DOCUMENTARY CONTEST RULES
Photography requirements
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Only JPG (JPEG) files are accepted.
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The smallest side has to have at least 1000 pixels.
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The file should be of 12MB or less.
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The photography must be about the theme of the contest.
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Remove any watermark from the photo, any photography with watermark will be removed from the contest.
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Photo edition like fixing exposure, contrast, sharping, color saturation is allowed. What is not allowed is to add or remove any element from the photo. AI tools cannot be used.
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If the judges consider it necessary, they can ask for the original file, it is recommended that the photo has its metadata.
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AI images are not allowed
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Any submission that does not have all these requirements will be disqualified.
General
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Any photographer can participate, if he/she is younger than 18 years old it is recommended to have their parents approval.
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Photographer name and location of the 25 best photos will be shared in our web page and social networks.
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Personal information won't be shared with third parties, it will be used only for the contest, the gallery web page and social networks.
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Photos will be accepted only before the submission deadline.
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"The Artist Gallery" has the right to cancel the contest if is considered necessary. If this happens, all the application fees will be paid back to the participants.
Ethical Guidelines
1. Integrity and Authenticity:
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Zero Tolerance for Manipulation: Photographs must represent reality without any form of manipulation. Any alteration beyond basic exposure and contrast adjustments is strictly forbidden.
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No Staging: Under no circumstances should events be staged or recreated. All images must capture genuine, unaltered moments.
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2. Respect and Consent:
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Mandatory Informed Consent: Photographers must obtain explicit informed consent from all identifiable subjects in their photographs. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
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Respect for Subjects: Any form of disrespect, exploitation, or harm towards subjects is strictly prohibited. Photographers must prioritize the dignity and rights of individuals at all times.
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3. Honesty in Submission
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Original Work Requirement: Only original works created by the participant are allowed. Any form of plagiarism, misrepresentation, or submission of work created by others will lead to immediate disqualification and potential banning from future contests.
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Truthful Context: Accurate information about the context and circumstances of the photograph must be provided. Misleading descriptions are unacceptable.
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4. Cultural Sensitivity
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Respect for Cultures: Photographers must approach all cultures with the utmost respect and sensitivity. Any form of cultural insensitivity, stereotyping, or misrepresentation is strictly prohibited.
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Adherence to Cultural Norms: Photographers must respect and adhere to cultural taboos and norms. Ignorance of such norms is not an excuse for inappropriate behavior.
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5. Environmental Responsibility
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Environmental Impact: Photographers must ensure their actions do not harm the environment. Any disturbance to wildlife or natural habitats will result in disqualification.
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Adherence to Conservation Guidelines: Photographers must follow all guidelines and restrictions in place for conservation areas and protected sites.
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6. Ethical Conduct
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Professional Behavior: Participants are expected to conduct themselves with the highest level of professionalism and ethics. Any behavior that tarnishes the reputation of the contest or the field of documentary photography will not be tolerated.
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Reporting Unethical Behavior: Participants are required to report any observed unethical behavior or violations of this code immediately.
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7. Transparency and Accountability
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Disclosure of Editing: Any post-processing or editing done to images must be fully disclosed. Significant alterations must be clearly communicated.
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Verification of Authenticity: Contest organizers reserve the right to request original, unedited files for authenticity verification. Failure to comply will result in disqualification.
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8. Fair Competition
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Strict Adherence to Rules: Participants must strictly adhere to all contest rules and guidelines. Any attempts to manipulate the judging process or gain unfair advantage will result in immediate disqualification.
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Zero Tolerance for Cheating: Any form of cheating, including collusion or manipulation, will result in permanent banning from the contest.
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9. Confidentiality and Privacy
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Confidential Handling of Information: Contest organizers and judges must maintain strict confidentiality of participants' personal information and submitted works until the official announcement of results.
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Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Judges must disclose any conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from judging entries where impartiality cannot be guaranteed.
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10. Commitment to Continuous Improvement
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Mandatory Feedback: Participants and organizers must actively seek and provide feedback to continuously improve ethical practices. Failure to engage in this process will be viewed as a lack of commitment to ethical standards.
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Adoption of Best Practices: The contest will continually update and adopt best practices in ethical documentary photography, and participants are expected to stay informed and comply with these evolving standards.
About the Prizes
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1st place gets 15% of the money collected from the contest registration fees.
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2nd place gets 10% of the money collected from the contest registration fees.
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3rd place gets 5% of the money collected from the contest registration fees.
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We will publish a blog about the photography career and aspirations of the best 3 photographers.
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Up to 25 photographs will be shared in our social media channels and digital gallery.
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Digital certificate for the best photographers.
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The money prize will be sent to the winners via a electronic transfer. The winner is responsible to pay taxes depending on his country laws.
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The judges decision is unnapealable.
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Cash prizes will be transferred to the winners via a Paypal account, no others way can be considered.
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Any fees incurred during transfers may be deducted from the prize amount.
Judges and judging process
Our judgy panel is made of two professional photographers with a great background as documentary photography​. The judges will score every photography considering different factors like storytelling, technical skills, ethic, etc.
The judges do not have access to any detail about the photographers, the judging process is completely anonymus. Look for your best photograps and participate.
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Click here to know more about our panel.
Copyright and Private information
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The Artist Gallery has the right to use the photographs submitted in our contests for any purpose related with the Gallery like exhibitions, marketing, share it in our web page or our social networks.
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The best photographs (Top 3 and honorable mentions) will be published in a special edition from Docu-Magazine and sold globally. If you do not want to include your photo or have any question about this send us an email to contact@theartistgallery.art
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Docu Magazine doesn't own the images, they only publish them. They won't use them anywhere else, only in the special edition print publication.
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The photographer will retain copyright of the photo and will be credited every time the gallery use the photo.
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Photographs that have participated before in other contests can be submitted to any The Artist Gallery contest. Only photos that have won (Top 3) before a contest organized by this organization cannot participate in future contests.
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It is the responsibility of the participant to ensure that the photo does not violate any copyright or trademark.
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If recognizable people appears in the photograph, it is recommended to have the authorization of the person portrayed to use the photo.
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The photographer agrees to be the author of the photo.
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The Artist Gallery is not responsible for any broken law by the photographer.
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Personal information shared with us when you apply for a contest is not shared with any third party. You can take a look to our privacy policy here.
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The Artist Gallery only keeps the 25 best photographs and the participant information for internal usage, the photos and photographers' name and location will be used publicly only to show it on exhibitions, our web page and social networks.
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All the other photos that were not recognized are going to be deleted two months after the contest has been closed.