Australasia's Top Emerging Photographers 2023 - Terms And Conditions

ELIGIBILITY

1. Australasia’s Top Emerging Photographers is open to emerging photographers only. For the purposes of this competition, an emerging photographer is defined as someone who has less than four years of full-time experience working as a professional photographer. Entrants with no professional experience also qualify to enter the competition under this definition.

2. Australasia’s Top Emerging Photographers is open to citizens and residents of Australia and New Zealand. In order to receive a prize, winners must supply an Australian or New Zealand mailing address. For the purposes of this competition, a resident is defined as a person who has lived in Australia or New Zealand for at least six months at the time of entering this competition.

3. An entrant may enter more than one category. Multiple entries within a category are also permitted.

4. Employees of Yaffa Media Pty Ltd are not permitted to enter the competition.

5. Freelance writers and photographers who have been paid to contribute to Capture since 1 January 2022 are not permitted to enter the competition.

COPYRIGHT

6. Each entrant retains copyright of their images. By entering the competition, entrants provide Capture a limited-use authorisation to display, publish and distribute their photos for the sole purpose of promoting Australasia's Top Emerging Photographers. Images will be credited with the name of the photographer if used by Capture.

7. The entrant must be the creator and copyright owner of any images entered into the competition.

8. All post-production and editing must be the work of the entrant.

9. The entrant is responsible for obtaining the relevant model and/or property releases.

IMAGE REQUIREMENTS

10. Images must have been created on or after 1 January 2020. Any elements included in an image must also have been created on or after 1 January 2020.

11. Images entered in previous years into Australasia’s Top Emerging Photographers may not be entered into the 2023 competition.

12. Images must be free of watermarks and added text. Images with watermarks or added text will not be considered.

13. All elements must have been photographed by the entrant and images submitted must be 100% photographic in origin, including textures, backgrounds, skies, borders, etc. The use of stock images or clip art is forbidden.

14. Images created wholly or in part with the assistance of artificial intelligence, 3D, or illustration processes may not be entered.

CATEGORIES

15. For the Animal, Architecture, Art, Black & White, Landscape, Portrait, and Travel categories entrants must submit a portfolio of three (3) images. Entries with fewer than three (3) images will not be considered.

16. In the Documentary category entrants must submit a portfolio of five (5) images. Entries with fewer than five (5) images will not be considered.

17. In the Single Shot category entrants must submit one (1) image.

18. ANIMAL: Images may be single capture or composites. Animals may be domestic, farm, zoo/captive, or wild. An animal (or animals) should be the central focus of the image. Entrants must submit a portfolio of three (3) images. Entries with fewer than three (3) images will not be considered.

19. ARCHITECTURE: Images must be single capture and represent a building or structure that exists in reality. Entrants must submit a portfolio of three (3) images. Entries with fewer than three (3) images will not be considered.

20. ART: Images may be single capture or composites. Entrants must submit a portfolio of three (3) images. Entries with fewer than three (3) images will not be considered.

21. DOCUMENTARY: Images must be observed events not staged for the purposes of photography. Images must be single capture. Composites are ineligible. Adding or changing pixels through the use of cloning or other means is not permitted, other than to remove dust spots. Minor tone, noise, and sharpness changes are permitted, with the proviso that these changes do not fundamentally alter the narrative of the image. Composite techniques such as focus-stacking, multiple exposure, panoramic stitching, and HDR are prohibited. The competition organisers reserve the right to request RAW files to confirm the authenticity of images. Entrants must submit a portfolio of five (5) images. Entries with fewer than five (5) images will not be considered.

22. LANDSCAPE: Natural, urban and aerial landscape images may be entered. Images must be single capture with the following limited exceptions. Stitched panoramas, focus stacking, and HDR may be used only if all exposures are captured from the same location within an eight-hour period. With the exception of the previously mentioned techniques, adding or removing pixels is not permitted, other than to crop and/or remove dust spots. Adjustments may be made to noise, sharpness, colour, tone, and contrast, including dodging and burning, and black-and-white conversions. Digital lens corrections may also be made. The competition organisers reserve the right to request RAW files to confirm the authenticity of images. Entrants must submit a portfolio of three (3) images. Entries with fewer than three (3) images will not be considered.

