PRESENTING THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

As a leader in capturing our world through brilliant imagery, National Geographic sets the standard for photographic excellence. Now you can share your vision of the world. Enter to win $10,000 and have your photo published in National Geographic magazine! Photos will be judged on creativity and photographic quality.

Submit your entry online in any of these three categories: People, Places, and Nature. The submission period begins September 16 and ends November 30. Winners will be announced in early December. There is an entry fee of U.S. $15 per photo. Send us your best shot!

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TERM

The 2010 National Geographic Photography Contest begins September 1, 2010 at 9:00:00 a.m. US Eastern Time and ends November 30, 2010, 9:00:00 a.m. US Eastern Time (“ET”) (the “Contest”). Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these official rules (“Official Rules”). By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to the Official Rules and warrants that his or her entry complies with all requirements set out in the Official Rules. This is a skill based contest and chance plays no part in the determination of winners.

WHO MAY ENTER

Contest is open only to individuals who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry and who do NOT reside in Arizona, Cuba, Iran, New Jersey, North Korea, Puerto Rico, the Province of Quebec, Sudan, Syria or Vermont. Employees of National Geographic Society, and its subsidiaries and affiliates, and their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees, whether or not related are not eligible. CONTEST IS VOID IN ARIZONA, CUBA, IRAN, NEW JERSEY, NORTH KOREA, PUERTO RICO, THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC, SUDAN, SYRIA, VERMONT AND WHERE PROHIBITED.

HOW TO ENTER

Each Entry consists of an entry form, a single image, and an entry fee. The entry fee is US$15 per entry. To enter, visit www.ngphotocontest.com; complete an entry form with the required information, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, and photo caption; and submit along with your photograph and fee in accordance with the instructions that follow.

The Categories for entries are: (1) People, (2) Places, and (3) Nature (the "Categories"). There is no limit on the number of entries per person. Each entry must comply with the following requirements (the "Photograph Requirements"):

Photographs must be in digital format. Only online entries will be eligible. No print or film submissions will be accepted for entry into this Contest. The photograph need not be taken with a digital camera; scans of negatives, transparencies, or photographic prints are acceptable. All digital files must be 5 megabytes or smaller, must be in JPEG or JPG format, and must be at least 1,600 pixels wide (if a horizontal image) or 1,600 pixels tall (if a vertical image).

Photographs must have been taken within two (2) years before the date of entry and may not previously have won an award in the National Geographic International Photography Contest or any National Geographic Traveler photo contest in the last three years.

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

Photographs that include sculptures, statues, paintings, and other works of art will be accepted as long as they do not constitute copyright infringement or fraud; provided entrants must be prepared to provide a release form as described below in "Release." When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close-up of another person's art.

The photograph, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material taken by the Contest entrant. By entering the Contest, entrant represents, acknowledges, and warrants that the submitted photograph is an original work created solely by the entrant, that the photograph does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim, or interest in the photograph.

The photograph must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Sponsor, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content.

The entries in each Category will judged separately, in accordance with the Judging Criteria, as defined below. All entries must be submitted and received by November 30, 2010 at 9:00:00 a.m. ET. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt. Entries must be made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, internet domain owner, or other person or organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Sponsor reserves the right to examine the original photograph/source material in order to confirm compliance with these rules.

RELEASES

If the photograph contains any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, and/or if any persons appear in the photograph, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the photograph, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the photograph in the manner set forth in these Official Rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any photograph is under the age of majority in their state/province/territory of residence the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.

Upon Sponsor's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Sponsor's request) a signed release from all persons who appear in the photograph submitted, and/or from the owner of any material that appears in the photograph entry, authorizing Sponsor and its licensees ("Authorized Parties") to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known. All releases must be in the form provided by Sponsor. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification at any time during the Contest and selection of an alternate winner. (Download the Personal Release form. Acrobat Reader is required to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

Similarly, upon Sponsor's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Sponsor's request) a signed written license from the copyright owner of any sculpture, artwork, or other copyrighted material that appears in the photograph entry, authorizing any Authorized Party to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known. All releases must be in the form provided by Sponsor. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. (Download the Artist Release form. Acrobat Reader is required to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

Finally, upon Sponsor's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide (within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of Sponsor's request) a signed written license from the owner of any private property included in the photograph entry, authorizing any Authorized Party to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest, in any media now or hereafter known. All releases must be in the form provided by Sponsor. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. (Download the Location Release form. Acrobat Reader is required to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

For the purposes of these Official Rules, the entrant will be deemed to be in receipt of Sponsor's request or notification, (a) in the event that Sponsor sends the request by postal mail, five business days after the request was sent by Sponsor, or (b) in the event that Sponsor sends the request by email, on the day that the email was sent by Sponsor.

CONTEST PRIZES

The First Place winner in each Category will each receive US$2,500, and his/her winning photograph will be published in National Geographic magazine. One Grand Prize winner will receive, in addition to the First Place prize, US$7,500 and a trip to the District of Columbia, USA from Jan. 11 to Jan. 14, 2011 to participate in the National Geographic Photography Seminar. Trip includes round-trip coach class air transportation between a major airport near winner’s home and Washington, D.C.; three nights hotel accommodations in Washington; a behind-the-scenes tour of National Geographic headquarters; and access to the all-day Seminar on Jan. 13, where Grand Prize winner’s winning entry will be projected and the winner will be presented with his/her check for the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative is available.

Potential winners shall be required to sign and return within ten (10) days following an attempted notification, an Affidavit, Declaration or Certificate of Eligibility, Liability Release, and where legally permissible, a Publicity Release and Warranty of Ownership and License in which the entrant warrants that he/she is the owner of the photograph (and all the intellectual property rights in the photograph submitted) and grants to Sponsor and its licensees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide non-exclusive license to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry (along with a name credit) in connection with the Contest and promotion of the Contest without additional compensation. Failure to execute and deliver any required documents to Sponsor by the specified deadline may result in disqualification from the Contest, and selection of an alternate potential winner.

