Conditions of Entry

CONTACTS:

Chairman: Mr. Zoran Dordevic,
Limijerov snop TC Sumadija lok 14 / M. Pavlovica 9 34000 Kragujevac Serbia
Email: mail@photoexpo.me

Location of Entry form: https://www.photoexpo.me/ Click on REGISTER NOW
Website:  https://www.photoexpo.me/

SECTIONS / THEMES:

6 sections, all digital:Patronages
 A ► OPEN COLOR                            
(color only)                                                 		PSA PIDC | FIAP | MOL| IAAP | DIPA | FSS
 B ► OPEN MONOCHROME 
(monochrome only)                                		PSA PIDM | FIAP | MOL| IAAP | DIPA | FSS
 C ► NATURE GENERAL
(color or grayscale monochrome)     		PSA ND | FIAP | MOL| IAAP | DIPA | FSS
 D ► PHOTOJOURNALISM GENERAL        
(color or grayscale monochrome)      		PSA PJD | FIAP | MOL| IAAP | DIPA | FSS
 E ► IN THE BACKLIGHT   
color and monochrome                       		FIAP | MOL| IAAP | DIPA | FSS | Not PSA recogn.
 F ► GEOMETRY (Shapes and Lines) 
color and monochrome                       		FIAP | MOL| IAAP | DIPA | FSS | Not PSA recogn.

FEES

For any 1 or 2 themes – 15€
For any 3 or 4 themes – 20€
For 5 or all 6 themes – 25€

Fee is mandatory for all participants.  No discount will be given to individuals or groups.

The participation fee may be paid through: ►   PayPal on our web site at: https://www.photoexpo.me click at PAYMENT in menu

The fee may also be paid through:
►   Western Union, using the following information: Name: Zoran Djordjevic; Address: N. Pasica 4/52; City: Kragujevac; Country: Serbia

Works by authors who do not pay the fee will not be taken into consideration.

CALENDAR

► Closing date:                                        9 March 2025

►   All judging completed by:                       22 March 2025

►  Score reports sent by:                              28 March 2025

►  Awards mailed by:                                   20 May 2025  

►  On-Line Gallery posted by:                      10 April 2025 

►  On-line Catalogs posted by                       20 April 2025    

►  Status page and website available to:     22 March 2026 

JUDGES for All Sections:

Aleksandar Buđevac: EFIAP, The Master of Light Artist, MF FSS (Serbia)

Eva Lambropoulou:  EFIAP/p, MPSA, c*** Master of Light, (Greece)

Tomasz Okoniewski:  Master of Light Artist, MPSA, EFIAP/d2   (Poland)

PSA Rules for the Judging Process

• The exhibition will be conducted in accordance with the rules of the PSA.
• An entrant’s images will not be presented to the judges consecutively.
• An entrant’s four images will be distributed throughout four rounds of judging in that section.
• Distribution of images will be in the same round order as submitted by the entrant.
• At no stage will a judge be able to view all the entrant’s images together.

