2024/5 Season - Open For Entries from 1 May until 15 September 2024
THE BASICS
A FREE to enter International Photography & Film Awards with a prize pool value of over USD 60,000 across multiple genres. Photographers of all ages, backgrounds, and experience are eligible to enter the Xposure International Awards. We have also included a category for filmmakers. The panel of judges are looking to award an Overall Winner from the photography categories and a winner and runner-up from each category, including moving images & short films.
The Jury seeks unique, exceptional, and high-quality photos with captions.
- Architectural Photography
- Mobile Photography
- Nature & Landscape
- Night Photography
- Portraiture
- Photo-manipulation and AI
- Sports Photography
- Street Photography
- Junior* (Special Rules & Conditions Apply)
In each of the above categories, there will be:
1 Winner
1 Runner-up
5 Additional Nominated Entries (Nominees)
In addition to the category winners, an overall winner will be determined from the highest single image score achieved, regardless of the category entered.
* Nominees will be notified the week commencing 20 November 2024
#SeeSharjah includes the following sub-categories (SEE DETAILS)
- Cultural Heritage
- Nature &;Scenic Beauty
- People & Daily Life
- Urban Landscapes
In each of the above categories, there will be:
1 Winner
1 Runner-up
5 Additional Nominated Entries (Nominees)
Film Awards
Welcome to the Film Awards category of Xposure International Photography and Film Awards! We celebrate the artistry and storytelling prowess of filmmakers from around the globe. If you have a passion for visual storytelling and cinematic expression, this is the category for you.
To submit your film entries, please use the FilmFreeway platform. We accept submissions across four distinct categories:
- Short Film: Explore concise narratives, powerful messages, and impactful storytelling within a limited timeframe.
- Animation: Unleash your creativity through the magic of animation, whether it’s traditional, CGI, stop-motion, or any other innovative technique.
- Cinematic Arts: Push the boundaries of visual storytelling with experimental and avant-garde approaches that challenge conventional norms.
- Documentary: Dive into real-world issues, untold stories, and compelling narratives that shed light on diverse cultures, social issues, and human experiences.
In each of the above categories, there will be:
1 Winner
1 Runner-up
5 Additional Nominated Entries (Nominees)
* Nominees will be notified the week commencing 20 November 2024
JUDGING PROCEDURE
JUDGING ENTRIES
The panel of judges is looking to award the overall winner of the annual International Photography Awards and the overall best picture from all photography award categories. In addition to the main prizes, all winning and shortlisted photographers will be featured in a gallery at the next edition of Xposure.
In each category, judges will award:
- One winner
- One runner-up
- Five shortlisted
The winner and runner-up from each category will be invited to the Xposure Festival Awards Ceremony (including flights and accommodation for the festival week), where the position’s outcome will be announced.
Qualification
The moderators will screen all submitted images to ensure no offensive or culturally sensitive material is presented to the Jury. Submissions will either be approved or rejected at this stage. Any offensive or incorrectly categorised entries will be removed from the competition without notice.
Judging Procedure
Round One – Entries will be judged on artistic merit and overall impact
Round Two – Entries will be judged on the composition, technical quality, and effectiveness of expressing the category theme.
Round One Process
The VIP jury (the “Judges”) will independently review each entry and assign a credit rating based on Overall Impact and Artistic Merit. The collective credit ratings from this process form the round one score.
Short List Round One
The 25 highest-ranked images in each category will advance to round two. If two or more images are in ranking position 25, all those images with an equal 25th-point score will advance to round two.
Round Two Process
In Round Two, the judges will apply a credit rating based on Photographic / Technical Quality, Image Composition, and Effectiveness in expressing the category theme.
The Judges individually consider the three aspects (criteria) for each image and allocate credits for each element. The collective scores will determine the ranking. Should one or more images be placed equally in ranking 1, 2, or 3, there shall be a final “Tie-Break” round of judging.
Tie-Break Process
If a tie-break is required, the judges will consider the respective images again based on the criteria of Originality. The Judges will apply a credit rating of 1 to 6 in the tie-break process. The decisions of the Judges are final and binding.
Awards Committee Review
After the Jury has completed their scoring, the shortlist will be automatically generated. A category shortlist will comprise the ten highest-ranking entries. The Awards Committee will apply additional scoring criteria for each category that add points or deduct points to the shortlist. The outcome of the Awards Committee adjustments will produce the leaderboard of winners and nominees. The Awards Committee is made up of four leading Industry expert picture editors.
SHORT FILM JUDGING
Short films will be judged and scored according to the criteria below. They include video clips in MP4 format and can be any length from 3 minutes to 20 minutes.
- One winner
- One runner-up
- Five shortlisted
The winner and runner-up from this category will be invited to the Xposure Festival Awards Ceremony, where the outcome of the position will be announced.
