Five clauses in a photo contest’s rules tell you what entering commits you to: who the licence covers, how long it lasts, who else may use your photograph, the AI rule and the deadline’s time zone. Each is usually one or two sentences, and a word search finds most of them. Below, each clause is shown as it reads in rules we have checked, with the contest’s record linked.
| Clause | Words to search for |
|---|---|
| Who the licence covers | “licence”, “license”, “all submitted”, “each Entry”, “every entry”, “winning” |
| How long it lasts | “irrevocable”, “perpetual”, “hereafter”, “period”, “years” |
| Who else may use it | “sub-licen”, “sublicen”, “transfer”, “sponsors”, “partners”, “commercial” |
| The AI rule | “AI”, “artificial intelligence”, “generative”, “RAW”, “original” |
| The deadline | “deadline”, “GMT”, “UTC”, “CET”, “midnight” |
Start with the copyright line
Most rules say whether you keep the copyright, and in every contest in our verified records you do. All About Photo’s rules for AAP Magazine Travels 2026, for example: “AAP recognizes you, the author of the image, retain full ownership of the copyright in each Entry.” What you give is a licence, and the first three clauses below are about it.
1. Who the licence covers
Some licences cover every photograph entered, whether or not it wins:
“By entering the competition, you grant World Sports Photography Awards, its sponsors, partners and media licensees a non-exclusive, irrevocable licence to reproduce, enlarge, publish or exhibit all submitted images in any media throughout the world at any time hereafter for any purpose directly connected with the awards.”
Others cover winners only:
“By submitting images, entrants grant permission to the Underwater Photography Guide to use winning entries for the direct promotion of Underwater Photography Guide photo competitions, including Ocean Art.”
The words to look for are “all submitted images”, “each Entry” or “every entry” against “winning entries”.
2. How long it lasts
A licence may last as long as your rights in the photograph do:
“a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable licence, for the full period of any intellectual property rights (including all moral rights)”
Or a fixed term:
“Entrants licence the RPS to reproduce, without payment, any images for publicity and promotion purposes … for a period up to four years from the date of the open-call launching.”
“Irrevocable” means you can’t withdraw the permission later. A licence that is “perpetual”, runs “at any time hereafter” or states no term at all has no end date.
3. Who else may use it
This is where a licence can reach beyond the organiser’s own promotion: to sponsors and partners, to anyone the organiser sub-licenses, or to commercial uses. At its widest:
“an irrevocable, perpetual, unlimited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, infinitely sub-licensable, worldwide license to use and exploit your Content”
At the narrow end, the organiser’s own non-commercial promotion:
“always with due credit and solely for promotional (non-commercial) use”
Even here, some images from each selected entry “may also be released to the press to illustrate articles or reports covering the Open Call or the Getxophoto Festival”, with no further fee or approval.
Note every party named besides the organiser, and any of the words “sub-licen” or “sublicen” (sub-licence, sub-license, sub-licensable, sublicensable), “transfer”, “commercial”, “merchandis” (merchandise, merchandising) or “exploit”.
4. The AI rule, and whether originals are checked
Read two things: what the rule bans, and whether the contest will ask for your original files. Some contests ask everyone who reaches the shortlist:
“If shortlisted, the RAW file for all images will be required.”
Others state the ban and no check:
“All submissions must be photographs. AI-generated imagery is strictly prohibited.”
If a contest bans AI and asks for originals, keep your RAW files or untouched JPEGs where you can send them within days. Some contests also ban AI editing tools, not only AI-generated images, so check the rule before you edit.
5. The deadline and its time zone
A closing date is not always a midnight in your time zone:
“Entries must be received by 11.30 GMT on the morning of Thursday 3 December 2026”
And two versions of the same rules can disagree. The German rules of Glanzlichter der Naturfotografie 2027 say “Einsendeschluss ist der 10. Januar 2027 – 24:00 Uhr (MEZ)”, midnight; its English page says “The deadline for entries is January 10th, 2027 – 12:00pm (CET)”, noon. When versions differ, plan for the earlier time. When no time zone is given, ask the organiser.
The five-minute check
- Find the copyright line and the licence: search the rules for “licen”, “rights” and “copyright”.
- Note whether the licence covers every entry or only winners.
- Note its term (a number of years, as long as your rights last, perpetual or unstated) and whether it is irrevocable.
- List every party it names besides the organiser, and any sub-licensing, transfer or commercial use.
- Find the AI rule and any request for RAW or original files.
- Copy the deadline with its time and time zone. If two versions disagree, use the earlier.
The free Terms Report shows, for every contest in our verified records, who the licence covers, whether it ends, what else it allows and the AI rule, with a link to the organiser’s page and the date it was checked. It quotes the organiser’s wording for the copyright, licence and AI examples above. For a contest we don’t list, the paid Terms Check reads its rules page and quotes the same clauses back to you.
Questions
Do photo contests take the copyright to your photos?
None of the contests in our verified records takes the copyright. They take a licence to use entries instead, and its reach and length differ from contest to contest.
What does an irrevocable licence mean in contest rules?
That you can’t withdraw the permission once you have entered. Bird Photographer of the Year’s licence, for example, is irrevocable “for the full period of any intellectual property rights”.
What is sub-licensing in a photo contest?
Permission for the organiser to pass its rights on to others, such as the press or sponsors. PX3’s terms make the licence “transferable, infinitely sub-licensable”.
Which time zone does a photo contest deadline use?
The one the rules state, which may not be yours: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2027 closes at 11:30 GMT on 3 December 2026. Where a contest gives no time zone, ask the organiser.
Sources
The copyright, licence and AI quotes are those published in our Terms Report; Getxophoto’s press clause comes from the same terms as its licence quote. Each was re-read on the organiser’s page on 13 October 2026. For each of these, the contest’s record links the page quoted, except two: the World Sports Photography Awards licence is in its terms and conditions, and PX3’s is in its terms. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year deadline and the two Glanzlichter deadlines were re-read on the organisers’ pages (nhm.ac.uk, Glanzlichter, German, Glanzlichter, English) on 13 October 2026. This is a guide to reading contest rules, not legal advice.