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VUMC Voice Pet Photo Contest deadline is July 10

Medical Center people are invited to enter pictures of their dogs, cats, hamsters, horses, snakes, gerbils, goats, lizards, llamas and possibly some animals that we've never had entered before.

by June 20, 2023

Reese. Photo by Donn Jones.

The VUMC Voice Pet Photo Contest is underway for 2023, and we’re asking for Medical Center people to send in pictures of their pets to (if selected) share with coworkers.

Your picture may be selected for inclusion in “Pets of VUMC 2023,” a series of photo features to be published in the VUMC Voice over the coming months.

The last VUMC Voice pet contest was pre-pandemic, so we know there are a lot of great pet photos just waiting to be shared.

As a refresher, here is a link to a roundup of “Pets of VUMC 2019.”

Here are the rules for entering—please read and follow carefully so your photo can be considered for use:

Who is eligible to enter?

VUMC employees and volunteers. For purposes of the contest, any employee with a VUMC ID badge is considered eligible to enter. This includes anyone at any satellite location and at VUMC’s regional hospitals.

What is the deadline?

Pictures must be submitted by midnight on July 10.

Where do I send entries?

Entries must be emailed to VUMCVoice@vumc.org.

How should entries be formatted?

They must be saved in .JPG format and included as an attachment with the email. THE PICTURE NAME SHOULD INCLUDE THE FIRST AND LAST NAMES OF THE PERSON ENTERING THE PICTURE. (Example subject line: Pet contest Jane Doe – dog Molly)

What information should be included?

The body of the email should include your name, department, work address, phone number, name of pet and names of people in the photograph (if there are any). Those who want to include some information about their pets, such as breed(s), age, or the fact that she was picked up as a stray, or that he howls when a fire truck goes by, are encouraged to do so.

Is there a limit to the number of entries I can send?

Entries are limited to two photographs per person. If you have more than two pets, it’s fine to send a group shot — or promise any pet left out that he or she will be entered next time. Because of the limitations of the size of some email attachments, you may need to send your photographs in separate emails—but each person is limited to two pictures total. Also, it’s OK to send a picture of a pet you entered in previous years, but please don’t send the same picture.

What do I get if the picture of my pet is selected for inclusion?

You will have the bragging rights of knowing that your pet was selected by the expert pet judges at the VUMC Voice to share with the Medical Center community.

When will the selected pictures appear in the VUMC Voice?

Not all the pictures will appear at once, but selected photos will be published in groups over the coming months. This allows suspense to build and build. We learned this watching reruns of “Murder, She Wrote.”

Entry checklist (repeated from above):

  1. Photo saved in .jpg format and attached to an email, with the photo name following this example: “Pet contest Jane Doe – dog Molly.”
  2. Body of the email should include your name, department, work address, phone number, name of pet and names of people in the photograph (if there are any), plus any additional information you want to add.
  3. Only two entries per person.

Some sample pet photos by staff members of News and Communications, who are not eligible to enter the contest:

Nick. Photo by John Howser.

Sophie. Photo by Kathy Whitney.

Frankie. Photo by Nancy Humphrey.

Loretta. Photo by Matt Batcheldor.

Chester. Photo by Susan Urmy.

Stevie. Photo by Erin O. Smith.

Sally with broken leg. Photo by Wayne Wood.

contest, pets, cats, Dogs, horses