Smithsonian magazine 22nd Annual Photo Contest

Categories

• Natural World: Animals, plants and landscapes; geological or climatological features; and scientific processes and endeavors.
• Travel: Locales, peoples or activities in the United States and abroad that convey a sense of place.
• People: Portraits and photos of groups or individuals.
• The American Experience: Events, objects or activities connecting the American people to their history or their cultural heritage; photographs that tell them what it means to be an American and provide a sense of what it is like to live in this country.
• Artistic Images: Visuals that use photography as a creative and imaginative platform to express an idea or concept. These images can be manipulated in any method, either through photo editing software or other techniques.
• Drone/Aerial: Any photograph captured using an unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly known as a drone. Images shot from planes/helicopters are also accepted.

Funding Information 

• Eight prizes will be awarded, as follows:
  • Grand Prize: $2,500.
  • Category Winners: The winners of each of the six categories will receive $500.
  • Readers’ Choice: The winner of the online Readers’ Choice award will receive $500.
• One cash prize per person; winners may receive additional non-cash prizes.
• Winners must sign a release and license, as well as a declaration of eligibility, and will be responsible for paying any fees or taxes associated with the prize.
• All prizes are awarded “as is” and non-transferable.
• In case applicable law prohibits the Smithsonian from awarding a photographer the cash prize and/or any non-cash prize, the Smithsonian may award the prize in name only.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Grand Prize, Readers’ Choice prize, Natural World, Travel, People, The American Experience, Artistic Images and Drone/Aerial category prizes are open to photographers who are 18 years old or older.
• Individuals affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution, including employees, emeriti, Regents, trustees, interns, volunteers, fellows, research associates and their immediate families (children, parents, siblings and spouses) and others living in their households are not eligible for any prize.
• The Smithsonian will determine winners’ eligibility in its sole discretion.

Application Requirements

• To be eligible for any category, a photograph must have been shot by the entrant since January 1, 2021. This date applies to all images in a composite. The contestant certifies that he/she is the sole creator and copyright owner of the submitted photograph.
• Cropped photos are eligible in all categories. Minor adjustments, including the removal of sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast, toning, slight color adjustment and conversion to grayscale are acceptable for all categories. The addition and subtraction of objects is not permitted except in the Artistic Images category. If the judges determine that a photographer has altered his or her photo beyond normal photojournalism best practices, they reserve the right to move the photo to Artistic Images or to disqualify it. Image composites including HDR and stitched panoramas will be judged as Artistic Images. Images generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) are not permitted.
• For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you must be prepared to provide a model release from the subject or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian, to the Smithsonian upon request.
• Similarly, entrants whose photos depict other people’s work (such as sculptures, statues, paintings, and other copyrightable works) must be prepared to provide a release from the rights holder to the Smithsonian upon request. When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close-up of another person’s creation.
• If the entrant is unable to provide all required releases, the Smithsonian in its sole discretion reserves the right to disqualify the submission, seek to secure the required releases, or permit the submission to remain in the contest.
• Photos must be taken in accordance with federal, state and local laws.
• Photos that violate or infringe upon another person’s rights, including but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.
• Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content, as determined by the Smithsonian in its sole discretion, are ineligible for all categories of this contest.

Judging Criteria

• Photo entries will be judged based on creativity, quality, originality, responsiveness to the prompt and overall impact.
• The Smithsonian will select 10 finalists per category, a winner for each category, and a Grand Prize winner from the 60 finalists. The 60 finalists will be notified of their status and appear on their website in March 2025. At that time, the public can vote on their website for the Readers’ Choice winner from among the 60 finalists. The Readers’ Choice winner, Grand Prize winner and category winners will be revealed online in spring 2025. These dates may be subject to change.
• The Smithsonian will notify winners via the contact information provided at the time of entry; the Smithsonian may disqualify anyone who fails to respond to the notification within five business days.

For more information, visit Smithsonian Magazine.