The Capture Awards 2023 - Terms And Conditions
ENTRANT ELIGIBILITY
1. The Capture Awards is open to professional photographers. For the purposes of this competition a professional photographer is defined as someone who has earned more than $5,000 from photography (including videography) in any 12-month period in the previous five years. It also includes someone who has completed their final year of study in a tertiary-level, multi-year photography qualification.
(Note: For the purposes of this competition, photography earnings includes money earned from photo and print sales, photo education, photography tours, commercial work, and photo competitions. Non-cash prizes won in photography competitions, such as camera equipment and travel, are not considered earnings.)
2. The Capture Awards is open to citizens and residents of Australia and New Zealand. For the purposes of this competition a resident is described as someone who has lived in Australia or New Zealand for at least six months at the time of entering this competition.
3. In order to receive a prize, you must be able to must supply an Australian or New Zealand mailing address.
4. Employees of Yaffa Media Pty Ltd ('the organiser') or the sponsors are not permitted to enter the competition.
5. Freelance writers and photographers who have been paid to contribute to Capture since 1 January 2022 are not permitted to enter the competition.
6. The six category winners of The Capture Awards 2023 are not eligible to enter The Capture Awards 2024.
ENTRY ELIGIBILITY
7. Still images must have been captured on or after 1 June 2021. (If EXIF data indicates an image was captured before 1 June 2021 it may be disqualified.)
8. Video images must have been captured on or after 1 June 2020. (If EXIF data indicates a video was captured before 1 June 2020 it may be disqualified.)
9. All visual elements in the entry must have been photographed by you and must be 100% photographic in origin, including textures, backgrounds, skies, borders, etc. The use of stock images, stock video, or clip art is not allowed.
10. You may enter multiple times in one or more categories.
11. An image, or a similar version of that image, that has been a Winner or Runner-Up in any of the following Yaffa Media photo competitions – Australasia's Top Emerging Photographers, Photographer of the Year, The Landscape Awards, Wilderness Photographer of the Year or The Mono Awards – will not be eligible to be a Winner or Runner-Up in The Capture Awards.
COPYRIGHT
12. You must be the creator of all visual elements in your entry. You must be the copyright holder of the entered work.
13. Video entries: You are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions for any elements used in the video including sound, music, effects and transitions. You are also responsible for obtaining releases, where necessary, for identifiable persons featured in the video. The use of stock images, stock video, or clip art is not allowed.
14. You retain complete copyright of your work. By entering, you provide The Capture Awards and Capture a limited-use authorisation to publish and distribute their photographs for the sole purpose of promoting The Capture Awards. Images will be credited with the name of the photographer if used by The Capture Awards or Capture.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
15. This is a photography and video competition and, as such, any entered images must have been entirely captured with a camera (digital, film or phone camera) by the entrant. Images created by artificial intelligence using image-creation programs (for example, MidJourney, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, etc) may not be entered. Images edited using Generative AI in programs such as Photoshop, Topaz Photo AI, etc, where pixels are added that did not exist in the original photo, may not be entered. The competition organisers reserve the right to request original image files (this may include images taken before and after the entered image) to verify the photographic integrity of a submitted entry. Failure to produce original image files may result in disqualification. Competition organisers reserve the right to disqualify an image if the photographic integrity of a submitted entry cannot be adequately verified.
DIGITAL MANIPULATION
16. Please check the relevant Category descriptions (14-19) below for information about post-production requirements and restrictions.
CATEGORIES
17. ADVERTISING & FASHION
Image may be part of a commissioned or self-commissioned (personal) advertising or fashion project. Submitted images should not include superimposed text, graphics or branding. (Branding that is part of the original photo, say on a product label, may be included.)
POST PRODUCTION: Image may be single-image or composite. In-camera multiple exposures may be entered. All elements in the image (including textures, backgrounds, skies, borders, etc) must have been photographed by the entrant. Third party retouchers/digital operators may be used.
18. DOCUMENTARY & STREET
Image must be a truthful representation of an observed 'real' event. An event must not be staged by the photographer (or someone associated with the photographer, for example an assistant) for the purposes of photography.
POST PRODUCTION: Image must be single capture. Composite images are not allowed. In-camera multiple exposures are not allowed. Adding or changing pixels through the use of cloning or other means is not permitted, other than to remove dust spots. Cropping is allowed. Black-and-white conversions, along with minor tone, noise, and sharpness changes are permitted, with the proviso that these changes do not alter the narrative of the image. Competition organisers reserve the right to request original image files or to disqualify an image if they feel it lacks authenticity due to over-manipulation.
