Photo Contests

There are a few photo contests going on in my area. I am thinking of submitting some photos. So of the contest i will get published and when some money but, my question is what should i look out for if anything? and info. on contest that i should know about?


thanks

The biggest thing to look for in contests is that a lot of them a "rights grabs" which means that by entering you give them the copyright to the image. To most people a 1/5,000 chance of winning some money isn't worth giving up the copyrights to an image thats good enough to enter in a contest so read the terms carefully.

Read the conditions carefully. As Stocky said, a lot are "rights grabs" as an example
Clause 22 of the conditions of entry for a competition by Relationships Australia reads:

Each entrant assigns to the Promoter all copyright and other intellectual property rights in each photo and description sent in as part of an entry in this competition. Each entrant acknowledges that the Promoter, as owner of the copyright in the photographs and descriptions, may reproduce the photographs and the descriptions in any media or marketing for any purpose without permission or payment. The entrants agree to waive all their rights, including moral rights, in the photographs entered by the entrants in this competition.

In this case the rights grab is for the promoter, who isn't Relationships Australia, its News limited, one of the newspapers associated with Rupert Murdoch.

Here's a thread on it: Photo competition or rights grab?

But on the bright side your photo (since you gave up your rights) may be selected to be published in a book. An overpriced one at that. But you will be so happy about being "published" you will want to go buy one and several more to give as gifts. They won't need to advertise and sell to the general public because they will make enough money off from you, your family and your friends to make more than enough money to replace what they spent on a prize. Plus have enough to pay for that surgery to repair that hernia they got from laughing so hard on the way to the bank.

yeah I have a while before the deadlines. but as of right now the money is more important then the copyrights. now later or if it was my only source of income then sure..... thanks for the info guys i will let you know how it goes.