Comments on: Be careful of photo contests – read the fine print!

By: Franky

Franky — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:42:39 +0000

Every people have rights that should be respected and every image have monetary (and lots more) value that should be paid anyway. I strongly agree with the author of this thread.

By: anon

anon — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:32:54 +0000

completely agree. You are concerned about losing the rights to your image – an image of your child has no monetary value – what are you losing here? Ensure that you only send your images to organizations that share similar values with you (i.e. favor pro choice if that's your stance), and you should not have any issue.

The typical contest entrant is not a professional photographer who would have used that image elsewhere for profit, nor does the clause prevent them from doing so.

By: anon

anon — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:32:54 +0000

The typical contest entrant is not a professional photographer who would have used that image elsewhere for profit, nor does the clause prevent them from doing so.

By: kericarter74

kericarter74 — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:47:21 +0000

I have submitted a photo of my youngest to this site and all they did was keep sending me stupid emails. I am upset with the fact also that so many companies advertise in a false pretense. How is someone like myself a stay at home mother supposed to know that we have a talent.LOL

By: kgarrison

kgarrison — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:55:14 +0000

Did you check out the current Camera Dojo contest? Check the home page for details. We are giving $200 in prizes.

By: RHG

RHG — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:50:10 +0000

I am a novice photographer and would love to find the legitimate contest. I photograph mostly nature and I will have one of my pictures on a world wide company calendar, but I found out I will not be getting any compensation for the picture that will be used for this 2010 calendar. I really would like to find contests that is legal and honest to their contestants. Does anyone know of any?

By: kgarrison

kgarrison — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:55:14 +0000

Did you check out the current Camera Dojo contest? Check the home page for details. We are giving $200 in prizes.

By: RHG

RHG — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:50:10 +0000

By: Brenda

Brenda — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 05:02:02 +0000

RIGHT ON!! I have been warning photographer friends to READ THE FINE PRINT regarding their terms and conditions for photo contests and I can't believe how many people just enter contests without reading the terms! It's simply amazing how many companys are out there doing it! Not only do they want to use your photograph any way they choose but they also want to let everyone download your shot to their phones, ipods and computers and also to be able to sublicense it too!! I'M SO SORRY…..YOU WON'T CATCH ME FALLING FOR IT! I wish others would read the fine print and understand exactly what they are giving up! THANKS FOR THE ARTICLE!!!

By: cute baby contest

cute baby contest — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:19:36 +0000

I don't think that there is anything wrong with what the cute kid is doing. just because it is written in fine print doesn't mean that they are being deceiving in any way.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:03:40 +0000

I come across to such contests all the time and whne listing them, I always poit out the copyright terms.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:03:40 +0000

I come across to such contests all the time and whne listing them, I always poit out the copyright terms.

By: PrintedProof.com

PrintedProof.com — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:25:35 +0000

Interesting. The web is filled with contests like this!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:25:35 +0000

Interesting. The web is filled with contests like this!

By: kgarrison

kgarrison — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:09:04 +0000

Having been in the industry pretty much my entire life I can assure you that the percentage of kids getting “discovered” through them is going to be virtually zero compared to hiring an agent and going through normal routes. Secondly, it is not a safety issue that concerns me, it is that they are copyright trolls and can use your child's image for anything they want forever whether you win or not. This is so much less about helping kids and it is all about that company collecting as many images as possible to use for their own means WITHOUT helping the kids. So being that your child's photo can be splattered all over the nation on whatever “marketing” material they choose to create without giving you an ounce of credit or compensation is NOT trying to get your child discovered, it is exploitation of the entrants of the contest.

If they were really trying to help your child get discovered they would not require that you sign over an unlimited lifetime rights to your child's image so that they could use your image in any way they see fit. instead they would limit usage to the contest only.

By: Jessie

Jessie — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:48:52 +0000

Thanks for clearing up the part of the photography for me. However, if you read the contest it is judged by talent and casting agents, so yes the photos will be seen by agents, that is part of the uniqueness of the contest. They also have a section of cutekid successes, kids who were scouted by agents from being in the contest and got roles or ad jobs. Plus, the information is not released about the kid on the website unless they get an approval for that (ex. they get a role/theyre the overall winner for the year or something else extraordinary like that. The kids names are kept anonymous, so there is really no safety issue for your kid other than their face getting out there. And I mean if an agent saw a billboard and really wanted to find the kid I'm sure it wouldn't be hard considering it must be advertising something, so presumably they would start there.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:09:04 +0000

Having been in the industry pretty much my entire life I can assure you that the percentage of kids getting "discovered" through them is going to be virtually zero compared to hiring an agent and going through normal routes. Secondly, it is not a safety issue that concerns me, it is that they are copyright trolls and can use your child's image for anything they want forever whether you win or not. This is so much less about helping kids and it is all about that company collecting as many images as possible to use for their own means WITHOUT helping the kids. So being that your child's photo can be splattered all over the nation on whatever "marketing" material they choose to create without giving you an ounce of credit or compensation is NOT trying to get your child discovered, it is exploitation of the entrants of the contest.

If they were really trying to help your child get discovered they would not require that you sign over an unlimited lifetime rights to your child's image so that they could use your image in any way they see fit. instead they would limit usage to the contest only.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:48:52 +0000

By: kgarrison

kgarrison — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:24:35 +0000

The cutekid contest is almost certainly not going to get your child noticed by a modeling agency. You should apply to them if interested in that.

As a photographer my general model release allows me to use the model's images for my own marketing or stock images but does not allow me to resell those images to someone else without their permission. So no, I cannot use model's images whenever and wherever.

The fact that this is a deceptive practice shows that their only true intention is to get basically free rights to your kid's images. And even if they do plaster your child on a billboard on the freeway, how does that help your child's modeling career as you and your child do not get any credit or compensation. So while some agency may see that, they have no means to contact you.

By: Jessie

Jessie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:29:05 +0000

I am actually a huge fan of the cutekid contest because I am more concerned that my kid will get noticed and be able to start a career in modeling or acting than I am about copyright issues. I go on the site weekly and most of the pics are amateur so I don't really see what the problem is. Not for nothing, when you go to a professional photographer, dont they also retain rights for being able to use pics of your kids? So whether or not Im snapping pics with my own camera and entering in contests or getting my kids photographed at a studio, those pics can be used for the most part, wherever and whenever. Aside from that fact the cutekid doesnt just give prizes, it promotes getting unique exposure for children, so the TOS isn't out of order considering they are providing promoting your child as a service too. I just thought the other side of the spectrum should be represented here!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:24:35 +0000

By: udi

udi — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:41:30 +0000

Kerry,
Well said. I too encourage everyone to let PMG how they feel about their terms via the contact form.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:29:05 +0000

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:41:30 +0000

Kerry,
Well said. I too encourage everyone to let PMG how they feel about their terms via the contact form.