Excellent question Mihai and thank you so much for bringing it up :)

As to the monthly challenge rules

First off - This month's challenge theme - Dreams - has been a little more loosy-Goosy with the rules than most challenges - simply due to the subject matter of the challenge :]

However, I agree, that if we have rules - it is best to have them for everyone, and that everyone that enters the challenge should go by the same rules.

I was not here for the original creation of the challenge rules - However, as Misha, Doug, and Cyn so eloquently stated above, The challenge is to be used, not so much as a contest - but, instead as a learning tool.

Thus, creating "new" images for the challenge is a great way to use your photo techniques, and showcase what you can do within the Photo Challenge theme.

Think of the challenge as a Photo Class Assignment! If you were taking a photo class in college - and were asked to for a photo assignment - you can bet that the instructor would expect the photo to be taken recently.

However, with that said - in most cases, it would be impossible for the Mods and Coords to know exactly when a photo was taken - thus we have a catch-22 situation.

I like Cyn's solution to this matter:

Reword the challenge rules to read:

It is encouraged that images for each monthly challenge be photographed during the specific month's challenge dates.

Lets keep in mind that the challenge is here for fun and for learning - it is not a strict contest - there are no winners or loosers - only photographers who wish to share their craft with others.

Yet, like all things in life - there must be some rules for order to prevail.

1. Theme for Challenge: Gives everyone something to shoot for :]

2. Max size of thumbnail - this is an upload and Internet issue - if the thumbs are too big, it is hard for dial-up Internet users to view the page.

3. Where and how to post entries - making sure that members post - Monthly challenge in the subject header is needed so we [the Photo Staff] know that you [the photographer] has entered the challenge and where to find the challenge image entry.

4. Challenge can contain postwork - but must be "mainly" a photograph - This is a Photo Challenge after all :)

5. New images are encouraged - as this is a challenge to your craft and to your ablitiy to test yourself in creating the contest theme.

6. Images must be within the TOS - All images posted to the Rosity site must be within the TOS.

7. Only 5 entries per Challenge - that way ALL members have a chance to post entries - and the challenge is not over-flooded by just one photographer.

So - Ta Da - Go out, have fun, and get some great images ready to post for the next month's challenge :)

Dee-Marie