SUBJECT MATTER AND SECTION DEFINITIONS
Statement on Subject Matter - applicable to all sections
The fundamental rule that must be observed at all times and applies to all sections offered in exhibitions with PSA recognition is that the welfare of living creatures is more important than any photograph. This means that practices such as baiting of subjects with a living creature and removal of birds from nests, for the purpose of obtaining a photograph, are highly unethical, and such photographs are not allowed in any exhibition with PSA recognition. Under no circumstances may a living creature be placed in a situation where it will be killed, injured or stressed for the purpose of obtaining a photograph. Images that show live creatures being fed to captive animals, birds or reptiles are not permitted under any circumstances.
There are also concerns about the use of aerial photography, drones, helicopters, low flying aircraft. These should not cause any interference with other individuals or animals which causes a disturbance in their normal activity or disrupt the way any individuals or animals interact with their environment. Entrants in PSA recognized exhibitions should comply with all relevant laws and regulations, associated with aerial photography, in the country in which the image was taken.
Entry into PSA recognized exhibitions is conditional on accepting these policies. The content of images must comply with the General Conditions and with the Division and Section definitions listed in these conditions. Images that - in the sole opinion of the judges or the Exhibition Organizers - do not comply, will be disqualified so the entrant may be aware of the problem when considering entry into other exhibitions with PSA recognition
GCPA Section Definitions
Nature-Birds theme：
The Nature definition applies to Birds theme section in this exhibition.
All submitted photos must depict birdlife (i.e.contain at least one bird or bird part) and accurately reflect the subject matter.
Attention is drawn to the PSA Statement on Subject Matter which applies to all sections and to the Editing Guidelines for Nature, Photojournalism and Photo Travel
“Landscapes General”:
Images in this section include Landscapes, Seascapes and Cityscapes. Images in this section explores the landscapes of our planet. This includes the Human-made, naturally sculpted or a combination of the two. We accept images from all viewpoints, in all locations, taken on both wide and telephoto lenses and taken at any time of day. Images may include people and/or animals BUT these must NOT be the main object of the image - the image must be about the environment.
Entrants are instructed that images taken from a drone should be entered into the “Landscapes Drone” section.
“Landscapes Drone”:
The only proviso with this section is that the images submitted must have been taken from a drone in flight. They may be a frame taken from a videoclip sequence, or a meticulously planned still photograph.
Images in this section featuring environment and landscapes, urban and architecture, captured from the sky, showing scenes in nature and urban through the creative eye of the photographer. Images may include people and/or animals BUT they must NOT be the main object of the image.
Landscapes Astrophotography:
Images in this section should feature what a camera can capture on a tripod with a wide angel lens and proper exposure, combining landscapes with wide field astrophotography for a compelling image that has a strong composition with interesting foreground elements and a dramatic view of the sky, particularly the Milky Way, Aurora, etc.
Portrait:
Images of a person or group of people capturing the personality of the subject.
This section always encourages submission of a broad spectrum of artistic, innovative and refreshing takes on human portraiture. We accept work taken both inside and outside the studio.
SIGMA open digital:
All entries taken with SIGMA cameras or lenses will be eligible.
Photo Submissions may reflect any topic or subject matter, but must be the original work of the entrant, and must depict the original photographic creation of the entrant.
Only photographs taken with a SIGMA camera or lens are eligible to enter the SIGMA category. Proof will need to be provided should an entry be shortlisted.
It is important to note that ALL work should be that of the author and not copied or derived from elsewhere.
PSA Monochrome Definition：
An image is considered to be Monochrome only if it gives the impression of having no color (i.e. contains only shades of grey which can include pure black and pure white) OR it gives the impression of being a greyscale image that has been toned in one color across the entire image. (For example by Sepia, red, gold, etc.) A greyscale or multi-colored image modified or giving the impression of having been modified by partial toning, multi-toning or by the inclusion of spot coloring does not meet the definition of monochrome and shall be classified as a Color Work.
For the purpose of this exhibition, only greyscale images are allowed in monochrome sections. Toned images are not allowed
Editing Guidelines for Nature, Photojournalism and Photo Travel
These sections require images to be truthful records, so there are limits on the amount of manipulation allowed.
Editing Guidelines：
Processing or editing must be limited to making the image look as close to the original scene as possible, except that conversion to grayscale monochrome is allowed.
Allowed editing techniques:
• Cropping, straightening and perspective correction.
• Removal or correction of elements added by the camera or lens, such as dust spots, noise, chromatic aberration and lens distortion.
• Global and selective adjustments such as brightness, hue, saturation and contrast to restore the appearance of the original scene.
• Complete conversion of color images to grayscale monochrome.
