Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers!)

First, if you have not already, you need to create an account. Then login and upload all entries directly to the website. The files can be uploaded using the "Submit Photos" button on this website starting October 15, 2024 at 12:00am (Mountain Standard Time) until December 5, 2024 at 10:00pm MST. Images may be original digital files or slides, negatives and prints that have been scanned and saved as a jpeg (or jpg) file. All files must meet contest specifications. Guidelines for preparing and uploading files can be found on the Image Specs page.

Yes, using the form on our home page to subscribe for news and announcements does not create your contest account. You still need to create an account to enter the contest.

Subjects must be in keeping with the theme of nature and wildlife and must be the featured and dominant element. All entries should accurately reflect the subject matter and scene as it actually appeared when captured with the camera. Images accepted in the Share the View contest can feature nature or wildlife subjects from anywhere in the world. Landscapes, flora, fauna, macro, aerial, behavior, portrait, underwater, urban wildlife, abstract, black & white, atmospherics, and astrophotography are among the subjects and styles that are acceptable. Domestic animals and plants, people, and the "hand of man" may be included, but wildlife, landscape or nature must be the featured element.

Humans can be included in any image, but nature must be the primary interest.

If the primary feature of interest is not nature or wildlife (at the discretion of the judges), it is NOT an acceptable subject for this contest. Also, wildlife owned by game farms may not appear in the photo. Game farms are defined as private for-profit operations whose primary income is generated from hiring out captive animals for photography, videography and film-making. Use of live bait to attract or control subjects is not allowed.

Animal subjects must be wild species. Although photographs of animals in the wild are favored over those taken under controlled conditions, wildlife sanctuaries, zoos and rehabilitation facilities are acceptable locations for contest images. These should be marked as "Captive" on the upload page. Animals from game farms, however, are not allowed. Game farms are defined as private for-profit operations whose primary income is generated from hiring out captive animals for photography, videography and film-making. Use of live bait to attract or control subjects is not allowed. Please review our "Truth in Captioning" guideline for further details.

There is a $10/image fee to enter. Or you can enter 6 images for $50. So, you can submit 6 one time and then come back later and submit 6 more, for example. Or you can submit many at once in multiples of 6. e.g. 6 for $50, 12 for $100, 18 for $150, etc. Enter your credit card information on the secure contest payment form. The vendor name on your credit card statement will be Share the View.

You may enter as many photos as you wish. However, if you want to take advantage of the 6 images for $50 you need to finalize images in multiples of 6. So you can submit 6 one time and then come back later and submit 6 more, for example. Or you can submit many at once in multiples of 6. e.g. 6 for $50, 12 for $100, 18 for $150, etc.

No, only one category can be assigned to an image. However, your entry may be eligible for one of the Special Awards as well. Just check the box(es) next to any other awards for which your image may be considered.

There are four Categories. Each image must be assigned by the photographer to one of the four Categories and is therefore required for entry. Special Awards are additional prizes given in certain subject areas. These are optional and you may enter your image for consideration for more than one Special Award. Please note that an image can only win one prize.

Yes, you may enter a photo that has previously been published. By entering the image, you agree that there are no restrictions tied to the image that would prevent us from publicizing it should the image win a prize.

Photographs which have won other major photo contests, as determined by the Share the View administrators, are not eligible for submission. We define winning as having won a grand prize or 1st, 2nd, or other major prize. If you're not sure if we consider a particular contest "major", send an inquiry to questions@contestvenue.com.

If previous years' entries were not included in the Top 250, you may submit them again. Because judging is subjective and we change judges each year, your entries may be scored differently another time.

There is no time limit on when a photo might have been taken, though advancements in photography have given certain advantages to images created in recent years and this may affect their ultimate judging.

No, you can come back any time up until the submission deadline to upload more images. However, if you want to take advantage of the 6 images for $50 you need to finalize images in multiples of 6. So you could submit 6 one time and then come back later and submit 6 more, for example. Or you could submit many at once in multiples of 6. e.g. 6 for $50, 12 for $100, 18 for $150, etc.

