Shutterstock Impact Awards FAQ

Show us your best content series of 2025 for a chance to win a Shutterstock Impact Award!

Shutterstock Impact Awards invites contributors to submit a collection of images or videos based on specific content themes. For more information, view the Shutterstock Impact Awards page. Continue reading to learn how to participate in the Shutterstock Impact Awards program.

Do I need a Shutterstock account to apply?

Yes, you’ll need a Shutterstock contributor account to submit content for the Awards. If you don’t already have one, you can sign up for a free account here.

What are the content requirements?

New images and videos uploaded on or after January 1, 2025, are eligible. Only collections submitted to the Shutterstock Impact Awards Nomination Form will be considered for a Shutterstock Impact Award. All submissions must comply with our Submission Guidelines. Read the Content Briefs carefully. Winners will be selected based on the quality and concept of their submission.

For the Start Award, only contributor accounts created in 2025 are eligible. Accounts must have a minimum of 50 approved model-released images or videos. Duplicate accounts are not eligible.

Each submitted image or video, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material taken by the Award entrant. By entering the Awards, the entrant represents, acknowledges, and warrants that each submission is an original creative work and that he or she has full power and authority to enter the image or video, and that the image or video does not infringe any copyright or violate any other intellectual property rights.

How do I participate in the Shutterstock Impact Awards?

To participate:

All submitted Content must meet Shutterstock’s Submission Guidelines. Submissions that do not comply with the Submission Guidelines will not be eligible. Only Content submitted during the Award Period is eligible for entry.

If you’re choosing content from your existing library, note that only Content submitted on or after January 1, 2025, will be eligible for a Shutterstock Impact Award.

How many images and videos can I submit?

Collections are limited to 10-30 assets. There’s no limit to how many times you can enter a unique collection; however, if you nominate more than five collections per category, only the five most recent nominations will be considered.

Can I submit to multiple awards?

Yes. There is no limit to the number of award categories you can submit towards. However, if you nominate more than five collections per category, only the five most recent nominations will be considered.

Can I submit previously uploaded work?

Images and videos that were submitted at any point in 2025 are eligible to be entered.

Can I receive multiple awards?

Only one award will be given per contributor.

If I am applying for the portfolio-based award (Start), do I still need to make a collection?

Yes, please submit a collection that tells a clear story.

Who is choosing the winners?

A panel of judges from Shutterstock and other industry professionals will select the winners.

The deadline for submissions is November 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM PST. Content submitted after that time will not be presented to the panel.

The Shutterstock Impact Awards

The Shutterstock Impact Awards (the “Awards”) are sponsored by Shutterstock, Inc. (“Shutterstock”).

Entry into the Awards constitutes your acceptance of these official rules (“Official Rules”). By submitting an entry, you agree to the Official Rules and warrant that your entry complies with all requirements set out in these Official Rules.

The entry period will run from 12:01 AM EST September 4, 2025, until 11:59 PM PDT on November 30, 2025 (the “Entry Period”) and Content is eligible for the Awards that was uploaded to Shutterstock from 12:01 AM EST January 1, 2025 until the end of the Entry Period (the “Awards Period”). ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY 11:59 PM PDT ON November 30, 2025.

Entrants must be at least 18 years of age to enter and have an active Shutterstock contributor account in good standing. For entries to the Start Award, only contributor accounts created during the Awards Period in 2025 are eligible, and each account must have a minimum of 50 approved model-released images or videos. Employees of Shutterstock (including its subsidiaries and affiliates) and their immediate family and household members are not eligible to participate. Any person who has received a Shutterstock Create Fund Grant within 12 months of the Awards Period is not eligible to participate. THE AWARDS ARE VOID IN QUEBEC, CUBA, IRAN, NORTH KOREA, SUDAN, SYRIA, AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

The panel of judges (the “Panel”) will be comprised of Shutterstock employees and other industry professionals who have subject matter expertise. All decisions of the judging Panel are final and binding. The Panel will consider the submitted Entry and the Entry’s artistic merit. For the Start Award, the Panel will also consider the entire portfolio of the Contributor account in addition to the submitted Entry. Each Entry will be judged on quality and concept as well as how well the Entry responds to the Award category.

Participants may enter the Awards by:

All submitted Content must meet Shutterstock’s Submission Guidelines. Submissions that do not comply with the Submission Guidelines will not be eligible. Only Content submitted during the Award Period is eligible for entry.