19. LANDSCAPE
Landscape image of the natural or built environment.
POST PRODUCTION: Image must be single capture, not composite, with the following exceptions: stitched panoramas, focus stacks and HDR images. (In these cases only, multiple images may be captured at the precise location and camera perspective within a 12-hour time period, and merged to form a single image.) In-camera multiple exposures may be entered. Images may be processed in post-production to adjust standard photographic variables such as cropping, noise, sharpness, colour, tone and contrast, including dodging and burning and black-and-white conversions. Lens and perspective corrections and minor cloning to remove dust spots and distractions are allowed. Competition organisers reserve the right to request original image files or to disqualify an image if they feel it lacks authenticity due to over-manipulation.
20. PEOPLE & PORTRAIT
Images must include one or more people in the frame.
POST PRODUCTION: Image may be single-image or composite. In-camera multiple exposures may be entered. All elements in the image (including textures, backgrounds, skies, borders, etc) must have been photographed by the entrant.
21. WEDDING & EVENT
Image must be from an actual wedding, engagement, civil ceremony, or reception, or from a scheduled event not staged by the photographer (or someone associated with the photographer, for example an assistant) for the purposes of photography.
POST PRODUCTION: Image must be single capture. Composite images are not allowed, though in-camera multiple exposures may be entered. Images may be processed in post-production to adjust standard photographic variables such as cropping, noise, sharpness, colour, tone and contrast, including dodging and burning and black-and-white conversions. Lens and perspective corrections and minor cloning to remove distractions is allowed. Skin and hair retouching is also allowed. Competition organisers reserve the right to request original image files or to disqualify an image if they feel it lacks authenticity due to over-manipulation.
22. VIDEO
The entry must be at least 15 seconds in duration, and no longer than five minutes. The video entry should be hosted on either Vimeo or YouTube and the link to the entry provided in the entry form. A screenshot from the video, should also be uploaded with the entry. All footage included in the entry must be the work of the entrant. Stock footage may not be used. Any post-production and editing must be the work of the entrant.
IMAGE CAPTURE CONSIDERATIONS
23. All entries must be taken safely and in a manner that complies with local laws and regulations.
24. An entrant may be disqualified at any stage if it is found they have engaged in unethical practices in the capture and creation of their entry.
DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY
25. The Capture Awards supports the safe and legal operation of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), including drones. All entries captured with an RPA must comply with local rules and regulations. Any images suspected of being captured illegally will be disqualified. In order to be eligible for a prize, entrants must be able to provide verifiable EXIF data including drone type, position (latitude and longitude), and altitude information. Competition organisers reserve the right to disqualify any image they suspect may have been captured illegally.
26. Images should not include watermarks or other branding. The competition organiser reserves the right to disqualify any entry with a watermark or other branding.
CLOSING DATE
27. Closing date for entries is 11.59pm (AEDT) Wednesday 13 September 2023.
JUDGING
28. Images will be de-identified for shortlisting and judging.
29. Entries will be shortlisted by the staff of Capture.
30. A panel of leading photographers will judge the shortlisted entries.
31. In the event of a tie for first or second place, the relevant images will be returned to the judges for an additional round of voting.
32. A category winner is not eligible to be Runner-up in the same category.
33. The judges' decisions are final, and no further correspondence will be entered into.
WINNERS' ANNOUNCEMENT AND RECOGNITION
34. Winners, runners-up, and top-ranked portfolios will be revealed in the Summer 2023 edition of Capture magazine (available in December 2023). A simultaneous announcement will be made at www.capturemag.com.au.
35. Award recipients (Winners, Runners-up, Top 10, Highly Commended, and Commended) will be notified by email.
PRIZES
36. Prize money is in Australian dollars.
37. Product prizes are subject to availability, not transferable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash. If a prize is unavailable, the competition organiser reserves the right to substitute a prize with a prize of similar value and/or specification.
GENERAL
38. Entry fees are non-refundable.
39. The entrant indemnifies the organiser (Yaffa Media Pty Ltd) against any claim, legal or otherwise, that may arise out of publication of images or videos.
40. By entering this competition the entrant confirms all of the above Terms and Conditions have been met. Any entry found to breach the above Terms and Conditions will be disqualified and all prize money and product prizes will be returned to the organiser.
