Frequently Asked Questions

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ADVERTISING INFO

GENERAL

ENTERING CONTESTS

VOTING

FORUM

LEGAL INFO

ABOUT THIS SITE

JURY DUTY

IMAGE LIBRARY

CREDITS

PERSONAL SETTINGS

BIDDING / SPONSORING PLAYERS

LOGGING IN

CHAT ROOMS

CORPORATE CONTESTS

ADVERTISING INFO

  • Can I just donate money out of love and respect?
    We actually would really appreciate that as our bandwidth is beginning to get out of hand. So especially if you're a guest who comes to look, but not to play, by all means feel free to support us!

    You can send donations here.

    Last updated: 3/26/2003 11:38:02 PM by JaxomLOTUS

  • Where can I find out about sponsorship and pricing information?
    We have several different options available. For more information or to order, contact me directly:

    • Text Ad
      Cost: 2 options
      • $.20 (2 credits) per click
      • $1 (10 credits) per day

      This ad will appear in random rotation at the top of the website, above the navigation bar.

      Bonus:
      • If you buy $25 worth of text ads, you will receive a free Blind Contest Sponsorship.
      • Full real time stats on click through times.
      • The ability to change your ad text (to fix any errors, or to manage your advertising to point to different parts of your site should you decide to do so).


    • Blind Contest Sponsorship
      Cost: $25 or 250 credits

      This option will list you as the sponsor for a contest of our choice. You will be added to the queue and listed as the sponsor of the next open contests for the day in all contest areas (advanced, training grounds and head to heads).

      Bonus:
      • We will rerun your ad for free on days when we have no sponsors available.
      • Receive a free month's worth of text ads on the site.


    • Choice Contest Sponsorship
      Cost: $50 or 500 credits

      This option will list you as the sponsor for a contest of your choice. This doesn't mean that you can choose to run whatever you like, however. Your contest must pass editorial agreement. Usually the best option for this sponsorship type is to sponsor a rerun of a contest type that you liked. You will be added to the queue and listed as the sponsor of the next open contests for that day in all contest areas (advanced, training grounds and head to heads).

      Bonus:
      • We will rerun your ad for free on days when we have no sponsors available.
      • Receive a free month's worth of text ads on the site.


    • Tournament Sponsorship
      Cost: $150 or 1500 credits

      This option will list you as the sponsor for an entire head-to-head (one on one) tournament and all of the rounds/contests in the tournament. In a 32 player tournament, your sponsorship will be listed on the grid ranking bracket as a giant banner and text ad, as well as a text sponsorship ad in all 31 individual contests that compose the tournament.

      Bonus:
      • We will rerun your ad for free on days when we have no sponsors available.
      • Receive a free month's worth of text ads on the site.
      • Receive a sponsorship link to your site on our homepage and the tournament grid page, directly beneath the tournament title.


    • Corporate Contest Sponsorship
      Cost: $50-$500 depending on request + obligation to provide contest winner with a predetermined prize.

      This option will entitle you to run a week long contest of your choice (provided it's within our site guidelines). If you require logo or corporate design work, want to give dad 100 images of himself meeting celebrities for his birthday, restore an old family photo or even just want to promote your idea/website above and beyond the typical non-editorial sponsorship, then this sponsorship is for you.

      Bonus:
      • We will contribute 100 credits towards the jackpot (the voting winner will receive this).
      • The contest will be free to enter, which usually means a yield of 50+ entries.
      • You will retain the rights to the winning work of your choice (independant of the voting winner) in exchange for a predetermined prize of your choice.
      • We will rerun your ad for free on days when we have no sponsors available.
      • Receive a free month's worth of text ads on the site.
      • Your contest is featured prominently on the top right hand side of the Worth1000 homepage.

    Last updated: 4/8/2003 4:31:18 PM by JaxomLOTUS

  • How much traffic does this site get?
    In September 2003:

    • 5.3 million total visitors
    • 53 million total pages viewed
    • 160,000+ visitors per day
    • 1.6 million page views per day
    • 45,500 registered members

      You can access our real-time stats here. You can also compare our real-time Alexa online traffic ranking to other sites here.

      Here is a graphical representation of our recent traffic (in unique visitors) over time. Our rate of growth is roughly +300,000 visitors per month (meaning, each month our traffic increases by 300,000 more visitors than the previous month).


    Last updated: 10/1/2003 12:48:46 PM by JaxomLOTUS

  • Who do I contact if I'm interested in purchasing high volume advertising on Worth1000?
    If you are a company interested in reaching our millions of monthly visitors and want a high-awareness solution (such as a large graphic advertisement placed between our tournament contest pages) then please contact Avi Muchnick using this form.
    Last updated: 8/7/2004 11:55:09 PM by JaxomLOTUS

GENERAL

  • Who are the site admins, and what do they do?
    Their job is to remove offensive, off topic, or mistakenly uploaded images and comments, offer help to new users, and to monitor the contests and forums from time to time to make sure everything is worksafe. They are not paid employees, but volunteers - handpicked users of the site who do not necessarily always represent the views of Worth1000.

