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Why was my submission not accepted?

This article describes how to access the Submissions Dashboard, and outlines what each rejection reason means

Annie Spratt avatar
Written by Annie Spratt
Updated over a month ago

Sometimes submissions don’t meet our requirements or need small tweaks. This guide explains how to check the status of your submissions and outlines common reasons why some submissions aren’t accepted.

Your Submissions Dashboard

To view your submissions, head to your dashboard to view all of your Unsplash+ submissions.

  1. Click on your profile icon in the top right corner

  2. Click Unsplash+ Briefs

  3. Click on Your Submissions

This is where you’ll find your submissions categorized as In Review, Approved or Rejected. Below each image, you will see the corresponding brief. In some cases, a note may be included with further information on the specific issue(s).

Reasons for rejection (and what they mean)

Concept

The idea behind the image is unclear, difficult to interpret, or not immediately understandable to the viewer. Unfortunately, we cannot provide individual feedback for images rejected under “Concept.”

Please avoid resubmitting images that are not accepted for this reason.

Copyright

The submission contains one or more copyright issues. Check the notes beneath your image in the Submission Dashboard for specific details and familiarize yourself with our Intellectual Property (Copyright) guide.

Curation

We expect contributors to submit a curated selection for each shoot. Only include images that offer sufficient variety and are distinct from one another.. Refer to the brief for the maximum number of images allowed per set.

Duplicate

The image has already been submitted to the Unsplash+ or Open Unsplash Libraries.

Library Fit

The submission does not align with the current needs of the Unsplash+ library. This applies if:

  • the photographic style doesn’t match what our subscribers are looking for. (Refer to our Unsplash+ Style Guide)

  • we have already acquired enough similar images for this theme or topic. Before getting started, check the Unsplash+ library and the Brief Collections page to ensure your shoot is unique.

Please avoid resubmitting images that are not accepted for this reason.

Model Release

This applies if:

  • a required Model Release is missing. (Learn more about Model Releases)

  • the submitted Model Release is incomplete, contains missing information, or doesn’t meet our requirements.

Check the notes beneath the image in your Submission Dashboard for more details and review the Releases Overview.

Not On Brief

The submission doesn’t meet the brief’s requirements. Please double-check the brief’s overview, keywords, themes, and key requirements.

Please avoid resubmitting images that are not accepted for Not On Brief.

Not Selected

We received a large number of submissions to the brief and your image was not selected.

Please avoid resubmitting images that are not accepted for this reason.

Property Release

This applies if:

  • a required Property Release is missing. (Learn more about Property Releases)

  • the submitted Property Release is incomplete, contains missing information, or doesn’t meet our requirements.

Check the notes beneath the image in your Submission Dashboard for more details and review the Releases Overview.

Quality

The submission doesn’t meet our Quality Standards for one or more of the following reasons:

  • Authenticity: Please avoid “stocky” images or outdated styles

  • Editing: Issues with contrast, saturation, filters, grain, etc. (Read our Editing Guidelines)

  • Technical Quality: Issues with file size, sharpness, exposure, lighting, blurriness, noise, etc.

Unsplash+ has a higher quality standard than the open library. We’re unable to provide individual feedback for Quality rejections.

Please avoid resubmitting images that are not accepted for this reason.

Re-Edit

The submission needs specific adjustments before resubmitting. Check the notes beneath your image in the Submission Dashboard for details.

Similar

The image is too similar to another in the set.

Please avoid resubmitting images that are not accepted for this reason.

Other

Please refer to the notes beneath your image in the Submission Dashboard for specific details.

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