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Rules of the IPA Competition

ELIGIBILITY
The IPA competition is open to any living photographer, 18 years of age or older, from any country. Professional photographers will be judged against other professionals and non-professionals against other non-professionals and students.

IMAGE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Professionals must submit their work online or via CD. Digital files are required and prints may only be submitted as visual reference. Digital submissions must be no larger than 1000 Pixels in either height or width and saved as Jpegs (.jpg), in RGB format and not exceed 4MB per file, at 72dpi.

Mail-in submissions should abide by the same specifications on a disc or flash drive. Do not send originals prints. The IPA is not responsible for lost or damaged prints, and discs and drives will not be returned.

ENTRY FORMS
Mailed in entries must be accompanied by one Payment Summary Form per person and one Category Form per category entered. If a photo is to be submitted into multiple categories, the contestant must provide additional copies of the image (if they are prints) and attach a separate Category Form to the back of each one. No entry will be processed unless the entry fee is attached or has been pre-paid online. Work submitted without the proper forms and payment will be disqualified. Work must be postmarked by the deadline posted online. IPA retains the right to refuse any entry for any reason.

ENTRY FEES
All entries must include the appropriate entry fee payable to the International Photography Awards (IPA) in U.S. currency. Please see online or mail-in entry form for entry fees.

WHO IS CONSIDERED PROFESSIONAL?
Photographers who earn, or have earned, the majority of their living from photography.

IDENTIFYING MARKS AND SIGNATURES
No signature, stamp or any other identifying mark is allowed anywhere on the entry.

PACKING YOUR ENTRIES FOR SHIPMENT
Please package your work carefully to prevent any damage during shipping.

CATEGORIES
You may enter your work in as many categories as you see fit, however IPA judges, jury or staff will not switch your entry into a different category on your behalf.

Category Submission Guidelines

BOOKS
1. Entries in this category must be submitted as Series.
2. A total of 5 images must accompany your online submission. We suggest that 1 of 5 images is the front cover of the book and the remaining 4 images are selections from the book. Please, refer to the Image Submission guidelines
3. In addition to the online submission, a hard copy of the book must be submitted to our offices, postmarked no later than the prescribed deadline. The book must visibly bear the Entry ID or the entry may be disqualified.

DEEPER PERSPECTIVE
This category asks photographers to submit the story behind the images they submit. Entries in this category must be a series. All text provided must be in English. Jurors evaluating the Deeper Perspective category weight the text and the image equally. Both Professional and Non-Professional photographers are eligible to compete in this category and one will win the Deeper Perspective Photographer of the Year award, and a cash prize of $5,000.

MOVING IMAGES
Both, Photographers and Filmmakers, are welcomed to submit cohesive pieces, no longer than 5:00 minutes. Entries to this category must be submitted as a series, and are not eligible to be considered in any other category (however, stills may be submitted separately, and without reference to the Moving Images submission). These pieces may be short films, slideshows, music videos, etc., and may include dialogue and/or music. All submissions in this category must be submitted via URL to a video-sharing service (like Vimeo or YouTube), with no additional clicks or passwords required. Both, Non-Professional and Professional photographers, are eligible to compete in this category and one will win a cash prize of $2,500.

RETURN OF ENTRIES
Do not submit originals for photograph/print submissions.

Book Submissions: if they must be returned, you must include an aptly sized self-addressed, stamped mailer (or the appropriate sum for returns outside the US) and appropriate shipping fees with your submission and a $30.00USD handling fee. Every effort within reason will be made to return entries. Entries received without a return mailer plus adequate postage and handling fees will not be returned. IPA will not be responsible for any damaged or lost submissions.

USE AND OWNERSHIP OF IMAGES
Copyright and all other rights remain that of the photographer. Any photograph used by IPA shall carry the photographer's credit line. Use may include publication in any IPA media sponsor publication. All entrants understand that any image submitted to the competition may be used by IPA for marketing and promotional purposes including in any media such as exhibitions, print and digital media directly related to the IPA competition, though there may not be monetary compensation. By winning or placing in the competition you are agreeing to be included in the winners' annual.

Neither International Photography Awards, Lucie Awards, Lucie Foundation, International Awards, Inc., nor their associates, affiliates, or partners assumes any responsibility for photos submitted in violation of competition rules, or for those which violate copyright regulations. IPA will investigate claims of copyright infringement to the best of its ability, and will remove and disqualify images that are clearly demonstrated to violate copyright and/or competition policies. IPA will act to maintain the integrity of the competition and its affiliated entities, but is not responsible for any damages resulting from images submitted in violation with rules and regulations.

BEST OF SHOW
Annually, a guest curator will choose 45 photographs from all the winners who have placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place regardless of whether or not the photographer has qualified as a nominee. By submitting an entry, you are agreeing to participate in this exclusive traveling exhibition for exposure and will not be receiving pecuniary compensation.