However, you should ensure that entrants accept terms and conditions when they submit images for a competition. If you don’t, you may face damaging copyright complaints later.
Our online PR course stresses the need to ensure a link to the T&Cs links is displayed prominently with the promotion, so people can read and accept them before people upload the image.
It’s best to have a tick-box saying: ‘I have read and accept the terms and conditions.’ The tick-box should initially appear empty, so the person has to opt to tick it.
The T&Cs should make it clear who owns the copyright of the image and what you plan to do with it. These, which I wrote for a client, should suffice:
Terms and conditions
By submitting a photograph(s) to this website you warrant and undertake that the photograph(s) and contact information you provide are genuine and accurate and that the photograph(s) you provide is original to you and has not been copied, modified or reproduced from any published source, tangible or electronic.
Upon submitting a photograph(s) to this website you grant to us the right to edit, modify, adapt, exhibit, publish, transmit, reproduce, display, and otherwise use, at no charge and in any medium, the photograph(s) for any purpose. You agree that we may attribute origination of the photograph or other material to you on this website. Whether or not you request to have your photograph(s) attributed anonymously or pseudonymously (and whether or not we comply with such request) the warranties and undertakings and the grant of rights given to us upon submission of the photograph(s) remain in full force and effect.
You accept that we are not obliged to include or to continue to include on the website any photographs submitted.
You should find these T&Cs cover you for most situations, and you can adapt them to your own circumstances.
See our PR courses