Kissmefortytimes
FAQ
The most common questions, answered plainly.
What is Kissmefortytimes?
Kissmefortytimes is an international wedding and portrait photo contest. Every photographer gets a free public profile, indexed on Google — visible even without competing. The contest runs over 4 sessions a year. Your photos travel to cities and face off in duels, judged anonymously by your peers; you climb a living ranking. Judges and photographers stay anonymous to each other: only the image matters.
Do I need to compete to have a profile on KMFT?
No. Any photographer can create a free public profile on Kissmefortytimes without subscribing. It's indexed by search engines (Google, Bing) and visible to clients, agencies and fellow photographers. Taking part in the sessions (submitting images, duels, ranking) requires an annual subscription.
How many credits do I get?
Your annual subscription includes 20 credits per universe you join. Each image played costs 1 credit. You can play up to 5 images per universe each session (a Duo plan therefore plays Wedding and Portrait separately).
What happens to unused credits?
Credits expire at the end of the season and are not carried over.
Do I have to judge to see my results?
Yes. Judging is part of the game: you sign up, you become a judge. You must complete all your duels in a session to unlock your own results, and you must have judged the previous session to play the next one. You never judge a duel containing one of your own photos, and everything stays anonymous.
How are images judged?
Through duels: two photos side by side, “which one wins?”. Three peers vote in secret, the majority wins (no ties). Within a city, photos are ranked by a “strength score” (tennis-style: beating a strong photo is worth more). No numeric score, no closed jury — the photographers decide, blind.
Can I submit the same image to multiple categories?
No. Each image can only be played once, in a single universe.
Is retouching allowed?
Classical retouching is permitted: colour grading, contrast, sharpening, cropping, cloning for minor distractions, exposure and light adjustments. Heavy compositing, sky replacement, and AI-generated or AI-altered content forming the subject are not permitted.
How does the ranking work?
Your place in each city earns points (1st — Champion — 1000, 2nd 600, Top 4 360, Top 8 180, participation 10). These points add up in your world's ranking. It moves after every session but is only final in December, then resets. Wedding and Portrait always stay separate.
When are results published?
Results are published within a few weeks after each session closes. The exact date is shown on the Season Calendar. You'll receive an email when your results are available.
Can I get a refund?
Subscriptions are non-refundable once the season has started. If you have not yet submitted any images, contact us at hello@kissmefortytimes.com and we'll review your case.