Croquet World's fourth annual Photo Contest is accepting entries in an endless array of croquet-themed categories, until August 16. The judges do not designate all the categories in advance. Instead, we allow the categories to be suggested by the submitted photos. So every good croquet-related photo, by any criteria, will "fit" the contest.

Joe Camosy used PhotoShop - the best friend of the modern photographer - to create a memorably gritty portrait of the sport at the National Croquet Center in Florida. (2007)

The contest has few restrictions. The main restriction is the number of entrants allowed per photographer, which is five. Croquet World acknowledges the difficulty of choosing between many excellent photographs. If you can't choose your best, the editors suggest you ask a friend to "vote." And a word of warning: The editors will be disinclined to give multiple awards to the same photographer. Yes, they will do it, and they've done it every year, because they had no choice: A few excellent photographers seem to dominate every year. But it pains us to do that, so we'd like readers to help us change that pattern.

"Ohmygodinheaven!" John Bevington snapped Tom Anderson immediately after he had missed a short roquet, fully acting out what we all feel when we do the same. (2008)

New for 2009: Series

This year we invite entries in a new category: Series. That is, if you have a croquet-related "time lapse" or "before and after" presentation, it will be considered if it contains no more than four images.

Tim King shows how cropping can make a picture, nicely capturing one of the game's absurdities, which Tim explains: "John Spiers and Mark Hamilton get down low to see whether the ball has traveled all the way through a hoop." (2007)

Guidelines for entry

"If enough people meditate very hard on the yellow ball simultaneously, we can save the world." Photo by Dave Kibble. Keith Aiton is the devotee. (2006)

• Any croquet-related still photograph is eligible for submission.
• There are no rules against manipulating ("photo-shopping") for altered effect.
• "Mixed media" are okay: For example, a photograph of a painting or drawing or including a painting or drawing or statuary would be acceptable in the "art" category.
• Photo Series, not to exceed four related images, are welcomed.
• Web-friendly resolution images are preferred over large, dense files, preferably no larger than 200k.
• JPEG images are preferred.
• Descriptive text about the photograph may include information on technical processing, circumstances of the shoot, and even anecdotal material. The judges will regard favorably anything that broadens the viewer's understanding and appreciation of the photograph or the photographer's intention.

"The Nudist Croquet Championships at Ealing Croquet Club." Quiller Barrett snapped this picture of the filming of a TV ad for a breakfast food on a warm August day in 2002 at the Ealing Croquet Club, in England. For some reason, the commercial was never aired. (2006)

Categories are created by the judges from the entries received, in order to ensure that every croquet-related photograph is eligible for consideration. Croquet World will accept for consideration photos that have been entered in other photo contests. The contest will be judged by founding editor Bob Alman, European co-editor James Hawkins, and layout editor Reuben Edwards.

Duncan Hector, with "The Panther," demonstrates a way to transform an "ordinary" image into one that might hang with your favorite paintings. (2008)

Results will be published in late August or early September and will remain online indefinitely, just as the results of the first three annual contests remain online. Owners retain full, exclusive rights to their photographs. To view results of the three previous photo contests, see the LETTERS AND OPINION department of CroquetWorld.com.

"Mafiosi in white?" This beautifully balanced composition by Stefan Runne communicates such intensity that seeing what's happening on the lawns would surely be anticlimax. (2006)

Send your entry to Bob Alman at BobAlman@aol.com, before August 16, 2009. Every entry will be acknowledged by return email.