BAKU 2021 is international contest of art photography, organized by Gilavar Photo Club of Azerbaijan.

Contest consists of 5 sections, all digital:

A. Open Color - PSA PID COLOR
B. Open Monochrome - PSA PID MONOCHROME
C. Nature - PSA ND
D. Travel - PSA PTD
E. People (color and monochrome) - PSA PID COLOR

Closing date: 30.11.2021
Judging: 01.12.2021
Notification: 20.12.2021
Exhibition date: 30.03.2022
Awards delivery: 25.01.2022
Catalogues delivery: 25.01.2022

Participation fee is mandatory for all participants: 10 Euro for 2 sections, 15 Euro for 5 sections Payment can be made on the web site after submitting. The fee can be paid via PayPal through our web site: http://salon.gilavar.net. If for some reason you are not able to make payment - please contact us [email protected]. The works of the authors who did not pay the fee would not be taken into consideration.

The exhibition 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. Membership in any photographic organization is not required. 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 work 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 work 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 and PSA Patronages, the entrant accepts without exception and with no objection that the submitted images can be3 investigated by FIAP and PSA to establish if these obey to FIAP and PSA regulations and definitions even if the entrant is not a member of FIAP and PSA; that FIAP and PSA will use any means at its disposal for this undertaking; that any refusal to cooperate with FIAP, PSA 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 and PSA 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. Entries will not be accepted from any entrant who is currently sanctioned by FIAP and PSA.

The contest will be conducted according to FIAP, PSA and IAAP regulations. Each entrant can submit a maximum of 4 photos per section. The entrants have to register on web-site baku.gilavar.net. After registration and authorization the applicant enters personal account and uploads images for the contest. The images on CD sent via regular mail are subject to rejection. Technical requirements for the uploaded images: jpg format, with dimensions 1920x1080 pixels at 300 dpi., max. 2 mb. Each image must have a unique title. No title or photos containing visible watermarks, names or initials will be disqualified and for this reason will not be included in the verdict. Please use only English alphabet and numeric (A-Z, 0-9). An author may not enter identical or similar images into different categories and sections of the same salon. Judging will be done according to regulations listed in paragraph II.8 of FIAP Doc 2014/317 The jury's decision is final and it can not be changed in any case. Each author can receive only one award in each of the section.

PROTECTION
By entering this contest, you are explicitly consenting to the personal details you have supplied, including 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 and accept that entering this exhibition means that the status and results of your entry may be made public.

BREACH
If the contest determines before, during, or after the judging that an entrant has submitted entries where one or more images fail to comply with these Conditions of Entry, including the stated definitions, the contest reserves the right and discretion to delete the entry from the exhibition and void any or all acceptances or awards. Fees may be forfeited in these circumstances. In order to ensure that images comply with the Conditions of Entry and definitions, the exhibition may carry out checks on the images to make sure that:
a) the images are the original work of the entrant and4
b) the images comply with the rules and definitions as set out in these Conditions of Entry.
This may involve asking the entrant to provide originally captured image(s), with EXIF data intact, by a set deadline. The questioned image(s) of any entrant failing to comply with such a request for the original image(s) may be considered in breach of these Conditions of Entry, and declined. Entrants automatically agree to these terms by the act of entering the Exhibition.

Avishek Das, EFIAP/b India
Umberto Deramo, EFIAP, EPSA Italy
Yasser Alaa Mobarak, AFIAP Egypt
Calal Firidunov, Azerbaijan (alternative)

At the contest there will be 201 international awards from FIAP, PSA, IAAP and Gilavar Photo Club of Azerbaijan

1 x FIAP blue pin
5 x FIAP gold medal, 30 x FIAP blue ribbon
5 x PSA gold medal, 30 x PSA ribbon
5 x IAAP gold medal, 5 x IAAP silver medal, 5 x IAAP bronze medal, 30 x IAAP ribbon
5 x Gilavar gold medal, 5 x Gilavar silver medal, 5 x Gilavar bronze medal, 30 x Gilavar ribbon,
40 x Gilavar diploma

The organizer reserves the right to change the number of awards, depending on the total number of the 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.

PSA Statement on Subject Matter
There is one hard and fast rule, whose spirit must be observed at all times and applies to all sections offered in PSA recognised exhibitions. The welfare of the subject is more important than the 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 PSA exhibitions. There is also a PSA policy on the use of aerial photography - aircraft, helicopters and drones. This policy can be found at https://psa-photo.org/index.php?psa-policies#drone. The purpose of this policy 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 any individuals or animals interact with their environment. Entry in this exhibition requires exhibitors to agree to this and other PSA policies The content of images must comply with these 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 are likely to be disqualified so the entrant may be aware of the problem when considering entry into other PSA recognized exhibitions.

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

Monochrome
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 gray-scale image that has been toned in one color across the entire image, example by sepia, red, gold, etc. A gray-scale 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. A black and white work fitting from the very dark gray (black) to the very clear gray (white) is a monochrome work with the various shades of gray. A black and white work toned entirely in a single color 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 catalog of a salon under FIAP and PSA Patronage.5 On the other hand a black and white work modified by a partial toning or by the addition of one color becomes a color work (polychrome) to stand in the color category; such a work requires color reproduction in the catalog of a salon under FIAP and PSA Patronage.

Nature
Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archeology, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject material and certify its honest presentation. The story telling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality. Human elements shall 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. Scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals are permissible. Photographs of human created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement. No techniques that add, relocate, replace, or remove pictorial elements except by cropping are permitted. Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the nature story or the pictorial content, or without altering the content of the original scene, are permitted including HDR, focus stacking and dodging/burning. Techniques that remove elements added by the camera, such as dust spots, digital noise, and film scratches, are allowed. Stitched images are not permitted. Color images can be converted to greyscale monochrome. Infrared images, either direct-captures or derivations, are not allowed. Images entered in Nature sections 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. Attention is drawn to the PSA Statement on Subject Matter which applies to all sections.

Travel
A traditional photograph maintains the original single capture image content with minimal adjustments which should not alter the reality of the scene and should appear natural. Rearranging, replacing, adding to or removing any part of the original image except by cropping is strictly forbidden. HDR (High Dynamic Range) and focus-stacking techniques, whether done in camera or post-capture, are strictly forbidden. Traditional Photo A photo travel image 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,6 except by cropping, are not permitted. The only allowable adjustments are removal 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 images must appear natural.

Notification cards will be sent by email. The results and PDF Exhibition catalog will be publishing on website salon.gilavar.net and it will be possible to download. All entrants of the contest (participants which submitted works and paid entry fee) will receive on-line PDF catalog of the photo contest. The organizer will take all possible care while handling the emails, awards and catalogs, however will assume no liability for damages and loses during shipment.

Salon Chairman Mr. Rashad Mehdiyev, EFIAP
e-mail: [email protected]