vzw Fotokring FOCUS GERAARDSBERGEN
IJsbroekstraat 34
9506 SCHENDELBEKE
www.focusgeraardsbergen.be
[email protected]

The international salon is open to anyone over the world. Membership of any photographic organization is not required.

The exhibition consists of four (4) digital sections :
A. OPEN COLOR (color digital) (PSA PIDC)
B. OPEN MONOCHROME (monochrome digital) (PSA PIDM)
C. NATURE (color or monochrome) (PSA ND)
D. PHOTOJOURNALISM (color or monochrome digital) (PSA PJD)

Closing date: 17 April 2024
All judging completed by 28 April 2024
Notification sent by: 11 May 2024
Online gallery posted by: 11 May 2024
Awards ceremony / Projection : 13 June 2024
(“de SPIRAAL” Zakkaai 29 9500 Geraardsbergen BELGIUM)
Catalogue pdf posted on the website: 31 July 2024
Awards mailed by : 31 July 2024

For 1 or 2 sections : 15€ or 18$
Discount for clubs and group of authors:
From 10 authors : 12€ or 15$

For 3 or 4 sections : 20€ or 23$
Discount for clubs and group of authors:
From 10 authors : 16€ or 19$

No other discounts are possible.
IMPORTANT ! In case of a club participation of 10 or more authors, please send a list of the participants to the Salon Chairman !

Payment possibilities:
• ONLY for BELGIAN Entrants: Via bankwire to bankaccount IBAN: BE37 1030 6811 9128 – BIC: NICA BE BB to “vzw Fotokring Focus Geraardsbergen”
Always mention your name/Club and the number of sections.
• For International Entrants : Via Paypal : [email protected]

CHEQUES will not be accepted.
Not acquitted entries will not be judged.

IMAGE AND ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
This exhibition is open to anyone; however, an entry may be rejected when the Sponsor or the Exhibition Organizers, in their reasonable discretion, believes the entry does not conform to exhibition rules and these Conditions of Entry. Membership in any photographic organization is not required.
Penalties: Entries will not be accepted from any entrant who has put 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 in each exhibition. Aliases are not permitted. Please contact PSA in the event of name changes or relocating to another country. Using one’s name differently in different exhibition exposes the entrant to the risk that many of their acceptances may not be recognized by PSA Star Ratings
Image Creation
Entries must originate as photographs (image-captures of objects via light sensitivity) made by the entrant on photographic emulsion or acquired digitally.
Certification:
By virtue of submitting an image, the entrant certifies the work as his or her own. Images may not incorporate elements produced by anyone else (for example: clip art, images or art by others downloaded from the Internet). Aliases are not allowed.
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. The Photographic Society of America (PSA) may request specific permission from entrants to reproduce entered images in its educational materials. The terms of that permission will be mutually agreed 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 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

Alteration and Computer Generation
Subject to Divisional restrictions (particularly Nature, Photo Travel, and Photojournalism) images may be altered, either electronically or otherwise, by the entrant; adjustments to enhance images or creatively modify images are allowed providing the underlying photograph is retained in a way that is obvious to the viewer. Images may not be constructed entirely with a computer, and must be the sole work of the entrant
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 recognised 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. An entrant may only enter a specific Section once. Entrants may not enter identical or similar images into the same section or different sections of the same exhibition.
Titles:
Each image must have a unique title that is a description of the image. That unique title must be used for entry of that image or of an identical 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 filenames such as IMG 471). Titles may not consist of personal identifiers possibly augmented by a number; or 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.
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.

Authors must fill out the entry form and submit their photos online at www.focusgeraardsbergen.be.
Maximum 4 entries per entrant/section are allowed. Photos must be in JPG format, color profile sRGB. Maximum image width (horizontal) is 1920px. Maximum image height (vertical) is 1080px in 300 dpi and maximum file size is 2 Mb. Please check before submission. Unconform pictures will be rejected.
The filename of each image is the same as the title of the image and cannot exceed 35 characters. Titles do not need to be translated to English but must be given in English characters. (Not allowed : é,è,ê,ë,ç,…)

The Exhibition will be conducted in accordance with the rules of the PSA and FIAP. 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.

