touptek astro competition / anyone else now seeing their pictures on their social media?

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Anderl avatar
Anderl avatar

hey guys,

I took part in the ToupTek Astro competition and didn’t win anything, but I’ve now seen that one of my images was used on their Instagram account. I was credited by name, and I understand that this is probably covered by the competition terms. Still, it felt a bit strange to suddenly see my image there without being asked beforehand.

I probably would have said yes anyway, so I’m not really trying to complain. I’m more interested in how others see this. is this completely normal or would you also expect at least a short message first?

I’m genuinely curious how other people feel about it. Is this just standard contest practice, or is it simply good manners to contact the photographer before posting the image?

Picture on Instagram
Picture on Astrobin

anyway,
clear skies
Anderl

Respectful Engaging
Eric Gagne avatar
Eric Gagne avatar

📷 IMG_0212.jpegIMG_0212.jpegI suppose we could consider this to be them asking and you saying yes by entering the competition.

Quinn Groessl avatar
Quinn Groessl avatar

You agreed to it when you entered the competition. Nothing weird about it. When you get a top pick or IOTD on here its on Astrobin’s social media. Same concept.

Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar

A lot of photo contests are like that, not just astrophotography. It’s a pretty normal practice that pre-dates the social media era.

Well Written
Alex Nicholas avatar
Alex Nicholas avatar

Anderl · Mar 11, 2026, 08:37 PM

I’m genuinely curious how other people feel about it

It was literally in the terms and conditions of entry, but not only that, it’s 100% standard practice..

I won the Gold prize in ‘Field Deep Sky’ category with this image:
📷 NGC5139 QuickyNGC5139 Quickyhttps://app.astrobin.com/i/r32vch/

And I’m 100% ok with them sharing it on Social Media… Why wouldn’t I want them telling the community that I won?

Engaging
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar

You also often give up any rights to the image. It could be used on the cover of a book and you get nada.