Qualification
All submitted films and video clips will be based on a URL submission to your video clip or film hosted on Vimeo, YouTube, or any other suitable platform. Any racist or offensive submissions will be removed from the competition without notice.
Judging Procedure
Round One Process
The VIP jury (the “Judges”) will independently review each entry and apply a credit rating based on Merit. The collective credit ratings from this process form the round one score.
Short List Round One
The 25 highest-ranked video clips / short films will advance to round two. If two or more entries are in ranking position 25, all those with equal 25th-place scores will advance to round two.
Round Two Process
In Round Two, the judges will apply a 1 – 8 credit rating based on seven criteria.
- Concept.
- Theme
- Style/Tone
- Characters & Dialogue
- Structure / Plot & Pacing
- Presentation
- Commercial Potential
The Judges individually consider the criteria for each video clip / short film and allocate credits for each element. The collective scores will determine the ranking. Should one or more entries be placed equally in ranking 1, 2, or 3, there shall be a final “Tie-Break” round of judging.
Tie-Break Process
If a tie-break is required, the judges will again consider the respective entries based on the originality criteria. In the tie-break process, the Judges will apply a credit rating of 1 to 6. The judges’ decisions are final and binding.
AWARDS & PRIZE GIVING
The winner and runner-up from each category, plus the overall winner, will be invited to the Xposure Festival Awards Ceremony, where the outcome of the position will be announced.
All Prizes will be issued at the Awards Ceremony.
N.B. If a winner cannot attend the prize-giving ceremony, any cash prizes will be transferred to the recipient by PayPal or BACS.
CATEGORIES EXPLAINED
Xposure International Photography Awards features nine categories that aim to represent a diversity of genres. The competition is open to all photographers, from amateurs to professionals. The judges evaluate technical skills and creativity to select the winning entries in each category.
The judges are looking for photographs that go beyond the ordinary, demonstrate a unique vision and are technically excellent. They seek images that capture the subject’s essence in an innovative, fresh, and compelling way. The main criteria for judging the entries are visual impact, creativity, composition, and technical quality. Moreover, the judges are not only interested in the beauty of the photograph but also in its message and storytelling ability.
The description of the current photography categories are listed HERE, along with a description of each.
For Film entries, please click HERE
RULES
Who may enter?
This competition is FREE to enter and open to all nationalities over 18. There is a Junior Category for UAE residents under 18.
How to enter
Images must be submitted through our online awards platform at XPOSURE AWARDS for the photography categories. The images should be suitable for public display, printing, and publication in the Xposure Year Book. The JPG file format should be used, and the preferred resolution is 300 dpi, preferably in a ratio of 3:2 with exception to the Mobile Phone Category (if applicable) where the aspect ration may differ from phone to phone. IMPORTANT: Image and film filenames for upload should only use normal Western characters and numbers. Special characters or symbols may prevent a successful upload.
More detail for photo submissions
- The preferred image size should be 5,000 pixels on the longer dimension. We accept images not captured at this resolution as long as they are over 2,700 pixels on the long dimension. (check for alternative variations in category descriptions) For more information on electronic submission guidelines see our FAQ.
- To enter electronically, you must first register online. Once the registration process has been completed, you will receive an e-mail confirmation. Log into the competition and follow the instructions to upload images from your computer. Digital images should have a long dimension of at minimum 2,700 pixels and be saved at 300 dpi as a jpeg file. We can accept images up to 6 megabytes uncompressed if you cannot downsize the pictures. (Uncompressed means the size you see in Photoshop’s “Image Size” display, which represents the number of pixels in the image. It is not the file size on your computer’s hard drive viewable on your desktop.) Images may be colour profiled in sRGB, Adobe-1998, or not colour-managed.
- You may enter up to ten (10) images or films per user distributed in any ratio across the awards categories and each entry must be allocated to the category selected from the drop-down selection box. (see categories). To enable entrants to submit across multiple categories only one image may be uploaded at a time.
- Your photographs or films must have been taken or produced in the past three years to qualify.
- A Photo entry consists of one photo or film and the completed Title, Caption, and Place Taken. In the case of Short Films, you do not enter Place Taken or Caption.
- Each submitted photograph must be a single work of original material taken by the competition entrant. By entering the contest, the entrant represents, acknowledges, and warrants that he or she has full power and authority to enter the photograph and that the photograph does not infringe any copyright or violate any other intellectual property rights. The entrant agrees to indemnify Sharjah Government Media Bureau from any third-party claims arising from the photograph.
- Unless in a category specifically designed for photo manipulation, entries should not include adding or removing content or staging a photograph to mislead the viewer. Adjustments of levels, colour, contrast, and brightness are permitted.
- Photographs that include sculptures, statues, paintings, and other works of art will be accepted if they do not constitute copyright infringement or fraud, provided that entrants are prepared to submit a release form described below in “Third Party Releases/Licenses.” When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close-up of another person’s art.
- Photographs with a watermark or name that is not part of the original image capture will be disqualified.
- The nominated finalists will be notified and asked to submit High-Resolution TIFF and RAW files. These files will be used for verification before the winners’ names are announced.
- Short film entries can be in any language, but if they are submitted in a language other than the spoken English language, English subtitles should be present.
- The running time of film entries must be at least 3 minutes and no greater than 20 minutes. Entries that are less than 3 minutes will be excluded from judging.
- The entries will be judged according to the Judging Criteria defined in the judging and awards. In the sole and unfettered discretion of the Sponsors, the photograph or film must not contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content. Photographs deemed inappropriate will be disqualified without notice.
- Online entries must be made by a user registered online at our awards platform and by the authorised account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. “Authorised account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, internet domain owner, or other person or organisation (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.
PRIZES & BENEFITS
Overall Winner – $6,000 (USD) / Flights and accommodation to the Awards Ceremony in Sharjah UAE / Included in the Xposure festival exhibition
Category Winners – $3,000 (USD) / Flights and accommodation to the Awards Ceremony in Sharjah UAE / Included in the Xposure festival exhibition
Category Runner-up – $1,500 (USD) / Included in the Xposure festival exhibition / Flights and accommodation to the Awards Ceremony in Sharjah UAE
Nominees – Online Exhibition/image displayed during the Xposure Festival
Junior Category for under 18 – UAE Residents includes two sub-categories, 7-13 group and 14-18 group
This is a restricted “Junior” category for residents of the United Arab Emirates under 18. non-cash prizes and included in the Xposure festival exhibition.
* Junior Category under 18 ‘Winner & Runner-up’ non-cash prizes of digital camera equipment and included in the Xposure festival exhibition.
#SeeSharjah – includes four sub-categories – Cultural Heritage, Nature & Scenic Beauty, People & Daily Life, and Urban Landscapes . Cash prizes are given to the top highest-ranked entry across all sub-categories, whilst the winner and runner-up from sub-categories receive trophies and are included in the awards ceremony
LICENSES & RELEASES
Publication of Winning Images Images will be on exhibition at the annual festival, may be used to promote the festival/awards and published on the “Xposure Awards” official website.
Rights Reserved Sponsors reserve the right not to award all prizes if an insufficient number of eligible entries meeting the minimum judging criteria are received, as determined by Organisers and Judges in their sole discretion.
Entrant Licenses & Releases
If the photograph contains any material or elements not owned by the entrant and or which are subject to the rights of third parties, and if any persons appear in the photograph, the entrant is responsible for obtaining them before submitting the photo. All releases and consents necessary to allow the exhibition and use of the photograph as outlined in these Official Rules without additional compensation are included here.
Third-Party Licenses & Releases
Copyright holders retain the copyright of their work. For the award, nominated and shortlisted pictures, copyright holders grant the organisers unlimited, non-exclusive use of high-resolution images for activities promoting Xposure in all media. The awarded images will be published in the Xposure Yearbook and the SGMB Public Archive.
Limitation of Liability
By participating, entrants agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless Sharjah Government Media Bureau and each of their respective partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in this Contest or any Contest-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder.
Organisers and Sponsors assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission; communications line failure; theft or destruction of or unauthorised access to Contest entries or entry forms; Organizers are not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, online computer systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, resulting from participation, uploading or downloading of any materials related to this Contest.
This Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations of the United Arab Emirates. Certain restrictions may apply. Entries are void if the Sponsor determines the entry is not original or if the entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error, or obtained through fraud or theft.
Participants also agree (a) to be bound by these Official Rules; (b) that the decisions of the Judges are final on all matters relating to the Contest; and (c) if he/she wins, that Organiser / Sponsor may use each winner’s name, photograph, likeness, and/or voice in any publicity or advertising relating to the Contest or future promotions without compensation or approval. Any International state and local taxes, fees, and surcharges on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. If the selected winner(s) of any prize are/is ineligible or refuses, the prize will be forfeited. In their sole discretion, Organisers may choose whether to award the prize to another entrant.
Prizes formed as Educational Programs or Workshops are only available on the date and time specified in the general entry information. Any other physical prizes awarded by sponsors or organisers shall only be collected at the Award Ceremony.
Right to Cancel or Suspend If, for any reason, the Scholarship is not capable of running as planned due to infection by computer viruses, bugs, worms, trojan horses, denial of service attacks, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of the Organisers that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsors reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual(s) who tamper with the entry process, and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest.
