Magazine Current Issue December 2008
Table of Contents ››
- ADVERTISEMENT -
Your Shot Rules
Your Shot Submission Requirements
National Geographic invites interested parties to submit a digital photograph for possible publication in National Geographic magazine and on ngm.com. To submit a photograph on a topic of your choosing for possible posting on ngm.com and possible publication in an upcoming issue of National Geographic, click Submit Your Photo and follow the step-by-step directions on that page. We will accept submissions beginning on the 15th of every month. NGS retains full editorial control over the selection of, and the decision not to select, any particular photograph for publication.

1. Technical Specifications
No more than 5,000 submissions will be accepted per submission period. Limit one photograph submission per person. One or two images will be published in the print magazine and any number of images will be chosen for publication online. You must be 18 years of age or older to submit a photograph. If you are younger than 18 years and wish to submit a photograph, you may have your parent or legal guardian submit the photograph on your behalf; in that case, in the photo description the parent or guardian should note the photographer's name, age and relationship to the submitter. Submissions must be in JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg) digital format, at least 1,600 pixels wide if a horizontal image or 1,600 pixels tall if a vertical image, and no greater than 5 megabytes in file size. Please provide only the original, unmodified camera image. National Geographic will consider no photographs that it identifies as obscene, provocative, or otherwise containing objectionable content; nor will we consider submissions from employees of National Geographic or its subsidiaries, or family members of same.

2. Rights Granted
By submitting a photograph for consideration, you warrant and represent that the photograph you submit (the "Photograph") is your own original work (or, in the case of submitting on behalf of a child, the original work of your child), that you alone (or your child) own copyright to the Photograph, that it is an authentic and accurate depiction of the subject matter presented, that no other party has any right, title, claim or interest in the Photograph, and that you have obtained all third party releases and permissions necessary for our use. If National Geographic receives a complaint that substantially questions the reliability of any of the above warranties, we reserve the right to remove or delete the Photograph.

    You grant to National Geographic Society and its subsidiaries and licensees ("NGS") the following rights: a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license to display, distribute, reproduce and create derivatives of the Photograph, in whole or in part, without further review or participation from you, in any medium now existing or subsequently developed, in editorial, commercial, promotional and trade uses in connection with NGS Products. An NGS Product is defined as "a product of NGS, a corporate subsidiary, affiliate, joint venturer or licensee of NGS, in any language, which is associated with an NGS trademark and over which NGS has Editorial Control." For the purposes of this Agreement, "Editorial Control" means the right to review, consult regarding, formulate standards for, or to exercise a veto over the appearance, text, use, or promotion of the product. This license includes the nonexclusive right to make the Photograph available to third parties (i) for library or other research uses through microfiche, microfilm, or any other archival storage and retrieval form, including but not limited to electronic databases and document delivery services; and (ii) for distribution in connection with an NGS press conference or press release.


3. If Your Photograph Is Selected for Print Publication
To qualify for inclusion in National Geographic, you must comply with the following additional requirements: In the event original works of art owned by third parties appear in the Photograph, you must be prepared to provide an Artist Release signed by the third party copyright holder (Download the Artist Release. Acrobat Reader is required to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.). In the event recognizable people appear in your Photograph, you must be prepared to provide the Personal Release signed by those people, authorizing our publication of the Photograph (Download the Personal Release. Acrobat Reader is required to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.). In the event the Photograph is taken on private property, you must be prepared to provide the Location Release signed by the owners of the property, authorizing our publication of the Photograph (Download the Location Release. Acrobat Reader is required to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.).

Top