PAF | Competition gallery

Rules of the PAF Tachov Photography Competition
(hereinafter referred to as the competition)

The competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers who take photographs while diving underwater.

Competitors shall pay an entry fee of CZK 1,000 or €40 electronically.
Link to payment of the participation fee.

Competition categories

• Black and white photography
• Color photography from fresh natural waters
• Color photography from seas and oceans
• Photographs taken in a swimming pool
• Abstract, experimentally post-produced photographs
• The author's portfolio must contain 4 photographs according to the prescribed themes
  A – Wide-angle shot with a diver
  B – Wide-angle shot without a diver
  C – Macro photography
  D – Photograph of an aquatic animal

Rules

1. One to three photographs may be submitted in each category. The exception is the Author's Portfolio category, which is evaluated as a whole, and competitors are required to upload photographs to all four subcategories.
2. Photographs must be taken underwater in nature, during scuba diving or snorkeling. The content of the photograph may only include underwater fauna, flora, landscape, divers, and existing artifacts located below the water surface. (This provision does not apply to the categories "Pool Photography" and "Abstract").
3. Photographers must be the authors of the photographs submitted in their name. At the time of submission, the author must be an adult with legal capacity, and the festival organizer shall not be held liable if, as a result of the publication of the photograph, it is found that its acquisition or disposal by the applicant was made in violation of legal regulations.
4. A photograph may only be submitted to one category – the same photograph submitted more than once will be disqualified from the competition. Photographs taken in a short time interval with the same motif are also considered to be the same photograph.
5. Only photographs that have not yet competed at the PAF Tachov festival may be submitted to the competition.
6. The content of the photograph must not be altered by adding, rearranging, distorting, removing content, or modifying it using artificial intelligence. Overall and local adjustments to tonality and contrast, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction, and minor retouching (cleaning) are permitted. The exception is the Abstract Photography category, where any adjustments are allowed.
7. All photos must be titled and must meet the following requirements: JPG file format (High quality), RGB color profile. The photo must be at least 3000 pixels on the longer side. The maximum allowable size is 7 MB.
8. No signatures, logos, or other "watermarks" inserted into the photo or added frames are allowed.
9. Submitting photos to the competition will only be possible electronically within the announced deadlines for the given year. The start dates for accepting competition entries and the deadlines are listed on the main website.
10. The authors of photographs selected for the shortlist must provide the original RAW or unedited JPEG created by the camera (if the author does not shoot in RAW) for evaluation by the jury. The DNG format is only permitted if it is the native RAW format of the camera used.
11. Competitors confirm that their photographs were taken with respect for nature and in a manner that did not cause injury or stress to the photographed animal or damage to its environment. Suspicion of unethical practices in the creation of a competition entry may lead to disqualification.
12. Copyright holders retain all copyrights to their works. By participating in the competition, copyright holders grant the competition organizer, PAF Tachov, the right to use high-resolution images in all media, including social media, online and print, related to the competition, exhibition, yearbook, without limitation as to the number of uses, manner of use, or territory, for the entire duration of the copyright protection, free of charge.
13. The jury reserves the right not to award a prize in certain categories if the submitted works do not meet the quality standards of the competition.
14. A collection of exhibition photographs in 30x45 cm format will be produced from the selected competition photographs at the organizer's expense. If you are interested in installing this exhibition in your city, please contact the organizer.
15. The author is aware that if the submitted photographs do not meet the specified requirements, the competition fee is not paid, or the application is not submitted in the specified manner, they will not be accepted into the competition.
16. By entering the competition, the authors of the photographs agree to all the rules and conditions of the competition and the use of the submitted photographs.

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