AWARDS

1 Grand Prix

1 FIAP blue badge for most successful author in Salon

1 Master of Light golden badge for best work according to Master of Light standards

► OPEN COLOUR                         PID-C               1 FIAP gold medal 1 PSA Gold medal 1 Master of Light Gold plaquette 1 IAAP medal 1 DIPA medal 1 Salon gold Medal 1 Master of Light Silver plaquette 1 Salon Silver medal 1 Master of Light bronze plaquette  1 Salon bronze medal 2 FIAP Ribbons 1 Gold Master of Light Ribbon 1 Silver Master of Light Ribbon 1 Bronze Master of Light Ribbon 3 IAAP ribbons 2 DIPA diplomas
3 Ribbons Association of Photographers of Serbia 3 Salon Ribbons
► OPEN MONOCHROME         PID-M               1.FIAP gold medal 1.PSA Gold medal 1.Master of Light Gold plaquette 1.IAAP medal 1.DIPA medal 1.Salon gold Medal 1.Master of Light Silver plaquette 1.Salon Silver medal 1.Master of Light bronze plaquette 1.Photo Association of Serbia Bronze meda l  1 Salon bronze medal 2 FIAP Ribbons 1 Gold Master of Light Ribbon 1 Silver Master of Light Ribbon 1 Bronze Master of Light Ribbon 3 IAAP ribbons 2 DIPA diplomas
3 Ribbons Association of Photographers of Serbia 3 Salon Ribbons
► NATURE                ND           1 FIAP gold medal 1 PSA Gold medal 1 Master of Light Gold plaquette 1 IAAP medal 1 DIPA medal 1 Salon gold Medal 1 Master of Light Silver plaquette 1 Salon Silver medal 1 Master of Light bronze plaquette 1 Salon bronze medal    2 FIAP Ribbons 1 Gold Master of Light Ribbon 
1 Silver Master of Light Ribbon
1 Bronze Master of Light Ribbon
2 IAAP Diplomas 2 DIPA Diplomas
3 Ribbons Association of Photographers of Serbia 3 Salon Ribbons  
  ► PHOTOJOURNALISM           PJD 1 FIAP gold medal 1 PSA Gold medal 1 Master of Light Gold plaquette 1 IAAP medal 1 DIPA medal 1 Salon gold Medal 1 Master of Light Silver plaquette 1 Photo Association of Serbia Silver medal
1 Salon Silver medal 1 Master of Light bronze plaquette  		  1 Salon bronze medal 2 FIAP Ribbons 1 Gold Master of Light Ribbon 
1 Silver Master of Light Ribbon
1 Bronze Master of Light Ribbon
2 IAAP Diplomas 2 DIPA Diplomas
3 Ribbons Association of Photographers of Serbia 3 Salon Ribbons  
► IN THE BACKLIGHT   1 FIAP gold medal 1 Master of Light Gold plaquette 1 IAAP medal 1 DIPA medal
1. Photo Association of Serbia  gold medal 1 Salon gold Medal 1 Master of Light Silver plaquette 1 Salon Silver medal 1 Master of Light bronze plaquette		  1 Salon bronze medal 2 FIAP Ribbons 1 Gold Master of Light Ribbon 
1 Silver Master of Light Ribbon
1 Bronze Master of Light Ribbon 2 DIPA Diplomas
2 IAAP Diplomas
3 Ribbons Association of Photographers of Serbia 3 Salon Ribbons  
► GEOMETRY            1 FIAP gold medal 1 Master of Light Gold plaquette 1 IAAP medal 1 DIPA medal 1 Salon gold Medal 1 Master of Light Silver plaquette 1 Salon Silver medal 1 Master of Light bronze plaquette    1 Salon bronze medal 2 FIAP Ribbons 1 Gold Master of Light Ribbon 
1 Silver Master of Light Ribbon
1 Bronze Master of Light Ribbon
2 IAAP Diplomas 2 DIPA Diplomas
3 Ribbons Association of Photographers of Serbia 3 Salon Ribbons

CATALOGUE

A downloadable PDF will be available from web site. https://www.photoexpo.me/ 

DIGITAL ENTRY SUBMISSION

Photographs should be submitted in digital form with a maximum size of 1920pixels (horizontal side) ×1080 pixels (vertical side) at 300 dpi, not more than 4MB.

Images may be submitted in the following ways

  1. Uploaded through the web site:  https://www.photoexpo.me/  click REGISTER NOW in menu

NOTICE: When an entrant fills in 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.

  • sent by e-mail: Include the application form

To download application form, please copy this link in your browser  https://www.photoexpo.me/documents/EXPOApplicationForm.doc

Works and application form send to the mail

  • Posted on CD/DVD to:

                    Zoran Dordevic
                    TC Sumadija lok 14 / Limijerov snop
                    M. Pavlovica 9
                    34000 Kragujevac
                    Serbia

Works must be marked with ordinal numbers corresponding to their specification in the application form. Works submitted without a correctly filled-in application form will not be considered.

Exhibitions are not allowed to resize oversized images. In such cases the entrant is required to resubmit their entry with properly sized images.

ACCEPTANCES AND AWARDS:

Judging Method

Jury will work remote (on-line judging).  Every jury member will work with standard PC (not laptop) with color calibrated monitors sizes 24” or higher.  Judges will use projection equipment or computer monitors capable of displaying images at 100% of the image resolution and that images will be displayed at exactly 100% of their resolution (that is, that the images will not be enlarged – at no point zoomed in- beyond their native resolution).

An award session will be done by videoconference with the judges viewing the images together.

Target Acceptance Range

  • The acceptance target range will be no more than 30% in each section.
  • No image may receive more than one individual award in a section, but in circuits an image may receive an award in different salon sections. Only one award can be given to an entrant in any one section.
  • For sections with more than 230 images, no more than 10% of the acceptances can receive medals/awards.

EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS

Image And Entry Requirements:

This exhibition is open to anyone; however, an entry may be rejected when the exhibition chair believes the entry does not conform to exhibition rules and these ES-COE. Membership in any photographic organization is not required.

Neither awards nor acceptances will be granted to any entrant who is on the PSA Penalties List for Ethics Violation. Entry fees are not refundable in these circumstances.

 PSA Star Ratings: To receive proper star ratings credit from PSA, entrants must provide their names and country exactly the same way in each exhibition. Aliases are not permitted. Please contact PSA in the event of a name change or relocation to another country. Using one’s name differently in different exhibitions exposes the entrant to the risk that many of their acceptances may not be recognized in PSA Star records.

