Rules.  Members are responsible for reading and understanding all contest rules prior to submitting a photo to the contest. Entries may be submitted beginning on June 15, 2004. No entries will be accepted that arrive later than July 31, 2004. Entries may be submitted by U.S. mail in the form of regular prints, or may be submitted by email in the form of attachments (jpg files only). Entry fees are five dollars ($5.00) per entry. For example, if you enter one photo in two different classes, that counts as two entries, so the total entry fee due would be ten dollars ($10.00). If you enter one photo in two classes and another photo in one class, the total entry fee would be fifteen dollars ($15.00).

Incidentally, the contest entry fees are used to help the club promote the Old-Style Siamese in ads in print media and by other means. The photo contest is the club's best fund-raising activity.

All adult members of PREOSSIA are potentially eligible to enter photos in the contest provided one of the following criteria is met:

(1) A PREOSSIA member enters the photo, is the photographer of that photo, and owned the Old-Style Siamese (one or more) depicted in that photo at the time that the photo was taken.
(2) A PREOSSIA member enters the photo and is the photographer. The PREOSSIA member does not own all Old-Style Siamese appearing in the photo (indeed, does not have to own any of them), but has permission from all owners to enter the photo.
(3) PREOSSIA members who are breeders may enter photos taken by their kitten clients. At least one cat in the photo must be owned by the kitten client and bred by the PREOSSIA member. The breeder must have the kitten client's permission to enter the photo in the contest.
(4) A PREOSSIA member may enter a photo taken by an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, or sibling) who is not a PREOSSIA member provided the latter gives permission. The member must be at least a co-owner of an Old-Style Siamese appearing in the photo.

PREOSSIA members may not enter photos of their Old-Style Siamese that were taken by professional photographers unless the professional photographer:
(1) Bought an Old-Style Siamese appearing in the photo from the member, that cat was bred by the member, and the cat was clearly bought with the intention of keeping it indefinitely as a pet or breeding cat.
(2) And the PREOSSIA member are the same person.
(3) Is the spouse, child, parent, or sibling of the PREOSSIA member.

The photos entered in the PREOSSIA 2004 photo contest must have been taken at some time within the year preceding July 31, 2004. (See Class 22 for the sole exception to this.) Each photo must include as its subject at least one cat that meets the PREOSSIA definition of Old-Style Siamese. The photo must not have been entered in the 2002 or 2003 PREOSSIA photo contests.

The purpose of the PREOSSIA photo contest is to promote the Old-Style Siamese as officially defined by PREOSSIA and the PREOSSIA Old-Style Siamese breed standard. The idea is that PREOSSIA members are working together and unselfishly supporting each other’s efforts on behalf of the future of the breed. The contest is not about promoting a single individual’s interests regardless of the impact on the club’s goals or on other PREOSSIANs. The contest is not intended to help a single breeder advertise the breeder’s cats to the members of multiple clubs. Therefore, the photos entered in the PREOSSIA 2004 photo contest must not have been entered in any contest sponsored by another cat breed club, nor may the photos be entered in a contest sponsored by another cat breed club in the future (for so long as the person who enters the photo remains a member of PREOSSIA). This rule cannot be circumvented by having another person enter the photo. The spirit of the rule’s intent will be considered over the literal interpretation. If this contest rule is violated, even years after the contest, the photo will be publicly disqualified and any awards cancelled.

Entries will be judged in digital form as approximately 3X5-inch or smaller images. Cropping, downsizing, and minor gamma adjustment of digitalized photos to lighten photos slightly are allowed. However, all other types of photo editing are prohibited, including enhancement of contrast and correction of red-eye. If it is found that a photo was illegally edited, it will be disqualified.

This is not a photographic cat show. It is a photo contest. Photos of cats closely matching the breed standard are no more likely to win than photos of cats that are pet quality. Each photo class should in some way exhibit the health, happiness, intelligence, or personality of the Old-Style Siamese. The technical quality of the photo per se is not important, but the photo quality as it relates to helping viewers see something interesting about a cat of the Old-Style Siamese breed is of value. A clear but otherwise technically amateur photo of a cat doing something extraordinary and appropriate for the class theme should win, but a professional-quality photo in which the feline subject is not particularly interesting or relevant to the theme should not.

