Competition Rules and Conditions of Entry
Eligible Photos and Entrants: This competition is open to both amateurs and professionals over 18 years of age. The Youth Category is open to photographers 18 and under as of January 2024. All photographs must be the original work of the entrant and must have been taken underwater in a kelp forest ecosystem or highlight an aspect of a kelp forest ecosystem (kelp, associated biodiversity, kelp farming, science, etc).
Entry Period: The Photo Contest begins at 00:00 on November 1st, 2023 and ends at 11:59 on March 8th, 2024 AEST (the “Entry Period”). Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. All images must be submitted through the photo submission form on our website. Images that are sent via mail or email will not be accepted.
Entry Fee: The early bird entry fee is $6 USD per photograph for up to five photographs per category. Total entries per person should not exceed 15 photos. Groups of photos submitted for the Kelp Story Category count as one entry. The fee must be paid online at the time of submission and is non-refundable. The entree fees cover administrative costs of hosting the competition, such as website hosting and the contest platform. If the entry fee is a barrier to submission, please contact us to arrange a fee waiver, pending availability.
File Specifications: All photos must be saved as JPG files and resized to 2000 pixels in the longest dimension at 300dpi. Images must not contain any frame, border, watermark, logo, or identifying marks.
File naming: LastName_FirstName_PhotoTitle_Category.JPG
Example: Adler_Jennifer_SeaPuppy_KelpWildlife.JPG
We will remove your name from the filename before sending the images to the judges. All entered images must have the camera EXIF data embedded.
Please include caption information in the metadata. Caption information must be complete, true, and accurate.
Individual photos may only be entered into one category. However photos submitted as part of the "Stories from the Forest" Category may also be entered as individual photos into other categories. If you choose to include people in your submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary releases from the individuals depicted. We reserve the right to require entrants to submit signed photo releases for the submitted photograph, which may include a signed waiver from the subject or the subject’s legal guardian or representative.
Editing: Basic post-processing (i.e., color and contrast adjustments, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction) is allowed. However, alterations that materially change the content of the original image, such as adding, removing, or replacing elements, are not permitted.
Ethics: AI generated images are NOT permitted. We will require RAW files for all winning photos. All entered images must have the camera EXIF data embedded. Any entrant deliberately cheating by entering AI generated images will be banned from all future contests.
Photographs should respect the underwater environment and its inhabitants. Any behavior that damages the environment, stresses or harms wildlife, or violates local regulations is not acceptable. Evidence of such behavior will disqualify the entrant.
Photo Rights and usage: You retain copyright of all of your images submitted to the contest. We reserve the right to reproduce submitted images royalty free, but only in connection with sharing the competition results and promoting the contest. Photos will always be used with credit to the photographer (e.g. "Jennifer Adler/Kelp Photo Awards 2024"). You have the ability to choose whether you would like to give KFA rights to use your images as part of our conservation efforts when you submit. You still retain copyright of your images and KFA will always give photo credit.
Explanation of Judging Process: Submissions will be evaluated by a diverse panel of experienced underwater photographers and photo editors based on technical excellence, originality, creativity, composition, and impact. The judges' decisions are final and binding.
Awarding of Prizes: Winners will be notified via email and announced on our website by June 15, 2024. Prizes are non-transferable and there are no cash alternatives. Winners may be required to verify their eligibility. Winning photos may be featured in Kelp Photo Awards exhibits in Australia and the USA. There will be 7 category winners. Prizes may be reported as income to a winner and the winner will be responsible for all taxes associated with the receipt of a prize.
Questions and inquiries about contest rules can be emailed to the Kelp Forest Alliance.
Eligible Photos and Entrants: This competition is open to both amateurs and professionals over 18 years of age. The Youth Category is open to photographers 18 and under as of January 2024. All photographs must be the original work of the entrant and must have been taken underwater in a kelp forest ecosystem or highlight an aspect of a kelp forest ecosystem (kelp, associated biodiversity, kelp farming, science, etc).
Entry Period: The Photo Contest begins at 00:00 on November 1st, 2023 and ends at 11:59 on March 8th, 2024 AEST (the “Entry Period”). Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. All images must be submitted through the photo submission form on our website. Images that are sent via mail or email will not be accepted.
Entry Fee: The early bird entry fee is $6 USD per photograph for up to five photographs per category. Total entries per person should not exceed 15 photos. Groups of photos submitted for the Kelp Story Category count as one entry. The fee must be paid online at the time of submission and is non-refundable. The entree fees cover administrative costs of hosting the competition, such as website hosting and the contest platform. If the entry fee is a barrier to submission, please contact us to arrange a fee waiver, pending availability.
File Specifications: All photos must be saved as JPG files and resized to 2000 pixels in the longest dimension at 300dpi. Images must not contain any frame, border, watermark, logo, or identifying marks.
File naming: LastName_FirstName_PhotoTitle_Category.JPG
Example: Adler_Jennifer_SeaPuppy_KelpWildlife.JPG
We will remove your name from the filename before sending the images to the judges. All entered images must have the camera EXIF data embedded.
Please include caption information in the metadata. Caption information must be complete, true, and accurate.
Individual photos may only be entered into one category. However photos submitted as part of the "Stories from the Forest" Category may also be entered as individual photos into other categories. If you choose to include people in your submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary releases from the individuals depicted. We reserve the right to require entrants to submit signed photo releases for the submitted photograph, which may include a signed waiver from the subject or the subject’s legal guardian or representative.
Editing: Basic post-processing (i.e., color and contrast adjustments, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction) is allowed. However, alterations that materially change the content of the original image, such as adding, removing, or replacing elements, are not permitted.
Ethics: AI generated images are NOT permitted. We will require RAW files for all winning photos. All entered images must have the camera EXIF data embedded. Any entrant deliberately cheating by entering AI generated images will be banned from all future contests.
Photographs should respect the underwater environment and its inhabitants. Any behavior that damages the environment, stresses or harms wildlife, or violates local regulations is not acceptable. Evidence of such behavior will disqualify the entrant.
Photo Rights and usage: You retain copyright of all of your images submitted to the contest. We reserve the right to reproduce submitted images royalty free, but only in connection with sharing the competition results and promoting the contest. Photos will always be used with credit to the photographer (e.g. "Jennifer Adler/Kelp Photo Awards 2024"). You have the ability to choose whether you would like to give KFA rights to use your images as part of our conservation efforts when you submit. You still retain copyright of your images and KFA will always give photo credit.
Explanation of Judging Process: Submissions will be evaluated by a diverse panel of experienced underwater photographers and photo editors based on technical excellence, originality, creativity, composition, and impact. The judges' decisions are final and binding.
Awarding of Prizes: Winners will be notified via email and announced on our website by June 15, 2024. Prizes are non-transferable and there are no cash alternatives. Winners may be required to verify their eligibility. Winning photos may be featured in Kelp Photo Awards exhibits in Australia and the USA. There will be 7 category winners. Prizes may be reported as income to a winner and the winner will be responsible for all taxes associated with the receipt of a prize.
Questions and inquiries about contest rules can be emailed to the Kelp Forest Alliance.
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