Before you enter a photo contest or send a file to a stock library, timestamp the exact photo you will submit. TimeBinder® makes a fingerprint in your browser. The file stays on your device. You get a checkable Proof of Time Certificate that shows this exact file existed no later than a recorded time. It does not show who took the photo, who owns it, or that a contest or agency must accept your claim. Free to start. This is general information, not legal advice.
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The routine: timestamp before you submit
- Pick the exact file you will enter or send to the agency: RAW, TIFF or the JPEG they ask for. Do not re-export after timestamping.
- Optional check. Confirm the SHA-256 yourself with our free SHA-256 hash checker or your computer’s tools.
- Open TimeBinder at app.timebinder.io, add the file, and create a TimeBind. Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required.
- Save the Proof of Time Certificate next to that exact file, and keep a second copy.
- Then submit to the contest or stock portal.
- If they ask for a crop or colour version later, treat that as a new file and timestamp it too.
See also how to timestamp a file and prove a RAW photo existed before a date.
Why contests and stock portals care about dates
Entry rules often say the work must be yours and sometimes that it must not have been published before. Stock contracts ask when the work was created and whether similar files were licensed elsewhere. Your own “date taken” metadata is easy to edit. You can see what location, camera and other data a photo carries and download a cleaned copy; the photo stays on your device. A portal receipt shows when you submitted, not when the photo existed. An independent fingerprint date for the exact file fills that gap. It still does not decide the contest or the licence. See does posting online prove you made it first? and how to verify when a photo was taken.
What to keep for each submission
- The exact submitted file and its Proof of Time Certificate.
- The brief, rules or submission confirmation (PDF or screenshot of the confirmation page).
- A short note of the contest name, closing date and entry ID.
- For stock: the delivery ZIP and the acceptance email, each kept with dates.
One TimeBind holds up to 10 files, so a short series can share one certificate. For a longer set, see timestamp a photo series before publishing.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it doesn’t
A TimeBind shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It does not show authorship, ownership or copyright, and it does not stop someone else submitting a similar image. Pair it with your usual contracts and contest rules. For AI-related questions about photos, see how to prove a photo is not AI and Content Credentials vs a timestamp. To see whether a submission file carries a C2PA manifest, use the free Content Credentials checker; it does not verify the signature.
If what you were sent is a moving product clip rather than a still, the viral product-video red-flags checker scores how the clip is circulating. It does not identify generated media.
Before you send that entry, the free photo contest entry checklist reviews the current AI rules, the original capture, and the processing notes you can still show. It does not identify generated media, and it cannot decide an entry.
The same original-file habit helps when a photograph is published outside a contest. The free published photo record checklist looks at the camera original, the exact published file, and any watermarking step. It cannot tell whether a photograph is generated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Should I timestamp the RAW or the JPEG?
Timestamp the file you will actually submit. If the contest wants JPEG and you also want a record of the RAW, timestamp both.
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Does a stock acceptance email replace a timestamp?
No. An acceptance email dates the deal with that agency. A timestamp dates the file itself, including before you sent it.
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Can I timestamp a whole contest series?
Yes. Add up to 10 files in one TimeBind, or zip a folder and timestamp the zip. Keep that exact zip.
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Does this help if someone else enters my photo?
It helps you show your file existed by a date. It does not by itself prove they copied you, and it is not a substitute for the contest’s dispute process or legal advice.
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What does it cost?
Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that, TimeBinds start from US$5, and an ASAP TimeBind is US$15. See plans and pricing
More photo and video guides are grouped on the photos and video timestamping hub.
Timestamp your photo before you submit
Show that this exact file existed no later than a recorded time. Files stay on your device. Get a checkable Proof of Time Certificate. Free to start. Open TimeBinder
