JUDGING CRITERIA: Entry open to all entrants who are 18 years old and older who meet the eligibility criteria below and are legally eligible to participate. Images are judged per the following criteria:
Technical Execution: Technical execution includes consideration of effective or otherwise artistically compelling focus, exposure, and clarity.
Use of Light: Use of light considers lighting that contributes to atmosphere or story, establishes depth and dimension, or effectively illuminates elements within the frame.
Tonality: Tonality includes the distribution of light and shadow, color distribution, and the overall balance of hue, saturation, and luminance throughout the frame.
Composition: Composition involves the arrangement of elements within the frame, use of design elements, image flow, and visual balance.
Impact: Impact includes distinction in technique, message, story, and/or style, the image’s memorability, and the extent to which the viewer is captivated, moved, or inspired.
Personal Style: Personal style considers the individual manner in which the photographer approaches the subject, utilizes light, includes design elements, employs creative techniques, processes, or otherwise leaves a personally identifiable mark.
Statement: Statement involves the photographer’s ability to convey a message, pose a question, or illustrate a story within the photograph.
Expression of Theme: Expression of Theme is the extent to which the image effectively represents the category in which it has been entered.
CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONS:
PORTRAIT- Portrait photography is a genre that focuses on capturing the essence and personality of an individual or group. It involves skillfully composing and lighting the subject to create a visually appealing and meaningful representation of their character, emotions, or identity.
LIFESTYLE- Lifestyle photography aims to document and portray real-life situations, moments, and people in a candid and natural way. It often involves capturing people engaged in everyday activities, such as family gatherings, social events, or personal routines. It is the bridge between PORTRAIT where the Photograph has strong control over the location, lighting, and subject and DOCUMENTARY where the photographer does not interfere at all.
DOCUMENTARY- Documentary photography is a powerful and impactful form of photography that seeks to capture and chronicle real-life events, people, and social issues. It focuses on presenting an accurate and objective visual representation of a particular subject or situation. Unlike PORTRAIT and LIFESTYLE that may involve staging or manipulating scenes, DOCUMENTARY aims to remain objective observers, avoiding interference or altering the natural course of events.
Images submitted to this category may NOT have been directed, manipulated, or altered from the real-life event or moment.
Examples of digital manipulation include the following:
- Removing unwanted elements to alter the visual narrative.
- Removing blemishes, wrinkles, or other imperfections from a subject's skin or the image itself using cloning, healing, or content-aware tools.
- Merging multiple images or elements together to create a composite image with unique combinations or surreal scenes.
- Stretching, warping, or distorting specific elements within the image to create unique visual effects or emphasize certain aspects.
- Employing artistic techniques like double exposure or applying textures, overlays, or brushwork to create painterly effects or add a unique artistic touch to the photograph.
COMPETITION HOST: Click Magazine and Click Pro (Click & Company).
NAME: Click's The Best Photographer Awards
SUBMISSION PERIOD for each GENRE are listed on the submissions pages.
WINNERS ANNOUNCED: Awarded images will be announced via inclusion in an Online Image Gallery which will go live on or about the dates of announcement lised on the submissions pages. Select Awarded images will be featured in a digital issue of Click Magazine.
ELIGIBILITY: Submitting an entry into The Best Photographer Awards is open to individuals of at least 18 years of age. Click & Company employees, directors, and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter. For purposes of this Contest, “immediate family members” means legal parents, spouses, dependents, and siblings, whether residents of the same household or not.
HOW TO ENTER: Participants may enter 10 images for $10.00. A single image may be entered only once and may not be submitted across multiple categories. Additional entries may be purchased. All entries are subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the stated Image Requirements stated on the entry page(s) and these Official Rules.
Click & Company will select three partner judges with expertise in photography and image curation who will review all qualifying entries and will rate all the image submissions of each category by applying the Judging Criteria. Top entries in each category will determine official winners. All judging decisions are final. Please do not contact Click & Company or contest judges about the status of entries or judging.
TERMS OF ENTRY:
(a) By participating in this Contest, Contestant warrants that his or her entry and all elements thereof (i) do not infringe or violate the rights of any third party, including but not limited to, copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, logos, contract and licensing rights, rights of publicity or privacy, moral rights, or any other intellectual property rights; (ii) are not subject to any third party agreements for which Click & Company could be held financially or legally liable; and (iii) do not contain any content that could adversely affect the name, reputation, or goodwill of Click & Company. Contestant agrees to indemnify Click & Company against all damages, costs, and attorney’s fees related to any claims or litigation that arises in relation to Contestant’s participation in the Contest.