Reproduction: The entrant 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. PSA may request specific permission from entrants to reproduce entered images in its educational materials. The terms of that permission will be mutually agreed upon between the entrant and PSA except in the circumstances where the entered image is found to breach the PSA Ethics Policy. In those circumstances, the image may be reproduced by PSA without the entrant’s further permission, for educational purposes, or to illustrate serious exhibition rule violations. For those reproductions, the entrant’s name will be withheld.

Entries will not be accepted from entrants who indicate that their images may not be reproduced in materials related to the exhibition. The exhibition assumes no liability of any misuse of copyright.

 Re-use of accepted images: Any image that has been accepted in this exhibition, past or present, may not be entered again in the same division star ratings class in any future instances of this exhibition. It may, of course, be entered in any other PSA recognized exhibitions but must always have the same title. Re-titling in another language is not allowed.

Entry: An entry consists of up to and including four (4) images entered by a single entrant into the same section. The same image can receive no more than a total of twenty (20) acceptances (per star path). Identical or similar Images shall not be allowed in the same section or different sections of the same exhibition as determined by the judges or exhibition chair. Similar images are those which are practically equivalent, as defined on this page: https://psa-services.org/pdf/Practical-Equivalence.pdf. When a group of similar images is uploaded by the entrant, all similar images in all sections will be disqualified. Be advised: while similar images may be entered in different exhibitions, these images and acceptances may be disallowed by the separate review process associated with applications for stars, diamonds and galaxies. To avoid disappointment, do not enter images that are practically equivalent.

Titles: Each image must have a unique title that relates to the content of the image. That unique title must be used for entry of that image into any and all PSA-recognized exhibitions. Titles must be 35 characters or fewer. No titles may be visible to the judges, and nothing in the image may identify the entrant. Titles may not include file extensions such as .jpg or .jpeg (or any other camera capture file names such as IMG_xxxx). Titles may not consist of personal identifiers possibly augmented by a number; and may not include words such as “untitled” or “no title.” Titles may not consist solely of numbers unless those numbers are prominently contained within the image, such as a contestant number in a race. When entering titles, exhibitors may use Latin1 or Latin2 character sets (ISO-8859-1 or ISO-8859-2) which allow diacritical marks (é, ñ, ü, ą, ę, ś, etc). While text written in non-Latin writing systems (Hanzi, Cyrillic, Arabic, Devanagari, etc) might be accepted by exhibition software, this practice is discouraged because it may yield unpredictable results in galleries, catalogs and may be rejected in Star applications.

Color and Monochrome: Color and monochrome images from the same capture that share substantial pictorial content in common will be considered the same image and must be given the same title.

DATA PROTECTION

By entering this exhibition, you are explicitly consenting to the personal details you have supplied, including physical addresses and email addresses being held, processed and used by the exhibition chair 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, agree and accept that by entering this exhibition your participation status which includes your first and last name, name of the country used during registration at the exhibition, number of sections entered, and number of photos entered in those sections will be made public in a published status list, and that the results of your entry will be made public in the exhibition gallery and exhibition catalog. You also agree and accept the policy regarding noncompliance to the rules of PSA.

SUBJECT MATTER AND DEFINITIONS

Image creation and ownership

In all sections of the exhibition, images must originate as photographs made by the entrant.

They may not incorporate identifiable images produced by anyone else (for example: clip art, replacement skies, or stock images). Images created in whole or in part by image creation software (frequently called ‘AI’

images) are not allowed. Editing or alteration of images is permitted within the limits specified in the relevant section definitions that are available here https://psa-photo.org/page/division-definitions

Any person submitting or attempting to submit a totally AI generated image that does not begin with a light capture from the maker to any Photographic Society of America exhibition, social media, event, or publication, other than for editorial purposes, shall be prohibited from PSA for a period of from 3 years to Life.

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 or injured 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, using drones, helicopters, or low flying aircraft. These should not cause any interference with other individuals or animals which causes a disturbance in their normal activity or disrupts the way any individual or animal interacts 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 the above policies. The images must comply with the division and section definitions listed on the PSA website and other conditions. Images that do not comply will be disqualified by the judges.

PSA Color Definition

The Image category for PID color must be a color image. 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 color on a monochrome image is considered a Color Image.

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 gray which can include pure black and pure white) or it gives the impression of being a grayscale image that has been toned in one color across the entire image (for example by sepia, red, gold, etc.) A grayscale 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.

• Monochrome images may not be entered in color sections of PPD or PID.

FIAP Monochrome Definition

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.

Pictorial Image Division Definition

PID includes open or general subject photography. There are no limitations on subject matter or techniques used for image capture or post processing other than the restrictions described in the PSA Statements on Artificial Intelligence, Image Creation and Authorship, and Subject Matter, which apply to all divisions. These restrictions include prohibited image elements not authored by the entrant (for example textures, replacement skies from third party software, clipart or stock images).

