International Photography Contest FAQ

How do I submit a photo to the photo contest?

Photos are submitted from the Submit Your Photo page.

If you've previously registered with National Geographic, please select "I have a National Geographic account and would like to log in." Enter your registered email address and password, and then select your two Visual Code images.

If you haven't previously registered with National Geographic, please select "I would like to sign up for a National Geographic account." Fill out the form and click "Submit." You will next be asked to agree to our Terms and Conditions. The final step is to browse for your image/s, write a caption, and click "Upload My Submission." Once we receive your image/s, we’ll send you a confirmation email.

Before you submit a photograph, please make sure it meets the following requirements:
* JPG or JPEG file format (ex. YourImage.jpg or YourImage.jpeg)
* At least 1,600 pixels wide (if a horizontal image) or 1,600 pixels tall (if a vertical image)
* Total file size must be less than 5 megabytes (MB)

How do I know that you've received my entry?

After you submit your photograph/s, we'll notify you by email that we got it/them.

How many photos may I submit?

You may submit a total of six (6) photos to the contest, in one or more of these categories: People, Places, and Nature. The submission period begins on August 1, 2008, at 12:00 am EST and closes on October 31, 2008, at 11:59 pm EST.

What's the difference between the English Language Photography Contest and the International Photography Contest?

National Geographic magazine is translated and published in 31 local languages. Each of these local language editions may choose to hold its own photography contest.

The contest you may enter here is the English Language Photography Contest, the contest of the English-language edition of the magazine. A winner will be chosen in each of the categories of the English Language Photography Contest, then automatically entered into the International Photography Contest.

In each of the participating local-language editions of National Geographic magazine, winners will also be chosen in each category. From both sets of these winners a single winner will be chosen in each category as the worldwide winner of the International Photography Contest.

How will my photograph be judged?

Judging consists of two (2) rounds of evaluation for each category. In round one, each judge in a panel of photographic experts will select ten (10) entries in each category from among all the eligible entries based on the following criteria: (1) Creativity 50%; (2) Photographic quality 50%.

The entries selected in round one will proceed to round two. In round two, the judges will collectively select a first-place winner in each category.

In the event of a tie, the tied entries will be resubmitted to the judges for a rejudging between the tied entries alone. In the event that a tie remains after rejudging, the entry with the highest score for creativity will be declared the winner.

When will the winner be announced?

Winners of the English Language Photography Contest will be chosen around November 29, 2008, and notified by email.
Winners of the International Photography Contest will be announced on or around December 15, 2008.

What are the prizes?

First-place winners of the English Language Photography Contest will win a digital SLR camera kit. The grand-prize winners of the International Photography Contest will receive a trip to National Geographic headquarters, and the winning entries will be published in the English-language as well as other participating editions of National Geographic magazine.

I'm not a U.S. resident. Can I still participate in the English Edition of the International Photography Contest?

Legal residents of the fifty (50) states of the United States and the District of Columbia, the United Kingdom, Canada (excluding the province of Quebec), Australia, the Republic of Ireland, India, South Africa, and New Zealand may enter the English-language portion of the International Photography Contest.

I'm not a resident of one of the countries listed above. Can I participate in the contest?

Please visit our list of participating local-language edition Web sites offering entry into the International Photography Contest.

It says I must be the age of majority to enter. What is the age of majority?

The age of majority varies from place to place. You can check out your state's Web site or call your government offices to get information specific to your place of residence.

I'm not the age of majority. Is there a photography contest that I can enter?

Please visit the National Geographic Kids website for information on entering the Kids International Photography Contest.

How old can my entry be?

Photographs must have been taken within two years of the date of entry.

I’d like to enter a photo that has previously been published. Is that allowed?

Yes, you may enter a photo that has previously been published.

I’d like to enter a photo that has previously won a contest. Is that allowed?

Photographs that have previously won an award in the National Geographic International Photography Contest or any National Geographic Traveler photography contest in the past three years are not eligible. Photographs that have won other contests may be submitted.

Will my photography be seen online?

Selected entries and the entrants' names may be published on ngm.com at the discretion of the National Geographic Society.

Will I be notified if my photo is chosen for the online galleries?

You will be notified only if you are a Grand Prize winner.

Do photos have to be taken with a digital camera?

