Why did you decline my content when there is similar work in the collection?

Artists sometimes ask us why we declined their content when there are other, similar photos or videos in the collection—either from another artist or their own portfolio. We understand that this can feel unfair or inconsistent, but there are many reasons why this happens. First, make sure to check the editor’s notes, as this may provide the reason for the decline. For example, there may be a technical error (exposure, focus, camera movement, image quality, lighting). At 100% zoom, these should be visible.

I’ve checked the technical quality and decline notes, but the decline reason is still unclear:

There are also collection-health reasons we decline content. Stocksy’s collection is continually evolving, and trends and desired aesthetics change over time. What we accepted in the past may no longer reflect our current standards or needs. As we grow, we understand better what works well for our clients and what doesn’t. We also have to manage growth challenges to the collection, such as subject saturation (too much of the same thing) and collection cannibalization (a collection that recycles, repeats, and copies itself). In other cases, the style or approach might be outdated. Without innovation, formerly popular concepts can quickly age into stock cliches.

You can learn more about our current standards by following our Creative Briefs and reading updates in Member News.

Note: out of respect for our community, we don’t discuss other artists’ work.