World Cotton Day Photo Contest: Rules and Deadlines
A picture is worth a thousand words — yours might be worth a trip to Geneva to attend World Cotton Day at WTO headquarters!
WHY: Photography is a powerful medium of expression that can be used to communicate strong positive messages. This open and free photo competition seeks to inspire the creation and dissemination of such positive imagery, which conveys the importance of a sustainable global value chain.
WHAT: The WCD Photo Contest is open to everyone in the cotton value chain, from growers through finished goods. There will be four categories for the contest, with a winner and runner up being named for each of the categories.
The categories are:
- 'From the Field': This category includes everything that on a common farm, from sowing to when the fibre leaves the farm gate.
- 'To the Fibre': This category starts at the gin and includes ginning, logistics, controlling, spinning and trade - everything that happens from the gin to final product.
- 'Made with Cotton': This category covers all final goods made from the cotton plant - not only fibre but stalks, cotton seed oil and various cotton by - product as well.
- 'Women in Cotton': This covers the entire cotton supply chain and focuses on the critical role women play in the cotton and textile value chain.
- Post-purposes of images is permitted. This includes Global adjustments to exposure, contrast, burning, dodging, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction, and tone.
- Minor cleaning of images is permitted, including the removal of backscatter, dust and scratches.
- HDR, panoramas, focus stacking and other techniques that involve using multiple images taken at the same time and place are also allowed.
- However, while digital manipulation is permitted, please keep in mind this not a Photoshop competition. All images should accurately represent the subject matter and nature. Images that appear to be overly processed may be disqualified at the judges' discretion.
PHOTO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- Entry photos must be submitted via Email to firstname.lastname@example.org (Maximum file size is 5MB). Winning images will be announced and formally recognized on 7 October 2019 during the launch of World Cotton Day.
- Photos must be saved in jpeg format and should be sized to be between 2000 and 6000 pixels in the longest dimension.
- Individuals can only submit one photo per category.
- Entrants should retain high-resolution and RAW files, if applicable, of their submissions. In the event your submission is selected as a winner, you will be asked to submit a high-resolution image for printing and display — and, if applicable, a RAW image to check if adjustments made to the image comply with the rules.
The contest will be open from 8 July through 9 September 2019, with the winners officially announced on during the launch ceremony at the WTO headquarters in Geneva.
Photographers will be judged by multi-agency panel along with technical expert. This is to ensure content meets the guidelines as described. Photos will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Originality and style,
- Creativity/visual appeal,
- Extend to which the photograph captures the essence of the theme, and
- The photograph must meet the guidelines, terms and conditions of the contest.
- Winning images will form part of an information exhibit in which the photos will be paired with narratives explaining the importance of a sustainable global cotton value chain, bringing attention to the hundreds of millions of people around the world who earn a living from their work in the cotton industry.
- The Director-General of WTO and the Executive Director of the ICAC will present the winners with certificates during an official ceremony during the launch.
- The winning photos will be printed and exhibited on-site in Geneva.
FOR MORE INFORMATION about World Cotton Day, please click here.