To maximize fundraising, we do not recommend that you place restrictions on the images that are submitted to your contest.
If having a quality image is important to you, we do recommend that you reach out to the contest winners after the contest has ended and ask for a high quality image. Some clients even write this stipulation into their rules.
Focus on fundraising:
Many of your contest participants will want to enter photos that are meaningful to them in some way, or that they cherish. It might not be the best photo (technically speaking), but the most important thing is that they've chosen this photo to fundraise on your organization's behalf.
Placing restrictions discourages participation:
Entrants that are not necessarily one of the top contenders may still raise $25, $50, etc. using a low quality photo. However, having to use a high-resolution image in order to enter might discourage them from entering and participating at all, which leads to lost donations.
High pixels doesn't guarantee a quality photo:
A high pixel height or width doesn’t guarantee a high resolution photo, and even a high resolution photo can have bad composition, such as a super in-focus background and a blurry subject in motion.
Our Solution:
We have language that appears on the entry form any time someone enters a low resolution photo. This language is based on approximately 150 dpi for an 8.5 x 11 inch image.
This language is just a suggestion to the entrant, and does not prevent them from entering.
Photo Size: __ x __ pixels
While not required to enter, you may consider submitting a photo with higher resolution. Ideally, having a height or width of at least 1836 pixels would be preferred. Please review the Official Rules to ensure your photo meets the photo resolution requirements.
And this is how it appears on your entry page: