EXPLORER is international contest of art photography, organized by Photo club Besa from Elbasan, Albania.

The contest is divided into the following sections:
• OPEN COLOR
• OPEN MONOCHROME
• NATURE
• PHOTOJOURNALISM
• CULTURE
• WOMAN

Closing date: August 26 2026
Judging date: September 5 2026
Notification date: September 20 2026
Delivery date: October 20 2026
Gallery publish date: October 20 2026

The entry fee depends on the number of sections the participant enters. The fees are as follows:
• 1-3 sections = 20 EUR
• 4-6 sections = 25 EUR

A discount will be applied to group entries as follows:
5–9 Entrants: 10% discount
10–15 Entrants: 15% discount
16–20 Entrants: 20% discount
21+ Entrants: 25% discount

The entry fee can be paid in the following ways:
• through our website: https://pcbesa.com/explorer/
• PAYPAL ACCOUNT: [email protected]

Images from participants who have not paid the entry fee will not be considered.

The contest is open to anyone (amateur and professional photographers from all over the world); 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 contest rules and conditions.
Entries must originate as photographs (image-captures 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 image as his own (aliases are not permitted). 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. Note: Entrants who indicate that their images may not be reproduced or used 'will not be eligible for awards' or inclusion in audio-visuals of the exhibition 'and could be subject to disqualification' by the exhibition sponsors.
By submitting an entry, the entrant certifies legal Age, and own all rights to these images, including copyright or parents or guardians gives permission on his/her behalf if he/she is not of Legal Age. The exhibition assumes no liability of any misuse of copyright. Images may be altered, either electronically or otherwise, by the maker. All final image must be on photographic film, or on electronic file, or on photographic or electronic print material, mounting excepted.
No title or identification of the maker shall be visible anywhere on the face of an image, print mat or mount.

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.

Photographs must be in JPEG format, with dimensions 1920x1080 pixels at 300, JPEG compression (if Photoshop used for export): 7-12, file size maximum 4 Mb. Each image must have a unique title. Titles must not include file extensions such as .jpg or .jpeg (or any other camera capture filenames). No title or identification of the maker shall be written anywhere on the face of an image.
The photographs of participants with the application are submitted in these ways:
- uploading thought our website: https://pcbesa.com/explorer/
- by e-mail: [email protected]

The judging will be done by remote online judging. All judges will be using equipment capable of displaying images at 100% of the image resolution. Judges will be using color calibrated equipment. Target Range will be max 30%.

By entering this contest, you are explicitly consenting to the personal details you have supplied, including physical addresses, email addresses, being held, processed and used by the contest organizers for purposes associated with this contest. You also explicitly consent to such information being sent to organizations that have accorded official recognition, patronage or accreditation to this contest. You acknowledge, agree and accept that by entering this contest, your participation status which includes your first and last name, name of the country used during registration at the contest, 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 shall be made public in exhibition gallery, exhibition catalog.

[FIAP]
The mention that 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 the following terms:
- 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,
- 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. 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.
[FIAP NOTICE]
In order to have legal authority on those who do not respect the rules of FIAP, the organizer must make sure that all participants of an online event under FIAP Patronage tick a box next to which the following text is stated:
I hereby expressly agree to the FIAP document 018/2017 «Conditions and regulations for FIAP Patronage» and FIAP document 033_2021 «Sanctions for breaching FIAP regulations and the red list» I am particularly aware of chapter II «Regulations for International photographic events under FIAP patronage» of FIAP document 018/2017, dealing under Section II.2 and II.3 with the FIAP participation rules, the sanctions for breaching FIAP regulations and the red list.
By submitting an entry, the entrant certifies that he is a sole owner of the rights to use sent images, including copyright, pa-tent and/or other applicable rights. All models must be of Legal Age of consent or have guardian permissions issued. The exhibition organizers assume no liability for any copyright misuse conducted by entrants.

• Flavian Savescu; (Romania)
• Marcia Marchetto; (Brazil)
• Aleksey Puchkovskiy; (Russia)

The judges of the event will present the following awards:

6 x FIAP Gold Medal
18 x FIAP Blue Ribbon,

6 x IAAP Silver Medal
18 x IAAP Diploma

6 x IAAP Gold E-Certificate
6 x IAAP Silver E-Certificate
6 x IAAP Bronze E-Certificate
18 x IAAP Diploma E-Certificate

6 x CLUB Gold E-Certificate
6 x CLUB Silver E-Certificate
6 x CLUB Bronze E-Certificate
18 x CLUB Diploma E-Certificate

6 x SALON Gold E-Certificate
6 x SALON Silver E-Certificate
6 x SALON Bronze E-Certificate
18 x SALON Honorable Mention E-Certificate

Total 156 awards. The organizer reserves the right to adjust the number of awards based on the total number of entrants.

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

[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.


[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.


[IAAP Definition of Photojournalism]
A photojournalism photograph is an image that captures a moment or event in a way that tells a factual story, intended to inform and convey truth to the public. It should document real events, people, and places without staging or manipulation, ensuring the authenticity of the scene. The primary aim is to provide an accurate and unbiased representation of the subject matter, often related to news, social issues, cultural events, or significant moments in history. Ethical standards are crucial in photojournalism, prohibiting any alterations that could mislead the viewer or distort the reality of the captured moment.


[FIAP Definition for World in Focus]
Just as with travel and tourism pictures, this section encompasses the full range of photographic genres from architecture, culture, events, food, landscape, portraits, etc. A “WORLD IN FOCUS” image expresses the spirit of an era, the essence of a place or of a culture whether it is shown in an authentic scene or whether it is arranged. Digital manipulation to optimise an image in terms of finetuning of levels and colours is allowed as long as the image looks natural. The same applies for removal of dust or digital noise. Techniques that add, relocate, replace, or remove any element of the original image, except by cropping, are not permitted.

Notification cards will be sent by email.

Bekim Kupi
Elbasan, Albania

email: [email protected]
website: pcbesa.com