Sorry to digress from the topic, but I have a few grips about the contest.
1) Apparently new photos get placed in front of older ones. (Which is wack when there is 500 photos.) In order to get the best exposure it would be best to submit just before voting.
2) I can vote all day long and there's not much if any validation. It doesn't seem to be initiating sessions or collecting IPs. Why not write a script that votes for you?
3) Some photos are obviously PSed, such as the beagle falling from the sky, which is against the rules. Others have borders and such that make them stand out.
4) People can submit 10 pictures of the same dog or even the same picture twice, which dilutes the voting pool.