    Below is the contact list for the site admins:


    Last updated: 4/5/2008 6:29:04 PM by meerkat

  • Are there any guidelines for participating in this site?
    Yes. You can find them all here
    Last updated: 3/25/2003 6:11:51 PM by JaxomLOTUS

  • What is the general atmosphere here like?
    We're a friendly, yet competitive bunch. For new people this is an atmosphere of learning. You will find some incredible talent here and would be surprised how quickly they will offer tips.

    The learning and fun come first.

    The competition and winning come second. As such we strongly frown on negative comments on other peoples' entries, and we do not permit drama of any kind. We prefer a calm, relaxing atmosphere to compete and have fun in.
    Last updated: 4/23/2004 7:28:48 AM by Cyn

  • What does some of the slang I see on the site mean?
    Here's our up-to-date "Worthisms" list:


    • B2B - Back to Basics. This word, appearing in the title of a contest indicates that the contest is a traditional "photoshop-this-provided-image" contest.
    • CHOP - a PHOTOSHOPPED image.
    • CLICHE - overused subject in an entry. Cliches listed here will be disqualified.
    • DISQUALIFICATION or DQ - an entry that breaks the rules will be removed from the contest.
    • FLAGGING - clicking the white flag on a comment or image (or clicking "alert mods") to bring it to the moderator's attention.
    • H2H or HxH or HEAD TO HEAD- See HEAD TO HEAD.
    • HALL OF FAME - The vaunted area of the site, where the best players are listed, based on their stats.
    • HEAD TO HEAD - Normally a one on one competition between 2 players, (Worth1000 H2H's can have up to 8 competitors in a single challenge) instigated by a challenge in the Head to Head [a

      . Usually listed as HxH where x is the number of players.
    • HIT LIST - A list of items or ideas that are disallowed in a certain contest. Using any of these items will likely result in a disqualification.
    • JUROR - A special hand-picked player on this site whose voting power counts for more, and who has the ability to award out JUROR PICKS for outstanding entries. They also leave advice for players in the TRAINING GROUNDS area.
    • NSFW or NOT SAFE FOR WORK - Any entry that would get someone fired if the boss walked by while they were viewing it. Posting it is a sure way to get banned.
    • POTD - PICTURE OF THE DAY
    • SHOEBOXING - Entering a contest with a previously created (and/or photographed) entry. Shoeboxing is forbidden in some contests, and will be stated in the description when not allowed.
    • THEMEPOST - It's either the example image used to kick off a contest or it's the image that is edited during b2b contests.
    • TG or TRAINING GROUNDS - The area of the site for new players or for easier competitions.
    • TRIFECTA - When the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winning entries in one contest were all submitted by the same person.
    • OT or OFF-THEME - An entry that has nothing do with the contest theme.
    • VOTE HISTORY - A listing that shows the voters vote history pattern over for a single contest. It's linked on any contest page.
    • W1K - Short for Worth1000 (Yes, w1k.com does point towards worth1000.com). For all you really lazy types.

    Last updated: 5/8/2008 6:28:33 PM by StaffTech

ENTERING CONTESTS

  • What cannot be used in an entry?
    The following are items that we don't allow because of annoying overuse, lack of realism, controversy, illegality, being off-topic or because using them is lazy. They are usually disqualified on sight by the administrators. However, in their discretion, the admins may allow entries to remain in the contest based on individual merit, even though they violate one or more of these proscriptions. If you choose to ignore this list, you do so at your own risk, and if you complain about selective enforcement, you need to come back and read this paragraph again.

    1. Controversial/illegal entries

      • Your entry has elements that are not safe for work (i.e. blurred out porn/hate crimes/injury/sickness/obscene gestures) in a contest that is labeled appropriate for all audiences.
      • Your entry has elements that would likely be offensive to the majority of people who see it.
      • The intent of your entry is blatantly to make a controversial political statement.
      • Your entry contains material that you didn't have the legal right to use.
      • Your entry contains someone elses' material that you did have the legal right to use, without crediting them. I.e. it appears that you are the sole creator.
      • Your entry contains children for which you personally do not have a model release. If you have a model release you must state so in your author's comments.

