Many things can count as manipulation in photography, but for the World Press Photo Contest, the code of ethics and entry rules focus on two important issues.
1. The first thing that counts as manipulation is staging or re-enacting events.
The code of ethics says photographers must not intentionally contribute to, or alter, the scene they picture by re-enacting or staging events.
Staging and re-enacting are different from posing for portraits. Portraits are a special genre of photography. They are made through a relationship between the subject and the photographer in which the subject poses for the photographer. However, for the contest, portraits must not present subjects doing things they would not ordinarily do. Portraits must not mislead viewers by faking a scene, meaning they cannot present scenes that appear as something other than they are.
For any portrait—either in the Portraits category, or as a single frame in a story—directions given to a subject must be disclosed in the caption.
Portraits are subject to the rules on manipulation, and the jury determines whether changes to the content of a portrait constitute manipulation. This means, for example, the face and body of the subject(s) cannot be altered through the addition or removal of physical marks.
2. The second thing that counts as manipulation is adding or removing content from the image.
It is important to note that processing by itself is not manipulation. Because of this, entry rule 13 states “adjustments of color or conversion to grayscale that do not alter content are permitted.”
This video shows visual examples of processing that are permitted.
There are two types of color adjustment that count as manipulation:
This video shows visual examples of color adjustment that are not permitted. These examples are not pictures that were entered. They show what was done to pictures that led them to be excluded from the previous two contests. As such, unacceptable color adjustments include, but are not limited to, these examples.
Altering the content of a picture by “adding, rearranging, reversing, distorting or removing people and/or objects from within the frame” is manipulation and makes an entry ineligible for the final round.
The examples given here come from alterations in previous contests. They do not specify every imaginable form of manipulation. Alterations that count as manipulation include, but are not limited to, the following.
It is not acceptable to remove things such as:
This video shows visual examples of removal of content that is not permitted. These examples are not pictures that were entered. They show what was done to pictures that led them to be excluded from the previous two contests. As such, unacceptable removal of content includes, but is not limited to, these examples.
It is not acceptable to add things. This includes, but is not limited, to:
This video shows visual examples of the addition of content that is not permitted. These examples are not pictures that were entered. They show what was done to pictures that led them to be excluded from the previous two contests. As such, unacceptable addition of content includes, but is not limited to, these examples.
3. The consequences of detecting manipulation in an entry.
When changes that break Rule 12 are found, both the contest entry in which manipulation is detected, and, if applicable, all other entries from that photographer will be excluded. When changes that break Rule 13 are found, the contest entry in which manipulation is detected will be excluded. If that picture is part of a story other pictures in the story that are free from manipulation can be transferred to a singles category if the jury so decides.