CONTEST ETIQUETTE

[Marina Scarr]

With all the announcements coming out about winners of contests for Nature's Best, the BBC, National Wildlife, NANPA and Audubon, I was curious as to the proper etiquette for announcing contest wins. I noticed this year, more than in previous years, photographers announcing their wins or placements before official announcements were made or magazines were out. Therefore, I wrote to some of the them to ask their opinion on this topic.

They all seem to agree with one quoting: "Putting such news on websites, photo forums, social networks or even in broadcast emails is essentially telling the world, and it’s more than bad etiquette in my opinion—it also undercuts the sponsor of the contest. I believe winners who have received prior word about their winning images can certainly tell family and close friends, but with the caveat that the news not go further until the announcement is made."

I hadn't really thought about the sponsor aspect but it makes sense. Sponsorship issue aside, I really don't want to know who won a contest and which pictures won beforehand b/c I truly want to be surprised when I receive my magazine. Does anyone else wish to share their thoughts on this subject?

[Doug Brown]

I agree 100% Marina. People should wait for the official announcement before publicly announcing their honors. This is what the BBC sent me last year:

Press embargo: While we understand the excitement of being chosen as a winner, we ask that you keep the news of your win to just family and friends until after the Awards Ceremony. There is a press embargo until 21 October, which means the results of the competition should not appear in any local, national or international press until that date. Please help us keep these embargos.

[Greg Basco]

Marina, BBC text was similar this year to what Doug posted (I don't remember the exact wording). The only person I told before the announcement came out was my trusted friend Doug, and that was only after having first contacted one of the organizers of the competition. I did this because I wasn't going to be able to deliver proof prints to the UK during the time frame required since I was out in the field leading workshops. I also made Doug sign a legal document because, let's face it, I don't trust him that much :S3:

I only began to spread the word once the official gallery was up on the WPOTY website. I know a couple of photographers posted some things early but that was only after WPOTY had done some teaser press releases featuring their images.

Nature's Best is a little tougher since they don't show every image on the website (or at least they didn't a couple of years ago when I got a thing), and a lot of people don't get the magazine. In that case, I think I waited until the main gallery was up on the website. I don't recall that they actually had any directives regarding a press embargo like Veolia though.

I don't really understand why anyone wouldn't adhere to the rules, letter and spirit, set by the contest organizers. If I get something in a contest, I certainly want to do my part to make sure that contest keeps its status and maintains the excitement around its announcements.

Cheers,
Greg

[Mike Tracy]

"When you get into the end zone act like you've been there before" Vince Lombardi

[Angad Achappa]

Completely agree with you Marina, its such a disappointment when the results come out in the magazine and its stale news by then... :(

[Bill Jobes]

Hopefully the days of honoring release embargoes are still with us. But the days of waiting for print copies of magazines to arrive via snail mail are long gone.

Just as the telegraph replaced smoke signals, and radio replaced the telegraph, and television (sort of) replaced radio, and cable television replaced broadcast television -- the Internet trumped them all.

Once upon an eon, there were media gatekeepers ( I know, I once was one) who controlled the flow of information to the general public. Editorial rules were in place, and generally honored.

But as we know the World Wide Web has totally leveled the playing field. Anyone with a smartphone can be a writer, photographer, editor and publisher with a potential global audience. And there are no longer any rules that apply across the board.

Olde conventions of all sorts are being tossed daily as we speed headlong into the future.

Nonetheless, exuberant contest winners should restrain their giddiness, behave ethically, and not pre-empt contest organizers' winner announcements.

However I fear that the frequent outburst of bad form is here to stay.