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Creator Submission & Release Agreement

Last updated: July 28, 2026

This agreement governs the terms a creator agrees to when submitting a photograph to a Gallery Earth-hosted competition.

1. Eligibility

By submitting a photograph ("Submission") to a Gallery Earth competition, you ("Creator") agree to the terms below.

Creator must be at least 18 years old at the time of submission, regardless of country of residence. Gallery Earth does not accept submissions from anyone under 18.

Creator must reside in a country where PayPal or Stripe supports receiving payouts, and must have or be willing to create an account with Gallery Earth's designated payout provider (PayPal or Stripe) in order to be eligible to enter and to receive a prize — see Section 5.

2. Originality & Ownership Warranty

By submitting, Creator represents and warrants that:

  1. Creator is the sole author and copyright owner of the Submission, or holds all rights necessary to grant the license in Section 3.
  2. The Submission depicts a real place. AI tools may be used to enhance a photograph, but the underlying subject must be a real location — fully synthetic or fabricated scenes are not eligible. Disclosure of AI enhancement is not required.
  3. The Submission is Creator's own original work and does not infringe, misappropriate, or violate the intellectual property, publicity, or privacy rights of any third party.
  4. If the Submission depicts an identifiable person, private property, or copyrighted work (e.g., artwork, a trademark, or another photographer's work appearing within the frame), Creator has obtained any necessary releases or permissions.
  5. The Submission has not been entered into this competition in violation of any other agreement Creator has entered into (for example, an exclusive license already granted elsewhere).

3. License Grant to Gallery Earth

Creator grants Gallery Earth, LLC a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to reproduce, display, and distribute the Submission within the Gallery Earth application (including on any supported platform — Roku, Google TV/Android TV, Apple tvOS, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Amazon Fire TV, and the companion phone app), and to use the Submission for the purpose of promoting the competition and its results (e.g., announcing winners on Gallery Earth's website or social channels).

This license is permanent: Gallery Earth may continue to use selected Submissions indefinitely. Because the license is non-exclusive, Creator retains all other rights to the Submission and may license, sell, publish, or otherwise use it elsewhere.

4. Attribution

Attribution is optional. Creators may submit and display work anonymously. Where Creator chooses to provide a name, handle, or other credit, Gallery Earth may display that credit along with location context when available. Gallery Earth does not require a real name.

5. Compensation

Selected and winning Submissions are recognized through competition prizes and in-app/public recognition, as described in the rules for each specific competition. This Agreement does not entitle Creator to ongoing payment, royalties, or revenue share for continued display of the Submission.

Any prize payment will be sent via PayPal or Stripe, at Gallery Earth's choice. Creator is responsible for maintaining an account in good standing with the applicable provider and for meeting that provider's own eligibility, identity-verification, and tax-reporting requirements. Prize payments may be subject to tax reporting obligations (e.g., Form 1099 for US-based Creators, or equivalent documentation for Creators elsewhere); Creator is responsible for providing any information the payout provider or applicable law requires. Gallery Earth is not responsible for a Creator's inability to receive a prize due to the Creator's account status with the payout provider, and reserves the right to require Creator to resolve the issue or designate an alternate valid PayPal/Stripe account, or to treat the prize as forfeited if payment cannot be completed within 30 days of being awarded.

6. Removal & Term

The license in Section 3 is perpetual for Submissions Gallery Earth elects to display. Gallery Earth reserves the right to reject, disqualify, or remove any Submission that violates this Agreement, applicable law, or Gallery Earth's content standards, at any time.

7. Liability & Indemnification

Creator is solely responsible for the Submission and for any claims, damages, or expenses arising from it. Gallery Earth is not liable for claims arising from Creator's Submission or from a breach of Creator's warranties under this Agreement.

Creator agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Gallery Earth, LLC from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from the Submission or from a breach of the warranties in Section 2.

8. Governing Law & Arbitration

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement or a Submission will be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration administered in Florida. Creator and Gallery Earth each waive any right to a jury trial or to participate in a class action. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court with jurisdiction.

9. Acceptance

Creator accepts this Agreement by checking the required box and submitting a Submission through the Gallery Earth app or competition entry form. A record of acceptance (timestamp, account, and version of this Agreement) will be retained for each Submission.