    2. Lazy entries

      • You reused a past B2B contests source picture in a different B2B contest (and it's obvious that you had access to it).
      • You resubmitted an entry that had previously been voted on in ANY contest.
      • Your entry uses an idea similar to one that finished in the top 10 of a previous contest of a similar type.
      • You used the image as a whole in a different background, instead of actually editing the image itself. (i.e. Taking the source image in a B2B contest and inserting it into a scene of a painter painting it as his artwork, or the background of a postcard, or as a framed photograph on a wall).
      • Your entry abuses program filters. (i.e. changing a b2b source themepost to a charcoal sketch using a simple filter and submitting that as your entire entry; using excessive or gratuitous lensflare filters)
      • You changed an insignificant part of an otherwise outstanding image that you didn't create (regardless of whether you had permission and/or credit it appropriately).
      • Your entry is a re-creation (source for source) of an existing photoshopped image or tutorial, whether hosted by Worth1000.com or not.

    3. Non-photorealistic images (unless called for in the contest rules):

      • Your entry is an image montage.
      • Your entry contains text that floats on the image.
      • Your entry contains a cartoon speech/thought bubble added to the image
      • Your entry contains thumbnails of the original overlaid on the image.
      • Your entry contains 2D cartoon elements (in their cartoon form) as a part of the real images.
      • Your entry contains gratuitous borders on your image. A simple 1-2 pixel wide black border will be allowed, so images that would otherwise just blend into the background, have something to delineate themselves. Any other color or size border will be considered gratuitous.
      • Your entry is animated.
      • You did not add shadows to the elements in your entry.
      • Your entry does not meet the general quality level we require on the site.
      • Your entry contains a visible signature. If you want to sign your work, embed or hide your signature in your image so that it's 'invisible' (unobtrusive to the casual viewer). Don't add obvious signatures or sig-images to your images. (Photoshop and Photography only)
      • Your entry contains a web address. (all areas)

    4. Annoying, overused entries (cliches)

      • Your entry contains Britney Spears.
      • Your entry contains President George W. Bush.
      • Your entry contains scantily clad women (i.e. in bikinis) for no practical reason.
      • Your entry contains Star Wars references.
      • Your entry contains the Statue of Liberty.
      • Your entry contains the World Trade Center buildings.
      • Your entry contains Adolf Hitler, or Nazi references.
      • Your entry contains Osama Bin Laden or terrorist references.

    5. Off-topic entries

      • Your entry doesn't meet the intention and worded requirements of the contest rules.


Last updated: 4/11/2008 12:29:02 AM by Anni

  • Where can I find material for my entries?
    This thread in our Photoshop forum contains a valuable list of potential source sites. Note that you still need to check each image to ensure it is not copyrighted. Make sure that you have the owners' permission if you intend to use source material that is copyrighted. Otherwise you risk disqualification, and possible legal action from the copyright holder.
    Last updated: 3/16/2006 4:52:39 PM by JaxomLOTUS

  • How do I submit an entry to the contests?
    If the contest is still active (the contest will indicate how much time is remaining to submit) then you will have a link that says “SUBMIT ENTRY” in the Contest options box on the upper left hand side of the contest page.

    Click it.

    Follow the on-screen instructions.
    Last updated: 3/25/2003 6:11:51 PM by JaxomLOTUS

  • Do I have to pay if a contest costs credits?
    No! Payment is completely optional. You can still enter, be voted on and have comments on your entries if you don’t pay. The little mark next to entries on the stats and entry info pages shows you if an entry is paid.

    You can even enjoy the same benefits as a paid entry when you put your entry up for sponsorship by others and they sponsor you. Your entry is virtually guaranteed to be sponsored by the generous users here, provided that you are a new user or a user with a good voting record.

    There are some limitations if you choose to not pay and not to have your entry sponsored. Here is a more detailed explanation of why and how it works.
    Last updated: 6/13/2008 8:24:25 AM by meerkat

  • What are credits anyway?
    Credits are the online currency on the site. 1 credit costs $0.10 USD. They can be used to compete for the jackpots in the contests and to get free advertising on the site.

    Credits can be bought via PayPal on our shop page or via money order (this will take longer and is not preferred). Credits are needed to pay the site’s hosting bills, which because we host all your files, are considerably high.
    Last updated: 8/3/2006 3:28:23 PM by makri

  • Do I have to find somewhere else to host and store my entries?
    No. We host everything for you.
    Last updated: 8/17/2004 7:46:43 PM by JaxomLOTUS

  • What size should Photoshop entries be to fit on your page?
    In terms of width and height dimensions:

    A minimum of 400 pixels in width is recommended, in order to be big enough to see the image. A maximum of 2000 pixels width is also advised. In general, 500 pixels or 1000 pixels width are good sizes, both to work with and to view on screen.

    In terms of file size:

    Files should not be bigger than necessary, use the JPEG-format to its fullest. Less than 100Kb usually works for a 500 pixel image, and less than 200Kb for a 1000 pixel image, but these are only recommendations. For larger images try to stay under 1 Mb.

