GLOBAL RULES

 

In all categories, judges will be looking for good camera and post-production technique; connection and/or storytelling and originality. 

 

Your entry may be a series such as a diptych or triptych, but bear in mind that magnification options are limited in the judging software, so if you include a lot of images in your series, judges may not be able to appreciate all the detail.

 

All elements of the image must be photographic, and photographed by the entrant. 

 

The use of purchased textures, stock images or digital backdrops is not allowed. Physical backdrops purchased for the purpose of photography are acceptable.

 

One image cannot be entered into multiple categories. There is no limit to how many overall entries you can submit. 

 

Images must have been captured within five years of the closing date for entries. 

 

Photographs entered in this competition in previous years are ineligible.

 

If your image was created while working as a second-shooter at an event, you must have the permission of the main photographer to enter the image.

 

TERMS & CONDITIONS

 

Upon entering these awards, entrants acknowledge that they accept the Terms and Conditions of the Asia Pacific Photography Awards, a branch of the NZ Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP), “the Organisers”. Non-compliance with the competition criteria will disqualify entries.

 

Copyright & licensing: Entrants retain copyright to their images but agree unconditionally that material submitted may be used in whole or in part by the Organisers and their sponsors, free of charge, for promotion or discussion in connection with the Asia Pacific Photography Awards, including on the past competitions page of the awards website as a public record. 

 

Entrants agree to their images being shared via social media and digital channels from the submissions gallery, by the Organisers, competition sponsors, and gallery viewers.

 

Entrants agree submitted material may be cropped slightly if needed for layout purposes and that such altered images may be credited to them.  

 

 

By entering, you also warrant that:

 

  • you are the sole creator and owner of the work, and you are either the legal copyright holder or have permission from the copyright holder for all submitted content.
  • All submitted content is original and does not infringe the copyright, moral rights or other rights of any third party. Plagiarism, either intentionally or unintentionally, is not acceptable and any entry deemed to be plagiarism will be disqualified.
  • You fully indemnify the Organisers of the Asia Pacific Photography Awards against any claim by a third party in the event that your submitted image infringes intellectual, property or model rights if published by the Organisers and their sponsors for promotion or acknowledgement of the competition.
  • Your entries do not reference or contain inappropriate or objectionable material, including but not limited to: obscene, defamatory, sexually explicit, offensive, racist, sexist, and anti-social statements. You accept that the Organisers have the right to disqualify any entry it does not deem appropriate or to otherwise fit the eligibility criteria.

 

Judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into. No refunds will be given for disqualified entries. 

 

Entries must be submitted without watermarks or other features that would identify the photographer.

 

Entrants should keep RAW files of images and all elements used, and should be able to readily produce these to the competition Organiser should they be requested. Entrants shall have 48 hours to produce such files. 

 

Entries are open to photographers from any country. 

 

All entries are subject to the laws of New Zealand. 

 

If offered, entry fees and prizes are quoted in New Zealand dollars. The Organisers do not have any liability for any bank fees and charges or currency conversion rates.

 

If offered, award prizes are not transferable and may not be exchanged for cash. Special conditions may apply to non-cash prizes, e.g. they may be subject to availability. It is the category sponsor’s responsibility to provide the prizes to the winners. Sponsors retain the right to switch prizes for an item or items of similar value.

 

Entrants agree to receiving regular NZIPP correspondence in the form of e-newsletters.

 

The rules and requirements for each category description form part of these Terms and Conditions. 

 

Deadline for entries is 11.59pm NZST, 21st November, 2021. No entries will be accepted after this time.

CATEGORY RULES

 

WEDDING

 

Photographs captured before, during or after a genuine wedding, with people. Images may include single persons, couples or groups, and may include animals. The main focus of the image should be people-related and wedding-related, such as (but not limited to) hens/stag party, wedding ceremony or reception, engagement shoot or Trash the Dress session. The image should include people but may include pets or animals and surroundings that give context to the story of the image. Entries may be traditional and/or interpretive.

