---

In the third year of our Photo Contest, we open the gates of eligibility even wider - to include every kind of "croquet-related" image as well as short videos. Up to 100 "eligible" photos will be published, and as many as 25 of them will be featured in the final AWARDS article to appear online in late July or early August. The contest goes far beyond the predictable "action" photos of the game that are published in mind-numbing profusion in the media. Instead, we want to present a global collection of images illustrating the great diversity of the croquet culture as it reveals itself all around the globe in diverse local settings. The deadline for submission is July 14, 2008.

---

First, the Q & A

Q: What are your eligibility requirements?
A: Any "croquet-related" still photo is eligible, broadly interpreted. And of course, the submitter must own rights to the photograph or have the permission of the photographer for us to publish it. We always publish the names of the photographers for all the finalists.

Tim King made a beautiful crop to take the "horizontal" award. (Click on photo for larger image.)

Q: What are the categories for submission?
A: We have no categories before the contest. In the process of judging, we create categories based on the qualities of the photos actually submitted. We do everything we can to ensure that ALL croquet-related photos are eligible for submission.

Andrew Winn captured nighttime croquet in Johannesburg.

Q: What degree of processing or manipulation of the image is allowed?
A: Any degree or none at all, it's up to the photographer. We judge the final product, not the way it was made (although we may very much want to hear about how the finished image was produced). We judge the omelet on it's own merits, not the cook or the kitchen or the individual ingredients, or the methods used to produce it. In the service of your art, break as many eggs - or rules - as you like!

Q: How many photos may I submit?
A: No more than four still images, please; and no more than two videos.

Joe Camosy won the "venue" prize for this processed photo of the National Croquet Center under ominous skies.

Q: Do I retain rights to the photos I submit?
A: Absolutely. CroquetWorldOnline claims one-time publication rights only. When croquet media or mainstream press show interest in publishing one of the contest photos - as they often do - we give them the email address of the person who submitted it, to contact the photographer directly. This would be necessary in any case, because we publish only low-resolution versions of the photographs - allowing us to show a lot of photos in one web file - while print media require much larger digital photo files for good print reproduction.

Professional photographer Ken Pao created an on-court image of a fashion model who will never win a croquet tournament in that get-up.

Q: What does CroquetWorld want to know about the photos I submit?
A: Anything you think would interest readers or other photographers or croquet players. It could be details of a situation in a game being photographed, what circumstances makes the photo noteworthy, technical comments on the lighting, the shutter speed, the processing. The STORY of the photo - why and how it was snapped and processed and cropped - can be as interesting as the photo itself, and gives it an extra dimension. We think this point is demonstrated in our recent article and interview, "The fun, the feel, the photo," about the staging of a single photograph to promote USCA croquet in North America.

Q: Should I provide a caption for the photo, and/or a title?
A: It's fine if you do, but the editors reserve the right to recaption and re-title to fit the categories we choose - and to amuse ourselves.

This processed image from Joe Camosy - with heightened textures and contrasts - proves that croquet can be compellingly photographed as a "serious" sport.

Q: Must the submitted photos be current or recently taken?
A: Good question! No, they can be photos from any era, from any source, including 19th Century archival images (which would naturally be put into a separate "historical" category). If you have the right to submit the photo, and if you or nobody else has submitted it to us before, it is eligible as an entry.

Stefan Runne's beautifully balanced composition of three spectators suggests an on-court drama that is perhaps more vivid in the imagining than anything that could be shown in an explicit picture of play.

Q: What are the prizes or cash awards for winning?
A: This is croquet, not horse-racing. Your prize is the same as in most croquet tournaments: Glory. Praise for your artistry. The good opinion of your fellows. And of course, the eternal gratitude of the editors of CroquetWorldOnline for contributing to the quality and variety of the contest. Okay, okay, I get the point! So if you win the OVERALL prize, I will take you to lunch at the National Croquet Center during your visit to South Florida and give you the Special Tour - which includes, of course, a tailor-made lecture on everything right and wrong about the croquet culture in every country of the world.

So what if Mike Hammelev staged this photo to win the "croquet cuisine" category?

Quiller Barrett snapped a photo of an advertising shoot at Ealing that is worth a thousand words - at least

You don't have to recognize the central figure in this photo to appreciate Dave Kibble's winning entry for the "spirit of the game" category.

Q: Is July 14 a real deadline?
A: Yes, it is. On July 15 we will begin a lengthy judging process, so we can publish the results by early August. Many people submitted late last year, and we request those photographers to REsubmit for this year's contest by the July 14 deadline.

