How to Build a Strong R.A.C.E. Entry
R.A.C.E. is judged on the build and the photography, not on who shows up with the most followers. Everything below is inside your control with a phone camera and twenty minutes of daylight.
Watch the walkthrough
Video walkthrough coming soon
The full checklist is written out below, so you can shoot a complete entry today without it.
The shot checklist
17 things to do, in order.
Before you shoot
Three things decide most of the result before you take a single photo.
Clean the vehicle or object.
Dust and water spots read as noise at full size and flatten the paint.
Choose a simple neutral or natural background.
An empty wall, open pavement, or trees. A cluttered background competes with the build.
Use natural light.
Overcast daylight, or the hour after sunrise and before sunset. Midday sun blows out highlights and direct flash flattens body lines.
The shot list
Work through these in order. The first three cover the whole vehicle from the angles a judge needs; the rest are the detail that separates a good entry from a complete one.
Front three-quarter shot.
Stand off the front corner so the front and one side are both visible. This is the single most important frame.
Rear three-quarter shot.
The same idea from the opposite corner. Shows the rear treatment and the stance together.
Side profile.
Square on, camera at about wheel-hub height, whole vehicle in frame. This is the shot that shows ride height and proportion honestly.
Interior, if applicable.
Door open, seats and dash in frame. Skip it if the interior is not part of the build.
Engine bay, if applicable.
Hood up, shot straight down. Skip it if there is nothing to show.
Wheels, tires and details.
Get close. Wheel faces, badges, stitching, hardware — the work that does not survive a wide shot.
Custom work and detail shots.
Whatever you actually built. If you fabricated, painted, wired or wrapped it, show it close enough to be read.
Keep these out of frame
These are entry media rules, not suggestions. An image containing any of them can be rejected in moderation, which costs you the entry slot and the time.
No other people.
You cannot consent on someone else's behalf, and we cannot verify that you did.
No animals.
Same reason, plus they pull the eye off the build.
No street addresses, house numbers, or mail.
A house number plus a location tag is enough to find where a vehicle sleeps.
No readable license plates.
Angle the shot, park the plate out of view, or cover it. Do not rely on it being small.
No other private identifiers.
Documents, screens, badges, VIN plates, delivery labels — anything that names a person or a place.
After you shoot
Two steps, in this order.
Upload only your best images.
A short set of strong frames reads better than a long set with three weak ones in it. Every image you upload is part of the entry.
Once your entry is approved, share it if you want more people to see it.
Sharing is purely for visibility. It has no effect on judging, scoring, placement, or the outcome of any show — an unshared entry is judged exactly the same as a shared one.
The rules behind the checklist
The “keep these out of frame” items are moderation requirements, not style advice. An entry that breaks them is rejected in review. The binding versions are in the Official Rules and the Privacy Policy.
Sharing an entry does not improve its chances. Judging is based on the entry itself.
Shot list done?
Head to the entry form and upload your set.