5th Azerbaijan Photo Salon 2022 is international contest of art photography, organized by Gilavar Photo Club of Azerbaijan

Contest consists of 4 sections, all digital:
A. Open Color - PSA PID COLOR
B. Open Monochrome - PSA PID MONOCHROME
C. Travel - PSA PTD
D. People - PSA PID COLOR

Closing date: 19.06.2021
Judging: 20.06.2021
Notification: 10.07.2021
Awards delivery: 30.09.2021
Catalogues delivery: 30.09.2021
Online gallery: 30.10.2021

Results will be sent to participants by email. E-catalog will be prepared b and send by e-mail.

Participation fee is mandatory for all participants: 13 Euro for 2 sections, 17 Euro for 4 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.

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 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. The exhibition assumes no liability of any misuse of copyright.

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 be 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.

Sanctions: Entries will not be accepted from any entrant who is currently sanctioned by FIAP, PSA, GPU, IAAP.

Alteration and Computer Generation:
Subject to Divisional restrictions (particularly Nature, Photo Travel, and Photojournalism) images may be altered, either electronically or otherwise, by the maker. 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 author.

Re-use of accepted images:
Once an image has been accepted in this exhibition it may not be entered again in any future instances of this exhibition. It may, of course, be entered in any other PSA/FIAP recognised exhibitions but must always have the same title.

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.

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 maker. 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.

Submission of works

The contest will be conducted according to FIAP, PSA, GPU and IAAP regulations.
The entrants have to register on web-site salon.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 that is a description of the image. 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.
Each author can receive only one award in each of the section.

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.

JUDGING METHOD

It will be Online Judging and the Salon Chairman will be responsible for all set-ups.
Award session will be done at the video conference by the jury viewing the images together.
Judges will be using equipment capable of displaying images at 100%.
FIAP does not permit acceptances rates higher than 25%.
The jury's decision is final and it can not be changed in any case.

Emel Sefer, EFIAP, SSS/AIR Cyprus
Sohel Parvez Haque, EPSA Bangladesh
Mete Kishlal, AFIAP Turkey
Calal Firidunov, Azerbaijan (alternative)

At the contest there will be 245 international awards from FIAP, PSA, IAAP, GPU, Sille Sanat Sarayi, GNC Club and Gilavar Photo Club of Azerbaijan

1 x FIAP blue pin
4 x FIAP gold medal, 4 x FIAP silver medal, 4 x FIAP bronze medal, 24 x FIAP blue ribbon
4 x PSA gold medal, 24 x PSA ribbon
4 x GPU gold medal, 8 x GPU ribbon
4 x IAAP gold medal, 4 x IAAP silver medal, 4 x IAAP bronze medal, 24 x IAAP ribbon
4 x SSS gold medal, 4 x SSS silver medal, 4 x SSS bronze medal
4 x GNG gold medal, 4 x GNG silver medal, 4 x GNG bronze medal, 32 GNG diploma
4 x Gilavar gold medal, 4 x Gilavar silver medal, 4 x Gilavar bronze medal, 24 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.

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 FIAP patronage or 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 FIAP patronage or 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. This rule applies regardless of whether or not the creature being killed, injured or stressed is visible in the captured image.

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.

Entry in this exhibition is conditional on accepting these 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, will be disqualified so the entrant may be aware of the problem when considering entry into other exhibitions with FIAP patronage/PSA recognition.

Further details on the PSA's drone policy may be found at https://psa-photo.org/index.php?psa-policies#drone

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.

PSA Monochrome
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.

For the purpose of this exhibition, only greyscale images are allowed in monochrome sections. Toned images are not allowed.

Greyscale Monochrome images may be entered for Nature, Photojournalism and Photo Travel but toned images are not permitted for these sections.

Monochrome images may not be entered in Pictorial Prints or PID Color Sections. Separate sections must be offered for Color Pictorial Prints, Monochrome Pictorial Prints, PIDC and PIDM.

Nature
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 recorded. 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.
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 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 derivations are not allowed.
Multiple images of the same subject that are combined in camera or with software by focus stacking, exposure blending or stitching (images taken consecutively and combined by overlapping) are allowed.

Wildlife
Images in Wildlife sections of exhibitions must meet the following conditions:
(a) Zoological organisms must be living free and unrestrained in a natural or adopted habitat of their own choosing.
(b) 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.
(c) Botanical organisms may not be removed from their natural environment for the purpose of photography.
(d) Images that have been staged for the purpose of photography are not allowed.

Photo Travel
A Photo Travel image expresses the characteristic features or culture of a land as they are found naturally. There are no geographical limitations. Images from events or activities arranged specifically for photography, or of subjects directed or hired for photography are not permitted. Close up pictures of people or objects must include features that provide information about the location.
Techniques that add, relocate, replace or remove any element of the original image, 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 greyscale monochrome. Other derivations, including infrared, are not permitted. All images must look natural.

NOTICE

FIAP Notice
In order to have legal authority on those who do not respect the rules of FIAP, the organiser 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 FIAP document 018/2017 « Conditions and regulations for FIAP Patronage » and FIAP document 017/2017 « 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.

PSA 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.

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]
Address: Gizil Sharg street 103, flat 28
Postal code: AZ1065, Baku, Azerbaijan