FEP Awards 2024 – Full Rules
Dates
Call for Entries: November 1st, 2023 – January 22nd, 2024 extended deadline
Criteria
The FEP 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.
If an entry is received from a photographer who is not member of a FEP member association, FEP reserves the right to ask for proof of their registration with the tax authorities as a professional photographer and they must show their VAT registration number or certificate of professional insurance, which will be validated by the FEP.
Introduction
The competition is completely web-based; registration, hosting and judging are carried out online.
All entries will remain offline until the competition ends. All awarded Single Images, Camera Winning Images and Finalists Images will be visible online on the FEP website shortly after the results of the competition have been announced.
Categories
There are 12 categories in the competition:
Image by Antonio Barrella
Advertising/Commercial
This category is for commercial images used to sell, market, promote or advertise a product, brand, service, or person(s).
Images pertinent to advertising campaigns, must not contain any text or graphic elements not part of the original exposure. Images containing text will be immediately disqualified.
Aerial, architecture, automotive, food, products, still life, self-promotion, music covers and corporate photography are all included in this category.
Composite, non-composite images and digitally manipulated images (Photoshop or similar) are allowed in this category. A large proportion (minimum 80 %) of the images used to create the final picture should be taken by the photographer and NOT be stock images or fully digitally created images.
Images that have been largely created/generated via computer algorithms are NOT allowed and must be submitted in the Digitally Created Images category.
If the Competition Chairman or a judge has any doubts as to the authorship of the constituent images, FEP reserves the right to examine the original files used to create the final picture.
Image by Patrizia Burra
Digitally Created Images
Images that have been largely/entirely created/generated using AI-Artificial Intelligence, digital technology/3D modelling/editing/CGI software… should be entered into this category.
Images submitted in this category are not eligible for the selection of the ‘Photographer of the Year’.
Image by Johanna Sjövall
Domesticated Animals
Animals not in their natural habitat, tame animals, such as pets, farm animals or those kept in a zoo. Animal portraits can be taken in studio or on location.
It is allowed to carry out minor retouching, to crop, rotate, brighten and darken the image locally, reduce noise, sharpen, adjust colour/black and white, use grain and minor cleaning such as removing sensor dust and chromatic aberration. Entrants are permitted to use focus stacking and HDR for extended tonal range.
Composite images are allowed as long as the digital postproduction is not a significant part of conveying the natural appearance of the animal(s). Photographic works where the image manipulation or post production becomes a significant part of the final image must be entered into Illustration & Fine Art. Judges will consider the relevance of highly manipulated images.
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.
Note : Animals photographed in their natural habitat must be submitted in the separate Wildlife category. Photos of animals accompanied by people must be submitted in the Portrait & People category.
Image by Laura Sheridan
Fashion and Beauty
Fashion is about promoting a lifestyle and to stimulate interest and/or purchasing appeal towards a product/business/fashion-brand by the observer.
Fashion:
Featuring clothing, other fashion items/accessories, makeup or styling.
Beauty:
Glamour-style portraiture, either artistic or commercial, emphasising someone’s or something’s beauty.
Images pertinent to advertising campaigns must not contain any text or graphic elements that were not part of the original exposure.
Images containing text not part of the original exposure will be immediately disqualified.
Composite, non-composite images and digitally manipulated images (Photoshop or similar) are allowed in this category. A large proportion (minimum 80 %) of the images used to create the final picture should be taken by the photographer and NOT be stock images or fully digitally created images.
Images that have been largely created/generated via computer algorithms are NOT allowed and must be submitted in the Digitally Created Images category.
If the Competition Chairman or a judge has any doubts as to the authorship of the constituent images, FEP reserves the right to examine the original files used to create the final picture.
Image by Onni Wiljami Kinnunen
Illustration and Fine Art
Illustrations of an idea or concept. Creativity, originality and story-telling within the composites are important features of this category.
They may be composites or multiple exposures. Photos heavily digitally post-processed are allowed.