(b) Click & Company reserves the right to disqualify any entries that, in Click & Company’s sole and absolute discretion, (i) include trademarks, logos, or copyrighted material not owned by Contestant or used without permission; (ii) refer to public figures; (iii) contain profanity, pornographic or sexual content, content promoting alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, or firearms or weapons, hateful content of any kind, content that promotes violence or harm to another living creature; (iv) promote a political agenda regardless of the political affiliation and regardless of Click & Company’s treatment of other entries that may or may not promote a political agenda; (v) defame, misrepresent, or contain disparaging remarks about other people or companies; or (vi) contain materials embodying the names, likenesses, photographs or other identifying elements of any person, living or dead, without permission.
(c) Contestants may not submit entries on behalf of any person other than themselves. Entries not submitted in accordance with the instructions provided in the Official Rules or on Contest Website (including but not limited to image/file size and naming conventions) shall be disqualified.
(d) The contestant retains the copyright and exclusive possession of all submissions. The contestant will grant to Click & Company the nontransferable, nonexclusive license to use the submission in perpetuity, with complete attribution to the contestant, via any medium, for promotional or other purposes as deemed fit by Click & Company. This includes usage in both recorded or live-streamed video format. The contestant understands images submitted to The Best Photographer Awards may be subject to public critique by Click & Company team members and/or partner judges during or following the judging process.
(e) Click & Company reserves the right to disqualify any entry, for any reason, at its sole discretion.
(f) Neither Click & Company nor any of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, contractors, subcontractors and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, agents and employees, nor any Internet access providers are responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry of information, human error, technical malfunction, lost/delayed data transmission, lost/delayed/misdirected mail, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, line failure of any telephone or other network, computer equipment, software or any combination thereof, inability to access the Contest Website, for problems uploading or downloading any Contest-related materials from the Contest Website, or for late, lost, damaged, misdirected, incorrect or incomplete entries.
(g) If for any reason any aspect of this Contest cannot be completed as planned, including by reason of infection by computer virus, network failure, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any cause beyond the control of Click & Company which corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, Click & Company may in its sole discretion cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Contest, or invalidate any affected submissions.
(h) All entries must be submitted and received by Submission Closing Date/Time. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt. Any entry information collected from the Contest may be recorded by Click & Company for further promotional or marketing purposes.
(i) Click & Company may, in its sole discretion, disqualify any submissions, and prohibit further participation in this Contest by, any person who tampers with or benefits from any tampering with the submission process or with the operation of this Contest or acts in violation of these terms and conditions, acts in a disruptive manner or acts with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS:
(a) Click & Company reserves the right to use any method or medium that Click & Company deems fit at its sole and absolute discretion for the purpose of announcing and contacting the Contest winners.
(b) Upon request, Contest winners will be required to provide their contact details and photo ID proof and any other details deemed necessary and relevant by Click & Company at its discretion, within three working days upon receiving the request/notification from Click & Company.
(c) Click & Company reserves the right to forfeit prizes for any Contest winner who does not provide the required verification upon receiving the request/notification from Click & Company.
PRIZES:
(a) Select 2024 The Best Photographer Awards image winners will be displayed within an online gallery located on Click & Company’s online website(s) and in a digital issue of Click Magazine.
(b) Any and all guarantees and warranties for prize are subject to the manufacturer’s terms and conditions, and winner agrees to look solely to such manufacturer for any such warranty or guarantee claim.
(c) Click & Company does not guarantee or make any representations or warranties regarding the quality, performance, features or capabilities/utility of the prizes offered to the winners under the contest and cannot be held responsible and liable in this connection.
(d) Prizes are non-transferable.
(e) Prizes offered on a no exchange, no refund basis.
(f) Prize recipients consent to Click & Company using his/her name and image in any promotional material.
TAXES:
(a) Any valuation of the prize(s) stated above is based on available information provided to the Click & Company, and the value of any prize awarded to a winner may be reported for tax purposes as required by law. Winners are solely responsible for reporting and paying any and all applicable taxes. Winners may be required to provide the Administrator with valid identification and a valid taxpayer identification number.
(b) Contest is subject to the any and all applicable federal, state, local, central or community laws/local customs. These Terms and Conditions shall be governed, constructed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the United States.
