Photo Contest - Would you enter?

In the OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHER TOP 100 PHOTO CONTEST, entries are subject to this "rule":
USE OF ENTRY: By submitting an entry, each entrant grants to Sponsor and its designees a worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual license to use, modify, crop and distribute the entry and all elements of such entry, including, without limitation, entrant’s photograph and entrant’s name and city and state of residence, for purposes of promotion of this Contest and/or future Contest publicity and advertising, and to promote Sponsor and Sponsor’s website, in any and all media now or hereafter known, including in Outdoor Photographer magazine and an online gallery on Sponsor’s website, without further compensation, notification or permission, unless prohibited by law.

Would you submit your best and most valuable images to this kind of use?

Nope.

Who is the sponsor ?

It's unfortunate that these competitions can "fish" for photos for a company like this and that OP helps them do it....

Are you worried about a lost sale to someone who wants an exclusive right to publish it (or someone who won't want it if OP can use it)?

Were you planning to sell your work to them and are afraid they'll get it for free now? (It seems like they can use entries that didn't win too.)

Or are you trying not to undercut hardworking photographers who could've sold to OP except for the unfair competition from you?

Are you afraid they'll use it (with or without credit, and maybe after modification) for something you don't approve of (but still somehow promotes the magazine or contest)?

I generally take myself way too seriously, but the worst case scenario doesn't seem that bad (or likely), does it?

Sean

I think that you guys/gals that are established don't need to take risks like that. For us starting out, if OP actually like an image of mine and picked it, I'd give up rights to one shot to gain the exposure (no pun...) in the magazine and therefore get my name out. Kind of like giving away that free sample to get people to want more of what you have.

I entered three of my photos in the photo contest. I also have a photo that is going to be published in the Digital Photographer magazine in September. I am doing this to get my pictures out there. Yes, it's free but it's all worth it. I can still sell my pictures to other people.

I think Sean's questions are on the mark. It's also worth asking what the motivation is to enter in the first place? I'd only be motivated to enter if I wanted the exposure, in which case these terms wouldn't concern me. They don't appear to preclude you from using/selling the image in the future.

Another way of looking at it... if they approached you and offered to pay you $X for an image and had the same terms, would you take the offer?

I just looked at this too. The other thig to keep in mind... I don't see anywhere saying that they will ask for a high resolution file from the winners. I only see small res files as submissions from which the winners will be picked. We all have low res, 650 px or smaller 72 dpi files, all over on various places online. From the amatuers to pros. Yes, of course it can be used online in many ways but that is where it will start and end. Printing it would not be an option. Now if they want a high res file later from the winning entry and then this becomes another issue to think about!

Thanks Adrian. Your comments make the most sense to me.

This caught my eye too. Don't take this as tooting my own horn, please.

I recently won the grand prize for their magical adventures contest, same rules, etc. I was entering different contests for a.) exposure, b.) the prizes.

I still can't believe i won, but i would have even given up rights to them for the year if they asked. I mean, the prize int his case was a trip to Africa. Total prize was msrp of $14,000. I dunno if someone established makes that off one photo, but I doubt I would have anytime soon.

This one is $10,000, still a nice chunk, and something you could always use as a selling point to customers. I know my winning shot is not selling for the same price as the others at an upcoming art fair.

Maybe I'm missing something, but those were my thoughts when entering the other contest.

They did ask for a high res print file for publication in the magazine and they sent me a nice 16x20 print.

Cogitating over this a bit . . . I don't think I'd worry over-muchly, particularly if I was going for exposure by entering. They are requesting a non-exclusive right to publish. Seems like a really, really loose managed right, but your're not giving up the right to sell the image in other places or use it in other ways.