• Blending of multiple images of the same subject and combining them in camera or with software (exposure blending or focus stacking);
• Image stitching – combining multiple images with overlapping fields of view that are taken consecutively (panoramas);
Editing techniques that are not allowed:
• Removing, adding to, moving or changing any part of an image, except for cropping and straightening.
• Adding a vignette during processing.
• Blurring parts of the image during processing to hide elements in the original scene.
• Darkening parts of the image during processing to hide elements in the original scene.
• All conversions other than to complete grayscale monochrome.
• Conversion of parts of an image to monochrome, or partial toning, desaturation or over-saturation of color
Border
For the purpose of this exhibition any border added to a digital file must be a single border of white or grey, no greater than 3-5 pixels in width.
PSA/FIAP Nature Definition
Content Guidelines
• Nature photography records all branches of natural history except anthropology and
archaeology. This includes all aspects of the physical world, both animate and inanimate,
that have not been made or modified by humans.
• Nature images must convey the truth of the scene that was photographed. A well-
informed person should be able to identify the subject of the image and be satisfied that
it has been presented honestly and that no unethical practices have been used to control
the subject or capture the image. Images that directly or indirectly show any human
activity that threatens the life or welfare of a living organism are not allowed.
• The most important part of a Nature image is the nature story it tells. High technical
standards are expected and the image must look natural.
• Objects created by humans, and evidence of human activity, are allowed in Nature
images only when they are a necessary part of the Nature story.
• Photographs of human-created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals,
domesticated animals, human-created hybrid animals and mounted or preserved
zoological specimens are not allowed.
• Images taken with subjects under controlled conditions, such as zoos, are allowed.
• Controlling live subjects by chilling, anaesthetic or any other method of restricting natural movement for the purpose of a photograph is not allowed.
Attention is drawn to the PSA Statement on Subject Matter which applies to all sections and to the Editing Guidelines for Nature, Photojournalism and Photo Travel
Photojournalism Definition
Photojournalism entries are images with informative content and emotional impact, reflecting the human presence in our world.
Content Guidelines
• The journalistic (story-telling) value of the image should receive priority over
pictorial quality.
• Images that misrepresent the truth, such as those from events or activities
arranged specifically for photography, or of subjects directed or hired for
photography, are not eligible.
• A number (typically 2-6) of images may be combined into a single image that
depicts a progression of events. The individual images should be surrounded by 5
pixel or smaller white borders. The arrangement of the images should assist the
sense of progression.
• Human Interest images depict a person or persons in an interactive,
emotional or unusual situation, excluding competitive sports action.
Attention is drawn to the PSA Statement on Subject Matter which applies to all sections and to the Editing Guidelines for Nature, Photojournalism and Photo Travel
Breaches of Rules
Entrants are strongly advised to look at the PSA Ethics Policy which can be found at https://psa-photo.org/page/ethical-practices .
If, at any time, it is determined in the reasonable discretion of the exhibition organizer or the judges before, during, or after the judging of an exhibition that an entrant has submitted entries where one or more images may fail to comply with these Conditions of Entry, including the stated definitions, exhibitions, on behalf of the judges, are allowed to request unedited or raw files of the submitted image
In order to ensure that images comply with the Conditions of Entry and definitions, the exhibition organizers may carry out reasonable measures to verify that:
a) the images are the original work of the entrant and
b) the images comply with the rules and definitions as set out in these Conditions of Entry
These steps include, but are not limited to, questioning any entrant, requiring the submission of RAW files or other digital files representing the original capture of the submitted image(s), confronting the entrant with evidence that one or more submitted images fails to comply with the Conditions of Entry (also known as Entry Rules), and offering the entrant a reasonable opportunity to provide counter evidence to refute the exhibition organizer’s evidence by a set deadline. Such entries that are not cleared or are still questionable after the entrant has presented evidence may be considered in breach of these Conditions of Entry, and declined. Such entries may be referred to PSA for further investigation of possible ethics violations
PSA, on receiving reports from exhibitions of possible breaches, retains the right to investigate in any way all complaints/suspicions of breaches of entry conditions, impose penalties if deemed necessary, void the acceptances of any image found to violate the PSA rules, include the entrant’s name on the list of sanctions provided to Exhibitions, and share such investigations with FIAP. Entrants automatically agree to these terms by the act of entering the Exhibition and agree to cooperate with any investigation.
If another party is submitting images on the entrant’s behalf, the entrant will still be held responsible for adhering to these Conditions of Entry (Entry Rules) and will be subject to penalties for any violations to these Conditions of Entry and PSA’s Statement of Ethics that may result.
If another party is processing images for an entrant or submitting images on the entrant’s behalf, the entrant will still be held responsible for adhering to all Conditions of Entry including the specific conditions in the relevant definitions.