CBY

 Submissions Secret Tip #1. Quality counts! Quantity won’t win this contest alone. Make sure you take in-focus pictures and videos. Nothing makes our judge’s hackles rise faster than a beautifully executed item shot so poorly that we can’t see or hear what you did. Keep our hackles down by making your submissions beautiful, artistic, and excellent. 

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Submissions Secret Tip #2. Have fun. If you’re having fun making or doing an item, odds are the result will be great. In other words, before tackling an item, figure out how to make the process fun. This includes when you capture the picture or video. You will likely receive more points if you are having more fun, too. If you’re not having fun, you are required to change course immediately so that you ARE headed in the direction of some serious good times

 

Submissions Secret Tip #3. Composition counts. Pay attention to everything in your Submission including the setting and backgrounds of your images and videos. Beautiful, artistically composed images tend to get awarded more bonus points. Think about how your images will look when projected 50 feet high on our judge’s drive-in movie screen, on YouTube, or hanging in the CBY Hall of Fame before you shoot them.

 

Submissions Secret Tip #4. Want us to show off your videos somewhere in the future? Try to shoot them so that they look good in landscape OR portrait mode. We reiterate: Composition counts. (And, for video: shoot in landscape orientation whenever possible.)

 

Submissions Secret Tip #5. Submission Secret Tip #5 has been put in the penalty box for this year’s Hunt. (It knows what it did.)

 

Submissions Secret Tip #6. Make the judges laugh, chuckle, chortle or giggle until we lose control of major bodily functions. Our Judges love granting points to people with a good sense of humor, so entertain us and you’ll be rewarded with Points. Dance, monkeys!

 

Submission Secret Tip #7. Artistic expression counts! You don’t have to be an “artist” (though we believe all creatures are), but be thoughtful in your creations. Images that tell a story in a single image are generally more compelling than images where the subjects are posing for the camera—though not always, so your mileage may vary on this point. But try to be eye-catching, awe-inspiring and museum worthy. (No pressure.)

 

Submission Secret Tip #8. Give us your best shot! If we want a collage, or a grid, or a side-by-side or triptych, we’re not shy about asking for it. Otherwise, select your best single image as your Submission. Don’t give us 7 of your favorites or a handful showing process or several shots of your item unless we ask for that. It can detract from the power of your Image (and sometimes, our ability to see it clearly), and will likely lose your points. Be selective and decisive.