ASMP Urges Caution on Condé Nast Photo Competition
ASMP, joined by the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), American Photographic Artists (APA) and the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA), is concerned about the terms and conditions of a contest announced by Vogue, a Condé Nast publication, entitled the New Exposure Photography Competition, Presented by Bottega Veneta. This contest, which is targeted at students and emerging photographers, appears to be an effort to secure thousands of free images for unlimited use in publications and in advertising. For this reason, we believe this contest exploits photographers and we strongly caution everyone to carefully review and understand all the terms and conditions along with the rights they are surrendering before entering any competition.
The core problems we see are that:
The sponsors have the perpetual, unlimited use of all contest entries.
There is neither compensation for contest participants nor is there credit given for their work.
Participants are required to sign a liability release and copyright assignment, and to indemnify Botega Veneta and Condé Nast against any lawsuits that may arise as a result of the usage of the photographs.
Every entrant is required to waive any right to sue in the event of misuse of the photographs entered.
The winner is being offered $10,000 for a shoot which would normally command several times that amount. The winner will be required to grant copyright ownership of all photographs from the shoot.
We believe that while competitions can serve a purpose within your business plan and potentially give your work significant visibility, there are a number of issues to consider before you enter.
