Definitions & Rules

COLOR OPEN efers to pictures in full or partial colour covering any subject other than Monochrome which is covered under the MONOCHROME section.

The pictures may be of any genre like Portraits, Pictorial, Landscape and Creative Pictures. Please consult the list of awards to select your pictures to submit.

Digital creation pictures are allowed under this section provided they conform to the condition that the entry must have one or more elements that have originated as photographs.

Monochrome Grayscale images (that is without tone) may not be entered in Color Open sections.

Attention is drawn to the PSA Statement on Subject Matter which applies to all sections.

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 Definition of Monochrome & Rules

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.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Monochrome Grayscale images (that is without tone) may not be entered in Color Open sections. Grayscale images may be entered in Nature and Travel sections, but toned images are not permitted under these sections. Digital creation pictures are allowed under this section provided they conform to the condition that the entry must have one or more elements that have originated as photographs.

Attention is drawn to the PSA Statement on Subject Matter which applies to all sections.

FIAP/PSA NATURE DEFINITION

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. Toned monochrome images are not permitted under Nature section.
• 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.

Grayscale images (that is without tone) may be entered in Nature and Travel sections, but toned images are not permitted under Nature section.

Attention is drawn to the PSA Statement on Subject Matter which applies to all sections.

PSA PHOTO TRAVEL DEFINITION

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. Partially colored images are not permitted. Other derivations, including infrared, are not permitted.

Images from events or activities arranged specifically for photography, or of subjects directed or hired for photography are not permitted. Consult the following PSA page for any doubts related to travel images: Photo Travel Division Educational Resources. Please also pay particular attention to PSA's rules related to Staged Travel Images.

All images must look natural. Images taken with extreme fisheye looks are not allowed.

Closeup images of people or objects must include features that provide information about the location.

Decorative wide borders, more than 5 pixels, are not allowed.

Attention is drawn to the PSA Statement on Subject Matter which applies to all sections.