    Use common sense. Anything hopelessly too big stands the risk of disqualification at the administrators' discretion.
    Last updated: 2/25/2008 12:01:41 PM by JinxRLM

  • What happens if my entry is disqualified?
    The administrators will site message you with an explanation why. You will then have the opportunity to swap it with a fixed version until voting starts on the contest. There will be no entries reinstated once voting opens on a contest. Our admins are volunteers. If they don't see your entry in time to give you a chance to make changes, that is out of our control. Giving you that opportunity is a courtesy, not a privilege.

    Please note that if you paid for an entry, or had it sponsored, and your entry was subsequently disqualified the credits will not be refunded. We have the huge headache of sorting through entries and many of them simply don't follow the rules because the creator didn't read them carefully. You can imagine what a headache it would be for us to refund people who could have prevented the mistake on their own, so it's kind of our way of encouraging people to quality control themselves (i.e. make sure it's perfect *before* you submit).

    If voting has not yet begun, the user can still fix their entry and it can then be reinstated as a paid entry. The user can click the entry's name from his or her Stats page, and then the Edit link under the entry to upload the revised version. If the user chooses not to, the only way to access their entry will be from their stats page. This symbol: indicates that an entry was disqualified.
    Last updated: 3/25/2008 2:07:34 PM by madame_ava

  • What are the requirements for entering Worth's 3D contests?
    You must be the original author of your entry, first and foremost. It needs saying- do not enter anyone else's work as your own; not only will your entry be disqualified, you could be banned from participating in any contest on the site, in any category. Starting with an outside mesh and editing it yourself to create a new image is acceptable, with permission from its creator; however, we do not want to see obvious traces of the original in the finished product, and you must credit the original creator of the mesh in your author comments.

    The entire image must be reproducable in a 3D modeling program; i.e. no photoshopped, photographed or drawn elements, aside from textures or skins necessary to the model itself, unless otherwise specified in individual contest rules. You may use an image editing tool to smooth out rough edges left from the rendering, but not to change elements in the scene. Any part of the mesh may be required by admins on request to verify authenticity.

    Subject matter is to follow Worth's usual site guidelines concerning quality, nudity, pornography, vulgarity, cliches, etc.
    Last updated: 3/25/2003 6:11:51 PM by JaxomLOTUS

  • What are the requirements for entering Worth's Photography contests?
    Photography rules and regulations

    • You must be the original photographer of your entry, first and foremost. It needs saying- do not enter anyone else's photography as your own work; not only will your entry be disqualified, you could be banned from participating in any contest on the site, in any category.
    • You may use any type of camera, film or digital.
    • # In regular Intermediate and Beginner's contests, borders must not be more than 1-2 pixels wide (rectanglular) and black. Any other border will be considered gratuitous. Some "Dark Room" Intermediate and Beginners' contests may allow them in their specific contest rules. Bonus contests will specify if they are allowed or not in the contest's rules.

      # In Advanced and Pro Contests, you will be allowed creative borders.

    • The maximum allowed file size of your entry is 200 KB (204800 bytes).
    • The maximum allowed width of your entry is 1000 pixels.
    • Your entry must be sufficiently wide to be judged, which is enforced on Administrator discretion. We recommend a minimum of 400 pixels wide for vertical entries and 500 pixels wide for horizontal entries.
    • You may not add text nor sign your entry
    • No linking to full sized or alternate versions of your entry in your author's comments
    • No time or date stamps

    • Arbitrary or manual selective manipulation will be not be allowed in regular Beginners and Intermediate contests. They will be limited to "Dark Room Series" which are Beginners and Intermediate contests.

    • All manner of selective manipulation will allowed in all Advanced, Bonus and Pro contests unless otherwise specified by in a specific contest's rules.
    • Results must be photorealistic
    • The photographer should keep a copy of original image with .exif information intact for verification purposes.
    • No merging of more than one photograph, including HDR (unless allowed in a specific Bonus contest)
    • You are only allowed to enter a photograph once in the regular contests. Do not submit the same photo to another contest later. An exception will be made with bonus contests and head to head (HxH) type contests. The reverse is also true. An image used in an HxH and Bonus contest will afterwards also be allowed in a regular contest.
    • Multiple submissions of the same themed photograph in a contest is not allowed. ie, 2 or more photos of your subject at different angles or compositions.
    • There is a limit of three (3) entries per user per photography contest.
    • Subject matter is to follow Worth's usual site guidelines concerning nudity, pornography, vulgarity, etc.


    These non-selective manipulations will be allowed in Beginners and Intermediate contests:
    • Image adjustments
    • Layers
    • Blending modes (multiply, screen etc., )
    • Blurring filters
    • Add Noise or remove noise filters
    • Sharpening filters
    • lens correction

    In Intermediate contests only:
    • linear gradient masking.

