Please read the rules before you enter the competition.
Rules
1. Eligibility
The SHINE Photo Award competition is open to professional and amateur photographers from any country. By entering the SHINE Photo Award you hereby accept the rules and conditions outlined below.Â
Anyone over 18 years of age can enter the competition. Judges are not permitted to enter into the competition.Â
Entry must be submitted online through the website: www.shine-photo-award.com. There is no limit to the number of individual images each artist may submit. There is no time or date restriction on when the image was taken. It is not allowed to submit pictures taken on a workshop or tutoring or using digital backdrops and templates.
2. Categories
The SHINE Photo Award awards images in these categories:Â
- maternity
- newborn (younger than 6 month of age)
- family & child (older than 6 month of age)Â
- birth photography (new category since edition 7)
There is no limit to the number of individual images submitted to each category.
3. File specifications
The image files must have these requirements to be part of the competition:
- saved as a JPEG at a maximum quality, sRGB
- longest dimension must be 1920 px
- maximum file size per image 6MB
- no watermarks, logos or signatures on your images
- Your files must be named like this: firstname_lastname_number.jpg  Example: Your name is Emma Jones and you want to submit 2 images, then your files should be named: emma_jones_01.jpg ; emma_jones_02.jpg
- all submissions must be digital files, prints are not accepted as part of the competition
Winning Entrants must be able to provide a high resolution digital file (minimum 2500px wide, 300dpi) on request. This file will be used to prove the ownership of the image and can be printed in the SHINE Photo Award annual book. Winning Entrants who do not fulfill these eligibility criteria will be deemed ineligible and disqualified without the right to appeal.Â
4. Entry fee
The entry fee is 10€ per image. There is no limit to the number of individual images each artist may submit.Â
Once the submission fee is paid, there is no possibility to edit your entry. Once your pictures are uploaded, there is no possibility to change or edit your entry. Submission fees will not be refunded for any reason.
5. Entry deadlines and dates
The deadlines for submissions for the SHINE Photo Award can be found here:
https://www.shine-photo-award.com/entry-deadlines/
The winners will be announced on the website and all SHINE Photo Award social media sites.
6. Copyright & usage rights
Copyright of the images will remain at all times with the photographer.Â
All entries must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe the rights of any other party. The entrant must be the sole copyright owner of all photographs entered and must have obtained permission of any people featured in the entries (or their parents/guardians if children under 16 are featured). Further, the entrant must not have breached any laws when taking their photographs. It is not allowed to submit pictures taken on a workshop or tutoring or using digital backdrops and templates.
Winners’ names, images and links to their websites will be published on the SHINE Photo Award website, social media, newsletter and other marketing materials.
For awarded images, copyright holders grant the SHINE Photo Award unlimited non-exclusive use of high-resolution images for activities worldwide in all media, including social media, online and print, in relation to the contest and all promotional activities without any remuneration being due.Â
Copyright holders of all awarded images grant the SHINE Photo Award non-exclusive use of low-resolution pictures on our website, without any remuneration being due.Â
Images will be used strictly in connection to the awards and will not be used for any other marketing purposes other than to promote the contest and winners. Images will not be resold or used by any other third party.
You agree to participate in related publicity and to the use of your name and images for the purposes of advertising, promotion and publicity in connection with the competition without additional compensation.Â
SHINE Photo Award and its media partners assume no responsibility and are not liable for any image misuse by external third parties.Â
7. Prizes
The winners of the competition will receive a winners badge to put on their winning image, divided in the award badge, gold, silver and bronze badge.Â
All winners are eligible to buy a certificate through the website with additional costs.
8. Judging conditions
Submissions will be judged by a non public judging ceremony by our judges. Images will be judged on creative idea, photographic skills and the overall outstanding effect and impression of the image. The SHINE Photo Award will not give individual feedback to each image that was submitted. The decision of the SHINE Photo Award is final.
9. Charity
Social engagement is a very important part of the SHINE Photo Award!
Not every child in the world is as fortunate as the children and families on the images submitted. There are many children in the world who don’t have enough to eat and drink, don’t live in a safe environment or have only little chance of a long, safe, healthy and self-determined life.
That is why we give back and support social organizations which take care of those in need. SHINE Photo award donates 100€ per Award Edition for charity organizations plus money given by jury members and supporters.
The charity organizations will be chosen and published on the website at the end of each year. Every participant in the SHINE Photo Award is welcomed to suggest a charity organization for the donations and we will take all ideas in consideration.