Entry rules

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1. The World Press Photo contest is only open to professional photographers. Every entrant needs to provide a document with a valid date that proves their current professional status. Examples of documents that count as proof include, but are not limited to:

a recent letter of reference (must be from 2019 or 2020) from a photo agency, photo editor, media organization or publication;
OR
membership document from a recognized photographic association that show photographer is a professional member;
OR
at least 1 tearsheet showing your picture/s from 2019 or 2020, with your name visible as credit, in either online or print format from a recognized media organization or publication;
OR
journalism union membership card;
OR
press card.

The organization reserves the right to ask for additional information to help clarify the entrant’s professional status.

2. Team entries of two or more photographers are allowed. Per team member proof of professional status must be provided.

3. The photographer(s) must be the author(s) of the pictures submitted in his/her/their

name.

4. The photographer(s), or the agent or representative entering on their behalf, must be

the copyright holder(s) or have been authorized by the copyright holder(s) to submit the pictures.

5. A picture can only be entered once, either as a single picture or as part of a story, or

as part of a body of work in Long-Term Projects. Pictures submitted more than once will be removed from the contest.

6. Pictures can be submitted whether or not they have been published.

7. We will use winning images for the production of our book and exhibition. Pictures must meet the following specifications:

Upload images with the original pixel size (unless cropped). Do not scale and do not change the resolution.
IICC profile must be embedded. AdobeRGB, sRGB or grayscale Gamma 2.2 are recommended. No CMYK. 
Must be uploaded in JPEG format with high quality compression. We will use winning images for high quality reproduction.

8. Pictures must not show the name of the photographer, agency, or publication, or any other information (these details can be included in the metadata of the pictures but must not be visible on the picture itself).

9. Pictures taken at restricted events (that is, events where only photographers commissioned by those organising the event, for example governments, political parties or corporations have access), are not accepted.

10. All pictures must have accurate captions, written in English only, and contain all the information described in the guidance on captions.

11. Only single exposure and single frame pictures will be accepted. The following are not accepted:

Multiple exposures, polyptychs (diptychs, triptychs, and so forth).
Stitched panoramas, either produced in-camera or with image editing software.

12. The content of a picture must not be altered by adding, rearranging, reversing, distorting or removing people and/or objects from within the frame. There are two exceptions:

Cropping that removes extraneous details is permitted;
Removing sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives is permitted. (See the guidance on what counts as manipulation for details on what is, or is not, acceptable.)

13. Adjustments of color or conversion to grayscale that do not alter content are permitted, with two exceptions:

Changes in color may not result in significant changes in hue, to such an extent that the processed colors diverge from the original colors.
Changes in density, contrast, color and/or saturation levels that significantly alter content by obscuring or eliminating information in the picture are not permitted. The jury determines which changes are significant, following the video guidance on what counts as manipulation.

14. Participants must provide file(s) as recorded by the camera for all images that proceed to the final stages of the contest. These file(s) will be requested and studied confidentially between 16 January - 24 February 2021. Failure to provide these files when requested will lead to the exclusion of the entry.

15. Entries must be submitted via the official contest platform. Entries sent in other ways will not be accepted.

16. The deadline for requesting a username and password to the entry website and for submitting entries to the 2021 Contest has been extended to Wednesday 13 January 2021, 12.00 (noon) Central European Time.

17. Copyright holders retain copyright of their work. For awarded pictures, copyright holders grant the World Press Photo Foundation unlimited non-exclusive use of high- resolution pictures for activities in all media, including social media, online and print, in relation to the contest, the exhibition, the yearbook, the public archive, and all promotional and educational activities for and under the auspices of the World Press Photo Foundation, without any remuneration being due.

18. For all pictures except awarded pictures, copyright holders grant the World Press Photo Foundation non-exclusive use of low-resolution pictures in a non-public archive for its educational and research activities, without any remuneration being due.

19. The copyright holders represent and warrant that submission of the pictures does not breach any law, and further that no third party can hold any claims or any objections regarding the rights granted to the World Press Photo Foundation specified in articles 16 and 17. The copyright holders will hold the World Press Photo Foundation harmless of any claims from third parties related hereto.

20. The Entry Rules and any dispute, proceedings or claim of whatever nature arising out of or in any way relating to the Entry Rules (including any non-contractual disputes or claims), shall be governed by Dutch law.

21. Any dispute arising from the Entry Rules (whether contractual or non-contractual) shall be decided solely and exclusively by the competent court of Amsterdam.

22. The conditions set out in the Entry Rules are binding, and the World Press Photo Foundation reserves the right to refuse or exclude any entry at its own discretion.

Entry rules

2021 Photo Contest entry rules