What is Your Shot?

Your Shot is a regular feature in National Geographic magazine and on ngm.com where readers can submit their pictures for review and possible publication in the magazine. This special Your Shot issue of National Geographic magazine is composed of our editors' selections of the best photographs submitted to Your Shot.

For more details on how to submit an image, visit Your Shot.

For a fee, you can create a custom cover for the print issue of this special edition by uploading a photograph. The print issue will be mailed to you. The image does not have to have been previously submitted to ngm.com/yourshot.

Ready to begin? Start Now.

Uploading a Picture How do I upload a digital photograph?

Click the Upload Image button. In the popup window that appears, click Browse to find the desired image file on your computer. When the filename appears, click Save Photo to upload and view the image. Depending on the size of the file, it may take a moment for the picture to appear.

In order to ensure your custom cover is of the highest quality, the image you upload must be:

* JPG or JPEG file format (ex. YourImage.jpg or YourImage.jpeg)
* At least 1,600 pixels wide (if a horizontal image) or 1,600 pixels tall (if a vertical image)
* Total file size must be less than 5 megabytes (MB)

For the best results, upload the original, unmodified camera image, and then use our cropping tool to adjust the picture to your liking.

You must be of the age of majority in your area to submit a photograph. If you are younger than the age of majority and wish to submit a photograph, you may have your parent or legal guardian submit the photograph on your behalf.

National Geographic will not allow photographs that it identifies as obscene, provocative, or otherwise containing objectionable content.

How do I crop (or NOT crop) my image?

After you upload your image and it appears in the upload box, you’ll see a rectangular box with blue corners appear on top of the image. This is the cropping tool. It is set up to crop to the exact dimensions of the box where your picture will appear. To enlarge the crop of the image, just grab any of the four blue corners and stretch it larger. To re-center the image, click at any spot inside the crop box and drag the cropping tool to highlight the part of the picture you’d like to see on your cover. When you are happy with the crop, click the Use This Crop button.

What if I decide I don’t like the image I just uploaded?

You have multiple opportunities to replace the picture you uploaded with another one. You may click the Upload a Different Image button instead of saving the original image when you crop; or, once you have cropped the image, you may click the Edit Image button underneath the image in the preview screen.

How do I know that you've received my photograph?

After you preview your custom cover and confirm your order, we'll notify you by email that we got it.

Are release forms required when submitting a photograph for a cover?

By submitting a photograph to the Your Shot special issue you warrant that you are the owner of the image, that you alone own the copyright, and that you have obtained any necessary third-party releases.

When I submit a photo for a custom cover, do I retain the copyright to the photograph?

Yes. By uploading a photograph, you certify that you are the sole author of the photograph submitted, that you alone own copyright in the image, that the photograph does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title or interest in or to the photograph. You grant to National Geographic Society and its licensees the right to reproduce the photograph for the limited purpose of creating the personalized Special Edition.

I’m still having trouble uploading my picture. Can you help?

Please double-check that you have selected the right file; make sure it is a JPEG; and confirm the size of the image to be sure it is not too small or too large. The most common problem is that the picture is too small. An image that is 1,600 pixels wide will be around 500 kilobytes (K) to 1 megabyte (1 MB). Please be aware that pictures that are emailed to you are often too small to meet the requirements outlined above.

If you are still having problems contact yourshothelp@ngs.org for assistance.

Payment Information

Which credit cards do you accept?

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express credit cards. We're sorry, but we cannot bill you for any personalized item you order. Do you collect tax on orders?

Tax is applicable in the following states: CA 7.25% (Los Angeles County 8.25%; San Francisco County 8.5%); DC 5.75%; FL 6%; KY 6%; MI 6%; OH 6.5%; TN 9.25%

Multiple Orders or Copies

How many customized copies of the magazine can I order?

You have the opportunity to order multiple copies using the same image or multiple copies using different images. For orders over 99 copies in total, contact yourshothelp@ngs.org for pricing and shipping options.

Shipping Information

How long will it take to receive my order?

If you specify regular shipping, it will then take seven to ten days for your order to arrive to North American destinations. For international shipments your ship confirmation email will estimate the expected delivery date. However, once it leaves our printing facility, we cannot guarantee timing and are not responsible for any shipping delays that may occur.

Do you offer expedited shipping?

You may select two-day expedited shipping, for an additional charge, when you check out. Please note that this does not expedite the printing of your custom Your Shot copy; however, you will receive your copy within two days of shipment.

Can I track my order?

Once your order has shipped, we will send you an email with the UPS tracking information. If you have further questions, please email us at yourshothelp@ngs.org

What are your shipping charges?

We currently use UPS for all shipping of personalized products. Costs are based on the estimated rates to your area.

Do you ship internationally?

Yes. As described above, all shipping is done via UPS at estimated rates. Any customs duties and taxes need to be paid by you upon delivery.

What is your return policy?

Due to the personalized nature of the custom Your Shot special issue, we are unable to accept returns. We do, however, want to make sure you are satisfied with your copy, so we have numerous processes in place to ensure that each copy is produced to the highest standards. If you do find a problem with your personalized Your Shot special issue, please contact us at yourshothelp@ngs.org.

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