large photo upload problem and any announcements or solutions, I would encourage interested parties to follow the Photo Upload Issues thread.

Best of luck to all entrants! I especially liked FredP's 'First Box' entry, the masking tape was a perfect 'final touch'.

PS - Since I have a tendency to speak in an authoratative manner at times, I want to make clear that I am not an NCWW admin (notice no title under my user handle), just another NCWW user. I've been following this issue closely and have tried to offer assistance to other users dealing with the issue. My offer to assist the admins in resolving this issue also still stands, if requested.
 

smallboat

smallboat
Corporate Member
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

Posted a few photos for the contest. 640 x 480 worked like a charm.
I couldn't figure out which category a boat belongs in!

Not really furniture ( I hope) and no spinny parts. I did stick some in progress shots in the shop section and put the rest in the cover category.

I'm sure there will be other work more deserving of the cover spot, feel free to move the boat photos to which ever category makes the most sense.

Thanks
Steve
 

SteveColes

Steve
Corporate Member
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

640x480 is not large to actually use in the contest. You can try to upload the correct size. If you upload 1 large picture at a time, it may work.
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

Ethan, you are correct it IS 150 kb. :embaresse
Please pardon the cerebral flatulence. :BangHead:

Just a followup, are you sure that is 150MegaByte and not 150KiloByte?

Don't get me wrong, I have a medium-format film scanner (Nikon LS-8000) that can generate nearly 150MB Raw images from 35mm film (or nearly 1GB from medium-format film) -- but I have a hard time believing that there are many users on NCWW that can create a 150MB photo! :rotflm:

My own upload tests (to my album) were successful provided the image was no more than about 200KB and no greater resolution than 640x480. My tests were a few days ago, so unless things have gotten worse since then this should still hold true.

I wish everyone the best of luck -- I have no submissions of my own (especially for this year).
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

Given the technical problems that have been encountered with downloading photos for the contest, we will allow submissions until Saturday Midnight. If you are still having difficulty with submitting, please contact the Help Desk. C'mon, folks. Show us what ya done.
 

bluthart

New User
Brian
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

For some reason my computer won't let me download my photo in the photo gallery, or in any of my galleries. Can someone please take this photo and submit it for me? It is a poplar crib I made for my newborn son, stained in walnut. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
294351_2415883480726_1360523614_2904800_520790761_n.jpg


304868_2415912281446_1360523614_2904821_163242230_n.jpg


304868_2415912441450_1360523614_2904822_663726223_n.jpg


311062_2415923681731_1360523614_2904825_723056265_n.jpg
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

Have you tried re sizing photo file to <150 kb?
 

bluthart

New User
Brian
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

I was able to get them submitted from my work computer this morning. I hope they will still be considered.
 

Tommy Smith

New User
Tumblweed
Re: 2011 Calendar Contest

My 1st pics had more than one item in them so I now realize they can't be used. I have since uploaded 3 more that should be OK to use. I noticed that they don't have a "# of Votes" space beneath them while all the other pics do. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks
 
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