Bill of Rights Condition 1

Rights metadata must not be altered, removed, or added to by contest organisers

Metadata is data embedded within a digital image to provide information about the image, and most importantly to declare the images copyright status, and who is the copyright owner. All images should have embedded metadata and it is the photographer who must take responsibility for doing so with every image they create.

Metadata makes it clear who owns the image and who to contact for permission to use it. Photographers who omit embedding metadta in all their images are being negligent. They are leaving themselves open to copyright infringement and giving the infringer an excuse that may seriously reduce damages that may subsequently be sought by the photographer in legal action.

Some photo contests have requested that entrants remove metadata from their images before submitting it to the contest. NEVER ever remove your metadata from an image in order to submit it to a contest. Likewise no contest organiser should seek to remove, add to, or alter any rights metadata present in an image.

For more information read this article on Metadata and Copyright.