Learn the ins and outs of how to submit your photos, the review process, and more.
To enable your photos for licensing, you must first agree to the terms of our Contributor Licensing Agreement. Photos must be uploaded and submitted to 500px pass a content inspection before they can be licensed. To upload your high resolution images, simply visit your Photo Manager or Licensing Manager, select the photo(s) you'd like to submit, and enable the Licensing option at the top of the right hand sidebar.
Make sure to provide high-quality, relevant keywords so that your photos can be discovered on our partner platforms. Attach model releases for photos that have recognizable people, and be sure to check that your submissions do not contain borders or personalized watermarks. By submitting images for licensing you are accepting the terms laid out in the 500px Contributor Agreement.
If you made changes to your submission, suggested by our inspector/reviewer, you are encouraged to re-submit photos that were rejected. You can review the suggested changes in the following way:
Once revisions have been made, click the “Submit” button at the bottom of the right-hand sidebar of the Licensing Manager.
Photos that were originally approved but have since been removed by you or 500px will need to be re-submitted and reviewed like any other new submission. Photos that have been declined by our photo inspectors cannot be re-submitted.
Image review times will vary depending on the volume of content we receive. Reviews generally take a week or less but may take longer at times.
All photos submitted for licensing are reviewed by an inspector to ensure each photo is suitable for licensing. Before your first submission we recommend familiarizing yourself with our Quality and technical requirements so your photos have the best chance of being accepted. Here are a few of the things we look for when considering a photo for the 500px collection:
These factors are not mutually exclusive - they are subjective - which is why we’re relying on our team of highly qualified inspectors to carefully consider each submission. Curations are not permanent and are subject to change based on seasonality, aesthetic trends, multiple reviews and audits.
You can check the status of your submissions in the Licensing Managerand review the Submission status folders in the left-hand sidebar for more details. The definitions of the Submission status folders are as follows:
Not submitted: Not submitted consists of photos that are available on your profile in various privacy states, but have not been submitted to 500px Licensing before. You’ll be able to select single or multiple photos from the Not submitted folder and submit them for Licensing directly in the Licensing Manager.
Under review: The Under review folder houses all of your photos that are pending review by our inspectors. Photos in the Under review folder cannot be edited or modified until our inspectors have reviewed the photo(s).
Declined: The Declined folder holds your photos that have been declined for Licensing. When a photo is clicked on, details are shown in the right side panel. At the top of the right side panel, under Reason for Decline, it will give a reason why the photo was not accepted. Photos deemed unsuitable for licensing are permanently rejected and may not be resubmitted. These are generally photos that cannot be fixed or do not meet buyer needs. The following outlines the most common reasons photos are declined:
Changes required: The Changes required folder is where you can see your photos that have been reviewed, but soft failed because they have an issue that needs to be fixed before it re-inspection or acceptance. Click on a photo and you will see information displayed about the changes required in the right side panel. At the top of the right side panel, under Changes required, it will provide a description of the issue that needs to be addressed.
Here are the possible reasons for Changes required:
Declined: The Declined folder holds your photos that have been declined for Licensing. When a photo is clicked on, details are shown in the right side panel. At the top of the right side panel, under Reason for Decline, it will give a reason why the photo was not accepted. Photos deemed unsuitable for licensing are permanently rejected and may not be resubmitted. These are generally photos that cannot be fixed or do not meet buyer needs. The following outlines the most common reasons photos are declined: