IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE.  Surfers/filmers put their sections on the site (week 1). Members rate the sections on a 1-10 scale (week 2), which narrows the field down to Top 10 finalists. Then Members rank the Top 10 in order of preference: 1 thru 10 (week 3). After that, (week 4) we announce the winners and do it all over again.

The five highest rated surf sections will then become part of the Innersection surf movie. They will have the rest of the year to improve their section before it goes on the final DVD.

The final Innersection DVD will include the year's top 20 sections — five qualifiers from four Rounds of competition. From these 20, you will decide which section deserves the grand prize of $100,000.

See. Simple.

2010 SCHEDULE:

• Winter Round begins March 1st.
• Spring Round begin May 1st.
• Summer Round begins July 1st.
• Fall Round begins September 1st.
• Innersection DVD releases December 1st, 2010.

RULES

• One surfer per section.
• Sections must be between 2 and 3 minutes long.
• No mechanical assist. (May be asked for proof.)
• Sections must use approved music or obtain approval.
• All footage must be exclusive to Innersection submission. (Full rights return to filmer after 2-month contest period.)
• Section must meet approval of Innersection committee (see “Minimum Performance Clause”).

JUDGING

• For the first round of judging, Innersection will appoint a panel of member judges. The panel is composed of 50-100 of our best users — members who view all the sections, rate fairly and comment frequently.
• Ratings, views, comments and expert opinions are all made public and should contribute towards the Member Judges decisions.  
• Member Judges chose their Top 10 sections. Each section is awarded 1 point. So, if there were 50 judges, a 50/50 score would be a perfect score.
• During the second phase of judging, all member arrange the sections into a ranked order of 1 through 10. A first place position scores 10 points. Second place scores 9 points, and so on. 
• The final five positions are determined by Top 10 ordering of all Innersection members. 

MINIMUM PERFORMANCE CLAUSE:
*Innersection reserves the right to refuse any video on any grounds. Ground for dismissal may include (but are not limited to):
-anything pornographic, racist or otherwise offensive
-anything deemed mocking or degrading of the project
-anything deemed low quality production, unworthy of DVD reproduction: ie. shaky filming, lack of focus, distance from subject

FAQ

Q: What happens if I win one of the Event Cycles?
A: For each of the four cycles, five section will qualify for a guaranteed a spot in the next Taylor Steele movie. Winner may (and should) re-edit and re-submit their section after qualifying. But don't worry: if you qualify, we'll be in touch.

Q: Do I need a surfer’s permission to upload a video of him?
A: Any surfer may request a section featuring him removed from site at any time.

Q: Can one surfer submit multiple sections?
A: No. One section per surfer. Qualifiers may not re-enter later cycles, but non-qualifiers may.

Q: Do I still own the rights to my footage after I upload to the sight?
A: While your footage is on the Innersection site, your footage is considered property of Innersection Limited. Qualifiers will be paid market value for 3-minutes of footage. Non-qualifiers retain all rights to their footage following each round of competition.

Q: If I don’t win, can re-submit the same footage and section in later months?
A: Yes.

Q: What happens if a qualifying section is later disqualified?
A: In this instance, the next highest scoring section will move into the qualifying position. If prize money has already been paid, it must be repaid.

Q: Can I use my own music?
A: Yes. You must have rights to any music used. See the MUSIC page for info clearing your own music tracks and full music related information.

Q: I know a band that would like to make their music available to contestants. How should I let people know? A: Great. See full info on the MUSIC page.

Q: What are the best video specs for uploading to the competition?
A: Most file formats are accepted, but we recommend: Quicktime. H264 codec, to your settings. 756x568. File size will probably be around 250 MB.

Q: You still haven’t answered my question. Now what?
A: Sorry about that. Shoot us an email in the “Contact” box below and we’ll sort it out.