I'm just wondering what I should do if my image is almost 30 days old and it hasn't been approved. I do not have this issue right now but I'd like to know incase it does happen.
Is it just a quiet way to be rejected? Because I know we can't just re-upload to put it back into the queue.
If this isn't the right place to ask I'm very sorry, I'm only recently getting into this site.

inhabitedartist said:
I'm just wondering what I should do if my image is almost 30 days old and it hasn't been approved. I do not have this issue right now but I'd like to know incase it does happen.
Is it just a quiet way to be rejected? Because I know we can't just re-upload to put it back into the queue.
If this isn't the right place to ask I'm very sorry, I'm only recently getting into this site.

Hi! No worries, it's natural to be curious and seek help in this case.

If a post is 27-ish days into the approval queue and you think the post should be approved, you can reach out to a Janitor about it and ask them. If they don't know, chances are that they'll bring it up to other janitors and have a discussion about it. Worst case, the post is deleted manually after discussion or auto-deleted after 31 days. Best case, they'll approve the post. You can still contest posts that are deleted by automod later, so long as it's not a recurring thing or it clearly doesn't meet the uploading guidelines.

Edit: TheGreatWolfgang has an even better answer below, credit to them for knowing the site systems well and giving clear info!

inhabitedartist said:
I'm just wondering what I should do if my image is almost 30 days old and it hasn't been approved. I do not have this issue right now but I'd like to know incase it does happen.
Is it just a quiet way to be rejected? Because I know we can't just re-upload to put it back into the queue.
If this isn't the right place to ask I'm very sorry, I'm only recently getting into this site.

There is a 30-day grace period for posts on the approval queue. After the time is up and nobody approved your post, it gets automatically rejected by the automoderator.
Once it gets rejected, you cannot reupload that particular piece again unless you submit an appeal to reverse the deletion.

The proper procedure is to wait until you are ~3-7 days before the deadline, then approach a janitor/admin to help make a ruling.

The reasons why it can take so long for posts to get approved are:

• Long approval queue (i.e., maybe thousands of unapproved posts ahead of yours),
• Lack of manpower (i.e., the limited number of janitors we have are all volunteering their free time to go through posts),
• Quality standard grey zone (i.e., your post is not good enough to be approved at a glance and not terrible enough to be rejected at a glance, leading to the post being lost in limbo until someone makes a judgment).