Frequently Asked Questions

What happens with my personal information?

Your contact information is used by CG Photo Club and contest/competition sponsors to administer the photo contest/competition and publish winning photographs. The information we request — your contact information, as well as information about when, where and how you took your photos—is used to contact you in the event that your photo(s) is/are selected for photo contests/competitions and to verify that the content is eligible for the contest/competition category to which it was submitted.

Please visit Privacy Policy for the Canadian Geographic website privacy policy. For photo contest/competition privacy policies, please visit the specific contest website.

What do I do if I forget my password?

If you forget you password, click the “Forgot your password?” link in the Login box and enter the email address linked to your Photo Club account. You will receive an email with instructions on how to reset your password.

How do I log in through Facebook?

Click on the button that says “login with Facebook.” You will be taken to a dialog box that asks for the email address and password linked to your Facebook account. By logging in through Facebook, you can share photos you submit to Photo Club on your Facebook page as well as invite friends to join Photo Club and encourage them to take part in photo contests. By using the Facebook login, you allow the login application access to your Facebook account when prompted.

How to unlink your Photo Club account from Facebook
Once you have logged in through Facebook, your accounts will be linked. To unlink your Photo Club account from Facebook, click the “forgot your password” link on the login page. You will receive an email containing the option to unlink your accounts.

How do I create an account/log in?

On the homepage, click “Login”  and then enter your email address and a password in the Login box on the right hand side. You can create a new account on the same page, filling out the information in the Create your account box.

More frequently asked questions

Visit our special FAQ for more details. We will be updating it periodically.

Do I retain copyright of my images when I upload them to Photo Club?

Please visit photoclub.canadiangeographic.ca/cg/Contests/Contests.aspx, select the photo contest/competition you would like to enter and read the ‘Copyright Notice’ section of the rules and regulations.

Can I submit photos taken with my smartphone?

Photo Club has recently added smartphoneography as a category in our photo contests/competitions to recognize the burgeoning field of mobile art — and the photography adage that the best camera is the one you have with you. Images submitted to the smartphoneography category will be judged according to the same criteria as those submitted to other categories (See: How are photo contests/competitions judged?). Colour alteration of digital files and other photo effects are acceptable only for images submitted to the smartphoneography category.

Please note that photos cannot be submitted directly from an Apple iPhone. iPhones do not support Flash technology, which is what we use for file uploads. You can still submit photos taken from your iPhone by exporting them to your computer and then uploading them from there.

How do I find out if I won a prize in a photo contest/competition?

If your photo is selected as a finalist (see How are photo contests/competitions judged?), you will receive an email from Photo Club asking for a high-resolution (about 300 dpi) version of your image and to verify that the photo complies with contest/competition rules and regulations. Winners are confirmed once all finalists have provided their images and information. Please note that the more information you provide in your user profile, the easier it will be for Photo Club to contact you in the event that your image is selected as a finalist. Good luck!

What kinds of prizes are offered for photo contests/competitions?

Please take a look at the “ Prizes” section on the page of the contest/competition you wish to enter, as prizes vary for each contest/competition.

What happens if I upload an image to the wrong category?

If you upload an image to the wrong category, it will be eliminated during the photo contest/competition judging process (see ‘How are photo contests/competitions judged?’). A misplaced image will not count toward the limit for the number of photos each entrant may submit to a photo contest/competition (see ‘How many photos can I enter in a photo contest/competition?’).

How are photo contests/competitions judged?

Once all photos are submitted to the photo contest/competition, CGstaff go through a preliminary round of judging in which ineligible photos, such as ones that clearly do not suit the contest/competition or the category in which they were submitted, blurry images or ones that do not meet CG’s standards are eliminated. With the pool of photos narrowed down to a pool of pre-approved images for each category, we then invite a panel of three judges, often including a member of the CG Art Department and independent photographers, to CG offices in Ottawa.

Judges look for aesthetic elements such as composition, use of colour and light, mood and unique perspective. Finally, context is necessary; the judges have to ensure the photo fits the theme of the category. Each judge scores the top 10 photos (determined through several elimination rounds) based on the following criteria: visual impact, composition, technical quality and content and originality.

At the end of the judging process, prize winners are determined based on their score. Winners are confirmed once finalists provide high-resolution versions of their images and verify that the content of their images complies with photo contest/competition rules and regulations. 

What resolution should my photo(s) be?

When you submit your photos to the contest/competition, they can be in low resolution (72 dpi). However, please ensure that you have a print quality, high-resolution version (300 dpi) available in the event that your photo is selected as a finalist. Your image is not confirmed as a winner unless you are able to provide a high-resolution version (see ‘How are photo contests/competitions judged?’).

Are there any restrictions on the content of the photos I submit?

Unless otherwise specified, our contests/competitions require that all images feature Canadian content; i.e. they must be taken in Canada. The images must also suit the contest/competition category to which it is submitted. For example, if a photo of a fish is submitted to the mammals category in the Wildlife Photography of the Year photo competition, it will be eliminated during the photo contest/competition judging process since a fish is not a mammal. To find out more about what content would be eligible for each contest/competition, visit http://photoclub.canadiangeographic.ca/cg/Contests/Contests.aspx, select the photo contest/competition you wish to enter and visit the rules and regulations page for more details.

What do my votes count for?

Users’ votes do not count toward the final judging of the photo contests/competitions. However, photos with higher numbers of votes and comments are more likely to survive the primary elimination round that pares down submissions to the top 100 (see How are photo contests/competitions judged?).

How often can I vote for photos?

You can vote for each photo up to once per day.

How many photos can I enter in a photo contest/competition?

The number of photos you may submit depends on the contest/competition. Please visit photoclub.canadiangeographic.ca/cg/Contests/Contests.aspx, select the photo contest/competition you wish to enter, and visit the rules and regulations page to find out how many photos each entrant may submit.

How do I enter?

Please visit photoclub.canadiangeographic.ca/cg/Contests/Contests.aspxand select the contest/competition you wish to enter. Before entering, please visit the rules and regulations page to learn more about the contest/competition and verify that you are eligible to enter.

Am I eligible to enter?

Please check the rules and regulations page for each contest/competition to verify eligibility. Most contests/competitions require that entrants be Canadian residents and in the age of majority in the province/territory in which they reside. If the contest/competition offers a junior photographers category, please check the rules and regulations page for the age range covered in that category, as they may vary from one contest/competition to the next.