Rules & Regulations

FEP Photographer of the Year Awards

Aims

The aim of this competition is to help promote the photographic profession and to raise the level of professional standards. It is intended to give just recognition to those who work in this sector according to the highest levels of quality and professionalism. The competition is a non-profit event and all fees collected will be used to promote the FEP and the FEP member associations. 

Criteria

The FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year Awards are open to all professional photographers who are registered and resident in a European country (as defined by the Council of Europe), with no discrimination of sex, race, religion, nationality or ethnicity. The competition is open to both members and non-members of FEP associations. A special section is also open for European Young Photographers, assistants and photographic students up to 30 years of age.

Introduction

The competition is totally Web based; the registration, hosting and judging are all carried out online. All entries will remain offline until the competition ends, they will be visible online only after the closure of the judging session.

All submitted images must be anonymous. 

Categories

There are 9 categories in the competition:  

Commercial

Images with an intended use by a commercial client to promote or brand a product or company. In the case of images pertinent to advertising campaigns, they must not contain any text or graphic elements, which were not part of the original exposure. Images containing text will be immediately disqualified.

Fashion

Fashion is about promoting a Lifestyle and to stimulate interest and/or purchasing appeal towards a product/business/fashion-brand by the observer. In the case of images pertinent to advertising campaigns, they must not contain any text or graphic elements, which were not part of the original exposure. Images containing text will be immediately disqualified. 

Illustration, Digital Art & Fine Art

Illustrations of an idea or concept. The images may be composites or multiple exposures. 

Landscape

Images of authentic Landscapes, which may be countryside and urban landscapes. The content of the image must not be altered. Minor retouching of blemishes etc. is permitted.  Images must be presented as possible single-frame images. Composite and multiple exposure images will ONLY be accepted as, panorama stitched or HDR for extended tonal range. The original captured image (RAW or jpg) must be available if requested by the FEP. Otherwise the FEP reserves the right to disqualify the submission.

Portrait

Images should reflect the personality/personalities of the person/group in the picture, as well as the personality, artistic and technical skills of the image-maker.

Reportage/Photojournalism 

Images that illustrate an actual event, life, areas of human interest, a public or private occasion or news that has high impact and/or a lasting emotional value. The content of the image must not be altered. Minor retouching of blemishes etc. is permitted. Only single-frame images will be accepted. Composite and multiple exposure images are unacceptable. The original captured image (RAW or jpg) must be available if requested by the FEP. Otherwise the FEP reserves the right to disqualify the submission. 

Sports 

Images that illustrate an actual public or private SPORTING event. The content of the image must not be altered. Minor retouching of blemishes etc. is permitted. Only single-frame images will be accepted. Composite and multiple exposure images are unacceptable. The original captured image (RAW or jpg) must be available if requested by the FEP. Otherwise the FEP reserves the right to disqualify the submission.

Wedding

Images must be from an actual wedding, either on the day of the event or very close to the day of the ceremony. Wedding reportage should reflect the atmosphere of the event, the personality/personalities of the subject(s) as well as a personal style, illustrating the artistic and technical skills of the image-maker.

Wildlife 

Images of real wild life in a natural habitat. No images of creatures in captivity or stuffed. The content of the image must not be altered. Minor retouching of blemishes etc. is permitted. Only single-frame images will be accepted. Composite and multiple exposure images are unacceptable. The original captured image (RAW or jpg) must be available if requested by the FEP. Otherwise the FEP reserves the right to disqualify the submission. 

There is also one special section for Students and Young Photographers:

The category, Special Section, is open for European Young Photographers, assistants and photographic students up to 30 years of age.  

Images submitted for this special section will be judged according to the same criteria as the nine main categories

Images:

The images must be anonymous and in the case of images pertinent to advertising campaigns, they must not contain any text or graphic elements, which were not part of the original exposure. Images containing text will be immediately disqualified.