Composite, non-composite images and digitally manipulated images (Photoshop or similar) are allowed in this category. A large proportion (minimum 80 %) of the images used to create the basic idea behind the final picture should be taken by the photographer and NOT be stock images or fully digitally created images. Images with computer generated content are allowed but the foundation (primary centre of interest and related components) must be grounded in photography capture skills.
Images that have been largely created/generated via computer algorithms are NOT allowed and must be submitted in the Digitally Created Images category.
If the Competition Chairman or a judge has any doubts as to the authorship of the constituent images, FEP reserves the right to examine the original files used to create the final picture.
Image by Martin Rak
Landscape
Landscapes, natural as well as artificial landscapes, urban landscapes, cityscapes and sunsets are allowed in this category. Aerial photography of landscapes from drones, planes, balloons, etc is included in this category. Photos of the night sky with elements of the earth along in the picture are considered landscape photos. Photos of the night sky with only stars in view (pure astrophotography) must be submitted in the nature category.
Landscape photography is not a passive process it is the photographer’s control of natural light, composition and is above all, a creative process, an opportunity for the photographer to express themselves in the form of an individually crafted picture, utilising the creative elements of photography.
The content of the image must not be altered. Entrants are permitted to crop, rotate, perspective-adjust, brighten and darken the image locally, reduce noise, sharpen, adjust colour/black and white, remove chromatic aberration and sensor dust.
Images must be presented as single-frame images. It is also allowed to create panoramic images (photo stitching), use focus stacking, and multi-exposures in the camera, which are taken simultaneously in the same place (as a continuous sequence, seconds or minutes apart) or use of HDR for extended tonal range.
Entrants are not permitted to add, remove or move picture elements through, for example, cloning, patch tool, healing brush tools, motion-adapted filling (content aware), liquify, composite images or the like. Minimal removal of litter and other loose disruptive elements in the image is allowed.
The original captured images (RAW or jpg) must be available if requested by the FEP. Otherwise the FEP reserves the right to disqualify the submission.
Image by Daragh Muldowney
Nature
This category is for photography that is devoted to displaying natural elements such as plants, flowers, trees and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Macro and astrophotography are included in this category. Landscape pictures must be submitted in the separate Landscape category and are excluded from the Nature category.
The content of the image must not be altered. Entrants are permitted to crop, rotate, perspective-adjust, brighten and darken the image locally, reduce noise, sharpen, adjust colour/black and white, use grain and minor cleaning such as removing sensor dust and chromatic aberration.
Images must be presented as single-frame images. Entrants are permitted to create panoramic images (photo stitching), use focus stacking, and multi-exposures in the camera, which are taken simultaneously in the same place (as a continuous sequence – seconds or minutes apart) or use of HDR for extended tonal range.
Entrants are not permitted to add, remove or move picture elements through, for example, cloning, patch tool, healing brush tools, motion-adapted filling (content aware), liquify, composite images or the like. Digitally cleaning the background from dirt and creases and other loose disruptive elements is allowed.
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.
Image by Laila Villebeck
People & Portrait
Category sponsored by
This category is for photographs where people are the main subject, whether a single person or a group, showing the human aspect of life in all its wonderful variety.
Portrait
Adults, youth, children, newborn, babies, toddlers, families, self-portraits: artistic images specifically capturing the unique personalities and characteristics of a person or group of people as well as the personality, artistic and technical skills of the image-maker.
Culture
Images that tell a story about a people and their culture or traditions.
Lifestyle
The art of ‘everyday’, photos showing real-life events or milestones, people and their way of life.
Entrants are permitted to execute minor skin retouching, crop, rotate, perspective-adjust, brighten and darken the image locally, reduce noise, sharpen, adjust colour/black and white, use grain and minor cleaning such as removing sensor dust and chromatic aberration.
Composite images are allowed as long as the digital postproduction is not a significant part of conveying the personality of the subject(s). Photographic works where the image manipulation or post production becomes a significant part of the final image must be entered into Illustration & Fine art. Judges will consider the relevance of highly manipulated images.
