1st APCA INTERNATIONAL SALON 2021 - SALON RULES

1. The exhibition is open to anyone; however, an entry may be rejected when the sponsoring organization or its agent, in its reasonable discretion, believes the entry does not conform to the exhibition rules and conditions.

2. Entries are limited to not more than 4 images per section, category, or class. An entrant’s four images will be distributed throughout four rounds of judging in that section.

3. There are no restrictions as to subject matter except as outlined in the rules and definitions of specific sections, or specified by law in the INDIA.

4. ALL Images must be the original work of the entrant. If two or more similar images are entered by the same author, the first one getting the acceptance score will be considered for acceptance or award, the other images will not be considered.

5. Entry is open to all photographers, amateur and professional, worldwide.

6. Sections: (A) Open Monochrome, (B) OPEN COLOUR, (C) Nature, (D) Photo Travel. All are digital Sections. An author may submit a maximum of 4 images in each section.

7. A projector will be used in judging still electronic images having the following minimum specifications: Resolution: XGA (or higher) 1920 X 1080 pixels or higher with the native projector resolution matching or exceeding the maximum pixels specified for image submission Brightness: 1000 lumens (minimum) Contrast Ratio: 400:1 (minimum) and hence Images should be 1920 pixels X 1080 pixels are acceptable. File size is preferred within 2 MB.

8. Words such as “Untitled” and “No Title” are not acceptable as part or all of an image’s title, nor are camera capture filenames. Image titles must not exceed 35 characters.

9. Results will be published in website & sent via E-Mail.

10. We produce pdf catalogue to the entrant.

11. Permission to reproduce images in the catalogue or for publicity is assumed unless otherwise denied by the author in writing.

12. All Acceptances are eligible for statistics applicable to FIAP & FIP.

13. No title or identification of the maker shall be visible anywhere on the face of an image.

14. An entrant's four images will be distributed throughout four rounds of judging, the decision of the Panel of selectors is final and binding, no further appeal will be entertained.

15. The same image may not be converted color into mono or vice versa and submitted in another section. If found against the rule both will be rejected and the entry fee is not refundable; the same author is not allowed repeat entries, if found it will be rejected all.

18. Entry Fee: Foreign: One Sections $ 10 USD, Each additional Sections 4 USD and All Sections 20 USD.
Indian: One Section Rs. 400/-, each additional section Rs.200/- and All sections Rs.900/-.
ENTRIES RECEIVED WITHOUT PROPER ENTRY FEES, OR PAID FOR WITH FOREIGN CHEQUES OR MONEY ORDERS, OR IRC WILL NOT BE JUDGED.

19. While every effort is made to ensure safe handling of all entries, organisers accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage that may occur. It is a condition of entering that you acknowledge that your entry has no commercial value. Submission of Entries to the Salon implies acceptance of the above regulations.

20. All Foreign participants are requested to submit their entries through online submission procedure in https://apcafoto.in/. Entry fees have to be PAID online through PAYPAL, the link of which has been given in our website https://apcafoto.in/. Indian entrants must send their entry fees through Bank Transfer.

21. Participants are requested to send their entries, Entry Fee etc. well in advance. If the entry fee is not received within the closing date, photographers work may not be considered for selection.

22. NOTICE: When an entrant goes into to the Entry Form to submit an entry the entrant will see a feature to affirm he or she has read these Conditions of Entry when he or she fills out the entry form. If the entrant does not so affirm the entry will not be submitted.

23. Organisers reserve the right to reproduce any image for publication, in a catalogue, on an Internet website and/or displayed in media related to the Salon without payment of any fee to the exhibitor.

24. By the sole act of submitting his/her images or files to a salon under FIAP Patronage, the entrant accepts without exception and with no objection that the submitted images can be investigated by FIAP to establish if these obey to FIAP regulations and definitions even if the entrant is not a member of FIAP; that FIAP will use any means at its disposal for this undertaking; that any refusal to cooperate with FIAP or any refusal to submit the original files as captured by the camera, or failure to provide sufficient evidence, will be sanctioned by FIAP and that in case of sanctions following the non-compliance with FIAP regulations, the name of the entrant will be released in any form useful to inform the breaches of the rules. It is recommended to leave the EXIF data in the submitted files intact in order to ease eventual investigations.”