No prize transfer, assignment, or substitution by winners permitted. If a prize (or part of a prize) is unavailable, the Sponsor, in its discretion, reserves the right to substitute the original prize (or that part of the prize) with an alternative prize to the equal monetary value and/or specification, unless to do so would be prohibited by law. NONCOMPLIANCE OR RETURN OF PRIZE NOTIFICATION AS UNDELIVERABLE, WHETHER BY REGULAR MAIL OR BY EMAIL, MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION AND SELECTION OF AN ALTERNATE POTENTIAL WINNER.

JUDGING

Contest consists of three (3) rounds of evaluation. In Round One, each judge in a panel of photographic experts (at least one of whom will be independent of Sponsor) (“Judges”) will select ten (10) entries in each Category from among all eligible entries based on the following criteria (“Judging 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 based on the Judging Criteria. In Round Three, the Judges will select a Grand Prize Winner from among the First Place Winners based on the Judging Criteria. In the event of a tie, the tied entries will be re-submitted to the Judges for a re-judging between the tied entries alone. In the event that a tie remains after re-judging, the entry with the highest score in the creativity criteria will be declared the winner. Winners will be chosen on or around December 15, 2010, and notified by email. Decisions of the judges are final and binding.

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FAQ

How do I submit a photo to the photo contest?

The submission period begins September 1, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. ET.

First, log in to National Geographic if you are already registered, or sign up for an account.

Next, browse for your image, then add a caption, title, and keywords and click "Upload Image." The final step is to pay the entry fee.

Before you submit a photograph, please make sure it meets the following requirements:
* JPG or JPEG file format
* 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)

Why do I need to be logged in to National Geographic in order to submit a photo?

Registering for National Geographic ensures that we have your contact information.

If you've previously registered with National Geographic, please select "I have a National Geographic account and would like to log in" on the log in page. Enter your registered email address and password.

If you haven't previously registered with National Geographic, please select "I would like to sign up for a National Geographic account" on the log in page. Fill out the form and click "Submit." You will next be asked to agree to our Terms and Conditions.

What is the entry fee?

The entry fee is U.S. $15 per photo.

How do I pay the entry fee?

You must use PayPal to pay the contest entry fee. Your credit/debit card information is maintained by PayPal and is not shared with the National Geographic Society. Please visit the PayPal Help Center if you have further questions regarding this process.

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

After you submit your photograph(s) and pay the entry fee, PayPal will send you a confirmation email.

How many photos may I submit?

There is no limit on the number of entries. You may submit as many photos as you like, in one or more of these categories: People, Places, and Nature.

How will my photograph be judged?

Judging consists of three (3) 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 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 round three, the judges will select a grand prize winner from among the first place winners. In the event of a tie, the tied entries will be re-submitted to the judges for a re-judging between the tied entries alone. In the event that a tie remains after re-judging, the entry with the highest score in the creativity criteria will be declared the winner.

When will the winners be announced?

Winners of the National Geographic Photography Contest will be chosen on or around December 15, 2010, and will be notified by email.

What are the prizes?

The first-place winner in each category will receive U.S. $2,500, and have their winning photograph published in National Geographic magazine. One grand prize winner will receive, in addition to the first place prize, U.S. $7,500, a trip to National Geographic headquarters and have their photos published in National Geographic magazine. There are no prizes for the Viewers' Choice winners or the honorable mentions.

Why are Arizona, New Jersey, and Vermont not allowed to participate this year?

Those states do not allow operation of a skill contest that requires an entry fee.

Why are Puerto Rico and the province of Quebec excluded from participating in the contest?

Running contests of broad geographical scope requires observing the regulations of all of the jurisdictions in question. The legal complexities of doing so make it prohibitive, if not impossible, to run competitions that are open to all jurisdictions, states and territories, in some instances. Restrictive laws in certain jurisdictions sometimes prompt their ineligibility.

Why are Cuba, Iran, N. Korea, Sudan and Syria excluded from participating in the contest?

U.S. laws impose economic and trade sanctions against certain countries based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals, and preclude residents of those countries from participating in the 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 the Web site of your state or local jurisdiction, 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 web site for information on entering the United States and Canadian International Photo Contest for Kids. You must be between the ages of 6 and 14 on November 2, 2010, to enter this contest. The entry period begins August 2, 2010, and ends November 1, 2010. All entries must be postmarked by November 1, 2010.

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 last three years are not eligible. Photographs that have won other contests may be submitted.

How old can my entry be?

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

Will my photography be seen online?

Selected entries and the entrants' names may be published on the National Geographic Web site 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 first-place winner of the National Geographic Photography Contest.

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 (HDR) 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 our comments on image manipulation.

We trust our users to submit unaltered files. We can not research every photo entry. However, if a photo is chosen for publication in the magazine, it will be scrutinized for possible alterations.

What should I include in the description of my photograph?

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

Are captions fact-checked for accuracy?

We trust our users to give accurate caption information, so we do not research or fact-check their captions. However, if a photo is chosen for publication in the magazine, it will be fact-checked.

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

National Geographic will have 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 official photo contest rules for further information on the rights you grant when submitting a photograph to the National Geographic Photography Contest.

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

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?

After logging in, you can view your entries on your submission history page. There you can see your caption, image title, keywords, and category for each entry. Entries that have been submitted and paid for appear under "Previously Submitted Photos."

Are release forms required when submitting a photograph to the photo contest?

By submitting a photograph to the National Geographic 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 releases unless we've asked you to. Please read through the official 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 the age of majority 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
* 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)

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.

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