Judging Method :
Judging is to take place online. All judges shall use color calibrated equipment capable of displaying submitted images at 100% of their resolution.

FIAP does not allow acceptance rates higher than 25%.

All sections:
Vladimir Jovanovski, MPSA, GPU HERMES, RISF5 (Macedonia)
Stefan Stuppnig GMPSA, BPSA, EFIAP/G, GPU CR4, VIP5, Zeus (Austria)
Vincent Cochain, E-FIAP/S, ESFIAP, EPSA (Belgium)

Alternative jury member :
Jozef Aerts, HonFPSA, GMPSA/S, MFIAP, EFIAP/PL (Belgium)

111 Awards in total

Blue badge FIAP for Best Author of Salon
Trophy for Best Belgian Author of Salon
Trophy for Best Club of Salon

COLOR
FIAP Gold Medal
PSA Gold Medal
IAAP Gold Medal
FBP Gold Medal
FOCUS Gold Medal
IAAP Silver Medal
FBP Silver Medal
FOCUS Silver Medal
IAAP Bronze Medal
FBP Bronze Medal
FOCUS Bronze Medal
Special price Architecture
Special Price Portrait
Special Price Still life
2 HM FIAP
3 HM PSA
3 HM IAAP
5 HM FOCUS

MONOCHROME
FIAP Gold Medal
PSA Gold Medal
IAAP Gold Medal
FBP Gold Medal
FOCUS Gold Medal
IAAP Silver Medal
FBP Silver Medal
FOCUS Silver Medal
IAAP Bronze Medal
FBP Bronze Medal
FOCUS Bronze Medal
Special price Nude
Special Price Portrait
Special Price Still life
2 HM FIAP
3 HM PSA
3 HM IAAP
5 HM FOCUS

NATURE
FIAP Gold Medal
PSA Gold Medal
IAAP Gold Medal
FBP Gold Medal
FOCUS Gold Medal
IAAP Silver Medal
FBP Silver Medal
FOCUS Silver Medal
IAAP Bronze Medal
FBP Bronze Medal
FOCUS Bronze Medal
Special price Landscape
Special Price Macro
Special Price Birds
2 HM FIAP
3 HM PSA
3 HM IAAP
5 HM FOCUS

PHOTOJOURNALISM
FIAP Gold Medal
PSA Gold Medal
IAAP Gold Medal
FBP Gold Medal
FOCUS Gold Medal
IAAP Silver Medal
FBP Silver Medal
FOCUS Silver Medal
IAAP Bronze Medal
FBP Bronze Medal
FOCUS Bronze Medal
Special price Sport
Special Price Story telling
Special Price Human activity
2 HM FIAP
3 HM PSA
3 HM IAAP
5 HM FOCUS

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
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.
FIAP 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 work requires colour reproduction in the catalogue of a salon under FIAP Patronage.
Greyscale Monochrome images may be entered for Nature, Photojournalism and Photo Travel but toned images are not permitted for these sections.

Editing Guidelines for Nature and Photojournalism
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 oversaturation
of color.

Borders
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.

Nature
PSA/FIAP Nature Definition
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. Adding a vignette or blurring the background during processing is not allowed.
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.
No modification that changes the truth of a Nature image is allowed. Images may be cropped but no other technique that removes, adds or moves any part of the image is allowed.
Techniques that remove elements added by the camera, such as dust spots, digital noise and lens flare are allowed.
Complete conversion of colour images to greyscale monochrome is allowed. Partial conversion, toning and infrared captures or conversions are not allowed.Images of the same subject that are combined in-camera or with software by focus stacking or exposure blending are allowed. Multiple images with overlapping fields of view that are taken consecutively and combined in-camera or with software (image stitching) are 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 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 of images (typically 2-4), each with a small white border, may be combined into a single image that depicts a progression of events or related activity.

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

A pdf illustrated catalogue will be available online for downloading on the website www.focusgeraardsbergen.be via a link to the IAAP contest platform.

Salon Chairman :
Pascal Meerpoel, E-FIAP, EPSA, M.APS, GPU CR2
32/471685579
[email protected]
Waaienberg 83
9500 GERAARDSBERGEN
BELGIUM

Website to enter for the exhibition : International association of art photographers (theiaap.com)