25. This Salon is conducted in conformity with FIAP and FIP regulations. Acceptances and awards will be taken into account for the FIAP and FIP distinctions, Who's Who and other ratings.

26. Please read the above regulations carefully and try to avoid unnecessary correspondences. Still for further queries, if, any, contact us at : apcamailbox@gmail.com

27. All entries shall conform to the stricter of these definitions to be validated by all organizations granting recognition or patronage.

28. 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, the exhibition organizers reserve the right to delete the entry from the exhibition and void any or all acceptances or awards in connection with the exhibition. Fees may be forfeited or refunded in these circumstances. The entrant acknowledges that the decision of the exhibition organizers or the judges is final.
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.

DATA PROTECTION: By entering this exhibition, you are explicitly consenting to the personal details you have supplied, including email addresses, being held, processed and used by the exhibition organizers for purposes associated with this exhibition. You also explicitly consent to such information being sent to organizations that have accorded official recognition, patronage or accreditation to this exhibition. You acknowledge and accept that entering this exhibition means that the status and results of your entry may be made public.

Salon Entries : The digital/digitized photographs can be submitted for the following four sections. Images for each section MUST be uploaded directly in the website https://apcafoto.in/ A. Open Monochrome B. Open COLOUR C. Nature D. Photo Travel

Notes for Salon Entries : An author may submit a maximum of 4 images in each section. Images for each section should be sent through our site https://apcafoto.in/

Digital : The image must not exceed 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels. File size is preferred within 2 MB. The files must be in JPEG format and at 72 or 300 dpi resolution. In case of any dispute the organizers reserves the right to ask for RAW files of entrant’s work. Embedding a source ICC Colour profile is recommended (usually sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998). Please do not add any unnecessary borders to your images. Black borders serve no purpose for digital projection, while white borders distract the eye from the image. For online entries uploaded to our website, the filename must be the same as the title. Do not include a 'Class + Entry number' prefix if entering online. It is added automatically. Do not include any other information or characters in the filename. Format the title the way it should appear in the catalogue (i.e. use Title Case - Initial Capital Letters for Main Words).

For database management as well as FIAP distinctions an author should submit his / her name, country name, honours details properly whilst uploading his / her work/s. Organisers will send required spreadsheet by FIAP as per the database of the 1st APCA International Salon 2021.

We suggest you project and review your images at 100% magnification before submission. Your digital images are presented for assessment by our judges using a Colour calibrated digital projector with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

If your entries do not meet the specifications they may not display correctly and we may not be able to judge them.

Definitions

General: Entries must originate as photographs (image-capture of objects via light sensitivity) made by the entrant on photographic emulsion or acquired digitally. By virtue of submitting an entry, the entrant certifies the work as his/her own and permits the sponsors to reproduce all or part of the entered material free of charge for publication and / or display in media related to the exhibition. This may include low resolution posting on a website. The exhibition assumes no liability for any misuse of copyright.

FIAP/FIP DEFINITION OF MONOCHROME :
A Black and white work fitting from the very dark grey (black) to the very clear grey (white) is a monochrome Work with the various shades of grey. A black and white work toned entirely in a single colour will remain a Monochrome work able to stand in the black and white category; such a work can be reproduced in black and white in the catalogue of a salon under FIAP Patronage. On the other hand a black and white work modified by a partial toning or by the addition of one colour becomes a colour work (polychrome) to stand in the colour category; such a works requires colour reproduction in the catalogue of a salon under FIAP Patronage.

FIAP/FIP DEFINITION OF COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHY:
Entries must originate as photographs (image captured of objects via light sensitivity) made by the entrant on photographic emulsion or acquired digitally. Pictures on any subject including creative or experimental images can be submitted. Use of Computer generated graphics is totally restricted except in Creative thematic section. All element of the image must have been shot by the author. No part of the image should have been taken from Net or other person's image. Use of some filters available on net is permissible. Same images either colour or mono in two different section of the same Salon will result in disqualification for both the images.

