Photo competitions - what are your thoughts?

dan_yell

dan_yell

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,486
Name
D
Edit My Images
Yes
I've just seen this competition run by Icelandair - you win $1600 flight voucher and your photo on the front of their inflight magazine. Of course, they also 'win' the rights to thousands of photos, not just the winners, to use in any way they see fit. I usually ignore everything like this as I know it's a cheeky way to get free photos now that the world is obsessed with taking a photo of everything that happens in their lives.

I am torn because i'd really like the chance to be about to win $1600 flight voucher as I could buy a flight to Seattle to see my friend and it would be a lot less painful on my bank account and take the stress out of it. however, I also know that the chance of winning is small, and I'm sacrificing my photos to them (i'd probably enter 2 or 3) for ever more. However, I don't actually believe the photos I would enter are particularly amazing and that i'd be likely to make any money from them anyway, so whats the big deal? I know its a principals thing, and usually i poo poo anything like this and would warn people off entering, but I think I am swayed by my love of Iceland and perhaps it is clouding my judgement.

What are your thoughts, the good folk of TP?
 
The small print is as you'd expect:

"By uploading your image here you grant Icelandair, Icelandic company registration number 4612023490, (hereinafter “Icelandair”) a royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license to use, in any manner to be determined in Icelandair’s sole discretion and without any obligations to you, your Instagram photograph(s) and/or Instagram handle and/or any other material submitted by you to the www.icelandair.com website in its marketing and advertising. This includes inter alia the right to reproduce, distribute, alter and edit your photos.

Icelandair reserves the right to veto any and all entries into the contest on any grounds.

You represent and warrant that you own or control the rights to the material you have submitted and that you have permission from any person(s) appearing in the photos. Furthermore, you certify that you are an individual (i.e., not a corporation), you are at least 18 years of age or have parental consent, and that the material submitted by you does not violate any rights of a third party or any law.

You are solely responsible for your material. You agree to hold Icelandair harmless, its affiliates or any other person acting on Icelandair’s behalf, from and against all claims and expenses arising out from any use of your photos or any other material submitted by you.

Icelandic law governs these terms of use. The competent courts of Icelandair’s principal place of business, currently Reykjavik, Iceland, shall have exclusive jurisdiction of any dispute arising out from them."

I'm under no illusion that's its not a rights grab, just wondered what people thought about these kinds of things. Normally I'd steer clear, but Iceland clouds my judgement :)
 
Last edited:
Principles don't pay the mortgage ... or get you to Seattle :)

Why not enter? What are you actually sacrificing?
 
They're going to run the comp, they're going to get thousands of free images. You either submit a photograph you're happy giving up rights to, for the chance of a holiday, or you let other people do that. Neither choice will affect Icelandair in the slightest, nor will it affect future companies from running these competitions because the ability to take digital pictures is only going to get easier as time goes on, never harder.

I suggest you enter.
 
Bristolian said:
Principles don't pay the mortgage ... or get you to Seattle :)

Why not enter? What are you actually sacrificing?
Click to expand...

Control I guess, of photos that aren't in any danger of making me any money anyway :-)
 
if you think your image is worth more than $1600 then dont enter, go sell it where you think youll get that much.
 
AshleyC said:
if you think your image is worth more than $1600 then dont enter, go sell it where you think youll get that much.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
Personally though I'm very much against using competitions or any other methods for image grab purposes, and it doesn't have to be like that because there's no justification that I can see for Companies to grab unlimited usage rights for all entries - we don't, in our own competitions we require people to give us very limited usage rights, but only if they win 1st, 2nd or 3rd prize, and the only reason that we do that is that we need to be able to tell other people who the winners are, and which entries won.
 
as i say, as a rule I am not a fan either and have never entered or encourage anyone to previously. this iceland/free flight that could be to see my friend has just touched a nerve!

and likelihood of me making $1600 off any of the photos I would consider submitting? Quite low, IMO
 
Interesting to not see something there ie whether the terms are exclusive rights of non exclusive rights
 
A friend pointed out that it looks like the T&C have just been lifted from a previous competition as it mentions instagram and photos from instagram wont fit the size dimensions they say they need or be of print quality
 
They aren't asking for sole or exclusive rights, so you can still sell the images elsewhere if you want. All your giving them is the rights for them to do anything they want with them. You're granting them license to use. Nowhere does it say they will own copyright after submission. That's pretty standard in competitions these days.

You are however conceding moral rights to them as they can edit as they see fit.


You'll still be able to sell them elsewhere however.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top