More on FAQ #211

  • 1. Are photo contests a reliable source of TTG-qualified images?

    No, most photo contests should not be considered reliable resources for trustworthy images, because many contests are not rigorous in verifying whether contest entries meet even that contest’s own rules about doctoring photographs.

    The exceptions are the few contests that actually verify contestants’ claims about their photographs, for example by requiring from the finalists’ RAW files for the judges’ inspection.

  • 2. Why aren’t photo contests more rigorous?

    Members of the general public often seem to think that the purpose of photo contests is to celebrate great photographs and great photographers.

    But there is a widely held belief in the photography community that many contests are actually set up to be publicity vehicles for the contest sponsor.

    That goal of more publicity means it is in the interest of the contest sponsor to have the winning entries “go viral.”

    That wish to“go viral” in turn means that most contests understandably favor “appearance” at the expense of “trustworthiness.”

  • 3. Could that change?

    Yes. Just as smartphone-camera ratings might increasingly consider “trustworthiness” and not merely “appearance” when comparing photos from competing brands of smartphones—

    — so too photo contests might increasingly focus on the trustworthiness of their winning photos (in appropriate categories).

    • Any photo contest anywhere is welcome to make use of TTG on one level or another.

    • Contest-winning photos wearing the TTG label are likely to bring scrutiny from the photography community.

    • That scrutiny of how well any TTG-labeled winning photos hew to the Trust Test could bring good or bad attention to the photo contest sponsor (see also the top two lines on this page).

    • To ward off any unfortunate publicity, contest sponsors who want to improve their credibility might be inclined to do more checking of their contestants’ claims.

    But until more contest sponsors get serious about emphasizing trustworthiness (in appropriate categories), most photo contests are unlikely to check their entries rigorously enough to be regarded as reliable sources of trustworthy photos.

  • 4. Further reading

    • There’s nothing exclusive or elitist about becoming a trusted image source; anyone who makes it a priority can be one

    • What can third party image-providers (like photo-contest sponsors) do when they suspect that submitted photos labeled TTG are not in fact TTG-qualified?