Copyrights and Use of Photos. Photographers retain all copyrights to their photos. However, entry of photos into the PREOSSIA Photo Contest automatically constitutes permission for PREOSSIA to display the photos publicly in the PREOSSIA newsletter and on the Photo Contest page of a Web site used by the club. Other than what is stated here, PREOSSIA does not use photos of contestants for other purposes without their written permission.

Nonreturnability of Photos. PREOSSIA is not responsible for returning photos to contestants. Please submit only spare copies of your photos to PREOSSIA as your contest entries.

Contest Winners and Awards. The prizes are glory and fame and a chance to show off your favorite Old-Style Siamese while helping us all to publicize the breed. No cash or other material prizes will be awarded to contest winners or contestants. However, all contest winners will be announced publicly on the PREOSSIA Web site, on the PREOSSIA listserv, and in the PREOSSIA newsletter. All photos entered will be publicly displayed, with awards, if any, on the PREOSSIA Web site for many months and possibly years to come.

Photo Contest Classes

Class 1: Best Juvenile Delinquent. Old-Style Siamese of any age caught doing pranks such as shredding paper, pulling down window blinds, destroying plants, chewing up or playing with a forbidden object, jumping onto or into something forbidden, dragging a forbidden item stealthily across the floor, eating or attempting to eat a forbidden item, fishing for goldfish, and so on.
      
Class 2: Most Beautiful Eyes. For Old-Style Siamese adults or kittens. The photo can be taken from any angle as long as it shows the cat's entire head and both eyes. Photo should be taken at close enough range to show the eyes well, but not so close as to distort their natural appearance. Emphasis should be on health, beauty, and personality as reflected in the cat's eyes.
       
Class 3: Best Catnapper. Old-Style Siamese adult or kitten in unusual sleeping position and/or showing evident enjoyment of snoozing. A human may or may not be present in the photo.
       
Class 4: Best Momcat. Best photo showing Old-Style Siamese queen caring for kittens (for example, delivering, nursing, carrying, licking, or playing with them).
       
Class 5: Best Infant Kitten. Best photo demonstrating the emerging personality or intelligence of Old-Style Siamese kittens four weeks old or younger.
       
Class 6: Best Older Kitten. Best photo demonstrating the emerging personality or intelligence of an Old-Style Siamese kitten from four weeks to eight months old.

Class 7: Best Adult Athlete. Good photo catching an adult Old-Style Siamese in action (for example, leaping after something, tossing a toy in the air, balancing delicately on a narrow perch or path, climbing high or to a hard-to-reach location, hanging off of a cat tree, or other possibilities). Cat must be over eight months old in the photo.

Class 8: Best Kitten Athlete. Same as Best Adult Athlete (Class 7), except that Old-Style Siamese must be a kitten (no more than eight months old) in the photo.
 
Class 9: Best Vocalist. Old-Style Siamese cat or kitten photographed while talking, yowling, or otherwise voicing communications.

Class 10: Best Trick-Performing Cat. Old-Style Siamese cat or kitten performing a trick on command or signal (for example, begging, jumping from floor into arms, or rolling over).

Class 11: Best Cat with Cat. Most interesting photo showing an Old-Style Siamese of any age interacting with another cat. The second cat does not need to be an Old-Style Siamese. The two cats can be doing anything, including but not limited to bathing, playing, sleeping, or squabbling.

Class 12: Best Group Photo. Most interesting photo showing three or more Old-Style Siamese cuddling together, playing together, posing together, and so on. The best photos will demonstrate something special about the Old-Style Siamese personality or about a family of Old-Style Siamese. At least three of the cats must be Old-Style Siamese cats or kittens.

Class 13: Best Cat with Human. Most interesting photo showing an Old-Style Siamese adult or kitten interacting with a human. The Old-Style Siamese can be doing anything, including but not limited to lounging on portions of the human's body, supervising the human at a computer, helping to wrap presents, helping in the kitchen, cuddling with the human, attempting to get the human's attention, and more. The emphasis is on the way the Old-Style Siamese interacts with the human friend. Best photos for this category will show the cat actively observing or doing something. If inactive or asleep, the cat should be in a position or pose that demonstrates something about the cat's special relationship with a human friend, such as unusual trust in the human. Also see the Best Catnapper (Class 3) and Best Lap or Shoulder Cat (Class 19) descriptions to determine into which category your photo would best fit.
     
