Contributor Agreement

1. Scope

This Contributor Agreement applies whenever you use a Hall guest pass or otherwise submit material for possible publication. It supplements the Terms of Service. If there is a conflict about Submitted Material, this Contributor Agreement controls for that issue.

2. Your ownership

You keep whatever copyright or other ownership rights you lawfully hold in original material you submit. This agreement does not transfer ownership of your original work to the Hall.

3. License you grant

You grant the Hall a worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable and transferable license to host, store, reproduce, edit, crop, resize, transcode, format, excerpt, translate for accessibility, publicly display, publicly perform, distribute, archive, preserve, index and promote Submitted Material in connection with the Hall, its archive, editorial products, social channels, newsletters, exhibits, promotional materials and successor versions of those services.

The license includes the right to combine your material with headlines, captions, commentary, context, design, metadata, links and other editorial material; to preserve prior versions and audit records; and to maintain internal archival copies after public removal where reasonably necessary for legal, security, historical, backup or recordkeeping purposes.

Unless separately agreed in writing, this license does not authorize the Hall to place your standalone photograph, artwork or recording on unrelated merchandise for sale as the principal commercial product.

4. Name, credit and biographical information

You permit the Hall to use the name, credited identity, role, venue affiliation, public profile information and other attribution information you provide in connection with the submitted work and the Hall. We may correct, standardize, abbreviate or omit attribution when editorially or technically appropriate.

5. Editing and editorial control

Submission does not guarantee publication. You authorize the Hall to edit for length, clarity, grammar, style, structure, sourcing, legal risk, context and accuracy; to add editorial notes; to change headlines; to combine material with other reporting; and to decline, delay, restrict, archive, correct or remove material. Material will not be publicly published solely by a guest contributor; publication is an administrator action.

6. Your promises

You represent and warrant, to the best of your knowledge after reasonable care, that: (a) you are at least 18 years old or have lawful authorization from a parent or guardian; (b) you have the authority to enter this agreement; (c) you own the Submitted Material or have sufficient permission or lawful basis to grant the license above; (d) required credits and rights information you provide are accurate; (e) you are not knowingly submitting materially false factual allegations; and (f) your submission does not knowingly violate copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, confidentiality or other rights.

7. Photographs, video, audio and documents

Before uploading media, confirm that you created it, received permission to provide it, obtained an appropriate license, believe it is in the public domain, or otherwise have a lawful basis for the Hall’s use. Do not label media “public domain,” “licensed,” “permission,” or “owned” unless that description is accurate. The Hall may require supporting documentation and may keep media private until rights are reviewed.

8. Statements about other people

Take particular care with allegations concerning crimes, abuse, fraud, sexual conduct, professional misconduct, substance use, private medical information or other matters likely to seriously affect a person’s reputation or privacy. Provide sources and distinguish firsthand knowledge from rumor, opinion or inference. The Hall may refuse such material or require additional verification.

9. No confidential source relationship by default

Do not assume that submitting through a guest link creates an attorney-client relationship, journalist-source privilege, promise of confidentiality, employment relationship or fiduciary duty. If confidentiality is required, obtain a separate written agreement before submitting sensitive material.

10. Compensation

Unless a separate written agreement states otherwise, submissions are voluntary and no royalty, fee, employment compensation or other payment is owed for submission, editing, publication, archival retention or promotion.

11. Withdrawal requests

You may request that unpublished material not be published. After publication, you may request correction or removal, but publication does not create an unconditional withdrawal right. The Hall may retain internal copies, revision history, legal records and backups even when material is removed from public view.

12. Legal version and record of acceptance

The Hall may record the agreement version, date/time, guest pass identity, submission identifier and related audit information when you submit. A later submission may require acceptance of an updated agreement.

13. Incorporated policies

The Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Copyright / DMCA Policy, Corrections Policy and Historical & Editorial Disclaimer are incorporated where applicable.