Beach & Bay Press is has launched its 2009 Amateur Photo Contest. Enter your best photo portraying the beach and area taken between October 2008 and October 2009. Photos are due Oct. 5, and will be displayed at the Beach & Bay booth at the Oct. 10 BeachFest. The public will vote for their favorite pictures. Prizes will be awarded for the top three photos, which will be published in the Beach & Bay Press. First place will win a beach cruiser. Second and third place winners will receive $100 worth of restaurant tickets.

Contest Rules

• Photos must be taken by an amateur photographer and must be shot in the Pacific Beach, Mission Beach or Mission Bay area.

• Deadline for entries is Oct. 5, 2009.

• Mail printed photos to the Beach & Bay office at 4645 Cass St., Box 9550, San Diego, CA 92109. The photos will be displayed at the October BeachFest for the public to vote on.

• Retouched or computer-enhanced photos will not be accepted.

• Color or black and white prints are eligible. Slides are not allowed. Entries should be no larger than 8-inches by 10-inches and not smaller than 3-inches by 5-inches. Please don’t send a photo in a frame.

• Only one entry per photographer is allowed.

• Amateur photographers only — no photographers that are regularly paid for their work are allowed in the contest.

• Please include photographer’s name, address, phone number, date the photo was taken and a brief description of the subject.

• The safe return of entries is not guaranteed. Remember, these photos will be mounted for public display — expect some wear and tear.

Photos may be picked up at the Beach & Bay Press office after Oct. 15.