PHOTO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

We need photos! 

Submit your photos and be part of the International Calendar:

PHOTO SUBMISSION FORMS (download)

From the very first calendar, published in 1988, the International Calendar’s ongoing success is due largely to the wonderful photographs submitted to us over the years. We welcome your submissions, and we hope the following guidelines on our submission criteria and selection process will be helpful.

The goal of the International Calendar is to present Peace Corps countries, both present and past, in a positive, truthful light. We also want to show life as it is today, so photos taken more than 10 years ago are less likely to be considered for inclusion. We like images of city life as well as village and rural scenes. We like people in action and in relationship: working, relaxing, enjoying everyday life, and/or celebrating special occasions. All ages. Humor is appreciated. Landscapes or photos with architectural or other detail—handiwork, food, crops, etc.—add interest. When selecting images to submit, keep in mind the need for “month-long” appeal. And since many teachers use this calendar as a teaching tool, it’s good to keep students and their interests in mind as well.

Anyone may submit photos; Peace Corps service is not a requirement.

Submission Criteria

1. To be eligible for consideration, submitted photographs must be high-quality digital images (5.0 MP or higher) with realistic color. Do not touch up, enhance, or change the resolution of digital files. If your photo is selected, you might be asked to supply alternative files for production. Other formats (prints, slides, mounted, black & white) are not eligible.
2. Photographs must be from a country where Peace Corps Volunteers have served (past or present).
3. Photos showing a Peace Corps Volunteer are not eligible.
4. A photographer may submit a maximum of five (5) pictures per year.
5. A photo submitted three (3) times without being selected is no longer eligible.
6. Basic requirements for technical quality include clear focus, realistic color, and good overall contrast.
7. The photographer's name and the country where the photo was taken must appear in the digital file name, and the image must be saved as a JPEG. 
   Please use the following naming convention:  [country+entry#.photographername.jpg]
   Examples: morocco4-mcousins.jpg; fiji2-vross.jpg
8. Photographers must submit with the photos a signed Photo Release Form & Photo Submission Form— with photographer and photo information filled in (forms attached).
   
9. Digital files and the signed Photo Submission & Photo Release forms should be submitted by March 31st using the digital upload link: 
   Upload Photos & Forms Here. *Please do NOT email photos to us.*
   
10. To qualify as a large, featured photograph, digital images must be taken at high resolution on a 5-megapixel or higher camera. Lower resolution images will be considered for inset images only.
11. Submitted photographs will become part of the Madison RPCVs calendar image library for possible use in calendar and related projects. Photographers will be credited with every use.
12. Timeline: We work on calendars more than a year in advance, and photos received by March 31st are guaranteed to be included in our annual Spring photo vote. Photos received after March 31st might be considered immediately or will be held for the next year.
13. You must be the holder of the copyright of any photo(s) you submit.
14. Photos will be reviewed in late spring and final decisions made in late summer, a year or more in advance of publication. We will contact you as soon as a decision to use your photo is made. No notification will be sent to those whose pictures are not selected.

We are grateful to all photographers for taking time to submit pictures. Each person who submits a photo (or photos) for consideration will receive a complimentary calendar in December. Those whose photos are selected as featured images will receive 25 calendars, and those whose photos are used as smaller insets will receive 5 calendars. If an image is used as a notecard, the photographer will receive 5 sets of that notecard and 1 calendar.

If you are planning to travel in the months of June-December, note that this is when the calendar is in production. It is essential that we be able to contact you, not only to let you know that your photo is selected, but also to get photo text and other information relevant to use of your photo. Please let us know if your contact information needs to be updated.

Questions? Email our Photo Coordinator at RPCVpicsubmissions@gmail.com.

Peace Corps Host Countries (as of 2024)