Entrants are permitted to make multi-exposure images taken simultaneously in the same place (as a continuous sequence, seconds or minutes apart) or make use of HDR for extended tonal range.
Images that have been largely created/generated via computer algorithms are NOT allowed and must be submitted in the Digitally Created Images category.
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.
Image by Marie Pascale Vandewalle
Reportage/Photojournalism
Images or a series of 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, without the photographer’s interference.
General news, contemporary issues, political, social, environmental, traditional and cultural events, wars and conflicts, feature story, photo essay…
This category is for images usually meant to accompany text, illustrate a story, article, or an idea within the context of a publication, and can cover a wide range of subjects.
NOTE: Wedding pictures: images featuring people and activities relating to wedding or engagement ceremonies, celebrations or traditions must be entered in the separate Wedding category.
The content of the image must not be altered. Entrants are permitted to crop, rotate, brighten and darken the image locally, reduce noise, sharpen, adjust colour/black-and-white, apply grain and minor cleaning jobs like removing sensor dust or chromatic aberration.
Entrants are not permitted to combine several photos into one (panorama, multi-exposure, etc), or add, delete or move elements by, for instance, cloning, healing, patching, content aware fill, liquify or similar tools.
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.
Image by Colin Brister
Sports
This category is for all sports-related photography, editorial or artistic, featuring any competitive or recreational sport.
The content of the image must not be altered. Entrants are permitted to crop, rotate, brighten and darken the image locally, reduce noise, sharpen, adjust colour/black and white, use grain and minor cleaning such as removing sensor dust and chromatic aberration and use HDR for extended tonal range. Multi-exposures in the camera are allowed, if taken simultaneously, in the same place, as a continuous sequence, seconds or minutes apart.
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.
Image by Thibault Chappe
Wedding
Category sponsored by
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 skill of the image-maker.
Entrants are permitted to carry out minor skin retouching, crop, rotate, brighten and darken the image locally, reduce noise, sharpen, adjust colour/black and white, use grain and minor cleaning such as removing sensor dust and chromatic aberration and use of HDR for extended tonal range.
Composite images are allowed as long as the digital postproduction is not a significant part of displaying the essence or the personality of the subject(s). Photographic works where the image manipulation or post production becomes a significant part of the final image must be entered into Illustration & Fine Art.
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.
Image by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove
Wildlife
These images should illustrate the astonishing diversity of wildlife from all parts of the world.
Pictures of actual wildlife in a natural habitat, underwater photography, macro photography…
Entries must not deceive the viewer or attempt to disguise and/or misrepresent the reality of nature.
NOTE: animals NOT in their natural habitat, such as pets or farm animals or those kept in a zoo, should be entered in the Domesticated Animals category.
The content of the image must not be altered. Entrants are permitted to crop, rotate, brighten and darken the image locally, reduce noise, sharpen, adjust colour/black and white, use grain and minor cleaning such as removing sensor dust and chromatic aberration. Images must be presented as possible single-frame images. Composite and multiple exposure images are unacceptable.
It is also allowed to use focus stacking and use of HDR for extended tonal range.
Entrants are not permitted to add, remove or move picture elements through, for example, cloning, patch tool, healing brush tools, motion-adapted filling (content aware), liquify, composite images or the like. Minimal removal of litter and other loose disruptive elements in the image is permitted.
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.
Images
Important change in the FEP Awards Rules from edition 2024:
The FEP Awards are a competition exclusively for professional photographers. ‘Photographs’ created entirely (100 %) using AI – Artificial Intelligence should be entered into the Digitally Created Images category and are not eligible for the selection of the ‘Photographer of the Year’.
AI – Artificial Intelligence was fundamentally an art form, not photography. The title ‘Photographer of the Year’ can therefore not be assigned as such. AI can be used to enhance an image but not to add to it.
Images that have been largely created/generated using AI-Artificial Intelligence/digital technology/3D modelling/editing/CGI software should also be entered into the Digitally Created Images category.