Open sections have unrestricted subject content and may include creative images. PID theme sections have specific definitions which assist both the judges and entrants.

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 over water and underwater.

Nature images must convey the truth of the scene. 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 threatening a living organism’s life or welfare 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.
  • Photographs made where the scene is natural and the animal is unharmed in a carefully managed environment, such as Zoo, rescue centers, and ethically managed natural environment farms are permitted.
  • Attracting or controlling subjects through the use of food or sound for the purpose of photographing them is not allowed. Maintained situations such as provided supplemental food due to hardship caused by weather conditions or other conditions beyond the animals’ control, where photography is incidental to the feeding of the animal does not fall under this provision.
  • Controlling live subjects by chilling, anesthetic, or any other method of restricting natural movement for a photograph is not allowed.
  • Human-made elements shall be permitted under the following circumstances:
  • When they are an integral part of the nature story, such as a songbird singing atop a fence post a manmade object used as nest material, or a weather phenomenon destroying a man-made structure.
  • When they are a small but unavoidable part of the scene, such as an unobtrusive footprint or track in the background.
  • Scientific tags, collars, and bands are specifically allowed.

When photographing at a zoo, sanctuary, or rehabilitation center, it would be construed that the photographer ensured that it’s properly accredited and conforms to best practices.

Attention is drawn to the PSA Statements on Artificial Intelligence and Subject Matter which apply to all sections.

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

Photojournalism Division Definition

Photojournalism Entries Are:

  • images with informative content and emotional impact
  • reflecting the human presence in our world
  • The journalistic (story-telling) value of the image receives 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

Editing Guidelines for PJ: Processing or editing is limited to making the image look as close to the original scene as possible, or complete conversion to monochrome.

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 or lens distortion
  • Global and selective adjustments such as brightness, hue, saturation and contrast to restore the integrity of the original scene.
  • Several images (typically 2-4), each with a small white border, combined into a single image that depicts a progression of events or related activity.

Editing Techniques That Are Not Allowed:

  • Removing, adding, moving or changing any part of an image, except for the eligible techniques
  • Blurring or darkening parts of the image during processing to obscure elements in the original scene
  • Partial color or partial toning
  • Unnatural color, extreme saturation or desaturation.

In The Backlight (Color or monochrome) Not eligible for PSA Star Ratings.

Backlight is a photographic technique in which the camera is pointing directly toward a source of light. This effects usually hides details, causes a stronger contrast between light and dark, creates silhouettes and emphasizes lines and shapes. The Sun, or other light source, is often seen as either a bright spot or as a strong glare behind the subject.

Geometry (Color or monochrome) Not eligible for PSA Star Ratings.

We expect photographs where main details of compositions are lines and shapes.

PSA RULES

Non-compliance

 See the PSA Ethics Policy at https://psa-photo.org/page/ethical-practices.

See the PSA statement on Subject Matter, Statement on Artificial Intelligence, and Image Creation and Authorship at https://psa-photo.org/page/division-definitions

If an entrant submits an image that appears to be non-compliant, the chair or judges may request the unedited or raw file of the submitted image to verify compliance, including authorship. For composite images all files are required. Such entries may be referred to PSA for further investigation of possible ethics violations. Entrants who do not respond to this request or who do not cooperate with the investigation team may be penalized.

PSA retains the right to investigate all complaints, impose penalties if deemed necessary, void the acceptances of any image found to violate the PSA rules, and add the entrant’s name to the PSA Penalty List which is shared with PSA and FIAP chairs. Entrants automatically agree to these terms by entering the Exhibition.

Agents and other indirect submissions:

 ● Agencies and third-party entities who process or submit images on an entrant’s behalf must register with Exhibition Services. This is to ensure both the agency and the entrants are aware of the rules prior to submitting images. Agencies who frequently submit images which incur violations may also be penalized.

● Entrants will be held responsible for adhering to the entry rules and will be subject to penalties for any violations to these Conditions of Entry or to PSA’s Statement of Ethics, regardless of whether they submit images through a third party or not.

NOTICE:

When entrants fill in the entry form to submit an entry they will see the following feature to affirm they have read these COE

“I hereby confirm that I have read and understood and agree to the Conditions of Entry of this exhibition.

I have read and understood the PSA document to be found here: https://psa-photo.org/resource/resmgr/pdf/exhibitions_/exhibition-entrants-agreemen.pdf. I am aware that PSA may apply penalties for non-compliance to these Conditions of Entry”

Failure to agree will mean that the application will not proceed.

Where PSA/FIAP Rules differ, all entries shall conform to the stricter of these definitions for acceptances to be validated by all the International Organizations granting recognition or patronage.