    In Advanced and Pro contests only:
    • Selective manipulation
    • Perspective correction
    • Masking
    • Borders, any size, color and/or creative

    Bonus Contests:
    • same rules as per Beginners and Intermediate Contests with exceptions that will always be specified in each unique contest's rules.

    Eligibility to enter contests
    • Members who have won 2 Advanced Photography trophies (any combination, silver bronze, or gold) or 3 Photography gold medals (in Beginners or Intermediate contests) will be considered too strong to play in the Beginners contests.
    • To submit to a Pro contest, you must have proven yourself by winning at least one Advanced Photography contest trophy (bronze, silver or gold).
    • Any member who has won any Pro Photography contest trophy (which also implies a trophy in advanced) will no longer be eligible to submit to Intermediate contests as they will be considered too strong.

    If you would like a more elaborate explanation of these rules and regulations, please see this forum thread: Rules and Regulations expanded.


    Last updated: 5/7/2008 10:23:39 PM by Eurydice

  • What are the requirements for entering Worth's Illustration contests?
    You must be the original artist of your entry, first and foremost. We'll trust you on that, but it needs saying- do not enter anyone else's artwork as your own; not only will your entry be disqualified, you could be banned from participating in any contest on the site, in any category.

    Entries for illustration contests must be entirely original creations, no photographs, artwork from other artists, or rendered images created in Poser, Bryce, 3d Studio Max, etc. Any of the aforementioned images may not be pasted into your entry or traced. You may use any of these things as a visual reference to look at while you work, but again- they may not be pasted into your entry or traced, unless otherwise specified in the contest rules. In addition, if you do use a photograph for reference, the resulting image must never be an exact replica of that image- your image must be significantly different from the photo used- gridding a photogragh to produce an exact replica will no longer be permitted.

    You must now include a link to all major photo references used so that everyone can see just how different from your finished image they are, and if you do not use photo references, your preliminary sketches must be available on demand. If you do not use preliminary sketches, you must provide a .psd or screenshots that clearly show your progress if we request it. We regret the necessity of these measures, but unscrupulous individuals have made them unavoidable to ensure a fair shake for all of our competitors.

    Any medium is acceptable as long as it conforms to the individual contest guidelines, ie, if the contest calls for line art, you may enter line art created in a digital image editing program such as Photoshop, PaintShopPro, Illustrator, etc. or on paper or canvas; however, you must scan or photograph your entry yourself-- we cannot accept any entries by snail mail, sorry.

    WWW addresses on your image are not allowed.

    Subject matter is to follow Worth's usual site guidelines concerning quality, nudity, pornography, vulgarity, cliches, etc, except in the case of contests rated 18 +, in which tasteful nudity, as has been previously considered acceptable in classic works of art, as in Botticelli's (or anyone else's) Birth of Venus, will be acceptable, however, nudity of an overt sexual, gratuitous or pornographic nature is not acceptable. What is "tasteful" and what is not may be subjective, therefore, all such decisions are at the sole discretion of the admins, and all such decisions are final.



    Last updated: 1/11/2006 12:45:01 PM by Eurydice

  • What are the requirements for entering Worth's Text Contests?
    You must be the original author of your entry, first and foremost. It needs saying- do not enter anyone else's writing as your own work; not only will your entry be disqualified, you could be banned from participating in any contest on the site, in any category.

    You are not permitted to use pictures, illustrations or graphic layouts of any kind in your entries. This is the text area, it is text only.

    Do not enter jokes you have heard on movies, the radio, television, from a stand up comedian or talk show host, do not recycle old limericks, bumper sticker humour, net lore, one liners, etc, that have been around long enough to have no creditable source, either. Be original, unless otherwise specified in contest descriptions. Text contests are not about the funniest, most eloquent, most interesting things you have ever heard about-- they are about the funniest, most eloquent, most interesting things you yourself have written.

    Your text entry should follow the spirit of Worth's usual guidelines with regard to taste and subject matter. Blatantly pornographic descriptions of surgery, overt profanity, hateful, bigoted or otherwise sick making entries will be disqualified. Strong attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation is required, and will be considered a measure of quality, so be sure to spell check and proofread before you enter. Too many blatant spelling/grammar/punctuation errors will result in disqualification, but we will be somewhat flexible with minor errors and typos, requiring only that you fix them when asked to do so.

    Entry length: When a Word Guideline number is provided in the contest rules, keep that number in mind during your writing/editing process. If the Guideline is set at 500 words, that's the maximum approximate number of words we expect to see in your entry. When a Guideline number is posted, entry lengths are not carved in stone, but try to keep your word count close to that number. Unless stated otherwise, this is not a rigid word count limit, but a guideline as to how long your entry may be. In some cases, especially longer contests, a Word Limit may be imposed. When a Word Limit is imposed, the word count is more strict, closely monitored, and may not be exceeded.

