Guidelines for Submitters

This document is for submitters. See also: Policies for Publishers

The guidelines listed below describe our normal operating procedures; however, any of these policies may be superseded by the Terms of Service in extenuating circumstances or for any reason as determined by the Kavyar team.

This document is subject to change. Please check back regularly.

Submission Policies

When you submit work to a publisher using Kavyar, you and the publisher are entering into an agreement. Following the guidelines below will help ensure that the agreement is fair, and both sides end up happy.

Submitter Responsibilities

  • Review the Opportunity Carefully to Understand Promised Services


    Review the opportunity and make sure you understand the services and / or products you will receive from the publisher if your submission is accepted. Publishers are not responsible for a submitter’s misunderstanding of the promised service, as long as the service has been clearly stated in the opportunity. If an opportunity is vague or appears fraudulent, please report it to using our contact form.

  • Follow the Submission Guidelines


    Carefully read submission guidelines to make sure that your submission is within the specified scope of the opportunity. Submitting your work for an opportunity that is a poor match for the project can waste time and energy for both the publisher as well as the submitter.

  • Only Submit if You Intend to Fulfill the Contract


    Do not submit to a publisher if you do not intend to honor the contract that is created once your submission is accepted by the publisher. It is considered poor practice to send the same submission to multiple publishers and then cancel an accepted submission because you would prefer a different opportunity. If you have a preference, submit to one publisher at a time and wait for a response.

Preparing a Submission

  • Fulfill all Submission Requirements


    Carefully read submission guidelines to make sure that all requirements are met. Certain opportunities will ask for additional information to be added to the submission statement or sent via submission messaging. Do this at the time of submission to prevent delays or cancellation of your submission.

  • Properly credit all photos


    Publishers may choose not to use every photo you submit. Make sure each photo is properly credited at the time of submission so that publishers do not have to waste time trying to track down this information in the days leading up to publication. This can lead to publication delays or cancellation of your submission.

  • Add Instagram credits


    Check that all credits also include Instagram names. This helps ensure you and your team get recognition when publishers post on social media.

Publisher Submission Fees

  • Submission Fees


    Some publishers charge a submission fee to review your work. If a publisher specifies a submission fee, this is the amount that the publisher will charge regardless of whether or not your work is accepted. Unless stated otherwise, no feedback will be provided and no refunds will be offered for submissions that are not accepted.

  • Upgrade Options and Fees


    Some publishers offer upgraded submission options. Carefully review the details of the selected upgrade option to understand the additional services and / or products you will receive with the purchased upgrade.

Submission Cancellation

Cancellations cause additional work for publishers, and frequent cancellations can negatively affect a submitter's chances of being accepted in the future.

  • Cancellations should NOT be requested because
    • you would like to submit your work to another publisher on or off the Kavyar platform.
    • you submitted to multiple Calls for Work and would prefer to go with a different offer.
    • there is a publication delay of less than 30 calendar days with or without communication from the publisher (this is still considered "on time." ).
  • Publishers have the right to decline a cancellation request if:
    • It is within the publication window of 3 business days before the current expected publication date and 30 calendar days after the original expected publication date.
    • The submission has already been published.
  • Repeated cancellations without cause or valid reason may result in removal from the Kavyar platform.
  • Cancellation Timeline
    • Publishers can take up to 5 business days to respond to a cancellation request.
  • Cancellation Fees
    • No cancellation fees will be imposed if the submission has not been published.
    • Cancellation fees may apply if you request to cancel or remove a submission that has already been published.
  • Refunds: See Refunds for more information.
  • Government Sanctions
    • If, after a submission has been accepted, goverment sancations are enacted that make it unlawful for your submission to be published by a publisher located in certain countries or geographical areas, you can request submission cancellation without penalty.
    • Your cancellation must state the reason for your request and must follow Kavyar's Code of Conduct for professionalism as outlined in our Terms of Service.

Exclusivity

Many of the submission opportunities on Kavyar require exclusivity. By submitting to these opportunities, you agree to the following:

  • Your images are and will remain unpublished in any format, including digital and social media
  • No other images from the same set have been published or submitted for publication
  • Your team members are aware of the submission and will not submit the same images within or outside the Kavyar platform

Once the exclusivity period for a submission has expired, you may submit your images to other opportunities that do not require exclusivity.

