Support
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The quick answers below cover most early-access questions. If your situation isn’t here, email us — we read everything.
Short answers to what people ask most.
How do Instant Contests work?
Sign up, upload a photo, and start a contest in a theme that fits your work. Your image gets judged on the same blind ballot as everyone else in the contest — by other Photographers and our LensWideOpen Curator panel. Votes and feedback start arriving within minutes. See live contests →
What is a Curator Review and how is it different from a contest?
A Curator Review delivers per-Curator critique on your work — a single image (Mini Read), a small set of images (Panel Review), or a full body of work (Full Project). Each review gets per-Curator written rationale plus a cross-Curator synthesis and a LensWideOpen Score (0–100). Contests rank against other entries; Curator Reviews tell you what to do next with your own work. See sample reviews →
What is RAW Verified?
It’s the strongest authenticity signal we offer. Upload the original RAW file from your camera (CR2/CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF, DNG, ORF, RW2, PEF, SRW) or HEIC/HEIF from your phone, and we match its EXIF against the JPEG you posted. When the camera body, capture timestamp, and (where available) body serial number match, the image earns 📷 RAW Verified or 📱 Phone Verified. More on verification →
What is CTS and why do I have to declare it on every upload?
Creative Transparency System. Every image you upload carries one of four classifications: Camera Original (CO), Camera Enhanced (CE), AI-Assisted (AA), or AI-Generated (AG). You declare honestly at upload; our detection cascade checks against your declaration and surfaces any divergence. It’s how voters and buyers know what they’re looking at. More on CTS →
How do credits and refunds work?
Some surfaces (Curator Reviews especially) cost credits. Credits live in your wallet and carry between sessions. If a Curator Review run fails or stalls, you can request a refund from the run’s detail page — admin reviews and credits back when warranted.
I can't find the answer here.
Email hello@lenswideopen.com and we’ll reply within two business days. We triage every note personally during the Beta.