It is in the photographer's interest to include the name of the subject, location, and any information that makes the image content clear to the judges. If you check Photo Illustration on the entry form, it helps the judges to read in the caption what warranted that designation.

No refunds will be given for photos that are deleted after they are finalized and paid. However, you can come back any time until the submission deadline and change an entry by uploading a different photo. You may also change any text fields necessary during that step. There is no charge for photos deleted before they are finalized and the entry fee is paid.

All entries should accurately reflect the subject matter of the scene. Two types of entries are acceptable, those with only traditional modifications and "Photo Illustrations." Both types are described in contest rules #12 - 16. These rules explain what kind of image processing is allowed.

No. Contest entries do not have to have been photographed with a digital camera. Scans of negatives or transparencies that were taken with traditional film cameras are acceptable as long as the files meet submission specifications found on the Image Specs page.

Yes, but you will still need to be able to resize your images to get the file size down to the contest maximum of 1024KB. That's more difficult on mobile devices. Alternatively, you could transfer your images from your mobile device to a desktop/laptop and finish preparing them for entry there before submitting.

A total of $5,000 in prize money will be distributed among 21 images as follows: One Grand Prize of $1000, four $250 First Prize winners, eight $125 Second Prize winners and eight $250 Special Award prizes. In all, the top 250 scoring images will be displayed on the Share the View contest website during 2025. One finalist image will be featured on the home page of the contest website each day, accompanied by the photographer's name, contact information and link to your website if desired. See the Prizes page for complete details.

The 250 highest scoring images (including prize winners) are displayed on the contest website with one featured on the homepage each day. Semi-finalists are images that succeeded up to the final round of judging, but did not make the Top 250.

An image can only win one of the 21 prizes. If an image is a candidate for more than one prize, it would receive the award with the higher value.

All images are scored together anonymously. Scores are based on impact, originality, and photographic skill. The highest scoring images are reviewed and discussed by the judges on a conference call and winners are finalized. The highest scoring images in each category and special awards are also reviewed and winners are confirmed by the judges.

In addition to the Prize Winners and Top 250, the judges may also note Honorable Mentions among the special award entries within the Top 250. These are images that prompted judges to acknowledge their merit.

You will receive a confirmation email from the contest system itemizing your submissions. Please be sure your mail program or spam filters are set to accept mail from "contestvenue.com".

You can view your submissions at any time until contest closes by simply logging in to your account. You may also submit more images or replace ones that you have already submitted.

Scores are based on impact, originality, and photographic skill. Judging consists of two rounds of scoring. In the first round, a panel of photographic experts reviews every entry for basic technical quality such as exposure, sharpness and whether it meets contest requirements for content and subject matter. Entries selected in round one proceed to round two, where the featured judges score each image. After all entries have been scored, judges then select the Top 250 photographs from entries with the highest scores and winners of cash prizes from the Top 250 entries with the very highest scores.

Copyright remains with the photographer. By entering, photographers agree to allow Share the View administrators to publish their images on the website, on social media, and to use them in promotions for this and future contests. Unless photographers opt out on the entry form, their names and/or web links and email addresses will appear adjacent to their images.

All entrants will be notified by December 31, 2024. At that time, you will be instructed to log in to your account on the contest website to view your results.
The Top 250 images will be viewable to the public online early in January, 2025.

Yes, the Top 250 finalists will be displayed on our contest website during 2025. One finalist image will be featured on the home page of the contest website each day, and all 250 will be accompanied by the photographer's name, contact information and link to your website if desired.

Make sure your images meet the requirements on the Image Specs page.

By submitting a photograph to the Share the View Photo Contest 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 your photograph is selected as a winner of the contest, you may be asked to submit a personal release, a location release, or a model release.

Email our support team at support@contestvenue.com