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 For
those who are unfamiliar with the contest, it is a photo contest
with five categories for entries included Cutest/Most Cuddly, Best
Expression, Caught in the Act, Non-traditional Pet, and new this
year, Memorable Moments.
Submit your photos with your name, the name of the pet, contact
information for if you are the winner, and category are entering,
and you could win a $50 gift card to Farm and Home Supply in
Lincoln.
The best method for submitting entries is via email to
ldneditor@lincolndaily
news.com.
Submit the information or fill out the LDN entry form, along with a
picture of your pet. Photos should be jpg format and as large as
possible.
You may also mail entries to Lincoln Daily News, 520 Broadway
Street, Lincoln IL 62656. Please note that if you mail the entry the
photos WILL NOT be returned to you.
A third alternative is to bring your photo to our
office where staff will scan the picture for you while you fill out
the entry form. The office is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to
Noon and afternoons by appointment.
The fourth option for entry is to use the messenger option on the
Lincoln Daily News facebook page. We will caution though that photos
submitted from social media are typically pretty small and when
moved into the LDN magazine format they suffer a significant loss of
quality. Therefore, social media submissions are not highly
recommended, but are acceptable if that is your only option.
The first four contest categories are repeats from previous years
and are for the most part self-explanatory.
For the purpose of the contest, traditional pets are cats and dogs,
and only cats and dogs should be entered in the cutest most cuddly
category. For all other pets we have a “Non-traditional Pet”
category which could be anything from a snake, lizard, horse, or
Billy goat to a bird, hamster, or a pet turtle. If it is domestic
but not a dog or cat it is a non-traditional pet.
Animals that live in the wild but visit your backyard are not
considered pets for the purpose of this contest.
Non-traditional pets may be entered in the Best Expression and
Caught in the act categories.
New Category, Memorable Moments
New this year is the fifth category of “Memorable Moments.” This
would be the cute pictures you take and share with friends, post on
special media and talk about at work. Those sweet, endearing things
that our pets do from time to time that just touch our heart or
sometimes our funny bone. For Example, a shot of the first time the
resident pet meets the new human baby in the family could be a very
memorable moment. Or the first time the resident pet meets the new
four-legged member of the family. There are a lot of memorable
moments with our pets, and you know what they are in your home. The
first thing you remember about your pet when you think of this
category could very well be a winning memorable moment. For this
category, we would urge entrants to write a sentence or two about
the shot to help set the scene for when readers look at the photo.
Here are the official contest rules:
• NO COST FOR ENTRIES
• The pet must be a Logan County resident.
• A pet may be entered in multiple categories but will only be named
a winner in one.
• All entries should be domesticated animals. The pet may live in
the home, the yard, the barn, a coop or pen, but may not be a wild
animal that visits on occasion.
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Click to enlarge and print
• All Photos should be family friendly.
• All entries should be photos, not digitally manipulated (PhotoShopped to change the appearance of the animal) not a drawing,
painting, digital cartoon, or otherwise augmented.
• All entries should include the category or categories entering,
the name of the pet, and name and contact information of the pet
parent. This may be a phone number or an email address.
o NOTE: Contact information will NOT be saved, used for marketing,
or sold to any marketing agencies.
• Pet parents may also write a sentence or more about their pet.
This can include a comment on why you feel they are the best choice
for the category entered.
• LDN staff may submit photos but will be disqualified from winning
in any of the categories.
• LDN has the right to disqualify any entry at its discretion.
The deadline for entries is Friday, February 9, 2024, with no
exceptions.
The blind judging will take place on Monday, February 12th.
At the Rainbow Bridge
In addition to the Pet Contest, the Animals Stories magazine will
feature a special section for remembering pets who have passed away.
Those pets are often referred to as “At the Rainbow Bridge.” This
stems from a poem with an unknown author that speaks of how that
when pets pass, they await their people in a lovely grassy area at
the foot of a bridge. When the human comes to join the pets, they
are joyously reunited and together they cross over the rainbow
bridge into eternity never to be separated again.
It's a touching analogy that brings to light the fact that most of
us feel are pets are beloved family members, children if you will,
and we love them as such. The thought of being reunited with those
we love is one of the best thoughts we have as we prepare to leave
this world, so it makes sense that would include our pets.
In the meantime, as we await that day, we look back fondly on those
pets, remembering the good times we shared, the joy they brought to
our lives, and the funny little quirks that made them special in our
hearts.
At the Rainbow Bridge will be a section of the magazine that allows
readers to share the memory of a pet passed via a photo and perhaps
a comment or two about the pet.
Those entries may be sent to Lincoln Daily News via email, Facebook,
delivered in person to the LDN offices, or mailed. Please be sure to
state that the entry is for the Rainbow Bridge section.
The deadline for submission in the Rainbow Bridge section will also
be Friday February 9th. ---
The 2023 pet contest yielded approximately 170 photos
spread across the five categories, and we are well on our way to
matching or exceeding that number in 2024. We hope that all the pet
owners in our community will enter the contest, and remind all that
regardless of who wins, each pet entered will be included in the
2024 Animal Stories Pet Magazine that will publish online only later
in the month of February.
Winners of the contest categories will be contacted immediately and
will be asked to meet with LDN and Farm and Home Supply management
for a photo op after the contest.
LDN wants to extend a special thanks to Farm and Home Supply for
donating the gift cards.
[Nila Smith]
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