It is the responsibility of the participants to place images in the different categories. Images will be judged in the category in which they are submitted in.

Awards

 The following awards will be issued:

• FEP European Commercial Golden Camera Award
• FEP European Fashion Golden Camera Award
• FEP European Illustrative, Digital and Fine Art Golden Camera Award
• FEP European Landscape Golden Camera Award
• FEP European Portrait Golden Camera Award
• FEP European Reportage/Photojournalism Golden Camera Award
• FEP European Sports Golden Camera Award
• FEP European Wedding Golden Camera Award
• FEP European Wildlife Golden Camera Award
• FEP European Students & Young Photographers Golden Camera Award

A Silver Camera Award and a Bronze Camera Award will also be issued in all categories

And the overall winner: FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year 2018

How to Enter

To enter one or more categories, photographers must complete the entry form online

Entrants can log into the system using their europeanphotographers.eu usernames and passwords. Details of previous entries can be checked and amended. Users will only need to enter their personal details once.

The photographers may enter as many images into as many categories as they like. However, a minimum set of 3 images in the same category is required. Unlimited additional pictures may be submitted, but only the top 3 scored pictures in the same category will be considered for the allocation of awards.

FEP members, EPs, QEPs or MQEPs and students, are entitled to discounts or free entries.

Students may enter only their special sections.

Entrants who are members of a FEP member association will have to indicate the national association of which they are members to obtain the automatic discount for members of an FEP member association, 

Students must indicate their relevant photographic institute.  

Assistants must indicate the name of the photographic studio where they are employed.

Submitted images must not have entered previous editions of this FEP Competition.

Submitted images must not have WON other international competitions. 

It is the responsibility of the participating photographer to ensure that personal data, including the spelling of the participants name, is correct. The data may be updated by the participant until the competition closes. Any certificates or awards that may be issued will be supplied based on this information as will any information communicated by FEP in all media referring to that photographer.

Technical Specifications

Parameters: at least 4000 pixels on the longest side

Format: jpegs 10 or 12 (maximum) and maximum 16 megabytes 

Imbedded profile: sRGB, Adobe 98 or Greyscale

Entrants must certify that the entire process of production and post-production of any photographs submitted has been carried out by the entrant or under his/her direction. It is not possible to submit two images of the same subject, unless the process of post-production results in two completely different images. Images not considered admissible may be disqualified at the discretion of the jury.

Timelines and Schedules

The 2018 competition opens on September 1st, 2017

Closing date for receipt of entries is January 7th, 2018 

Judging will take place immediately after, and the first results will be announced approximately 30 days later.

 

Entry Fees

For photographers who are not members of an FEP member association an entry fee of 30,00 Euros for a first set of 3 images on each category is mandatory. They can enter all the 9 categories.

For photographers who are members of an FEP member association, an entry fee of 20,00 Euros for a first set of 3 images in 1 category is mandatory. They can enter all the 9 categories.

EP, QEP and MASTER QEP holders can enter a first set of 3 images in 1 category for free. They can enter all the 9 categories.

For Young Photographers, assistants and students an entry fee of 10,00 Euros for a first set of 3 images in their special section is mandatory.

For all entrants, any additional submitted image, other than the first set of 3 images in one category, a fee of 10,00 Euros per picture will be charged.

Entrants are required to pay all entry fees to the FEP through an online international system for credit cards. 

Multiple entries are allowed until the competition is closed.

Prizes

For Single Images

All images entered will be assessed by an international FEP jury with an online voting system and awarded points out of 100.

The image achieving a score between 77/100 and 84/100 will be presented with a Merit Award Certificate.

Those obtaining a score between 85/100 and 90/100 will be presented with a Distinction Award Certificate.

Finally, those obtaining a score of at least 91/100 will be presented with an Excellence Award Certificate by the FEP.

The images and the photographers names will be published on the FEP website.

For the Entrants:

All participants will receive the official results by e-mail.

