petercbrandt Loc: New York City, Manhattan

I was going to enter a contest at the Smithsonian Magazine, then I read their legal stuff !
I was going to send in my 'Painted Architecture' under their 'Artistic' category.

Basically, you give them all rights, but you keep your copyright !?
They will give you a credit line if they can, maybe !
Perpetual means forever ! Any alteration (derivative) to your image is theirs to keep.

Do they really need to take it all? Are they the good guys looking out for photographers ?

Sincerely,
Peter Brandt
Disappointed !

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petercbrandt Loc: New York City, Manhattan

Here is a sample of what l was going to enter to the Smithsonan Artistic contest, 3 out 15 samples.
As you know I'm into architecture.
Wouldn't it be fun to get a grant to do this to buildings, on display maybe for a half year !

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Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

Lawyers. This is both an attempt to protect the Smithsonian from spurious lawsuits as well as to cover the possible widespread reproduction of your photo.

You don't have to like it (I don't), but we have become a severely litigious society. What would you do, if the roles were reversed?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

They want the free rights to use it now and forever more in whatever way they want without any monetary compensation to the photographer, or "complaints" by the photographer. It lets them do whatever they want to/with it. Saves them trouble with ever getting in tough with the photographer for his "okay".
But they'll give you a by-line when they use it.
Not a matter of "do they need it" as much as it removes the need for any further contact/correspondence with the photographer.

nervous2 Loc: Provo, Utah

Wow! I would decline to play just on principle.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

That's why I usually don't enter contests.

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

Very cool photos that are definitely worthy of the contest. Good luck with your decision to enter and if you do, good luck with the contest and please be sure to let us all know what happens.

Dodie

petercbrandt Loc: New York City, Manhattan

I'm not entering Smithsonian, but still making art for myself, probably making a book of it.
Making sellable books is not so easy either.
Peter

User ID

What part of "nonexclusive" puzzles you ? Its very worthwhile getting clear on that.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Yes, "non exclusive license" is the key to this whole thing - that, and exactly what is the prize(s) for "winning" ??

mindzye Loc: WV

User ID

Looking beyond the legal rights issue, I wonder how well you might have scored in the "Artistic" category.

Your pix are perfectly executed and "properly" composed, but might be seen as mainly documentation of someone elses artistry without significant enough interpretation by you. Where is Nat Geos threshold concerning what is judged as "Artistic" ? No one knows.

Perhaps you should submit your photos. I could be waaaaay off base. If you win you relinquish *nothing* about your use of your images *outside* of Nat Geo.

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I photograph many murals but I strive to go beyond the role of documenting or just recording, to put the murals in local or cultural context. Acoarst my photos are seldom as cleanly attractive as yours, due to my approach.

Below is my "phone sketch" for a mural photo that Ill be working out later (using a proper camera).

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photoman43

Their language is pretty standard language. One thing in your benefit is the phrase "non-exclusive". This means that you can market the image to others. I have seen much worse language in other such contests where you grant them "exclusive rights". These are essentially photo grabs of your images with no compensation to you and you lose all rights to the images.

I rarely enter such contests.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

I almost never enter contests because of that. But consider this:

Visitor agrees as a condition of viewing, that any communication between Visitor and Website is deemed a submission. By making a submission, Visitor grants the administration and the owners of the Website a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, sub-licenseable and transferable license to use in any way, reproduce and distribute the submission and prepare derivative works of the submission without further permission. This includes commercial and non-commercial use of all submissions, including portions thereof, graphics contained thereon, or any of the content of the submission. Visitor agrees to only communicate that information to the Website, which it wishes to forever allow the Website to use in any manner as it sees fit. "Submissions" is also a provision of the Privacy Policy.

Wow - who would give away such rights to their best work? This is in the Terms-of-Use for THIS website! I for one would like more transparency from admin about how they use photos submitted here, if they have ever used photos for their financial gain/support, etc. I think any use of a submitted photo should at least be accompanied by notification to the owner of the photo.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

They still get some great photographs. Their rules are simple: Give them a photograph, all of that photograph and it belongs to them! Many people do just that! Being published by the Smithsonian is quite an honor, unless your motives are profit driven only.