Failure to follow these guidelines can result in corrective action including submission cancellation and in extreme cases removal from the Kavyar platform.

Communication with Publishers

You should contact the publisher when:

  • You have a question or concern regarding a submission.
  • You would like to cancel a submission.
  • You would like information regarding publication.
  • If you need to request a refund. (See Refunds for more information.)

Communication with Publishers should be kept ON PLATFORM.

It is expected that submitters will use Kavyar’s submission messaging system for all contact with publishers regarding submissions. In the event that there is a complaint indicating lack of communication or response from a publisher, Kavyar will use the information contained in submission messaging ONLY to review and resolve any reported issues. See Kavyar Intervention and Conflict Resolution.

Expected Publisher Response Time is 5 Business Days

We understand that it is important to submitters to receive timely responses from publishers. We require publishers to respond to any accepted or paid submissions within 5 business days unless the submission option specifies a shorter time frame. See Kavyar Intervention & Conflict Resolution for more information.

Communication with Kavyar

You should contact Kavyar when:

  • You have a question or concern related to the use and navigation of kavyar.com.
  • You are having a technical issue with your portfolio or a submission on kavyar.com.
  • You have contacted a publisher through submission messaging with a question relevant to an accepted submission and have not received a response within 5 days.
  • You have questions related to your kavyar.com Pro account.
  • You need to report issues related to copyright infringement, dangerous or unsafe behavior, publishers, or members.

You may contact Kavyar at at any time using our contact form. We try to respond to any support requests within 2 business days.

Off-Platform Transactions

Publishers may not use the Kavyar platform to solicit submitters for additional paid services that are expected to be transacted outside of the Kavyar platform.

There will be no support provided for off-platform transactions or agreements that are made outside of the Kavyar system. Further, Kavyar will not provide support for agreements made within the submission messaging system, but transacted using an outside payment processor.

If you have entered into an off-platform agreement with a publisher subsequent to an accepted submission on kavyar.com and the publisher did not deliver the expected services, please send a report to Kavyar using our contact form. While we cannot provide support in these situations, the reputations of the publishers hosted on Kavyar are important to us, and inappropriately handled off platform transaction can affect a publisher’s status with Kavyar.

Refunds

All fees charged on kavyar.com represent transactions between a submitter and a publisher. Refunds are offered at the discretion of the publisher.

  • No refunds will be provided for submissions cancelled by the submitter without cause.
  • No refunds will be provided if a submitter cancels a submission in order to submit the images to another publisher.
  • No refunds will be provided if submission is incomplete or contains an error that causes delayed publication or errors in the final product.
  • In the event of a refund dispute between a submitter and a publisher, Kavyar may intervene to help the two parties resolve the disagreement. See Kavyar Intervention & Conflict Resolution .

Kavyar Intervention & Conflict Resolution

It’s best if submitters and publishers can resolve any issues or complaints without Kavyar’s intervention. However, in the event that a publisher is not responding to a submitter’s requests within an appropriate timeframe, or the two parties are unable to reach a resolution, Kavyar will investigate and take appropriate action.

  • If submitter contacts Kavyar with a complaint, but has not contacted the publisher...


    Kavyar will direct any submitter who contacts Kavyar with a question or complaint without first having contacted the publisher to contact publisher using the submission messaging system. The submitter will be instructed to allow 5 business days for a response unless the submission option specifies a shorter time frame.

  • When a submitter contacts Kavyar with a complaint, and has already tried to contact the publisher...


    If at least 5 business days have passed without a response from a publisher, Kavyar will investigate and consider the complaint based on the information and messages contained in the submission ONLY. Outside emails or communications will not be accepted for consideration. If a submitter is found to be justified in their complaint, appropriate action will be taken at Kavyar’s discretion. Resolutions may include but are not limited to: submission cancellation and submitter refunds, publisher account sanctions, and in extreme cases a publisher’s removal from the platform. Kavyar’s decisions regarding the resolution of disputes between submitters and publishers are final.

  • When Kavyar receives a complaint about an abusive member


    Kavyar will investigate all reports of submitter abuse of the platform. Submitters found to be using the system inappropriately in any manner, including but not limited to spamming publishers with submissions, excessive cancellation requests, spamming other users, and posting or submitting inappropriate content, will have their access to the platform removed, and will be barred from creating additional accounts.