RULES | FAQs | PHOTO SUBMISSION TIPS | VIDEO SUBMISSION TIPS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Why do I have to be 21 to enter this competition and not 18?
It's a long story we won't bore you with, but them's the rules.

2. I live in Canada. Can I enter?
You can now (unless you're unfortunate enough to live in Quebec). Improved relations between our two great nations have opened the Great White North to Hottie mining. Residents of any other country, however, are still not eligible. (Sorry, Hungary Hotties!)

3. When is the entry deadline?
We will be taking submissions until April 2, 2007, 5:00 PM East Coast time.

4. Should I get a professional photographer to take my photos?
If you want. Just be aware that entrants must either own the copyright to the photos or have the copyright owner (i.e., a professional photographer) complete a Copyright Release. We'll tell you how to get a Copyright Release if and when you’re contacted for the competition. Also, the copyright owner will not receive payment from Maxim and will not receive any sort of byline or photographer recognition. Entrants who move on to the Semifinal round of voting will also be required to send in a video, and the same is true for professional videographers: No credits. That said, you definitely want your photos and video to be taken by someone you trust—your cheesed-off ex-boyfriend may not be the ideal choice to capture you in your most flattering light.

5. But the photographer gave me copies of the pictures. That means that I have the copyright to the images, right?
Not necessarily. If you paid a professional photographer to take pictures of you, they may still retain the copyright of the image unless you negotiated purchase of the copyright in your contract with the shooter. If you have not negotiated full rights, you will be required to get his or her signature on the Copyright Release we will provide if you're chosen for the competition.

6. What's a JPEG?
You're so cute. It's a digital image file type. If you are uncertain about how to format digital images, please check out our Photo Requirements and Image Editing Tips before you start uploading your photos.

7. Can I enter photos taken from my Web camera?
We encourage you to submit photos that fulfill our photo size recommendations (JPEG format, approximately 800 x 600 pixels, and 250 KB file size). We've rejected entries that didn't fulfill these recommendations in the past, and we're not afraid to do it again. Image quality is a primary component of selection, and Web cams that sit atop your computer aren't the same as digital cameras, which are capable of taking far better images.

8. My picture isn't big enough to meet your requirements. Is there a way to make it bigger?
Nope. If your picture isn't big enough, you won't improve things by re-sizing low-quality slop into larger low-quality slop. We suggest that you rescan the image at a higher resolution (if you scanned a print of a photo) or use another picture. Again, read our Photo Requirements and Image Editing Tips if you have questions about sizing your photos.

9. How do I know which images I uploaded?
Our entry process will display the names of the images you've uploaded. If you uploaded them from your computer, check the names of the photos listed as uploaded against the images of the same name on your computer. If you uploaded one that you didn't intend to include, you will be allowed to change the images you uploaded when you review your profile.

10. How will I know if I have been selected for the competition?
Our competition coordinator will contact you via e-mail if your entry has been selected for inclusion in the competition. The initial voting period starts February 26, 2007, and ends May 6, 2007. If you have not been contacted by April 13, 2007, you have not been chosen for the competition. Please be sure to check your Spam or Junk e-mail folders for e-mails from Maxim's Hometown Hotties competition—we cannot be held responsible if you do not fill out and return the necessary paperwork because the notification e-mails were re-routed to your Spam or Junk folders and were overlooked.

11. Can you tell me when my photos will be posted?
Entrants chosen for inclusion in the first round of voting will be notified by e-mail when they have been placed in a particular week's voting period.

12. I have appeared in a men's magazine in the past, but I wasn't photographed nude. Can I still be in the competition?
The competition supervisors will determine if your appearance in another publication disqualifies you. Women are not eligible for the competition if they've appeared nude in another publication or on film, TV, or the Web; however, an innocent party picture (that is, without nudity) that appears in another publication does not necessarily disqualify a potential entrant. Being featured in another men's publication (nude or not), however, does.

13. I'm not sure how my boss will respond to my appearance in this competition. What should I do?
When you enter, you may want to list your profession generally. Instead of "U.S. attorney, Southern District," you may want to list your profession as "lawyer," for example.

14. Can I change my profile later?
No. Because Maxim's Hometown Hotties is a competition and there are so many entrants, we are not able to change information in entrants' profiles. Please make sure your information is correct and represents you in a way that you'll be comfortable with for the duration of the competition.

15. I want to enter my sister/girlfriend/neighbor/P.E. teacher/etc. as a surprise—is it OK if I submit her photos?
Nope. Don't do it. We'll be confirming entrants' identification by requesting copies of driver's licenses or other government-issued ID. We'll also be calling each entrant selected for inclusion in the competition, and if we find that she did not upload her own profile material and photos, her entry may be disqualified.

16. May I enter more than once?
Duplicate entries will not be considered for the competition; however, our competition coordinator may ask an entrant to resubmit her entry if for whatever reason the entry is incomplete.

17. I was a finalist in a previous Hometown Hotties competition—may I enter the 2006 competition?
Finalists from our 2003, 2004, 2005, or 2006 competition are ineligible for our 2007 competition. Semifinalists who did not make it into the top 10 in either of those years, however, may enter.

18. Where do I send my video?
2007 Hometown Hotties Competition
1040 Ave. of the Americas, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10018

If your question was not answered here, you will be given the opportunity to e-mail our competition coordinator when the entry period begins.

Good luck!


RULES | FAQs | PHOTO SUBMISSION TIPS | VIDEO SUBMISSION TIPS