    Exceeding a posted Guideline is okay, but be reasonable. If a contest has a Word Guideline of 500 words, and your entry is 570 words long, you're nearing 600 words, and we will most likely ask you to edit it down.
    Last updated: 1/24/2006 8:35:29 PM by jago

  • What are the requirements for entering Worth's Animation contests?
    You must be the original animator of your entry, first and foremost. It needs saying- do not enter anyone else's animation as your own; not only will your entry be disqualified, you could be banned from participating in any contest on the site, in any category. We intend to keep animation contests very much to the same guidelines used for the photoshop area of the site; the use of copyrighted material, including photoshops, photography, text, 3d and any other art by others without their permission is prohibited.

    Use of canned action scripts is allowed, as long as the images are original, but it should be noted in your author's comments if you use them. Interactivity can be included in your Animation, and there is no set timeline, however, a user cannot under any circumstances, ever link or redirect to an external file, even if only to include a website reference. Doing so will result in an immediate banning from Worth1000.

    Any editor suitable for editing animations is allowed, Flash, ImageReady, AnimationShop, etc, and you may use any image editor to prepare your images for animation as well.

    Subject matter is to follow Worth's usual site guidelines concerning quality, nudity, pornography, vulgarity, cliches, etc, except in the case of text- which will be allowed in all Animation contests, unless otherwise specified in the individual contest rules.

    File size should be 4 megabytes at the absolute maximum and don't even think of uploading something that large from a dialup connection. Rather, e-mail an admin the file if you're on a slow connection and we'll manually upload it for you.
    Last updated: 3/25/2003 6:23:09 PM by JaxomLOTUS

  • Are there any restrictions for entering the Training Grounds Photoshop Contests?
    The Training Grounds are considered the place to learn the basics before entering the Advanced Photoshop Contests. After winning either 3 gold medals in the Photoshop Training Grounds or any combination of 2 Trophies in the Photoshop Advanced contests, you will no longer be allowed to enter the Training Grounds as we believe you have acquired all the necessary skills to compete only in the advanced contests. Time to leave the kiddie pool behind.
    If, however a member has already entered another TG contest before winning, he/she has actually not broken the rule and that entry will be allowed.
    Last updated: 7/18/2005 11:42:47 AM by Eurydice

  • Are there any restrictions for entering Photography contests?

    • Members who have won 2 advanced Photography trophies(any combination, silver bronze, or gold) or 3 Photography gold medals (beginners or training grounds) will be considered too strong to play in the Beginner's contests.
    • To submit to a Pro contest, you must have proven yourself by winning at least one Advanced Photography contest trophy (bronze, silver or gold).
    • Any member who has won 1 Pro Photography contest (which also implies a trophy in advanced) will no longer be eligible to submit to Training Grounds contests as they will be considered too strong.

    Last updated: 10/1/2006 9:15:51 AM by Eurydice

    VOTING

    • How does voting work at this site?
      Each registered member on the site has the ability to rate an image on a scale of 1 - 10. The better the image, the higher the number you should award. Giving a score that is highly deviant from the images' average score (i.e. giving a friends' crappy image a 10 and it's competitors 1s) is considered deceptive practice and will reduce your karma - the impact your vote has on an image's average score in the future - considerably.
      Last updated: 3/25/2003 6:11:51 PM by JaxomLOTUS

    • What is "voting karma" and how does it affect me?
      Karma is, in a nutshell, your voting power. Your karma is what determines how much weight your vote will carry toward the overall weighted average of the images you have rated. Karma bottoms out at 0 and tops out at 175. (If you have 100 karma and rate an image a 6, it's as if 100 people have rated that image a 6).

      • Users in their first week are at 1 karma, which means, basically, that when they vote a ten, it counts as 1 person rated the image a 10 toward the image's overall average.
      • Users advance their karma by voting fairly and using the entire voting scale. If you vote fairly in a contest you will receive 3 Karma points. Regular members can achieve up to 175 karma.
      • Jurors are at 500 karma, which means that when they vote a ten, it counts as 500 tens towards the image's overall average.
      • The level of karma you have is automatically determined by your personal voting habits. It drops when you deliberately give an image what you don't think it deserves. It raises when you rate all the images in a contest fairly.

      Last updated: 9/3/2005 6:45:13 PM by Eurydice

    • What is "deviation", and how does it affect me?
      Deviation is one of the ways we determine your individual karma, or voting power. Your deviation score is a measure of just how far from each image's total weighted average score your rating is. It is not how far your rating deviates from an average rating of 5.