FIAP/FIP DEFINITION OF NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY:
Nature Photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of natural history, except anthropology* and archaeology*, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject material and certify its honest presentation. (Suggested*: An example will be helpful to the New Jury). The story telling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality.
1. Human elements must not be present, except where those human elements are integral parts of the nature story such as nature subjects, like barn owls or storks, adapted to an environment modified by humans, or where those human elements are in situations depicting natural forces, like hurricanes or tidal waves.
2. Scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals are permissible.
3. Photographs of human created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are ineligible.
4. Techniques that add, relocate, replace or remove any element of the original image, except by cropping, are not permitted. Conversion to infrared, either by digital technique or by original technique is not allowed. Stitching of two or more image is not permitted.
5. Complete conversion to grey scale Monochrome is allowed but without partial or complete toning.
6. It is perfectly legal to remove dust, flares or digital noise. Minor global colour / tone correction is OK as long as it is not selective and the final image looks natural but not dramatic. Dodge and Burn tool is for you only but use it judiciously. Selective darkening of background is prohibited. Techniques like panning, slow shutter speed or inexposure zooming are part of your creativity. Use of filters like Polarizers and NDs are ok.
7. Drone Photography in the National Parks of India is illegal except with prior written permission from the concerned authorities.
8. Welfare of the subject is extremely important. Use of live bait is totally prohibited. Relocated nest is a big NO NO and jury members should not award Nest images. Images entered in Nature section meeting the Nature Photography Definition above can have landscapes, geologic formations, weather phenomena, and extant organisms as the primary subject matter. This includes images taken with subjects in controlled conditions, such as zoos, game farms, botanical gardens, aquariums and any enclosure where the subjects are totally dependent on man for food.

FIAP/FIP DEFINITION OF PHOTO TRAVEL :
Photo Travel image must expresses the characteristic features or culture of a land as they are found naturally. There are no geographic limitations. Images from events or activities arranged specifically for photography, or of subjects directed or hired for photography are not appropriate. Close up pictures of people or objects must include features that provide information about the environment. Techniques that add, relocate, replace or remove any element of the original Image, except by cropping, are not permitted. The only allowable adjustment are removable of dust or digital noise, restoration of the appearance of the original scene, and complete conversion to grayscale monochrome. Other derivations, including infrared are not permitted. All allowed adjustments must appear natural.
1. A travel image depicts features of a culture, place or people as found naturally, anywhere in the world.
2. Images of individuals or group must show their environment or location.
3. The image should not be a SET UP image and it should not be a directed image.
4. It should not be from a PHOTO WORKSHOP where a troupe dances for the workshop organizer or HORSES are made to run in dust or water or an individual shows his acrobatics on payment of a fee.
5. Many monasteries have religious festivals with dances etc and it is perfectly legal to submit such images though you may have paid an entry fee. Same is true for ballet and other stage shows.
6. Images shot at fairs where the subject is obviously posing for you, with or without payment, is only good for pictorial section. On the other hand a candid image is good for PT section.
7. Techniques that add, relocate, replace or remove any element of the original image, except by cropping, are not permitted. Conversion to infrared, either by digital technique or by original technique is not allowed. Stitching of two or more image is not permitted.
8. Complete conversion to grey scale Monochrome is allowed but without partial or complete toning.
9. It is perfectly legal to remove dust, flares or digital noise. Minor global colour / tone correction is OK as long as it is not selective and the final image looks natural but not dramatic. Dodge and Burn tool is for you only but use it judiciously. Correction of perspective is perfectly legal. Techniques like panning, slow shutter speed or inexposure zooming are part of your creativity. Filters like Polarizers and NDs are ok but star effect or rainbow filters are illegal.
10. Drone photography is OK as long it is legally permissible in that part of the world. In India use of DJI Mavic Mini model of Drone is perfectly legal, except in areas where Drone Photography is prohibited by the authorities like National Parks etc.
11. Finally, be sensitive to the community or people whom you are shooting. Care for your subjects and care for your fellow photographers as well. If someone doesn't wish to be photographed, please respect the person's feelings and greet her or him with a sweet smile before parting ways