World Press Photo Annual Contest for Professional Visual Journalists 2018

The World Press Photo Foundation invites all professional visual journalists worldwide to participate in its two renowned and free to enter contests: the 61st Photo Contest and the 8th Digital Storytelling Contest.

Application Deadline: 4th January 2018 12.00 (noon) CET

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: All

About the Award: The annual photo contest rewards photographers for the best single exposure pictures contributing to the past year of visual journalism.

Type: Contest

Eligibility:

• 1. The World Press Photo contest is only open to professional photographers. Every photographer must provide valid evidence of current professional status. Examples of documents that count as evidence include, but are not limited to: a membership document from a professional photographic association; journalism union membership card; letter of reference from a photo agency, photo editor or publication; or a scan of a press card.
• 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. Pictures must meet the following specifications:

• Upload images with the original pixel size (unless cropped). Do not scale and do not change the resolution.
• ICC 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. All pictures must have accurate captions, written in English only, and contain all the information described in the guidance on captions.
• 10. 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.
• 11. 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:
• (i) Cropping that removes extraneous details is permitted;
  (ii) 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].
• 12. Adjustments of color or conversion to grayscale that do not alter content are permitted, with two exceptions:
• (i) Changes in color may not result in significant changes in hue, to such an extent that the processed colors diverge from the original colors.
  (ii) Changes in density, contrast, color and/or saturation levels that alter content by obscuring or eliminating backgrounds, and/or objects or people in the background of the picture, are not permitted. [See the guidance on what counts as manipulation for details on what is, or is not, acceptable].
• 13. Entrants whose work has been excluded for altering content in any two contests (from, and including, the 2016 Contest) will be prevented from entering the contest for five years after the second exclusion.
• 14. Only entries uploaded and submitted via the entry website will be accepted.

Value of Contest:

• Nominees (or one representative for a team entry) have their travel to Amsterdam and lodging paid for by the World Press Photo Foundation so they can attend the World Press Photo Festival, a public event taking place on 13-14 April 2018 featuring presentations, workshops and meetups. They also receive a Golden Eye Award and a diploma at the Awards Ceremony, an exclusive celebration taking place on 12 April 2018.
• The World Press Photo of the Year award carries a cash prize of 10,000 euros, as well as return airfare and hotel accommodation for travel to Amsterdam during World Press Photo Festival. The winner also receives a selection of camera equipment provided by Canon and a Golden Eye Award.
• The prize-winning photographs are also assembled into a year-long exhibition that opens in De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam on 14 April. The exhibition then goes on to visit 45 countries and 100 cities and is seen by more than 4 million people. The winning pictures are also published in an annual yearbook, which is available in multiple languages.
• The prize-winning projects of the Digital Storytelling Contest are assembled into an exhibition that travels to select locations around the world.
• In addition, prizewinners are often featured in major publications and invited to speak at public events, exhibition openings, and lectures throughout the year.

How to Apply:

Submissions: Entries can be submitted until 4 January 2018, 12.00 (noon) CET. Entrants must register and submit online at the World Press Photo Digital Storytelling Contest entry website here

The contest has four categories and is judged online. Details of the categories, entry rules, jury and judging process are available here

Visit Contest Webpage for details

Award Provider: World Press Photo Foundation