Tin Can Sailors announces the inaugural Tin Can Sailors Photo Contest, honoring the service, history, and legacy of U.S. destroyers and the people who sail and preserve them.
Winning images will be showcased in The Tin Can Sailor magazine, on destroyers.org, and on association and museum ship channels, with cash prizes and membership awards in each track. A special Museum Destroyer Feature Award will honor the best photo of one of the destroyer museum ships supported by Tin Can Sailors. Up to seven winners.
Eligibility
· Member Track: Destroyer Service & Legacy – Open to current Tin Can Sailors members in good standing at the entry deadline.
· Open Track: Maritime Community & Patriotism – Open to members and non-members worldwide (military and civilian, ages 18+).
· Members may enter either track, but must choose one. Non-members may only choose Open Track.
Entries and format
· Maximum 5 photos per person, across all categories, in a single track.
· Digital only; JPG/JPEG; minimum 300 dpi; file size 100 KB–10 MB per image.
· Basic adjustments (cropping, minor color/exposure correction) permitted; no heavy manipulation, composites, AI-generated images, or added elements.
· No watermarks, dates, logos, text, or borders on the images.
Original work and permissions
· Entrant must be the photographer and hold copyright; by entering, entrant grants Tin Can Sailors a non-exclusive license to publish and use submitted images (with credit) in print, online, and promotional materials.
· Images must not infringe on privacy, publicity, or security restrictions; avoid classified or sensitive subjects.
· Historical service photos taken by the entrant are eligible; images made by others are not unless clearly in the public domain and specifically allowed in detailed rules.
Entries accepted only through the online form at destroyers.org and will be judged by a panel of destroyer veterans, museum ship representatives, and photography advisors. Additional information and online forms will be available online at destroyers.org.
Key dates
· Contest opens: April 30; Information and online forms are forthcoming.
· Entry deadline: July 31 (11:59 p.m. Eastern)
· Winners announced: Fall issue of The Tin Can Sailor and on destroyers.org.