      In general, any overall deviation below 1.0 is good (i.e. realistically, your rating was within +-3 points of an images' average).
      If your deviation is below 1.0, then the following may apply to you:

      If you rate 100% of the entries in a contest with 11 or more rateable entries then you will receive +3 karma
      If you rate 90% of the entries in a contest with 11 or more rateable entries then you will receive +2 karma
      If you rate 75% of the entries in a contest with 11 or more rateable entries then you will receive +1 karma
      If you rate less then 75% you will not advance your karma at all.

      If your deviation is above a 1 then your karma will be deducted by your deviation * 10.

      How we determine deviation
      =========================
      The premise behind this is that all voters who are voting fairly will fall into a range of +-3 of the average weighted score of that entry.

      (i.e. if an entry's average score is a 7.4, then anyone who votes within 4.4-10) is probably voting fairly.

      The further you are on the outside of that range, the higher your deviation will spring. Once you pass that range your deviation will skyrocket, as each new digit out of the range will be multiplied exponentially by the previous digit. Your deviation for each entry that you rated is then averaged out by the total number of entries in that contest to reach your final average result, which if you did everything fairly should result in a deviation of less than 1.

      Please note: this is not a system of punishment and reward, nor is it a judgement of your personal tastes. It's merely a way to measure your ability to discern actual image quality, and allows plenty of room for your individual tastes to come into play without damaging your karma. It maximizes the effects that consistantly fair and observant voters have on an entry's average, and minimizes the effects that "quirky" or downright dishonest voters can have.

      Trust us. It works.
      Last updated: 8/29/2006 3:57:30 PM by meerkat

    • Do I have to vote on each image?
      Ideally, yes, but we recognize it’s not always possible. It is considered good citizenship to rate all of the entries in any contest that you have entered. The new voting system at Worth1000 will increase the impact your vote has (your karma) if you rate as many of the entries in a contest as possible. If you do not rate the entries in a contest that you yourself have entered, your username will be available to potential sponsors, who will take that into consideration when deciding whether or not to sponsor your entries.

      Please note that not voting at all in a contest you entered will add to your "NOVOTES" stat, unless the contest is a HxH. This stat is something that bidders look at when determining whether or not to sponsor an image you put up for bid.
      Last updated: 9/29/2007 3:18:45 PM by meerkat

    • What guidelines should I take into account when rating an entry?
      Please note that the following guidelines are mandatory. Don't make up your own system (i.e. awarding bonus points for humor).

      Also, note that if you think an entry is off-theme, the proper action is to flag the entry, then vote on it as if it were on-theme.

      RATING ENTRIES
      Note that Worth1000 is a "wow" site first, and a "humor" site second (except where the contest rules state otherwise). If an entry makes you laugh, but doesn't make you say "wow" it probably shouldn't be rated that high.

      Using the available scale of 1 - 10 (one being the lowest and 10 being the highest):

      1 - Any entry you rate a 1, should be flagged at the same time. If it's so bad as to deserve a 1, it shouldn't be on worth1000. We don't need to list examples. You'll know them when you see them.
      2 - Any entry that is horrible. It probably should also be flagged.

      EXAMPLES:
      *Photoshop - Brutal blending and jagged layer edges.
      *Photography - Subjects are out of focus.
      *Illustration - Sketch remnants and blatant errors.
      *Animation - Mismatched music/sound on the timeline.
      *Text - horrible spelling and run-on sentences.

      3 - An entry that is below average. Definitely needs that extra hour of work or thought. Easy things have been ignored.
      4 - An entry that could have been good, but is missing that extra 15 minutes of work or thought behind it.
      5 - It's average. Not great, not bad.
      6 - It's better than average.
      7 - Great idea and execution. It's much better than average.
      8 - Terrific idea and execution, and something that sets it apart from just being "great".
      9 - This is almost perfect. The idea and execution are fantastic and there is a special something that makes it really stand out.
      10 - The execution is perfect and the idea behind it is brilliant. This is the best thing I have seen on this site in a while. "Wow!"

      Last updated: 3/18/2008 11:37:05 PM by Anni

    • Do others know who made my entry during voting?
      No, your identity remains hidden until the contest has ended. Voters will not know whose image they are seeing when they are voting. Some people may choose to reveal their identities, but aside from that there are no indications as to the author until the contest has ended. Keep in mind that while the system is really only intended to be pseudo-anonymous, since you are allowed to reveal yourself as the author if you choose, you are *not* allowed to post another author's name revealing his or her entry while the contest is active. In other words, if you know who did what, that's fine, but keep it to yourself, please.

