The Tidewater News is embarking on one of its most colorful and interactive projects of the year — our annual calendar contest.

Fourteen photos are being sought for the 2010 glossy calendar, which is produced by the newspaper and sponsored by area businesses.

The grand prize winner of the contest will receive $250 cash and have his or her photo featured on the cover of the calendar.

Thirteen runners-up will have their photos and names featured on a page and get six months of free home delivery of the newspaper.

This contest is especially fun because it allows us to see our readers’ creative sides and, oftentimes, heartwarming photos of your families and friends.

Readers can enter the contest by creating an account on www.TidewaterViews.com and clicking on the photo calendar contest button to upload photos.

Here are some helpful hints and rules to guide you through the process:

Pictures must be taken by amateur photographers only.

Each photo must be an original photograph taken by the person who is submitting it.

Photos must be taken in or depict the newspaper coverage area, which includes Franklin, Isle of Wight County and Southampton County. Preference will be given to those photos that include local faces in local scenery.

Try not to send in photos that are blurry, damaged or obscene.

There is no limit to how many photos one person can submit.

Though the scenery of Western Tidewater is certainly beautiful, we prefer photos that show faces, too. Photos that include local folks are especially desirable.

People in each submission should be identified by their name and hometown.

Because of the horizontal platform of the calendar, some photos may be considered over others because they simply fit better.

Because it’s a calendar, photos on inside pages often end up with a “theme.” Be sure to send in plenty of holiday shots because they end up having a better change of making the finals in months that are strongly associated with one.

Flip through last year’s calendar to get an idea of the photos we end up choosing. If you don’t have yours handy, stop by The Tidewater News and pick one up.

Though our preferred submission route is through www.TidewaterViews.com, we would be glad to take photos via e-mail at photocontest@tidewaternews.com or through snail mail (1000 Armory Drive, Franklin, VA 23851). You can even come by the office and bring us photos, if that would be easier.

The contest deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 7. All finalists will be contacted via e-mail, unless additional contact information is provided. Finalists risk losing their spot if we try and contact them and don’t hear back.

The photo calendar is one of the most-anticipated projects of the year for staffers at The TN. We’re excited to see your photos and put it together. We know it’ll be a great success with your help.

Feel free to call me at 562-3187 for any help you might need.

Happy clicking!