Photos can only be submitted to the portal via the online submission form. Only photos that are submitted in a JPG, GIF, or BMP format will be considered for posting on the state portal.
To submit a photo, you must be at least 18 years of age and a US citizen or permanent legal resident. All photos must be taken in South Carolina. The subject of the photograph must be relevant to South Carolina in one of the following categories:
Photos must be appropriate for posting on a public government website. Obscene, provocative, or otherwise questionable content will not be considered. The Portal retains sole discretion as to what constitutes inappropriate content. Photos containing people must be accompanied by a signed model release form. The model release form must be printed out, bear an original signature, and be mailed to the Portal with the name of the file you submitted. Photos with people will not be considered for posting on the Portal Web site until the model release form has been submitted.
Photographer and Copyright
Photos must be submitted by the original photographer. Do not submit a photo taken by someone other than you. You must be the sole owner of the copyright of any image submitted. Your submission of the photo and online entry form is your guarantee to the Portal that you are the author (photographer) and copyright holder of the photo.
Ownership and Use Rights
Photographers retain the copyright to their photographs. By submitting your photo, you agree to have your submitted photograph displayed on the Portal Web site without any fee or other form of compensation whatsoever. The Portal may make and retain copies of the photograph for archival purposes. Posted photos will be subject to the Portal Web site photo use policy. Photographs will be credited to the photographer named in the submission form. Photos may be selected for display or use in other South Carolina state government Web pages, with permission from the photographer. Photographers agree that the Portal may contact them to obtain permission for use of photos in this way. Photos will not be used by the Portal in any manner for advertising or sale. In the event that ownership of any photograph submitted to the Portal is contested in any manner, the Portal retains the discretion to reject that photograph and discontinue use of the photograph.
Digital Image Requirements
Digital images can be submitted via the Portal online submission form. Images must be at least 500 pixels in width and 300 pixels in height. Images should be submitted in JPG (at high quality), BMP, or GIF format. File size cannot exceed 4MB. Images must be in natural color.
NOTE: Digital images will NOT be returned
Modifications Not Permitted
- Do not add borders, frames, watermarks, signatures, or copyright notices.
- Do not add or replace elements in an image.
- Do not use artistic filters.
Permitted Modifications
- You may crop or rotate images, as necessary, as long as the rectangular format is maintained and the size is within the specifications above
- You may resize images as long as the aspect ratio is maintained.
Photo Selection
Photos will be selected in the Portal’s sole discretion on the basis of creativity, photographic quality, and effectiveness in conveying the beauty and/or unique character of South Carolina. The Portal will review all submitted photos. Entries that fail to comply with the photo guidelines will be rejected. No compensation of any kind will be provided to companies or individuals whose photo is selected.
Additional Terms and Conditions
The Portal is NOT RESPONSIBLE for computer system, hardware, software, or program malfunctions or other errors, failures, or delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Furthermore, the Portal is NOT RESPONSIBLE for: (i) lost, misdirected, misplaced, illegible, unintelligible or incomplete submissions or (ii) any act, failure to act, or delay regarding the transmitting or processing of entries. The Portal reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend all or any portion of this Photo Gallery without notice if factors beyond the Portal’s control, including technical difficulties, disrupt or corrupt the administration or operation of the Photo Gallery in any way. The Portal is entitled to interpret these rules as needed and its decisions are final. The Portal reserves the right to deny any photo submission that the Portal has reason to believe is not the original work of entrant, or does not otherwise meet the photo guidelines, or for any other reason in its sole discretion.
By submitting your photograph(s), you agree to release and hold harmless the Portal and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents, and advertising and promotional agencies from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind resulting from your submission, including infringement of intellectual property rights. The Portal and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents, and advertising and promotional agencies assume no responsibility or liability for any damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions, or losses of any kind arising in whole or in part from this submission.