(c) All prize recipients may be required to sign a form of legal release to be determined by Click & Company in its absolute discretion.
(d) Click & Company accepts no responsibility for any tax implications that may arise from the prize winnings. The prize/s shall be subject to the laws of the United States, including all the tax laws. All applicable regulatory and statutory duties, surcharge, taxes, insurances, transfer fees, registration fee etc., that may be applicable to avail the prizes will be borne by the winners.
(e) Click & Company reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual found tampering with the entry process or entry materials.
(f) All contestants accept the conditions stated in these official rules, warrant that they are eligible to participate in this contest, and release Click & Company, Contest judges, and any officers, directors, shareholders, agents, employers, and employees thereof from and against all claims and damages arising in connection with their participation and/or entry in the contest and/or awarding of or use of any prize awarded in this contest. Any attempt to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and, should such an attempt be made, Click & Company and its licensees reserve the right to seek damages or other remedies from any such person(s) responsible for any such attempt to the fullest extent permitted by law. Contestants agree to indemnify and hold harmless Click & Company, Contest judges, and any officers, directors, shareholders, agents, employers, and employees thereof from and against any and all claims, losses, damages or liability (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) that may be asserted against or incurred by any of them at any time, in connection with entry, or use thereof, or by respective contestants’ breaches of any agreement or warranty associated with the contest. This Contest is governed by United States law and is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Any and all legal actions or claims arising in connection with this Contest must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in the United States. If, in Click & Company’s opinion, there is any suspected or actual evidence of electronic or non-electronic tampering with any portion of the Contest, or if technical difficulties compromise the integrity of the Contest, Click & Company reserves the right to void suspect entries and/or votes and/or terminate the Contest and award the prizes from among all eligible entries received as of the termination date. The use of any automated launching or entry software or any other mechanical or electronic means that permits the participant to automatically enter or vote repeatedly is prohibited. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of a Contestant based on an email address, the entry in question may be disqualified subject at Click & Company’s discretion. Should the Contest be terminated prior to the stated expiration date, Click & Company will endeavor to post notice of termination on the Page.
WINNERS LIST: For a written list of the name(s) of the prize winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Click & Company, 327 Franklin Street, Geneva, IL 60134.
EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY:
(a) Click & Company and related companies and agencies will not be liable for any loss (including, without limitation, indirect, special or consequential loss or loss of profits), expense, damage, personal injury or death which is suffered or sustained (whether or not arising from any person’s negligence) in connection with this Contest or the acceptance or use of any prize, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law (in which case that liability is limited to the minimum allowable by law).
(b) Nothing on the Page, or on any other website of the Click & Company, or relating to this Contest, shall be construed as conferring any license or other rights under the intellectual property or other proprietary rights of Click & Company or its related companies or any third party, whether by estoppel, implication or otherwise.
(c) The software and programming code and media relating to the Page and Promotion-related communication is protected by the applicable laws of copyright, trademark, patent, unfair competition and other proprietary laws.
MISCELLANEOUS:
(a) Click & Company’s decisions shall be final in all matters relating to this Contest, and no correspondences will be entertained.
(b) Click & Company reserves the right to change these terms and conditions without prior notice.
(c) A Participant shall be deemed to have notice of any such amendments or interpretations upon publication of the same on the Page and shall be deemed to have accepted such amendments or interpretations by virtue of his/her continued participation in this Contest. Should a Participant not wish to continue to participate in this Contest pursuant to the prevailing terms and conditions as amended or interpreted, he/she may terminate participation in this Contest upon written notice to Click & Company.
(d) It is the responsibility of the participants to inform Click & Company of any change in the address of correspondence, for availing the prizes.
(e) Apart from the entitlement to the above prize/s under the Official Rules, the winner and/or their legal heirs will have no other rights or claim against.
(f) Click & Company shall not be liable for any failure to comply with its obligations caused by weather conditions, fire, flood, strike, hurricane, industrial dispute, war, hostilities, political unrest, riots, civil commotion, inevitable accidents, acts of God or any other circumstances amounting to Force Majeure.
(g) The prize/s will be distributed/delivered to the winners within 45 days of submission of all necessary documents for redemption by the winners, at the respective addresses of the winners. If the winner is absent from taking delivery of the prize and fails to collect the same within 30 days of notification of delivery, then his prize stands forfeited.