• Practices or concepts described in the text
• Examples of work samples described in the text when appropriate

We are also looking for:

• Diversity (in terms of staff, children, settings)
• Action (children doing something, not posed)
• Examples of developmentally appropriate practices
• Captions describing each photo

Format

NAEYC accepts high-resolution photos in JPEG, TIF, or EPS formats. Video should be submitted in .MOV, .MP4, or .M4V formats. If you have not submitted media to NAEYC before, please keep your submission to fewer than 100 photos or 10 videos. 

Model releases

Authors must have and keep model releases for all recognizable people in each photo or video (signed by all the adults who appear in the photo and by the parents or legal guardians of all the children photographed). Please provide a sample copy of your model release with your media submission or use the NAEYC model release.

Media license

Please include a signed copy of NAEYC's Media License Agreement with your media submission. This agreement verifies that you own the photos and/or video, allows NAEYC to use your photos or video in print and digital formats, and confirms you have the proper model releases. An new agreement must be completed and submitted with each batch of photos or video you submit to NAEYC.

Sending photos

Send photos to [email protected]. If you are submitting several photos or video, we suggest using a file sharing service, such as Dropbox, or send a CD, DVD or flash drive to NAEYC's Washington, DC office. Disks or drives mailed to NAEYC will not be returned.

Please send the highest quality/largest size media possible.

​If you use a camera phone, please change the settings to the highest possible quality setting and export the media off your phone at the largest size.

• Tips for iPhones
• Tips for Android phones​​
• Please do not distort the image by applying photo filters or effects.
• When taking video, hold the camera as still as possible. Using your phone? Hold the phone horizontally, and keep your hands as still as possible.
• Do not attempt to increase the size of an existing image using filters or software. This will not improve the quality or make it appropriate for printing.

Getting the perfect shot—do’s and don’ts

To avoid common practices that reduce quality:

Check the focus! Is your camera focusing on the main subject of your image or somewhere else. Low light or wiggly children can make photos blurry. Moving the camera when taking video can create unwanted motion blurs in video.
Avoid taking photos or video with clothing or objects that have visible logos, cartoon or video characters, or inappropriate sayings on them.
Avoid using your camera's built in flash; it washes out the image and creates dark outlines and cast shadows. If your photo or video is too dark, try adding more light by opening blinds or moving closer to a window.
Make sure your photos and video aren't too dark. When taking pictures inside, raise shades or open curtains add bright, natural light to your images.
Consider your composition. Faces and images taken straight on (not above, looking down) are the most engaging. Avoid zooming in too closely or standing too far back.
Avoid distracting or cluttered backgrounds.  Make sure the action is the focus of the image.

Credit

Photographers are credited for each photo published. Although photographers retain copyright, by submitting photos to NAEYC, photographers are assigning NAEYC the right to use the photos in current and subsequent printings of the publication in which they appear, whether in print or digital format.

Published work

When photos are published in Young Children or Teaching Young Children, photographers receive a copy of the issue featuring their work. For other publications, photographers receive tearsheets of the pages on which their photos appear. NAEYC will forward to photographers requests from other publications to use their photos. Submitting copyrighted images to NAEYC does not preclude photographers from publishing the same images elsewhere.