NSA Photo Submission

Please give us your name and e-mail address and choose a file (using the Browse button below) to send us.

Thank you for preparing to submit a player identification photo to our database. To ensure consistent photo quality, please make sure that it meets the following minimum standards. (If they seem draconian, please read the parenthetical comments and try to guess which player's uploaded photo necessitated the addition of each paragraph.)

• Save your file in JPEG format.
• The file must be at least 640 pixels wide and 640 pixels high. (This is because when players win tournaments, the media sometimes asks us for printable images on a tight deadline. If you only have a lower-resolution file, do not use an image editor to stretch it out; please reshoot the photo.)
• The file should not be more than 1.25 MB in size. (We have a limited amount of disk space, don't make us use it all up on your spiffy camera's huge files.)
• The subject of your photo must be facing the camera full-on. (The purpose of the photo is to identify the subject. This is easiest to do if the subject was looking at the camera.)
• The subject’s head should occupy at least 50% of the height of the image, ideally 90%. (If the head is too small, it will be too blurry when expanded for print or even online use.)
• A square centred to enclose the head should lie entirely within the image. (You may notice that all of our player photos online are square; if your image is too tall and not wide enough, we won't be able to make a square photo from it. Ideally, the image ought to be square, and while we're asking for everything, a neutral background would be nice.)
• There should only be one subject in the photo. (It may be difficult to separate one photo from a group, and we may not be able to identify the correct player.)
• The image should be a recent photo. (Some players feel that they looked better in their youth. We want photos that show you at your current best.)
• The image should be a photograph, not a cartoon or other illustration. (The photo is not an online 'avatar', it is an identification photo.)
• The image should be of a tournament Scrabble player, not their children or their pets. (Kids and pets are great, but they don't sit in your lap at a tournament.)
• The image should be presentable to the subject's parents, children or other family without causing embarrassment or shock. (The webmaster does not shock easily when processing photos, but his wife sometimes does them, and his children are often around.)

Photos which do not meet all of these criteria will be rejected.

Here are some additional tips on taking a good identification photo. Hold the camera still, and check the photo to make sure it's not blurry on your computer; don't trust the camera's own preview. Shoot in bright, indirect light, not backlit: outside on a cloudy day is great; in a tournament room against a window is not. Do not use a flash, unless you have no choice; if you do have to use it, make sure you use red-eye reduction. Shoot from slightly above your subject. If your subject is nervous, take a lot of digital photos and let them choose their favourite; tell them you can keep shooting until they get one they like. Don't photograph players before their first game of the day, after the fifth game of the day, or after the third day of a long tournament.

If you are having technical difficulties, please first try to resolve them with local assistance, before contacting John Chew at poslfit@gmail.com. We reserve the right to reject inappropriate submissions. This service is provided primarily to gather publicity images for the National SCRABBLE Championship, and may be subject to lengthy delays at other times of the year.