Submitted photos do NOT have to be digital photos from a digital camera. Any digital scan will do, as long as the end result is a JPG or JPEG file. You may submit scans of negatives, transparencies, or photographs taken with traditional cameras.

Is image manipulation allowed in the photo contest?

Minor burning, dodging, and color correction are acceptable. Hand tinting is acceptable, as is cropping. Fish-eye lenses are acceptable. High dynamic range images (HDRI) and stitched panoramas are acceptable only if the combined parts are all made around the same time. Any changes to an original photograph not itemized here are unacceptable and will render the photograph ineligible for a prize.
For more information, please read Director of Photography David Griffin's comments on image manipulation.

What should I include in the description of my photograph?

Captions are always a good way to engage others in your photography. So take the time to write about the place, time, setting, and situation.

When I submit a photo to the photo contest, what rights does the National Geographic Society have to my submission?

The nonexclusive, perpetual right to use your image in connection with the contest and promotion of the contest, in any media now or hereafter known, including, but not limited to: Display at a potential exhibition of winners; publication of a book featuring select entries in the contest; publication in National Geographic magazine or online highlighting entries or winners of the contest.

Please read through the photo contest rules for more information on the rights you grant when submitting a photograph to the International Photography Contest.

I accidentally uploaded the wrong photo. Can I delete my entry and submit a new entry?

Unfortunately, due to the large volume of images submitted to the contest, all entries are final and cannot be replaced or modified.

I can't remember which photographs I've already submitted. Can you tell me which of my photographs you've received?

Unfortunately, due to the large volume of images submitted, we're unable to report to you which images you've uploaded.

When submitting your images to the photo contest, you'll be offered the chance to create your own National Geographic web page in our My Shot section of ngm.com. Here you can store and organize all the images you've submitted to the photography contest. We encourage you to take advantage of this feature when entering the contest.

Are release forms required when submitting a photograph to the International Photography Contest?

By submitting a photograph to the International Photography Contest you warrant that you are the owner of the image, that you alone own the copyright, and that you have obtained any necessary third-party releases.

 If your photograph is selected as a winner of the contest, you may be asked to submit a personal release, a location release, or an artist release. Please do not send any release unless we've asked you to. Please read through the photo contest rules for more information regarding releases.

The photograph I'd like to submit was taken while I was on vacation. There's no way for me to get a release form. Can I still enter this photograph in the contest?

If your photograph is chosen as a winner of the contest, you may be required to submit a release.

What is a personal release form?

If any person in your photograph is recognizable, you may be asked to provide National Geographic with a personal release form signed by that person or those persons. Images of unrecognizable people do not need personal releases. A personal release form is a binding contract between the photographer and the subject(s) of the photograph. By signing the release, the subject of the photograph forgoes the right to sue for specific types of claims.
Download our printable Personal Release form. (You'll need Acrobat Reader to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

Do photos of children require personal release forms?

Yes, if the children are recognizable (see answer above). But personal release forms for anyone under 18 years of age must be signed by the subject's legal guardian—not by the child. Download our printable Personal Release form. (You'll need Acrobat Reader to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

What is a location release form?

A location release form is a binding contract between the photographer and the owner(s) of private property within or upon which a photograph was taken. By signing the release, the owner of the property forgoes the right to sue for specific types of claims.
Download our printable Location Release form. (You'll need Acrobat Reader to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

What is an artist release form?

An artist release form is a binding contract between the photographer and the copyright holder(s) of any art in the photograph. By signing the release, the copyright holder of the art in the photograph forgoes the right to sue for specific types of claims.
Download our printable Artist Release form.
(You'll need Acrobat Reader to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

Why won't my images upload?

Make sure your images meet the following requirements:
* JPG or JPEG file format (ex. YourImage.jpg or YourImage.jpeg)
* At least 1,600 pixels wide (if a horizontal image) or 1,600 pixels tall (if a vertical image)
* Total file size must be under 5 MB

I didn't receive my confirmation email. Why?

Some ISPs (Internet service providers) commonly install email filters that block or filter emails sent from unknown addresses. If you have a "junk mail" box, check to see if that's where the email landed. If you've installed software to monitor your email, make sure your settings aren't causing your emails to get blocked. The emails that we send come from admin@nationalgeographic.com.

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