Submit Photographs for Annals of Internal Medicine

Annals of Internal Medicine offers a $500 prize for the best photograph submitted to Annals each year. In an effort to bring people to the pages of the Annals, the editors began publishing a section called Personae in 1999. Personae photographs are black and white photographs of people that appeared in the body of the journal from 1999 to 2000 and have appeared on the cover since 2000. Photographs submitted between 1 January and 31 December in each calendar year will be eligible for the prize. Employees of the American College of Physicians and their family members are not eligible for the prize but are welcome to submit photographs to be considered for publication.

We are looking for photographs that catch people in the context of their lives and that capture personality. Annals will publish photographs in black and white, and black-and-white submissions are preferred. The quality of photos and their suitability for the vertical space on the cover weigh heavily in publication decisions. We will also accept color submissions, but any publication decision will depend on the quality of the photograph after conversion to black and white. We prefer digital files in JPEG or TIF format (no less than 300 dpi). Photographs must have a vertical or portrait orientation. We will not be able to return photographs, regardless of publication decision. Photographers should not submit their only copies of photographs.

We must receive written permission to publish the photograph from the subject (or subjects) of the photograph or the subject’s guardian or next of kin. Occasionally, we can publish a photograph without the subject’s permission under the following circumstances: 1) the subject is unidentifiable in the photograph, or 2) the photograph was taken in a public venue, is not potentially damaging to the subject, and is accompanied by a written statement from the photographer assuring that the photograph was taken in a public venue with the subject’s consent. A cover letter assuring no prior publication of the photograph and providing permission from the photographer for Annals to publish the image should accompany all submissions. The letter should also contain the photographer's name, academic degrees, institutional affiliation, mailing address, and telephone and fax numbers. Photographers must sign over copyright permission to the American College of Physicians before publication. Photographers who do not find copyright assignment acceptable should refrain from submitting photographs for consideration.

Please submit photographs or questions to Jill Jackson, Annals of Internal Medicine, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106-1572, jjackson@acponline.org. We look forward to receiving your photographs.