23. PORTRAIT: Images should include a person or people as the primary subject in the image. Images may be single capture or composites. Portraits of animals should be entered in the ‘Animal’ category. Entrants must submit a portfolio of three (3) images. Entries with fewer than three (3) images will not be considered.

24. BLACK & WHITE: Images may be shot in black & white, or captured in colour and converted to black & white in post-production. Colour toning, sepia, or other post production techniques rendering the image not solely black and white are not permitted. Images entered must be single capture (not composite). Entrants must submit a portfolio of three (3) images. Entries with fewer than three (3) images will not be considered.

25. TRAVEL: Images may include landscape, portrait, architecture or other subject matter. Images must be single capture with the following limited exceptions. Stitched panoramas, focus stacking, and HDR may be used only if all exposures are captured from the same location within an eight-hour period. With the exception of the previously mentioned techniques, adding or removing pixels is not permitted, other than to crop and/or remove dust spots. Adjustments may be made to noise, sharpness, colour, tone, and contrast, including dodging and burning, and black-and-white conversions. Digital lens corrections may also be made. The competition organisers reserve the right to request RAW files to confirm the authenticity of images. Entries with fewer than three (3) images will not be considered.

26. SINGLE SHOT: This is an open-theme category. This category requires only one (1) image per submission. Images submitted may be single capture or composite.

JUDGING

27. Entries will be shortlisted by the staff of Capture.

28. A panel of professional photographers and industry experts will judge the shortlisted entries and vote to determine a winner in each category. The overall winner and overall runner-up will be chosen from the category winners.

29. Judges' decisions are final and no further correspondence will be entered into.

WINNERS' ANNOUNCEMENT

30. Winners, runners-up, and finalists will be announced in the Winter 2023 edition of Capture magazine (available in June). Winners will also be announced at www.capturemag.com.au in June 2023.

PRODUCT PRIZES

31. Prizes are subject to availability, are not transferable, or exchangeable, and cannot be taken as cash. If a prize is unavailable, the competition organiser reserves the right to substitute a prize of similar value.

32. Prize values are supplied by sponsors. Retail prices in stores and online may vary.

33. The competition organiser takes no responsibility for prizes damaged or lost in transit.

GENERAL

34. All entries must be taken safely and in a manner that complies with local laws and regulations.

35. When photographing in wilderness and natural areas habitat disturbance must be kept to a minimum. Entrants must minimise any impact their presence has on surrounding flora and fauna and ensure they comply with local conservation guidance and requirements. Live baiting is not allowed and the use of any other means of attracting wild animals is strongly discouraged. If an attractant is used to attract wildlife it must be declared in the entry information.

36. An entrant may be disqualified at any stage if it is found they have engaged in unethical practices in the capture and creation of their entry.

37. The competition closes 26 February 2023, 11:59pm (AEDT). No responsibility is accepted for late, lost, delayed, or misdirected entries.

38. Entry fees are non-refundable.

39. The entrant indemnifies Yaffa Media Pty Ltd (ABN 54 002 699 354) against any claim, legal or otherwise, that may arise out of publication of the images.

40. Yaffa Media Pty Ltd reserves the right to disqualify any entry deemed to be in breach of the Terms and Conditions.

41. By entering this competition, the entrant guarantees to Yaffa Media Pty. Ltd. that all of the above Terms and Conditions have been met. Any entry found to breach the Terms and Conditions will be disqualified and all prize money and product prizes must be returned to Yaffa Media Pty Ltd.

Our terms and conditions have been approved by the Photowatchdog, and rated . Photowatchdog is the advocate for fair photo competitions in Australia.