REGULATIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
Wonders of the Black Sea: a Biodiversity Perspective
The photography contest Wonders of the Black Sea: a Biodiversity Perspective is part of the activities of the project Open environmental eFolio for joint maritime spatial planning and conservation of the valuable Black Sea Basin marine ecosystems (MARMAPS), supported by the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme 2021-2027.
Project partners Black Sea NGO Network (Varna, Bulgaria), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), Mare Nostrum (Constanța, Romania) and the Black Sea Branch of the Ukrainian Environmental Academy of Sciences (Odesa, Ukraine) hereby announce a regional photography contest about biodiversity in the Black Sea.
The main objective is to promote conservation of Black Sea biodiversity and natural heritage and to raise public awareness about the importance of marine ecosystems and marine protected areas.
Timeline
The competition starts on the Black Sea Day 31 October 2024 and ends on 19 January 2025. The submitted photographs will be evaluated by a national and the shortlisted contributions by an international expert jury. Winners will be announced in February 2025 during an online award ceremony. All entrants will receive a certificate of participation.
The shortlisted contributions will be presented in an online gallery on the MARMAPS website. It will include ten photographs each from Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and international participants.
The best works within each thematic area, country and age group will receive a certificate of excellence, and they will be promoted both at national and regional levels with mention of the authors.
Eligible participants
Participants can be individuals from Bulgaria, Romania or Ukraine, or international entrants. Two categories are foreseen: children / youth up to 18 years old, and adults.
Thematic areas
The main topic of the photo competition is biodiversity of the Black Sea. Photographs can be submitted in these three categories:
- Black Sea marine and coastal fauna and flora: images of various species, single individuals or groups of organisms.
- Black Sea landscapes / seascapes: interaction of organisms with their physical environment.
- Human impact and environmental protection of the Black Sea: human activity and impact on the ecosystems, and efforts to protect the marine and coastal environment.
Agreement for participation and publishing
By sending their contribution(s), participants agree to these rules of the competition and to publishing their submitted work free of charge.
Participants’ names and photographs can be published on the MARMAPS website, social media and in printed project materials, and the images can be used for free with mention of the photographer to promote conservation of the Black Sea and coastal and marine biodiversity.
Requirements
Each submitted photo must be in digital JPG format and maximum 10 MB. Other formats and larger sizes will not be eligible.
All photographs must be previously unpublished original work photographed by the participant. The photographer must be able to provide the source file. The contributions must not infringe upon any trademark, copyright, privacy or intellectual rights of any entity or person.
Each participant can enter a maximum of three photographs to this contest. The photographs can be submitted in one or more thematic areas.
The photographs must be less than three years old (taken in 2022, 2023 or 2024).
The participants need to supply information for each photo: title, competition category for which it is entered, when and where the picture was taken, and an explanation about the subject and situation. Email address and telephone number must be provided.
For participants under 18 years, also the name, email address and phone number of a parent/guardian is required.
Photographs must not be altered or computer-generated. Photo collages, digitally remastered photographs, or photos created or processed with artificial intelligence (AI), or containing additional captions and graphics are not eligible.
The aim of the contest is to bring forth photographs that are as close as possible to the natural environment. The following photo treatments are allowed: brightness and contrast treatments; sharpening of the image; reframing the photo.
Entries submitted with inaccurate, incomplete or false information will be removed from the competition.
Entries must be submitted through the official competition form only. The Google Form requires login.