Smithsonian Photo Contest

Scholarship Sponsored by Smithsonian

The 18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest is set to commence on March 31, 2020, and will conclude on November 30, 2020, at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. By participating, each entrant confirms their agreement to the contest rules and verifies that they are at least 18 years of age.

Eligibility:

Photographers aged 18 and above are eligible to compete for the Grand Prize, Readers' Choice prize, and category prizes in Natural World, Travel, People, The American Experience, Altered Images, and Mobile. However, individuals associated with the Smithsonian Institution, such as employees, emeriti, Regents, trustees, interns, volunteers, fellows, research associates, and their immediate family members (children, parents, siblings, and spouses), as well as those residing in their households, are not eligible for any prize. The Smithsonian reserves the right to determine the eligibility of winners.

Categories:

The contest comprises six categories, each reflecting a subject of particular interest to Smithsonian magazine:

1. Natural World: This includes animals, plants, landscapes, geological or climatological features, and scientific processes and endeavors.

2. Travel: This category captures locales, peoples, or activities in the United States and abroad that convey a sense of place.

3. People: This category includes portraits and photos of groups or individuals.

4. The American Experience: This category seeks photos of events, objects, or activities that connect the American people to their history or cultural heritage. The photos should depict what it means to be an American and provide a sense of life in the United States.

5. Altered Images: This category is for photographs that have been artistically manipulated using digital and/or traditional special effects.

6. Mobile: This category is for any photograph taken with a mobile device (phone or tablet).

To qualify for any category, the photograph must have been taken by the entrant after January 1, 2018. This date applies to all images in a composite. The entrant must be the sole creator and copyright owner of the submitted photograph.

Cropped photos are acceptable in all categories. Digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered photos are not accepted, except in the Altered Images category. Minor adjustments, such as the removal of sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast, toning, slight color adjustment, and conversion to grayscale are permissible for all categories. The addition and subtraction of objects are only allowed in the Altered Images category. If the judges determine that a photo has been altered, they reserve the right to move it to the Altered Images category or disqualify it. Image composites, including HDR and stitched panoramas, will be judged as Altered Images.

If a photo features a recognizable person, the entrant must be ready to provide a model release from the subject or, if the subject is a minor, from the subject's parent or guardian, to the Smithsonian upon request. Similarly, if a photo depicts other people's work (such as sculptures, statues, paintings, and other copyrightable works), the entrant must be ready to provide a release from the rights holder to the Smithsonian upon request. 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 creation.

If the entrant cannot provide all required releases, the Smithsonian reserves the right to disqualify the submission, seek to secure the required releases, or allow the submission to remain in the contest.

Photos that infringe upon another person's rights, including copyright, are not eligible. Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent, or other objectionable or inappropriate content, as determined by the Smithsonian, are ineligible for all categories of this contest.

Ethics:

Entrants must disclose the circumstances under which an image was captured as well as any instructions given to a subject. The welfare of a subject and its environment must be prioritized over the desire to capture a photograph. Entrants certify that subjects were treated with respect and dignity, and that no people, wildlife, or the environment were harmed in creating a photograph. If baiting was used to attract wildlife, or special equipment such as camera traps and drones were used to capture the photograph, this must be disclosed. Live baiting of wildlife is not permitted.

Submission Process:

Photographs and requested information should be submitted online through our website at smithsonianmag.com/photocontest. Each entrant may submit up to 15 photographs per category, for a total of 90 submissions. Photographs must be submitted in .jpeg, .jpg, or .gif format, edited for web in sRGB color space, at least 2,000 pixels wide, and no larger than 10 MB to be displayed in our online gallery without being stretched or distorted. A separate form must be completed for each photo submitted.

We do not accept photographs submitted through the mail and do not accept more than one contestant per e-mail address. High-quality scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Digital photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible.

Finalists must be prepared to submit an original, unedited digital file or an original negative, print, or slide. Original negatives, prints, or slides will be returned to finalists. The Smithsonian Institution reserves the right to disqualify incomplete entries and/or contestants who are unable to submit, upon request, a high-resolution photograph of at least 300 dpi at 3,000 pixels on the longest side or an original photo negative, print, or slide. Mobile photographs are exempt from this size requirement, but must be submitted at their highest resolution upon request.

The Smithsonian may collect a photograph's metadata upon entry.

While you retain your rights to your photograph, by entering the contest, you grant the Smithsonian Institution (and those authorized by the Smithsonian) a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce, and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of the magazine and its website, exhibition, and commercial products, including but not limited to Smithsonian Institution publications. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. The Smithsonian Institution will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.

Deadline:

The contest commences on March 31, 2020. All entries must be submitted through Smithsonianmag.com by 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on November 30, 2020.