Challenge Guidelines - Updated for October 2019 to June 2020 Term

Hello, STAMPlorations friends! Just one more sleep and it will be October...which means the STAMPgirls' summer break is over and we'll be back to regular programming! 

We did some revamping and beginning October 2019, we are going to have 3 main challenges: Theme & Photo Prompt Challenge, CAS Cards Challenge, and Stencil Challenge. All 3 challenges will start on the first of each month at 1 am (Theme & Photo Prompt), 2 am (CAS Cards), and 3 am (Stencil) Pacific time. Then we have our Never-ending Anything Goes Challenge for those of you who love to create projects using STAMPlorations products.

So here's a refresher of our challenge guidelines. We've revised our prizes (more prizes, more winners). The use-by-date of gift certificates remain the same and we also ask players to link back AND display the challenge graphic (on their blogs; non-blog players are not required to display the challenge graphic) if they want to qualify for the prizes. 

Beginning with the winners, runners up, and random draw winners of all October 2019 challenges, here are our updated challenge guidelines and prizes:

***A note to all players: If you have word verification turned on, our design team may not be able to leave a comment, so please consider turning it off.***

THEME & PHOTO PROMPT CHALLENGE GUIDELINES
This challenge starts on the first of the month at 1 am Pacific time and ends on the last day of the month at 11:55 pm Pacific time.

• Link up any type of project(s) based on the theme, the photo prompt, or both.
• You must use stamps in your project(s) -- rubber, clear, or digi from any company. Non-STAMPlorations stamps are OK.
• Link up to 6 entries and link up to as many other challenges as you want.
• You must display the challenge graphic in your post (if linking from your blog) and link back to the challenge post (not just the main blog) in order to be eligible to win (and receive the corresponding prize).

CAS CARDS CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

This challenge starts on the first of the month at 2 am Pacific time and ends on the last day of the month at 11:55 pm Pacific time.

• Create a CAS card with or without the optional color twist.
• Non-STAMPlorations products in entries are OK.
• Link up to 3 entries and link up to as many other challenges as you want.
• You must display the challenge graphic in your post (if linking from your blog) and link back to the challenge post (not just the main blog) in order to be eligible to win (and receive the corresponding prize).

STENCIL CHALLENGE GUIDELINES
This challenge starts on the first of the month at 3 am Pacific time and ends on the last day of the month at 11:55 pm Pacific time.

• Your project(s) can be anything -- cards, tags, layouts, mixed media, etc.
• You must use a stencil or stencils (any brand) in your project(s) - if it isn't obvious that you used a stencil in your project, your entry may be deleted or will not be eligible to win.
• Non-STAMPlorations products in entries are OK.
• You can enter as many projects as you wish as long as they are in separate blog posts and that they are new and not created prior to the start of the current month's challenge.
• Your project photo must be posted in full in your blog post to be eligible to win and receive the corresponding prize. Please don't link up to our challenge if you're only showing a sneak peek of it (as is the case if you made it as a design team project for another company). In the same vein, please do not link up your project if it's solely to promote another company.
• You must display the challenge graphic in your post (if linking from your blog) and link back to the challenge post post (not just the main blog) in order to be eligible to win (and receive the corresponding prize).

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ANYTHING GOES CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

This challenge is a never-ending challenge.

• You must use STAMPlorations products (clear stamps, digi stamps, ARTplorations stencils, CUTplorations dies, STAMPlorations clear stickers, and/or ShakerBlends) in order to link up to this challenge. You may use stamps/stencils/dies by other companies but STAMPlorations products must be the "star" of your projects. (Using a small sentiment from any of our sets and then images from other stamp companies doesn't qualify - you can enter those to our other challenges, but not to this one. STAMPlorations stamps must be obvious and front-and-center in your creations.)
• NEW creations only please.
• Submit as often as you want and combine with as many challenges as you want, so long as each project you submit is different.
• Any and all types of projects are welcome.
• Link directly to your blog post.
• To be eligible for the prizes, display our special challenge badge on your blog post and link to the Never-Ending Anything Goes Challenge page and encourage others who have STAMPlorations stamps to play.

Monthly Prizes

• $15 gift certificate to the winners in the challenges (3 main winners)
• $10 gift certificates to the runners up in the challenge (3 runners up)
• $5 gift certificate to three (3) randomly picked players per challenge (9 random winners)
• $10 gift certificate each to two randomly picked entries in the Never-ending Anything Goes Challenge

About our gift certificates: Gift certificate prizes for our challenges will expire 3 months from the date they are issued to the winners. Gift certificates for use in the main store can be combined and used in one order. For example, a challenge participant can win multiple times in our challenges over the course of 3 months and use all the gift certificates she won and apply them in one order before her first gift certificate expires.

Gift certificates issued to our challenge winners cannot be passed along or gifted to someone else. If a gift certificate is used by a person other than the one it was issued to, the purchase will be voided and the gift certificate will not be re-issued. Only purchased gift certificates may be gifted or given to another person. 

A gift certificate is NOT a coupon code (also referred to as a gift code and gift voucher). A gift certificate is a payment method. (The other payment method is Paypal.) The gift certificate code(s) (a string of 16 numbers -- no letters!) is applied during the THIRD step/page in the checkout process -- when a customer is asked to choose her method of payment: Paypal or Gift Certificate(s).

We have a detailed explanation on the difference between STAMPlorations gift certificates and coupon codes HERE.