Keep a real New York connection
You do not need to be a tourist. Your submission may come from everyday life in NYC, a visit from another state or country, a solo trip, couple, family, friends, pet, favorite place, passion, or any personal New York memory. A copied travel image, advertisement, property listing, restaurant promotion, or unrelated photograph does not belong in the collection.
Use a photograph you may share
Submit one photograph you took, own, or have clear permission to use. Professional photography requires the photographer’s authorization. An image of buildings, art, food, or a public place must also be yours or properly licensed.
Get everyone’s consent
Every identifiable person featured prominently should know about and agree to the submission and its visibility. A photograph featuring a child may be submitted only by a parent or legal guardian, or with their clear permission. Be especially careful with bystanders, private locations, and sensitive circumstances.
Choose a photo that formats well
- Use the original, highest-quality file when possible—not a screenshot.
- Choose a clear photograph with the main face or subject easy to see.
- Leave some space around the subject so the image can adapt to portrait, square, and wide formats.
- Avoid heavy compression, extreme filters, watermarks, or text already printed on the image.
Write the title like you would say it
Use a short first-person title that gives the photograph meaning, such as “My first morning in New York,” “Our Sunday in Central Park,” or “The city that became home.” A longer memory is optional and may appear on the story page. Names or initials may be used for privacy, but do not impersonate people, invent harmful claims, or present commercial promotion as a personal story.
Only two story types
Choose NYC Story for any personal New York moment, whether you live here or are visiting. Choose Birthday in NYC when the photograph is part of a birthday celebration. You do not need to fit your memory into any other category.
Content we do not accept
- Nudity, sexual exploitation, violence, threats, or self-harm content.
- Hate, harassment, humiliation, stalking, or non-consensual intimate material.
- Copyright, trademark, property, or privacy violations.
- Addresses, financial details, identification numbers, or other sensitive personal information.
- Spam, unrelated promotions, sales listings, or unsafe or illegal activity.
Public profiles and professional links
A storyteller may optionally include accurate information about their work, business, or public presence. These details appear only inside the story page, not on homepage cards. Submit only links you own or are authorized to represent. We may remove misleading claims, unsafe services, unrelated promotions, duplicate links, or content that makes a story read like an advertisement instead of a genuine New York story.
How we prepare a story
After review, we may correct grammar, prepare a short introduction, select a category, shorten oversized text, crop the photograph for each screen or social format with priority given to the main subject, and apply Love in NYC branding. We will not intentionally change the meaning of your story.
Editorial examples and community stories
Stories labeled as editorial examples are created by the Love in NYC team to demonstrate possible styles and locations. Community submissions are reviewed separately and should represent genuine memories from the submitter.
Collection placement
An approved public story may appear on the homepage and in the NYC Stories collection. Placement, order, and how long a story is highlighted may change as new stories arrive. A private story does not appear in the public collection.
Report, correct, or remove a story
If you submitted a story, are pictured in one, or believe content violates these guidelines, contact us with the page link and an explanation. We may temporarily hide content while reviewing a request.