EPA Association

Rules



COMPETITION RULES

  1. Everyone can be a participant, regardless of being a member or non-member of the association.
  2. To participate in the association's competitions, the photographer must have credits. Credits can be purchased at our store. If you are a paying member, the member is entitled to send 7 photos per contest, at no additional cost.
  3. Credits acquired through the annuity will be valid for one year and are not cumulative per contest. If you do not use the 5 credits in the current contest, they cannot be used in the next contest.
  4. Credits acquired on an individual basis will be valid for one year, and may be used in any contest within the validity period.
  5. Any credit purchased from the EPA Association, either through the annual fee or separately, is non-refundable.
  6. The winning images will be included in the award winning photo gallery on the EPA Association website containing the award badge and the name of the author of the photo, as well as wide share on our social networks.
  7. Images already awarded by the association cannot be re-submitted.
  8. The registration of images already awarded in other associations is allowed.
  9. Each winning photo will be published in its original category. The categories can vary between one contest and another and will have their specific rules.
  10. The association reserves the right to create new contests, rules and categories as needed.
  11. Only copyrighted photos (photos created by the photographer himself) will be accepted. Photos taken by a team photographer will be automatically excluded from the contest. Photos produced during workshops will not be accepted, even if created by the photographer himself.
  12. A member of the jury committee can only participate in a contest which is not part of the examining board.
  13. Photos MUST be resized to 2000 px on the largest side and with 72 DPI.
  14. Photos cannot contain the photographer's logo. The author is responsible for the right to use the images. PHOTOS WITH LOGO WILL BE DISCLAIMED AND REMOVED FROM THE COMPETITION AUTOMATICALLY AND WITHOUT NOTICE. DISQUALIFIED PHOTOS WILL NOT BE REFUNDED.
  15. The responsibility for having the Image Usage Right rests with the participating photographer. If the person portrayed the photographer legally for improper use of his image, the EPA Association is exempt from any future judicial or extra judicial charges for an unlimited time.
  16. In the event of a complaint about a plagiarized image (or very similar to that of another photographer), the image will undergo a thorough analysis by those responsible for the association and may be disqualified from the contests if they perceive a lack of originality in the material created.
  17. Color, black and white and edited photos can be submitted (depending on the category. Read each category rule).
  18. The judges will evaluate the photos taking into account the originality, the composition, the creativity, the direction, the light, the technique, the artistic expressions, the message transmitted and or the visual impact presented in the image.
  19. The judges will evaluate the works submitted without the author's knowledge, increasing the impartiality of the judgment.
  20. The member (associate) when signing up for the association and uploading his images, fully agrees with all the rules of the regulation, our Privacy Policy, the rules of the competitions and the categories he chose to participate.

ENTRY GUIDELINES:

Entry must not violate or infringe any third-party copyright, trademark, trade dress, or other proprietary right of any entity or person (living or deceased), including but not limited to rights of privacy, publicity or portrayal in a false light.

Entry must not make reference to any commercial/corporate advertising, including but not limited to corporate logos, brand names, slogans, political, or religious statements, or be otherwiseobjectionable, as determined in Sponsor/Administrator's sole discretion.

Any Entry deemed inappropriate or unsuitable, in Sponsor’s/Epa’sole discretion, will be disqualified and removed from the competition.

Entry must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age.

Entry cannot defame, misrepresent or contain disparaging remarks about Sponsor/EPA or any other entity associated with the Contest, or their respective products and services, or other people, products or companies.

Scores:

Supreme award (100 points)
Perfect photo.

Platinum award (95-99 points)
Outstanding photo. Approaching the highest level of imagination, creativity and technique.

Gold Award (90-94 points)
Excellent Photo. Exhibiting outstanding skills in all areas and originality.

Silver Award (85 - 89 points)
Above Average photo. Excellent use of imagination, skill and technique.

Bronze Award (80 - 84 points)
Standard Practice photo. Above average skill and technique in most areas.

No award (79 points or less)
Below Standard photo. Good saleable work consistent with standard professional practice.


EPA Association AWARDS:

The main objective of the program is to continuously encourage, teach and motivate photographers to remain committed to their craft.

FIRST PLACE: is awarded to the photographer who obtains the most points in a competition. The points will be the sum of all scores obtained in all photos sent to the contest. For example, if a photographer submits 2 photos to the contest and obtains scores 85 and 88, respectively, he will add up to a total of 173 points, which will be his final score in the rank. The photographer who obtains the highest number of points, in the sum of the scores, will receive 5 credits for the next contest.
Points received in previous competitions will not be considered for these awards.
Credits will only be valid for the next contest, and are not cumulative.

SECOND PLACE: is awarded to the photographer who obtains the second highest number of points in a competition. The photographer who obtains the second highest number of points, in the sum of the scores, will receive 3 credits for the next contest.
Points received in previous competitions will not be considered for these awards.
Credits will only be valid for the next contest, and are not cumulative.

THIRD PLACE: is awarded to the photographer who obtains the third highest number of points in a competition. The photographer who obtains the third highest number of points, in the sum of the scores, will receive 1 credit for the next contest.
Points received in previous competitions will not be considered for these awards.
Credits will only be valid for the next contest, and are not cumulative.

The EPA organizes 4 competitions per year; Two in the first semester and two in the second semester. In each competition, photographers will receive the Excellence Award points, which will be used to define the ranking of the best photographer of the year, the best photographer of the year by category and the best country of the year. After these 4 competitions, the winners will be elected to receive the EPA Association Award trophy, which will be sent 40 days after the end of the competitions. Make sure your address is correct on your profile, otherwise we won't be able to send you your trophy.

The Excellence Award points will be given according to the table below:
* Photos with Bronze badge: 0.5 points; * Photos with Silver badge: 1 points;
* Photos with Gold badge: 1.5 points;
* Photos with Platinum badge: 2 points;
* Photos with Supreme badge: 3 points;

The Best of EPA Award is limited to the top three photographers who achieve the most points overall (not by category) in all competitions and will receive a trophy.

The trophies will be delivered in February of the following year.

The three best photographer, by category, will receive a special badge at the end of the year.

In addition to the trophy, the member also accumulates Excellence Award points to become a Master of EPA ! For this, the member must accumulate the points according to the table below:
* Associate: 5 points * Expert: 10 points
* Master: 20 points
* Double Master: 35 points
* Triple Master: 50 points
The points for becoming a Master of EPA is cumulative and does not expire.


Can I share my badges on my website?

You can download your badges from your EPA profile and write your name on it. Also, you can copy the html code on your profile and share it on your website if you wish.

How many photos can I submit?

You can send as many photos as you want.

Can purchased credits be refunded?

No. However, you can use it in any competition within one year from the date of purchase of the credits.

How to participate?

Login or create a new account in order to purchase your credits. Once the registration process is completed, just follow the instructions to upload your photos.

Should I watermark my images?

No. If you do so, your watermarked photo will be removed from the competition. We will appropriately credit all winning photographers.

Will my images be sold?

No. You retain copyright to your photograph and the Sponsors may not sell your photos. All entries may be posted online so that viewers may view all competing entries. And winning entries may be used in connection with the competition and promotion of the competition for a period of 24 months without any notice but the credits will be given to all photographers owning the photo.

EPA Association