The Dreadlocks Contest & Appreciation lasts until January, 2003.

The Process is divided into 2 parts:

    I.   The Appreciation Stage; and

   II.   The Judging Stage.

I.   The Appreciation Stage

In the Appreciation Stage, the general public will write Appreciations of the one Participant whose locks they most admire. You must be age 18 or older to write an Appreciation.

Appreciation Stage begins: November 1st, 2002.
Appreciation Stage ends: January 31st, 2003.

All Appreciations must be received by 11 pm (EST) on January 31st, 2003. To be considered valid, the Appreciation must be submitted via our on-line Recommendation Form.

Please Note:   A Participant must receive a minimum of 25 Appreciations to go on to the Judging Stage.

II.   The Judging Stage

In the Judging Stage, a Panel of Experts will first read all of the Appreciations. After giving them careful consideration, these Judges will then draw upon their expertise as professional lockticians to choose 4 winners -- one for each Style Category below:

STYLE  CATEGORIES
Style	Prize
Traditional: Cultural events; African attire (including head gear); Kwanzaa ceremonies, etc.	$  250
Office: Business attire; interviews; office environment; presentations, etc.	$  250
Evening: Formal occasions; night on the town; weddings; church, etc.	$  250
Free-style: Maximum creativity; artistic; informal settings; athletics, etc.	$  250

Thus, a Participant may want to keep these categories in mind when planning her photos.

Enter the Locks Appreciation using the Online Registration Form in 3 steps:

STEP # 1

Read the Special Price Restrictions, and these Entry & Process Rules carefully.

STEP # 2

Fill out the Online Registration Form.   Enter information in ALL spaces. If an item does not apply to you, please DO  NOT  LEAVE  IT  BLANK. Instead, enter "none" or "NA" to avoid error messages.

After receiving your Online Registration, we will refer you to a Participating Photographer in your city. The Participating Photographer will call you to make an appointment for the photo shoot.

STEP # 3

Arrive on time for the Photo shoot. The photographer will take the 4 professional headshots at the Special Price of $14.

One side view (profile), and one back view are mandatory poses. The 2 remaining poses are discretionary. When you decide on them, you may want to consider the Style Categories.  Note: Your locks may not be covered in any way for the mandatory profile and back poses. African hair ties, etc., are permissible only for the discretionary poses.

The film will be sent to us for developing and posting to the Contest web page. We will then mail you the photos, including the 8x10 glossy. Please be patient while your photos are in process (To compensate for this time, register early).

• Appreciation statements from the general public must be submitted using our on-line Recommendation Form and processes only ; no other method of submission is allowed.
  
  
• We will not disclose details of the Judges' deliberations.
  
  
• Unauthorized automated submissions or processes of any kind will be disqualified.
  
  
• Decisions of the Administrators are final.
  
  
• A person may submit only one Recommendation Form.
  
  
• A Recommendation Form may contain only one Appreciation statement for only one Participant.
  
  
• A valid e-mail address must be entered on the Recommendation Form -- one recommendation per e-mail address.
  
  
• EXCEPTION : using their own I.D. information, 25 members of an extended family may enter the same e-mail address on their Recommendation Forms.
  
  
• An e-mail confirming receipt of your recommendation will be sent to the e-mail address entered on your form.
  
  
• PLEASE NOTE:   If the e-mail address entered is not that of the person making the recommendation, or an extended family member of that person, then, the recipient of the confirming e-mail is instructed to report this fact to us.
  
  
• Any Participant found attempting to make a recommendation by entering an email address other than her own, or other than that of an extended family member, will be disqualified.
  
  
• Any Participant found attempting to influence the process in any other manner that, in the opinion of the Administrators, is not in keeping with the spirit of this Locks Appreciation or these Rules, will be disqualified.
  
  
• Recommendation Forms must be filled-in completely, including an Appreciation statement. A Recommendation Form that does not include an Appreciation statement will be considered invalid.
  
  
• Incomplete, inaccurate or invalid Recommendation Forms, duplicate forms, or forms without a valid e-mail address, will not be counted towards a Participant's qualifying total of 25 Appreciations.
  
  
• A Participant's photos may appear on our website and in other promotional media for up to two years after the end of the Locks Appreciation.