COMPETITION RULES

1. The competition is open to amateur or professional photographers of any age or nationality. 
2. The subscription fee  is € 30,00 per adult until 31 December, and € 35.00 from 1-12 January. For young photographers (aged 17 and under on the opening date of the competition) subscription is free (see rule 16).
3. Participation is exclusively on line on the website www.asfericocontest.it.
4. All communications should be sent by email only to: info@asfericocontest.it. Each entrant is responsible for ensuring that their own security/spam restrictions do not restrict communications with the Asferico Staff: please verify your own restrictions.
5. By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to these Rules. English and Italian are the languages used by the
   staff and for the final texts printed in the competition catalogue.

6. Each entrant can enter a maximum of thirty (30) images into the competition: said total can be distributed freely across the different categories.
7.  Digital files and scan of slides are accepted. Editing of said  files is permitted only if limited to a basic cleaning (removal of stains due to dust on the camera sensor and noise reduction), slight adjustments of saturation, contrast, tonal values or curves. Cropping is allowed but must not exceed 35% of the original image area and must always take into account the effects on the final file size. Borders, signatures and watermarks must not be applied to the images. The colour space must be Adobe RGB (1998).
8. Digitally manipulated images are not accepted unless compliant with the limits described in rule 7), i.e. the image must be an intact and faithful representation of the shapes, behaviours or natural phenomena. The insertion or deletion of elements within the image is not allowed.
9. Pictures resulting from the fusion of two or more images are allowed only in order to obtain panoramic images or to extend the dynamic range (HDR). The single images used must be taken in the same place and at the same time and the resulting picture must comply with rules 7) and 8) in order to guarantee the authenticity of the fial picture. Multiple exposures are allowed only if they are native, in-camera functions that generate a single RAW file.
10. Images must be submitted in low resolution: each image must be 1920 pixels on the long side, have a resolution of 72 dpi, be in jpg format and not exceed 3 MB. The renaming of files is not necessary.
11. Entrants will be contacted by email if any submitted images have passed the pre-selection stage and will receive instructions on how to upload their RAW and high resolution files, a compulsory step to enter the final phase of the competition. Every entrant will be able to track the progress of each single image through their online account.
12. High-resolution digital files in JPEG format must measure at least 3000 pixels on the long side, and have the same crop and colour as their jpg counterparts uploaded during the registration process. The original capture files in RAW as recorded by the camera with no manipulation must also be provided. In the case of panoramic or HDR images, all the single RAW files used must be included in a compressed folder (for example ZIP). If the high resolution digital files and original capture fies are not submitted or do not comply with the rules, the participant will be disqualifid.
13. The jury may request the original slides if the scans are considered as commended or winning pictures. If same are not provided , the images will be disqualifid.
14. In STORIES category , the jury will choose a story comprinsing 6-8 images accompanied by a text of at least 1.700 characters, which will be an integral part of the story. The images and text will be judged in equal measure by the jury. The story can be about one or more of the other categories in the competition.

15. The category for young photographers is subdivided into the following age groups:
    I.  14 and under.
    II. 15 -17.
16. For young photographers, entry is free and subject to authorization by a parent or guardian.
17. A document that attests the age of the young entrants is required.
18. Young photographers may submit a maximum of five (5) images distributed over the various categories.
19. The categories are those mentioned in the general competition rules (A ÷ H)
20. In the event of preselection, the RAW files will be requested or, in their absence and only for the young photographers’ section, the original JPGs as taken by the camera. If necessary, the jury reserves the right to request the images taken immediately before and after the selected one.
21. Only the photos of the winner and the runner-up of each age group (I and II) will be awarded and published.

22. Subjects must be photographed in their natural environment. Photographs of pets and animals bred in captivity, of birds in their nests and of cultivated plants or landscapes including human elements, will not be accepted. The jury reserves the right to reject images which may be in contrast with the ethic of the competition.
23. The judges will particularly appreciate images that have not won other competitions and which are if possible unpublished.

24. The jury selection will be according the following steps:
    I. Image compliance: all the images submitted on time will be checked by the Asferico Staf for compliance with rules 7 and 22 ONLY.
    II. Pre-selection: each jury member will independently choose the images for the fial selection.
    III. Final Selection: the jury will meet and select the winning imagesed.
25. The Jury reserves the right to move entries from one category to another where applicable and appropriate.
26. The jury‘s decisions will be final.
27. No refund will be due for rejected images.

28. All the rights to photos entered in the competition must be owned by the author and be entirely free from obligations or ties to agencies or publishers.
29. AFNI and Asferico, will be entitled to use the winning and selected images free of charge for their publication in the magazine, in the competition catalogue, on websites and in brochures and calendars. Furthermore, photos may be showed in exhibitions related to the competition and whenever the organizers of the competition deem it necessary. The names of the images’ authors will always be mentioned.
30.  You can fid all additional information on  FAQ PAGE .

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