      Please note that you must not reveal your identity in Head to Head contests, where revealing your own identity would also unmask the other competitor by default.
      Last updated: 1/19/2006 12:40:18 PM by Mister_IQ

    • Is there a way to vote on multiple entries simultaneously?
      Yes, using the contest cache page you can vote on 20 entries at once (or all entries at once - though that is not recommended in contests with more than 30 entries as your page may timeout during peak traffic hours). You can also comment on all images at the same time. It’s much more efficient and is strongly recommended to vote this way.
      Last updated: 3/30/2003 10:42:52 AM by JaxomLOTUS

    • Am I allowed to use two different accounts?
      No. Never. Under no circumstances. Don't. You need special administrative permission to switch to a new account once you have opened one up (and then both accounts will not be allowed to be simultaneously active).
      Last updated: 3/25/2003 6:11:51 PM by JaxomLOTUS

    • What is the Jury?
      It's made up of a rotating staff of site users who have a voting karma of 500, almost 3 times that of a normal user. They are there to ensure that anyone who is cheating by having friends vote high for them will be balanced out with the jury's weighted votes. Jurors and other staff are not affected by deviation for this reason.

      They also award stars to the best images in the contest, regardless of the images' scores.

      To be eligible for the jury you must have a 175 karma, and the administration will handle each application for jury duty on an individual basis-- it's not an automated "status" thing, you must be chosen for jury duty based on your overall citizenship, attitude and participation which includes but is not limited to your karma.
      Last updated: 8/3/2006 3:32:35 PM by makri

    FORUM

    • Can I discuss contests that are open for voting?
      No.
      Last updated: 11/19/2006 12:56:25 AM by Galoot

    • What is inappropriate behavior in the forums?
      You will find Worth's forums to be slightly different than many online communities. No drama whatsoever will be tolerated. We trust that you are grown up enough to recognize when you are acting disruptive or counterproductive to someone else's enjoyment of the site, but if you are not, you will be asked to change your behaviour if you wish to continue to participate. Some specific details are displayed in the site guidelines. You can also find some useful tips and specifics in the chatguidelines, all of which pretty much apply to the forums, too.

      Please note that database space isn't cheap and isn't infinite. While we encourage you to voice your opinions, note that we're hypersensitive to people deliberately posting comments that are wasteful or have the potential to start a flame war, which is possibly the most blatant waste of space there is.

      It's become necessary to specifically mention here that political, bigoted, racist, sexist or socially controversial topics of any type are not appropriate for debate at Worth1000. This is a place for people to escape from daily stress, not argue about it. And please, don't try to find the loophole that will allow you to slam the subject and/or group you have decided is necessary to debate here- it's a waste of everyone's time and will only antagonize the moderators, which is to be avoided. Furthermore, any complaints about moderators themselves, site policies or other staff should be addressed in a private email to an admin, and should never be posted to the forums.

      In addition, you should be aware that posting a suicide note (any post stating that you intend to leave the site because you are unhappy with our policies/administration; ie, "You guys are mean, I'm taking my ball and going home") will result in your immediate banning. We assume that since you are leaving, you will no longer need access to your account anyway. If you should happen to change your mind, you'll need to contact the admins directly to explain and/or apologize before you can be reinstated.

      In an effort to keep the forum clear of spam (even helpful spam) you may not plug your own website or any website you yourself help to update without prior permission of the site admins, no matter how much interest it might be of to others.
      Last updated: 4/23/2004 7:42:47 AM by Cyn

    • What kind of feedback is forbidden on entries?
      Purely negative feedback is inappropriate and will not be tolerated. Users here like advice as long as they have requested it, and if they have, you can post constructive advice, but only if it is polite and clearly not antagonistic. If there is a critic in you just dying to come out, you'll find the Critic's Corner forum a good place to find users who want your advice.

      Accusations of "stealing" an idea and/or an image from another website, links to a similar image, or any other slur are also inappropriate comments that should be *privately* directed to the moderators via email, or by flagging the entry, rather than posted to the entry in question.
      Last updated: 4/5/2003 7:02:40 PM by Cyn

    • How do I include formatting in my comments and text entries?
      Internet Explorer users can use the shortcut bar. Users can also use the following code:

      • BOLD - [B] word [/B]
      • ITALICS - [I] word [/I]
      • IMAGE - [IMAGE]http://www.worth1000.com/image.gif[/IMAGE]
      • WEB ADDRESS - [URL="http://www.worth1000.com"] text goes here [/URL]
      • LIST - [LI] text1 goes here
        [LI] text2 goes here
        [LI] etc...
        To make a numbered list enclose the above list tags in between [OL] and [/OL] tags. To make a bulleted list enclose the above LI tags in between [UL] and [/UL] tags.
      • QUOTE - [REPLY] text goes here [/REPLY] or [QUOTE] text goes here [/QUOTE]
      • SARCASM - [SARCASM] text goes here [/SARCASM]
      • SPOILER - [SPOILER] text goes here [/SPOILER]
      • - :)
      • - :D
      • - :P
      • - :(

      Last updated: 5/26/2003 11:22:52 PM by JaxomLOTUS

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