Your Shot Rules
National Geographic invites interested parties to submit a digital photograph for possible publication in National Geographic magazine and on ngm.com. Click Submit Your Photo and follow the step-by-step instructions 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
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 on the longest side, and no greater than 5MB in file size. National Geographic will consider no photograph 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 uploading a photograph, you agree to the Terms of Use (for rights granted, refer to Intellectual Property Issues, point 5; and to User Conduct, point 3).
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.).