While digital enhancement is part of photography today and relevant, all submissions should demonstrate foundation photographic skills.
Composites by photographers using image editing software (electronic/digital manipulation) and their own images demonstrating their skills post-shoot are accepted in some categories (Illustration & Fine Art, Advertising/Commercial), but a minimum of 80 % of the overall image has to be generated by the author (recorded on light-sensitive material or, in the case of digital photography, via a digital electronic or magnetic memory).
Judges are asked to recognize photography as the core contribution to all image categories. Any challenged images in the qualification review may require supporting images to establish the original photographic content.
Post Production should be relevant for the image. Images with a simple yet powerful message may not rely on Creativity or Technical manipulation to be recognized as a top scoring image. Any post production must be done under the direction of the photographer (author) of the image.
All the Finalists, except for those in the Digitally Created Images category, will be asked to submit their raw files, and the FEP Awards Chairman will make the final decision in connection with the confirmation or withdrawal of the finalist position of the respective photographers.
If it comes to the jury’s attention that any image has caused suffering to animals or destruction of the natural environment, participants may be disqualified. If such, or other violations of the rules are discovered after the work of the jury, the participant may lose any title and may return his prize.
Submitted images must NOT have been awarded as FINALISTS in previous editions of this FEP Competition.
All submitted images must be anonymous. Images pertinent to advertising campaigns, must not contain any text or graphic elements 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 correct designated category. Images will only be judged in the category in which they are submitted. It is up to the judges to consider if an image fits the category – and award it – or punish it, if it does not.
An image can only be entered in one category.
Awards
The following awards will be issued:
- The overall winner: FEP European Professional Photographer of the Year 2024
- FEP European Advertising/Commercial Golden Camera Award
- FEP European Digitally Created Images Golden Camera Award
- FEP European Domesticated Animals Golden Camera Award
- FEP European Fashion & Beauty Golden Camera Award
- FEP European Illustration & Fine Art Golden Camera Award
- FEP European Landscape Golden Camera Award
- FEP European Nature Golden Camera Award
- FEP European People & 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
A Silver Camera Award and a Bronze Camera Award will also be issued in all categories.
How to Enter
To enter one or more categories, photographers must register their personal data on the FEP website.
Entrants can log into the system using their europeanphotographers.eu username and password. Details of previous entries can be checked and amended. Users will only need to enter their personal details once.
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. A picture can only be submitted in one category.
NOTE: If one or more pictures from a candidate in the same category are disqualified and the total of their remaining pictures in that category is lower than 3, the remaining pictures cannot compete for a Finalist, Bronze, Silver or Golden Camera award. They are still eligible for Single Image Awards.
FEP members, EPs, QEPs, MQEPs, EVs, QEVs or MQEVs are entitled to discounts or free entries.
To obtain the automatic discount for members of a FEP member association the candidate must specify their national association.
NOTE: FEP qualified photographers (EP-QEP-MQEP-EV-QEV-MQEV) who do not submit more than their 3 free images will not be directed to the payment module to finalise their submission. They can simply log out after the upload. Their entry will be manually validated by the FEP Awards Chairman or the FEP Secretariat.
It is the responsibility of the participating photographer to ensure that personal data, including the spelling of their name, is correct. This 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
Images must be at least 4000 pixels on the longest side, but under 100 megapixels overall.
Format: jpegs 10 – 12 (maximum quality) and maximum 32 megabytes.
Embedded profile: sRGB, Adobe 98 or Greyscale.
The file names should be a maximum of 32 characters and should not contain any special characters such as accents, punctuations or non-latin characters (a-z and 1-9 only).
Entrants must certify that the entire process of production and post-production of any photographs submitted has been carried out by themselves or under their 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 2024 FEP Awards competition opens on November 1st, 2023.
Closing date for receipt of entries is midnight, January 22nd, 2024 (extended deadline).
Judging will take place immediately after, the first results (Finalists’ names) will be announced end February – beginning March.