There is no purchase or fee required to enter the Awards.

For each of eight categories, one (1) winner will be awarded for submitted videos and one (1) winner will be awarded for submitted images. In total, sixteen (16) winners will each receive One Thousand US Dollars (USD$ 1,000.00) (each, a “Prize”). A winner may not receive more than one Award.

Each potential winner may be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility within ten (10) days following an attempted notification. Failure by any potential winner to execute and deliver any required documents to Shutterstock by the specified deadline may result in disqualification from the Award and selection of an alternate potential winner. The Winner may not transfer, assign, or substitute any prizes.

Each Winner will receive a Prize as a payment into their free supplier account. Each Winner must remain an active Shutterstock contributor in good standing through the duration of the Awards and have a current tax form and valid payment method on file in their Shutterstock contributor account. A current tax form and bank verification document are required to issue payments via the supplier account.

By submitting your Entry, you hereby grant Shutterstock, a worldwide, non-exclusive right and license to reproduce, prepare derivative works incorporating, publicly display and perform your Entry or any part of your Entry. You expressly waive any artists' authorship rights or any droit moral that you would otherwise have under the laws of the State of New York, the United States Copyright Act or similar laws of any jurisdiction. Shutterstock will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use. Additionally, by entering, you grant to Shutterstock the right to use all statements made by you in connection with the Awards, and all pictures or likenesses of you. Shutterstock will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use. You agree to execute any releases reasonably requested by Shutterstock in connection with such uses. You agree that Shutterstock may use your Entry, name, photograph, likeness, and/or voice in any publicity or advertising without compensation or approval (except where prohibited by law).

By submitting your Entry, you agree to provide any additional information or materials reasonably requested by Shutterstock to verify your Entry or necessary to promote Shutterstock, the Awards and your participation in the Awards.

By entering the Awards, you agree to release, discharge, indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Shutterstock and their respective subsidiaries, officers, agents, employees, directors, affiliates, contractors, contributors, and representatives from any and all liability, claims, damages, costs, losses or actions of any kind arising out of your: (i) breach of any representation, warranty or covenant contained in these Official Rules; or (ii) participation in the Awards; (iii) acceptance and/or use or misuse of the Prize in connection with the Awards; or (iv) any third party claim relating to any rights in any Entry.

Shutterstock assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission; communications line failure; theft or destruction of or unauthorized access to Entries or entry forms; or alteration of Entries or entry forms. Shutterstock are not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any computer systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any Entry to be received on account of technical problems or data traffic congestion, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrants' or any other persons' computers related to or resulting from participation, uploading or downloading of any materials related to in this Award.

THIS AWARD IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. To the extent permitted by law, your rights to litigate, to seek injunctive relief or any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in the case of disputes or claims resulting from or in connection with this Award are hereby expressly waived. Failure by Shutterstock to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.

These Official Rules shall be interpreted in accordance with New York law without regard to its conflicts of laws provisions. You agree that the state and federal courts located in New York County, New York shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising from or relating to these Official Rules, this Award or your participation in this Award, and you hereby consent to such jurisdiction and venue.

You agree that the ability to participate in the Award and to compete for the prize offered in connection with the Award constitutes, where required, sufficient consideration for your obligations under these Official Rules.

All federal, state/provincial/territorial and local taxes, fees and surcharges and taxes (whether foreign or domestic, and including income, sales, and import taxes) on grants are the sole responsibility of the grant winners. In the event that the selected winner(s) of any grant is/are ineligible, cannot be traced or does not respond within ten (10) days to a winner notification, or refuses the grant, the grant will be deemed forfeited and Shutterstock, in its sole discretion, may choose whether to award the grant to another entrant.

If for any reason the Awards are not capable of running as planned, due to infection by computer virus, bugs, worms, trojan horses, denial of service attacks, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Shutterstock that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Award, Shutterstock reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual(s) who tamper with the entry process, and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Awards.

You agree that personal data, including your name and address, may be processed, shared, and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the Awards and any other purposes outlined in these Official Rules. The data may also be used by Shutterstock in order to verify the identity of entrants and eligibility to participate in the Awards.

All collection of personal data in connection with the Awards will be governed by Shutterstock’s Privacy Policy.

The Award Winners will be announced on the Shutterstock website, blog, and/or social channels in or around December 2025.