Finalists

The top 10 photographers in each category and in the special sections will be presented as finalists.

The classification will be determined by adding the scores achieved by the first, second and third highest score images submitted by a photographer in each category (score compiled by computed results)

All the finalists will receive a finalist certificate. The top 3 finalists will become the Golden, Silver and Bronze Camera Award winners, (so at the end the finalists in each category will be 7)

 

Category Winners

The photographers who achieved the first highest score in each category will be presented as FEP GOLDEN CAMERA Winners for the relevant category. The photographers who obtained the second and third highest scores in each category will be announced as FEP Silver Camera winners for 2nd place and FEP Bronze Camera winners for 3rd place. All the authors winners/second and third in each category will receive a trophy. They will be presented with their trophies at a special FEP Award Ceremony.

Overall Winner

From the 9 category winners (Golden Cameras) the jury will then select an Overall Winner, and the author who achieves the highest number of votes by the full judging panel will be presented as the FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year. They will receive a certificate and a special trophy.

In the event of a draw, there will be a re-vote by the jury and an overall winner will be chosen between the two or more authors. In case of a second draw, the Chairman will have the casting vote.

The overall winner will receive the certificate and the trophy at the annual award ceremony. 

The images and names of the winners will be published on the official FEP website, as well as the images and names of all successful candidates and finalists 

 

Presentation of the Awards

Awards will be presented at a special ceremony. The presentations will consist of certificates and trophies. Winners who cannot personally come or be represented at the ceremony to accept their trophies and certificates may ask to receive them by post, but, in this case, the expenses of the shipment will be in charged to the photographers.

Prints may be made of the top 3 authors per each category, as well as the special sections, for inclusion in the official exhibition at the annual award ceremony.

Jury Composition

The judging panel(s) will include a non–voting Chairman and a minimum of 5 members, of different nationalities, selected among, Master QEP photographers and other photographic experts nominated by the FEP associations. The Chairman of the Jury may choose to use more than one panel of judges. Each panel of Judges will then judge one or more Categories. All Judges will be asked to vote to elect the Overall Winner. The sponsors of this competition may be asked to nominate a judge for inclusion in the Jury. Judging will take place on- line. The names of the judges will be published on the FEP web site after the judging session is completed.

Jury Functions

The Chairman of the jury, in co-operation with the FEP CEO, will monitor the voting procedure. The Chairman may also call the jury to re-examine an image or a set of pictures should they feel it necessary or if there is great discrepancy in the scores awarded. 

If a judge knows who created an entered image, the judge must refrain from judging the specific image. When in doubt, the Judge should consult the Chairman of the Jury. Judges cannot enter the Competition. 

The FEP CEO assists the Chairman, records the scores and signs the official jury report, which is also signed by the Chairman.

Judging Criteria

The Jury will assess the images for IMPACT, VISION, TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE and COMPOSITION.

Rights and Responsibilities

Copyright and Releases

The copyright of all images submitted remains with the copyright holder. However, the FEP reserves the right to use any of the images submitted, without payment or notice, for display and publicity purposes for this and future FEP awards or projects. It is the responsibility of the candidate to obtain the permission of the client and/or the copyright holder and any relevant model release forms, where appropriate before submitting the works.

FEP cannot be held responsible for lack of doing so by an entrant photographer.

FEP cannot be held responsible for third parties misuse of images.

FEP and the official sponsors of the competition may ask the winners for permission to use the photographs for promotional purposes (other than the above mentioned) for one year, publishing the name of the author and the event together with the winning images.

By completing the entry form, the entrants agree that they accept in full the competitions rules. The organizers of the competition and the Chairman of the judging commission will interpret the correct application of these rules and will arbitrate on any situations not expressly covered by them. The decision of the jury is final; however, constructive criticism, suggestions and comments are welcome.

The participants personal information will be for internal organizational use only, in respect of national and international privacy laws.