How do I submit a photo to Your Shot?

Photos are submitted from the Submit Your Photo page.

If you have previously registered with National Geographic, please select “I have a National Geographic account and would like to log in.” Enter your registered email address and password.

If you have not previously registered with National Geographic, please select “I would like to sign up for a National Geographic Account.” Fill out the form and click “Submit.” You will next be asked to agree to our Terms and Conditions.

The final step will be to browse for your image, write a caption, and click “Upload My Submission.” Once we receive your image, we’ll send you a confirmation email.

Before you submit your photograph, please make sure it meets the following requirements:
* 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)

How many photos may I submit?

You may submit only one (1) photo to Your Shot during any given submission period. Submission periods begin on the 15th of the month at midnight eastern time and end on the 14th of the following month at 11:59 p.m. eastern time.

I'm not a U.S. resident. Can I still participate in Your Shot?

Yes. As long as you have read and accepted the Your Shot rules, we welcome your participation.

I'm under 18 years of age. Can I still submit a photo to Your Shot?

You must be 18 years of age or older to participate in Your Shot. If you're under 18 and would like to submit a photo, you'll have to ask a parent or guardian to do so on your behalf. Have your parent or guardian submit your photograph to Your Shot, noting in the description of the photo their relationship to you as well as your name and age.

My user name and password used to work for Your Shot. Why are they no longer working?

NGM.com has set up a new single sign-on feature for our Web site. That means you'll need only one user name and password to access any user-name-protected part of the NGM.com Web site. Unfortunately, we weren't able to carry over user names and passwords from our old registration feature. Please register again for a user name and password and you'll be able to access any area of NGM.com. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

Do photos have to be taken with a digital camera?

Submitted photos do NOT have to be digital photos from a digital camera. Any digital scan will do, as long as the end result is a JPG or JPEG file. You may submit scans of negatives, transparencies, or photographs taken with non-digital cameras.

Is image manipulation allowed in Your Shot?

National Geographic magazine does not encourage anyone to manipulate photographs. Read Director of Photography David Griffin's comments on image manipulation. We trust our users to submit unaltered files. We can not research every photo submission. However, if a photo is chosen for publication in the magazine, it will be scrutinized for possible alterations.

What should I include in the description of my photograph?

Captions are always a good way to engage others in your photography. So take the time to write about the place, time, setting, and situation—though captions may be no longer than 500 characters.

Are captions fact-checked for accuracy?

We trust our users to give accurate caption information, so we do not research or fact-check their captions. However, if a photo is chosen for publication in the magazine, it will be fact-checked.

When I submit a photo to Your Shot, do I retain the copyright to the photograph?

By submitting a photograph to Your Shot you will always retain ownership of the copyright. What you will grant National Geographic is a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license for that photograph. Please read through the Your Shot rules for more information on the rights you grant when submitting a photograph to Your Shot.

Are release forms required when submitting a photograph to Your Shot?

By submitting a photograph to Your Shot 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.

If National Geographic receives a complaint that a photograph violates a copyright, we reserve the right to remove or delete the photograph.

If your photograph is chosen to be printed in National Geographic magazine, you may be asked to submit a personal release, a location release, or an artist release. Please do not send any release unless we’ve asked you to.

Please read through the Your Shot rules for more information regarding releases.

What is a personal release form?

If any person in your photograph is recognizable, you may be asked to provide National Geographic with a personal release form signed by that person or those persons. Images of unrecognizable people do not need personal releases.

A personal release form is a binding contract between the photographer and the subject(s) of the photograph. By signing the release, the subject of the photograph forgoes the right to sue for specific types of claims.

Download our printable Personal Release form. (You'll need Acrobat Reader to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

Do photos of children require personal release forms?

Yes, if the children are recognizable (see answer above). But personal release forms for anyone under 18 years of age must be signed by the subject's legal guardian—not by the child.

Download our printable Personal Release form. (You'll need Acrobat Reader to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

What is a location release form?

A location release form is a binding contract between the photographer and the owner(s) of private property within or upon which a photograph was taken. By signing the release, the owner of the property forgoes the right to sue for specific types of claims.

Download our printable Location Release form. (You'll need Acrobat Reader to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

What is an artist release form?

An artist release form is a binding contract between the photographer and the copyright holder(s) of any art in the photograph. By signing the release, the copyright holder of the art in the photograph forgoes the right to sue for specific types of claims.

Download our printable Artist Release form. (You'll need Acrobat Reader to view the download. Get the free plug-in here.)

Why won't my images upload?

Make sure your images meet the following requirements:
* 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 under 5 MB

I didn't receive my confirmation email. Why?

Some ISPs (Internet service providers) commonly install email filters that block or filter emails sent from unknown addresses. If you have a "junk mail" box, check to see if that's where the email landed.

Still have a question?

Please visit our customer support hub.