The standard fee per category is € 40, which will allow the upload of the minimum three images required for that category.
Each additional image will cost € 10 and there are no limits on the number of images that may be entered.
Entry Fees
The standard fee per category is € 40, which will allow the upload of the minimum three images required for that category.
Each additional image will cost € 10 and there are no limits on the number of images that may be entered.
All photographers may enter all categories.
The discounts are as follows:
- EP, QEP, MASTER QEP, EV, QEV and Master QEV:
One free category, equivalent to a € 40 discount on the upload of the minimum three images required for that category.
Each additional image in that category will cost € 10. - Members of a FEP member association:
€ 20 discount in one category on the standard fee of € 40 for that category.
Each additional image in that category will cost € 10. - Ukrainian photographers:
€ 100 discount on the total cost of their entry.
The FEP does not refund entry fees paid for photos that were disqualified because they did not comply with the regulations.
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.
- Images achieving a score of 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.
- All awarded images and photographers’ names will be published on the FEP website.
- All Single Image Award Certificates can be downloaded from the FEP website shortly after the results of the competition have been announced.
For the Entrants
All participants will receive official results by e-mail.
Finalists
The top 10 photographers in each category will be presented as finalists.
Classification will be determined by adding the scores achieved by the first, second and third highest scored images submitted by a photographer in each category (compiled by computed results).
All finalists will receive a finalist’s certificate. The top 3 finalists will become the Golden, Silver and Bronze Camera Award winners.
Category Winners
Photographers who achieve the first highest score in each category will be presented as FEP GOLDEN CAMERA Winners for that relevant category. Photographers who obtain 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
Among all Golden Camera winners in the various categories, except the Digitally Created Images category, the jury will select an Overall Winner, and the author who achieves the highest number of votes from 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 from 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.
All Camera Awards Certificates and Finalists Certificates can be downloaded from the FEP website shortly after the results of the competition have been announced.
Presentation of the Awards
Awards will be presented at a special ceremony to be held on April 13th 2024 in Ålesund, Norway. 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, the expenses of packaging/shipment will be charged to the photographer. Signed certificates are also available for download.
Prints may be made of the top 3 authors of each category for inclusion in an 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 from, 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 category. 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, that 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 necessary permission from 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 the 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 submitting pictures to the competition, entrants agree that they accept in full the competition’s 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.
Participants personal information will be for internal organizational use only, in respect of national and international privacy laws.
Violation of the rules
Any violation of the FEP Awards competition rules will result in sanctions ranging from disqualification of the photographs submitted by the violator for the FEP Awards competition in question, to a suspension from participating in subsequent editions of the FEP Awards competition and FEP Qualifications for a period of 2 years.
Any disqualifications due to the participant not being the sole copyright holder of submitted entries, will automatically mean disqualification of all submitted entries and a two-year suspension from participation in the FEP competitions and FEP qualifications, as decided by the FEP’s board on May 15, 2023.
A validation committee consisting of the Chairman of the FEP Awards competition, the FEP President and the FEP CEO will investigate the violations and decide on sanctions to be taken.
Legal Terms & Conditions
For valid participation, the participants must sign the following statement:
I have read and understood the rules for registration and I will respect them in full. I declare that I have provided true information. I’m aware that any violation of the FEP Awards competition rules will result in sanctions ranging from disqualification of my photographs submitted, to a suspension from participating in subsequent editions of the FEP Awards competition and FEP Qualifications for a period of 2 years.
Instructions for offline payments
Entrants are required to pay all entry fees to the FEP through an online international system for credit cards.
If you must pay by bank transfer, please send your payment to:
FEP vzw
IBAN: BE26 7340 4630 9829
BIC: KREDBEBB
KBC Bank NV
Eiermarkt 20
2000 Antwerpen
Belgium
Reference: FEP Awards 2024 (and your name)
Then, please send an email to secretariat@europeanphotographers.eu to inform them about your choice for offline payment.
