Photochains FAQ's
Who may enter this competition?
Australian and New Zealand residents over 18 years of age who have access to or own a digital camera. Please see terms and conditions of entry. Residents of other countries may participate in photochains but are not elegible for prizes. Professional photographers are not elegible to win prizes. A professional photographer is someone who has earned $20,000 or more from photography images in the past 12 months.
When is the Registration period?
You can register to take part in photochains at any time as it is an ongoing challenge. Look for instructions on the Hero Chain to find out what stage it is at (entry or voting) or you can participate in public chains at any time by either creating your own chain or submitting to an already existing chain.
Am I under any obligation to purchase anything?
None whatsoever. However, if you have any product enquiries, click here or contact your nearest Canon reseller.
How many times can I enter?
You can only enter one image for each chain link but you can enter into as many chains/links as you like, in fact we encourage you to take part as many as possible.
How do I upload a photo?
Firstly, you will need to be a registered user with a valid password and login combination to upload an image. To upload, simply complete the form in any area where you are prompted and submit. You will be asked to confirm or change your submission. If you are happy please submit your photo for approval. Images must be under 5mb to be uploaded. If you are unsure how to do this click here.
When uploading an image do I have to fill in all the image details relating to camera type, aperture, shutter speed and ISO?
No, you can choose not to do this if you wish but we encourage all photographers to share how their image was achieved so others can learn from you.
May I upload portrait or landscape photos?
Photos in either portrait or landscapes view may be uploaded, however, please make sure that your photo has been saved in the format you wish it to be displayed in on the site. You will not be able to rotate photos once uploaded.
What resolution should my image be?
The only upload limitation is that your image must be under 5mb. If you are unsure how to do this click here.
What format does my image need to be?
photochains will only accept JPEG images that are under 5mb. For information on how to do this, click here.
Do I have to relinquish my copyright?
No, the copyright of all images submitted in the EOS Photochains competition and which are displayed in the gallery will remain the property of the photographer. Canon has a non-exclusive license to use your image to promote the EOS Photochains competition and the World of EOS. Canon may also contact you if it chooses to license your image at a later date for other purposes. For this, you will receive a $100 payment. For full terms and conditions regarding image usage click here.
How long after I submit my photos will they become viewable within the Gallery?
Images uploaded will be viewable in the Gallery within 72 hours if approved. Exceptions are made during the December and January holiday period (16.12.11 – 05.01.12), when moderation will not take place.
I submitted an image and cannot find it in the Gallery? Why?
All your submitted images are stored in the myphotochains section. Here you can track the progress of your images on the site as they are moderated and incorporated into various photochains. If your photo has been disapproved by moderation, you will be notified of the reason in this section and you will be able to resubmit. Please see full terms and conditions for the types of images that are unacceptable. Please check your email for any communication from Canon.
How many votes do I have?
Voting is only available on the Hero Chain. Members of photochains are entitled 1 vote per link on this chain.
Can I vote for my own image?
Yes. You can allocate one vote to your own image.
Elements of the site are not displaying properly for me. What can I do to fix this?
The website is best viewed using Flash Player 9 and has been optimised for a screen resolution of at least 1024x768 in the following browsers: Firefox 3, Internet Explorer 7 & Safari 3. The site also requires javascript, flash and cookies to be enabled.
If you are experiencing difficulties viewing the site, please upgrade to Flash 9 and one of the suggested browsers.
Can I edit my image details after submitting?
No, please fill out image details carefully when uploading as you are unable to edit these after they have been submitted. However, if your photo is yet to be moderated, you can remove it from within myphotochains and upload again from scratch.
To what level is my privacy protected?
When a user of the system selects to view one of your images, your nominated username will appear and if they like your photography they may choose to watch you and be updated when you add new images. Please login to your account at MyCanon to update your details.
Will my entry be valid if I used photo editing software on my image?
Yes, entries submitted after using photo editing software will be valid.
Can I remove my image from the site?
If your image is part of a chain you are unable to remove it from the site. If this is an issue please contact eosphotochains@canon.com.au. If your image is yet to be selected as a link in the chain you may remove it in the My photochains area.
How do I contribute to a chain?
On the hero or public chain go to the latest link in the chain and if it is open for submissions you will be able to follow the upload prompts. You cannot contribute to a private chain unless you are invited.
How do I start a public or private chain?
There are many places within the site that allow you to create your own chain. The simplest place to start your own chain is from the ‘browse’ page. Select the link on the bottom right of the page and follow the prompts.
Why are images moderated and rejected?
To ensure no images on the site are offensive or disruptive to the competition. In particular if images are incomplete, indecipherable or offensive they will be rejected. The same rules apply to chain names and individual link names. For more information on moderation, please refer to the full terms and conditions here.
What happens when I start my own chain?
Once you start your own chain you are in charge of choosing the next link. Submissions are open for 7 days from the day the first response is submitted to your initial photo. After submissions close you then have another 7 days to choose the next image in the chain. If you do not choose an image after 7 days Canon will choose one for you. Once the next image is chosen, responsibility for the chain moves on to the photographer of that image.
What happens when I start a private chain?
When you start or are responsible for a private chain you need to invite friends to respond with their own photographs. You can invite as many friends to submit to your link as you wish. To do so, they will need to become members of mycanon. Submissions are open for 7 days from the day the first response is submitted. After submissions close you then have another 7 days to choose the next image in the chain. If you do not choose an image after 7 days Canon will choose one for you. Once the next image is chosen responsibility for the chain moves onto the photographer of that image. They will then need to invite their own friends to submit to the chain.
What are the time frames on the Hero Chain?
Each link in the chain will be open for submissions for 15 days (Thursday to Thursday). Voting will be open for 6 days following the close of the submission period. Canon will then take up to 24 hours to award and announce the next chain link before the submission period restarts. Exceptions are made for the December and January Holiday period where the upload period will be extended until 19.1.12.
Can I win prizes?
There are only prizes awarded on the Hero Chain. If you are voted as the next link in the chain you will win a 550D Single IS Lens Kit. Canon will not enter into any disputes about who this prize is awarded to at each stage. It is decided by public vote and in the case of a tie in votes a winner will be chosen at Canon's discretion.
How are chains judged?
The Hero Chain is judged by public vote and a group of judges. The public votes determine the top 10 photographs of which the judges then select a winner based on artistic and creative merit. Each member of the World of EOS has a single vote per link in the Hero Chain. Public and private chains are judged by the owner of the current link.
What if I don’t want to receive emails?
To keep chains active and growing we need to be able to communicate with you so to be part of photochains you have to agree to receive email communication from us. If you wish to stop receiving these emails, you can do so by opting out of them in the ‘watchlist’ section of myphotochains.
Can I have the same chain/link name as someone else?
Chain names must be unique on the site in order for everyone to be able to find chains easily and quickly. Within a specific chain, links cannot be reused.
Within a chain your link name needs to be unique.
Do I have to sign up to the World of EOS to take part?
Yes. To keep chains active and growing we need to be able to communicate with you so to be part of photochains you have to agree to receiving email communication from us.
How do I vote?
There are a few places within the site where you can cast your vote on the Hero Chain (eg, while browsing the Hero Chain or from My photochains), but the status of the Hero Chain will always be shown on the bottom right corner of the Homepage. If it is open for voting, you will be able to select to do so from here. Follow the prompts on screen and cast your vote on your favourite image. Each member of photochains has only one vote per link in the Hero Chain so vote wisely.
Why has my chain been removed?
If your chain is inactive for more that 7 weeks Canon may remove it from the site.
For any other questions: please contact photochains via email: eosphotochains@canon.com.au and we will respond within 24-48 business hours.