Cyprus International Digital Photo Competition 2026 is international contest of art photography, organized by Cyprus Photographic Society from Nicosia, Cyprus.

The contest is divided into the following sections:
• OPEN COLOR
• OPEN MONOCHROME
• NATURE
• PHOTOJOURNALISM
• WORLD IN FOCUS
• ARCHITECTURE

Closing date: May 17 2026
Judging date: May 20 - 30 2026
Notification date: June 1 2026
Delivery date: August 1 2026
Gallery publish date: August 1 2026

Entry fee is mandatory for all participants. Fee for all six (6) sections: €20

Group entries of at least 10 persons from the same country: €16 per entrant for groups of at least 10 persons. Please e-mail us at [email protected] for instructions on payment or other clarifications.

Early Bird discount: A 20% discount on entry fee is offered to all participants sending and paying for their entries from until 16th of April 2026, 23:59 EET. The reduced fee is €16.

Method of payment: PAYPAL

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

This exhibition is open to anyone; however, an entry may be rejected when the Sponsor or the Exhibition Organizers, in their reasonable discretion, believe the entry does not conform to exhibition rules and the Conditions of Entry. Membership in any photographic organization is not required.

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.
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, 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 any past Cyprus International Digital Photo Competition exhibition, may not be entered again in this or in any future instances of this exhibition. Re-titling the same photo 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 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.

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.

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.

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 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. The photographs of participants with the application are submitted in these ways:

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 exhibition, you are explicitly consenting to the personal details you have supplied, including physical addresses, 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, 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 shall be made public in exhibition gallery, exhibition catalog. You also agree and accept the policies regarding Breaches of Rules of FIAP.




Notice to entrants:
When entrants fill in the Entry Form to submit an entry, they will see the following features to affirm they have read these Conditions of Entry.

FIAP NOTICE:
“I hereby expressly agree to FIAP document 048/2025 « Conditions and regulations for FIAP Patronage » and FIAP document 049/2025 «Sanctions for breaching FIAP regulations and thered list ». I am particularly aware of chapter II « Regulations for International photographic events under FIAP patronage » of FIAP document 048/2025, dealing under Section II.2 and II.3 with the FIAP participation rules, the sanctions for breaching FIAP regulations and the red list”.

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

Compliance to Conditions of Enty:
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. Such entries may be referred to FIAP for further investigation of possible ethics violations.

If another party is submitting images on the entrant’s behalf, the entrant will still be held responsible for adhering to these Conditions of Entry (Entry Rules) and will be subject to penalties for any violations to these Conditions of Entry.

If another party is processing images for an entrant or submitting images on the entrant’s behalf, the entrant will still be held responsible for adhering to all Conditions of Entry including the specific conditions in the relevant definitions.

Breach of Rules:
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 noncompliance 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.
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY POLICIES (ethical)
One of the tenets of photography, is that the safety and well-being of the subject, photographer and surroundings is of para-mount importance over the capturing of the photograph. The purpose of this section is to prevent any interference with other individuals or animals which will or may cause a disturbance in their normal activity or disrupt the way an individual or animal interacts with its environment.
May not fly a drone above people for the purpose of photographing their activity, unless permission is granted in writing.
May not fly or photograph animals in their natural habitat, especially nesting areas and locations where the animal is already under stress (winter survival, migratory feeding, protecting young). Photographing scenery/landscapes is permissible.
May not fly or photograph in any designated wilderness area.


ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) in FIAP SALONS

PICTURES CREATED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ARE NOT ALLOWED.

1. Permitted AI-enhanced editing: includes editing tools that perform transformations, enhancements, or corrections based exclusively on the existing pixel data captured in the author’s original photograph without introducing externally sourced content.
2. Prohibited AI editing: includes any AI-assisted processes for synthetic image generation that incorporate external image data, visual elements, textures, objects, or scenes not originally present in the author’s photograph are prohibited.

• Luis Franke
•Vladimir Jowanowski
• Manolis Papadakis
• Sefa Ulukan
• Stelios Paphitis
• Christos Acheriotis

The judges of the event will present the following awards:
6 x FIAP Gold Medal, 36 x FIAP Blue Ribbon,
6 x IAAP Gold Medal, 6 x IAAP Silver Medal, 6 x IAAP Bronze Medal, 6 x ISF Gold Medal, 12 x ISF Certificates, 6 x GPU Gold Medal, 36 x GPU Ribbon, 6 x HPS Gold Medal, 36 x HPS Ribbon,
6 x CPS Gold Medal, 6 x CPS Silver Medal, 6 x CPS Bronze Medal, 18 x CPS eDiploma, FIAP Blue Pin

Total 200 awards. The organizer reserves the right to adjust the number of awards based on the total number of entrants.

A special award will be presented to the Cypriot Photographer with the highest overall score.

Definition of the black and white photography (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.

Definition of “World in focus”:
Just as travel and tourism pictures, this section englobes 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 colors is allowed as long as the image is looking natural. The same counts 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.

Definition of “Nature”:
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, anaesthetic, or any other method of restricting natural movement for a photograph is not allowed.
• Human-made elements shall be permitted under the following circumstances:
a) 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.
b) When they are a small but unavoidable part of the scene, such as an unobtrusive footprint or track in the background.
c) Scientific tags, collars, and bands are specifically allowed.
When photographing at a zoo, sanctuary, or rehabilitation centre, it would be construed that the photographer ensured that it’s properly accredited and conforms to best practices.

Wildlife Photography
In addition to the restrictions on nature photography, to be eligible for any Wildlife award and acceptance, images must meet the following conditions:
• Zoological organisms must be living free and unrestrained in a natural or adopted habitat of their own choosing.
• Images of zoological organisms that have been removed from their natural habitat, are in any form of captivity or are being controlled by humans for the purpose of photography are not allowed.
• Botanical organisms may not be removed from their natural environment for the purpose of photography.
• Images that have been staged for the purpose of photography are not 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 colour 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 colour

ALL acceptances will count for FIAP, IAAP, GPU, ISF, HPS, distinctions.

Notification cards will be sent by email.

Alexis Saveriades,
EFIAP/d2, GM IAAP, GPU CR-4, GPU VIP-5 GPU- ZEUS

Nicosia, Cyprus

email: [email protected]
website: www.cps-cidpc.com