Class 14: Best Holiday or Special Occasion Cat. Old-Style Siamese cat or kitten doing something that can only be done in a holiday setting, such as pouncing on gift wrapping at Christmas or sampling birthday cake at a birthday party.

Class 15: Best Cat with Children. Old-Style Siamese cat or kitten with one or more human children.

Class 16: Best Cat with Other Animal. Old-Style Siamese cat or kitten interacting with dog, fish, or other animal. Can be doing anything interesting, but especially things that demonstrate Old-Style Siamese personality, intelligence, or health.
      
Class 17: Best Narcissist or Fashion Model. Best photo showing an Old-Style Siamese cat or kitten posing grandly, especially in a characteristically Old-Style Siamese fashion. It does not at all matter whether the cat is show quality or pet quality in appearance. Emphasis should be on the cat's style or demeanor as reflected by the cat’s pose.

Class 18: Funniest Photo with Caption. Most amusing combination of a photo of an Old-Style Siamese cat or kitten with a caption. Remember that photos are most likely to win if they demonstrate something special about Old-Style Siamese, such as their intelligence, humor, or other personality characteristics.
 
Class 19: Best Lap or Shoulder Cat. The best photos in this category will clearly show an Old-Style Siamese cat that is comfortable and happy either in someone's lap or on someone's shoulder. In this class, the cat can be completely asleep. Alternatively, the cat may be awake but lounging comfortably in a lap or on a shoulder as if the cat intends to stay there forever. In some cases, it may be reasonable to enter a photo both in this class and in the Best Cat with Human class (Class 13), if desired.

Class 20: Best Tongue/Best Groomer. Best photos will demonstrate something about Old-Style Siamese personality in the use of the cat's tongue. Cats and kittens are eligible. The Old-Style Siamese can be grooming himself or other cats or kittens. For example, a photo showing how fastidiously tidy the cat likes to be would be appropriate. Or a photo showing the cat being silly with his tongue (for example, tongue sticking out) would be appropriate. However, a mother cat grooming her kittens would be more appropriate for the Best Momcat class (Class 4).
       
Class 21: Best Miscellaneous Old-Style Siamese. If you have a photo that you believe demonstrates something special about the Old-Style Siamese intelligence, health, happiness, or personality, but does not really fit any of the other classes, then enter it in this class!

Class 22: The Bartholomew Bunny Award for Best Senior Cat. Bartholomew Bunny was an Old-Style Siamese owned by PREOSSIA member, Deb Legrand-Wellman. Bart was a handsome cat with an outgoing personality who lived to be 24 years old. Photos must show Old-Style Siamese cats that were more than ten years old at the time the photo was taken. The best photos will illustrate in some way an Old-Style Siamese cat’s vigorous good health and personality in the senior years.
      
The contest judges will also choose the following:

A. Best Photo in Contest
B. Second Best Photo in Contest
C. Third Best Photo in Contest

However, please enter photos only in classes 1 through 22. Do not submit entries for Best Photo in Contest.

Submit digital photos (jpg format only) by email to:

Beverly McGuire at bevjoe@pacific.net

If at all possible, please send entry fees via PayPal ($5.00 per entry) to preossia@yahoo.com at the same time that you submit the photos by email. This makes life much, much easier for Beverly. She will be happy to explain PayPal to you if you are not yet familiar with it. If you are sure you can’t pay via PayPal, please notify Beverly by email that you will be mailing a check for the fees separately even though you have sent the photos by email.

If necessary, you can submit photo prints and entry fees by U.S. mail. Make a check out to "PREOSSIA" in the amount of five dollars ($5.00) per entry. Mail check and photo prints to:

Beverly McGuire
Photo Contest Secretary
PO Box 370953
Montara, CA 94037

Please explain in your letter or email:
(1)    Which photo you wish to enter in which class. For example, Joan Smith sends four photos as entries. She might say that she wishes to enter smith1.jpg in class 21, smith2.jpg in class 3, smith4.jpg in class 18, and smith5.jpg in class 22.
(2)    For each photo, list the full names of the cat(s) in the photo, the person entering the photo, the breeder(s), the photographer, and the owner(s). The same person may be all of those human entities, but we need to know. Example, “Smith1.jpg for Class 21 taken by Joan Smith, entered by Joan Smith, shows Old-Style Siamese named Mystery Morgan of Hillhouse, bred and owned by Joan Smith.”