 

NEWBORN

 

Photographs where the main focus relates to Newborn – a baby (or babies) under the age of one month old. Entries may include other people, animals or other elements that give context to the story of the image. The subject does not need to be human for acceptance into this category. Entries may be traditional and/or interpretive.

 

CHILD

 

Photographs where the main focus is human children. The image should be of a child or children, but may include other people, animals or other elements that give context to the story of the image. A child is defined as being under 16 years of age. Images of newborns may be better suited in the Newborn category. Entries may be traditional and/or interpretive.

 

MATERNITY

 

Photographs where the main focus relates to maternity. It may include other people, animals or other elements that give context to the story of the image. The subject does not need to be human for acceptance into this category. Entries may be traditional and/or interpretive.

 

PORTRAIT

 

Photographs of single subjects or groups, including studio photography, lifestyle imagery, self-portraits, boudoir, beauty & fashion, social, family, culture and environmental portraits.

Portraits of pets and animals are eligible for entry in this category. Photographs of animals in their natural habitat may be more suited to the “Animals & Nature” category. Entries may be traditional and/or interpretive portraits.

 

JUNIOR

 

A category for school-aged entrants (excluding tertiary study). Photographs can be of any subject, and all post-production methods are allowed. Entries may be traditional and/or interpretive.

 

All elements of the image must be photographic, and photographed by the entrant – as in all other categories, purchased/downloaded elements and computer-generated elements are not allowed. 

 

ANIMALS & NATURE

 

Photographs where the main focus of the image is an animal, wildlife or the natural world, though images may include people or other elements that give context to the story of the image. This category includes photographs of flora (flowers, trees etc), underwater photographs, and wildlife/animals. Portraits of pets may be better suited to the Portrait category. 

 

Only basic post-production adjustments are accepted in this category, such as tonal control, black and white conversion, sharpening and cropping. Focus stacking is acceptable for macro images. The final image must remain an authentic representation of what was captured on the sensor: post-production adjustments must not hide or introduce key elements of the image. 

 

LANDSCAPE

 

Photographs depicting the features of an area of land, landforms or man-made landscape features. The main focus of the image should be this landscape, but it may include other elements that give context to the story of the image. Entries may be traditional and/or interpretive.

 

PHOTOJOURNALISM

 

Images that use the medium of photography to tell an authentic visual representation of a story, whether it be political, sports, birth, travel, event, street, personality or documentary photography that gives insight into contemporary issues and news. Images should be thought-provoking and represent real life, interesting people, places and other non-fiction stories. 

 

All photographs entered must have been observed, not directed or created, and captured without the intervention of the photographer. 

 

Only basic post-production adjustments are accepted in this category, such as tonal control, black and white conversion, sharpening and cropping. The final image must remain an authentic representation of what was captured on the sensor: post-production adjustments must not hide or introduce key elements of the image. 

 

ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL

 

A category for a broad range of advertising and editorial photography, including automotive, fashion, food, music product, self-promotion, sport, architecture, urban spaces, historic and industrial photography. 

 

Entries may be traditional and/or interpretive.

 

If your image was created for a client, you must have the client’s permission to enter the image. Entries must not use any commercial branding in a way that maligns or misrepresents it. 

 

OPEN

 

A free-range category for any subject and genre.This category is intended to celebrate photographers who push the boundaries of day-to-day photography and create conceptual or representative works. 

 

Photographs can explore a variety of techniques, including in-camera, and any post-production treatment as long as it meets the global rules. As in other categories, the entrant must have created all the content themselves, and all elements must be photographic (no computer-generated content allowed). If an image includes text, the text must have been photographed by the entrant (rather than created in post-production).   

 

PURE

 

A category that celebrates straight-out-of-the-camera images of any subject or genre. 

Entries must be uploaded in the form of a RAW file, including DNG. Any post-production technique that can be carried out and saved into the RAW file is acceptable, but the entry cannot be exported into any other format such as JPEG or TIFF. 

 

BLACK & WHITE

 

For photographs that are captured in or converted to black and white. This open category allows images from any genre. 

 

Image scoring in this category will be determined based on the quality of the black and white conversion, and how much this adds to the image.