all competitions

#contest all competition - The Free Pet Photo Competitions brief

We all adore our pets and they all have their individual characters which make us love them. We want you to try and capture the character of a pet that you know – whether it’s yours or someone else’s. It may be the look in their eyes, a certain place they love to go to, a cheeky moment when they are doing something they shouldn't, or a typical moment of a day in their life... you decide what works best.

It can be anything from wet dogs on clean sheets, cats curled up on their favourite chairs, hamsters looking cute nibbling seeds to rabbits or chinchillas tucking in to their favourite treats. We want to see the pet in their everyday lives doing things that pets do naturally. Please don't dress the pet up or make it do tricks for the camera.

The Free Pet Photo Competitions prizes

* The winner of the under Pet Personalities category will receive a Young Photographer Award Trophy, an Olympus Tough 610 camera, a certificate and a special goody bag, plus a £50 voucher to spend at the finest toy shop in the world, Hamleys.

* The runner up in the under Pet Personalities category will receive an Olympus Tough 310 camera, a certificate and a special goody bag.

* Highly commended finalists will receive a certificate and a special goody bag.

* All finalists will be invited to the award ceremony on 16th December at the Tower of London, where wildlife presenter and film maker, Simon King OBE, will present the awards.

Getting started

Think about what makes the pet special and what it is you want to show in your photos. Try to make the photo tell a story about their life and what makes them unique. Think about the following ideas:

* Location – is there a place or area where the pet loves to be? It could be the garden, a special place in the house or just nestling in their bed!

* Behaviour – what do you think makes the pet special? Is there anything he or she does that you’d like to capture in your photo? Maybe there’s a certain look they give you when they are up to mischief or playing?

* Timing – is there a time of the day when they are really active or lazing about? Perhaps when they are out for a walk, playing or eating.

Check out our galleries section for inspiration and to see all the finalist photos from previous years. Last years’ winner in the Pet Personalities category was Sophie Wallace, for her Comfy Cat photo and runner up was Laura Guariglia for her photo of her cat playing Hide and Seek. .

Entering the Free Pet Photo Competitions

This category is open to anyone under 19 years old on 5 September 2011. You can enter up to five photos into this category and don't forget to tell us a bit about the photo – the story behind it, where you took it, why you like the photo and why you think it is a winner!

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the rules...

* Entry is free.

* Don’t photoshop or change your image, we like them just the way they are.

* Make sure you have taken the photo you entered; entering someone else’s photo is not allowed.

* If you are aged 16 or under you will be asked for a parents/guardians e-mail address when you register. An e-mail will then be sent to your parent or guardian with a link to activate your account and agree to the rules, without this you won’t be able to upload photos.

* Only create one account, if you create more than one you may be disqualified.

* Upload the biggest file you have of your photo, but no bigger than 10MB.

* Please give each photo a title and write a description, these are used at the judging stage and are helpful to the judges to understand your thoughts behind your photo.

* Remember that when a photo is uploaded it is entered into the competition and cannot be changed.

* Make sure you upload your pictures before 00.01am on Tuesday 6 September 2011 (GMT) otherwise it will be too late.

Free Pet Photo Competitions website: http://ypa.rspca.org.uk/categories/pet-personalities/