Q: In what form should the photos and videos be submitted?
A: We prefer JPEGs of not more than 100k, and videos no longer than 10 minutes. (Adrian Wadley provides much more detail below about the videos.) Both categories should be emailed to BobAlman@aol.com.

It's possible that Samir Patel staged this photo to transform the image of an effete sport, but we prefer to think of it as a comment on the Dress Code.

Max Murray snaps "the ballet of croquet" as practiced Down Under.

Russell Bretherton's referee might spot as many as four fouls on this one stroke, as the striker attempts to escape earth gravity.

Q: Do you have any particular technical guidelines for eligibility?
A: No, the image is everything. Technical guidelines would only put up needless barriers. Each year, we broaden the entry gate, and we want it to be as wide open as possible. This year we are allowing - in addition, of course, to cropping - processing of any type you choose to heighten the visual impact of your photograph. We even allow photo-collages - combining multiple photographic images in the same frame. If you're not certain a photo is eligible, send it and let us decide, and if it's not eligible, we'll tell you why. We want you to challenge our boundaries.

Adrian Wadley's guidelines for submitting short videos

Videos must be self-produced (either a single videographer/editor, or small team videographer and editor/post-production). This is to allow the submission of older film or video that has been more recently transcribed to the online digital video medium.

Example of Video Submission

Please consider this video for the "Croquet World Online Short Video Contest." Videographer: James Brown Editor: Jonathan Brown Title: Improbable Hoop Attempts URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXxyYyzZzaAa Submitted by: James Brown

Submissions must be publicly available via a common public video sharing website that does not require subscription or registration to view the files. Examples of such sites include YouTube and Google Video, Metacafe and MySpace. Material previously submitted to CroquetOnFilm.com or posted to the Nottingham list will be considered, provided a request is made to consider the video for this competition.

Submissions of videos in non-streaming formats (i.e. download only) are not accepted. This would include videos sent in via email as attachments. However those who have material that they wish to submit, but who are unfamiliar with uploading to online video sites (like YouTube) should contact Adrian Wadley for limited assistance and advice that may be available, but is not guaranteed.

Videos submitted for inclusion must be less than 10 minutes long.

All croquet related video material will be considered. Depending on the quality and quantity of submissions places will be given in one or more categories.

Send your submissions to BobAlman@aol.com, who will forward them to the judges. In your email state that the video submitted is for consideration for the "Croquet World Online Short Video Contest." Include the title of the video, date or dates filmed, all attributions (videographer/photographer, editor, graphic designer, etc., as needed) and the URL (link) to where the video is posted; for example "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCjdkRrIOyc" or "http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-58642097503481498&hl=en".

All material submitted for consideration must be free from copyright restrictions, and if other people's material is part of the submission it must meet the fair use requirements of the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. §107.

Judges for the Short Video Contest

Duncan Hector is a Minus One handicap living in Hertfordshire, some 35 miles north of London. He has been trained in Camera, Sound, Lighting and Directing and qualified as a Master Member of the Institute of Videography. Among his many interests is the history of Arctic exploration, which lead to three summers on Russian Icebreaker expeditions resulting in the making of two films.

Bob Kroeger is an audio/video enthusiast with training as a recording engineer/musician and often uses his own music to underscore his videos. While Bob along with Ted Prentis has been doing croquet instructional videos since the late 80's, his real interest is in creating "self-indulgent fun videos."

Adrian Wadley played a lot of croquet when he lived in England. Now residing in San Francisco, he maintains his interest in the game through local clubs, the Nottingham Board, and various projects such as his recent launch of the website "CroquetOnFilm."

Judges for the Still Photo Contest

Bob Alman is founding editor of CroquetWorld.com. As a lifelong corporate communications professional, he has spent much of the last four decades looking for the elusive "perfect photo" that tells the story of a product or a service or a sport better than any number of words. He continues to believe - perhaps naively - that the unfortunate "public image" of croquet can be corrected with excellent photographic images.

James Hawkins, coeditor of Croquet World Online, is a former editor of England's Croquet Gazette. His writing and collecting achievements are numerous and ongoing, including an extensive collection of 20th Century advertising images incorporating croquet. Several of his articles in CroquetWorld.com are about the image of croquet as reflected in print media, advertising, television, and movies.

Reuben Edwards lives and works in Marin County, California, plays croquet at the San Francisco and Oakland croquet clubs, and has been layout artist and chief technical guru of Croquet World Online for ten years. He has designed and serviced many websites and continues to develop and apply his digital skills to numerous and diverse freelance projects and enterprises.

Email your questions and your entries to the Still Photo Contest and the Short Video Contest to: BobAlman@aol.com. And remember: for the videos you're sending only the LINK to Bob; for the still photos, you're sending JPEG attachments.