I agree with Vincenç. The easy explanation is: Sure, you're allowed to submit photos with a watermark. However, because of the free license, we're allowed to remove them. Also, it is very unlikely a watermarked image will win the competition. So if you just want an easy way to donate your pictures and removing watermarks is too much trouble: the pictures are welcome. If you want to win something... it is probably better to remove them. 

Best,
Lodewijk

2012/9/7 Vicenç Riullop <vriullop@hotmail.com>
I don't like watermarks either, but following the KISS principle I would say that any image accepted on Commons is acceptable on WLM although watermarks are discouraged and the jury probably will disqualify them.

Vicenç

From: samat78@gmail.com
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2012 10:08:17 +0200
To: wikilovesmonuments@lists.wikimedia.org
Subject: Re: [Wiki Loves Monuments] Photos with watermarks


The Hungarian national contest prohibited watermarks for images last year (and personally I don't like pictures with watermark).
In Wikimedia Commons:
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Watermarks#Reasons_not_to_upload_watermarked_images
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Image_guidelines#Image_page_requirements

Samat

On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 7:38 AM, Nicu Buculei <nicubunu@gmail.com> wrote:
On 09/07/2012 12:35 AM, Андрій Бондаренко wrote:
Hi everyone,

Recently one of our participant asked me - could I upload photos with
watermarks? He argues that he loose original versions (without
watermarks) and  their removing demands to much time. What should I
answer him? Are photos with watermarks (as theese
<http://toolserver.org/~magnus/catscan_rewrite.php?language=commons&project=wikimedia&categories=Images_with_watermarks&negcats=Images+from+Wiki+Loves+Monuments+2012&ns[6]=1&ext_image_data=1&doit=1>)
allowed?

I had a look at a few random images there and I can identify a few cases:
- real watermarks (didn't find any in the examples) are when a big watermark covers a large and important part of the image, making it unusable (think at the preview images from stock photography sites). those CAN'T be allowed;
- signatures, small watermarks in an unobtrusive part of the image (most of the time in a corner). I allow those but discourage them by explaining the uploaders that grace to our free license, anyone is allowed to remove them, so is useless;
- some photos have the date watermarked in a corner, this probably happened most of the time in-camera and are unintentional. I feel them annoying but harmless;
- i saw a few cases the name of an educational institution there. For those I would ask the uploader if the image is really free (it may be an internal policy to watermark everything at it may forbid derivatives).

So in conclusion I do not like watermarks, would alow some, would forbid some, would question further some. Case by case.

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