RULES
Are you this year the winner?
Submit your best and most impressive underwater images taken between November 2nd, 2023, and November 1st, 2024, for the World ShootOut competition.
At the conclusion of the competition, a digital album will be created and distributed to all participants. Please carefully review the rules and guidelines for each category before submitting your images or videos.
Categories:
1. 5 Best Images
2. Wide Angle
3. Macro & Super Macro
4. Amateurs
5. UW Fashion
6. Black Water
7. Video Clips of the World
8. Enviromental
9. Best Picture of the Year
Registration and image uploads will be accepted until November 1st, 2024.
Upload Images
1. Images submitted to any category must comply with the specific category requirements outlined on the respective category's page.
2. Images should be saved in JPEG format and have a maximum dimension of 1,500 pixels.
3. Participants who reach the semi-final stages during the judging process will be asked to provide original image files in RAW and JPEG formats using any online transfer service. These files are required for validation purposes, and failure to provide them upon request will result in disqualification.
2. Images should be saved in JPEG format and have a maximum dimension of 1,500 pixels.
3. Participants who reach the semi-final stages during the judging process will be asked to provide original image files in RAW and JPEG formats using any online transfer service. These files are required for validation purposes, and failure to provide them upon request will result in disqualification.
General Rules
1. Submit your best and most impressive underwater images taken anywhere.
2. All competition registration and image submissions must be completed through the competition website no later than November 1st, 2024.
3. Upon registration, each participant will receive a unique participation number, which should be used to log in and upload the images submitted to the competition.
4. All competition categories are open to all participants, except for the Amateurs category, which does not allow images taken with DSLR or Mirrorless camera systems.
5. Images submitted to any category must comply with the specific category requirements outlined on the respective category's page.
6. Images submitted to the competition must be taken either underwater or half-half (half above water, half below water).
1. Submit your best and most impressive underwater images taken anywhere.
2. All competition registration and image submissions must be completed through the competition website no later than November 1st, 2024.
3. Upon registration, each participant will receive a unique participation number, which should be used to log in and upload the images submitted to the competition.
4. All competition categories are open to all participants, except for the Amateurs category, which does not allow images taken with DSLR or Mirrorless camera systems.
5. Images submitted to any category must comply with the specific category requirements outlined on the respective category's page.
6. Images submitted to the competition must be taken either underwater or half-half (half above water, half below water).
7. For the Best Picture of the Year category, you can submit photos that have been submitted to other categories.
8. Minor editing of images using any imaging software is allowed, including color and contrast enhancements, backscatter removal, up to 15% cropping, minor flaw fixes, and background consolidation. Image editing that alters the main content of the image, such as moving, removing models, or adding foreign elements, is not permitted.
9. Overlaid images are accepted as long as they are done on the camera underwater, and the photographer can provide the raw file.
8. Minor editing of images using any imaging software is allowed, including color and contrast enhancements, backscatter removal, up to 15% cropping, minor flaw fixes, and background consolidation. Image editing that alters the main content of the image, such as moving, removing models, or adding foreign elements, is not permitted.
9. Overlaid images are accepted as long as they are done on the camera underwater, and the photographer can provide the raw file.
10. Category Cancellation and Refund Policy: If, in the judge's sole discretion, there are insufficient or inadequate photographic submissions in a particular category at a given level, the judges may cancel that category. In the event of a category cancellation, all photographers who submit a photograph to the canceled category will receive a full refund of their participation fee.
11. The organizers and judges have the authority to determine whether a photo has been manipulated, and their decision to disqualify a photo or photographer is final and indisputable.
11. The organizers and judges have the authority to determine whether a photo has been manipulated, and their decision to disqualify a photo or photographer is final and indisputable.
12. AI Usage Prohibition: We want to emphasize that it is absolutely forbidden to use AI (Artificial Intelligence) in any form for image creation, enhancement, or manipulation in this year's competition.
At World ShootOut, we value the traditional artistry and skill of underwater photography, and thus, all submitted images must be a result of conventional photography techniques, void of any AI-generated content.
13. By registering for the competition, each participant agrees to an environmental conservation commitment, which obliges them to follow environmental conservation regulations and show respect for the underwater world while capturing images or videos. This commitment applies to participants engaging in scuba diving, free diving, or snorkelling. Participants understand that they are solely responsible for their behaviour underwater while capturing images and that any damage to the protected underwater world, including the disruption of natural habitats or provocation of marine life through touching, feeding, or disturbing, is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification.
14. The production team reserves the right to disqualify participants who act against the rules, contradict the spirit of the competition, or for any other reasons deemed appropriate by the production team.
15. It is strictly forbidden to submit images under the name of a photographer who did not capture them. The competition is conducted individually, and ethical standards must be adhered to.
16. The decisions made by the jury panel are final in all aspects of the competition and cannot be challenged.
17. Any legal issues resulting in lawsuits shall be exclusively held at the Tel Aviv courthouse.
At World ShootOut, we value the traditional artistry and skill of underwater photography, and thus, all submitted images must be a result of conventional photography techniques, void of any AI-generated content.
13. By registering for the competition, each participant agrees to an environmental conservation commitment, which obliges them to follow environmental conservation regulations and show respect for the underwater world while capturing images or videos. This commitment applies to participants engaging in scuba diving, free diving, or snorkelling. Participants understand that they are solely responsible for their behaviour underwater while capturing images and that any damage to the protected underwater world, including the disruption of natural habitats or provocation of marine life through touching, feeding, or disturbing, is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification.
14. The production team reserves the right to disqualify participants who act against the rules, contradict the spirit of the competition, or for any other reasons deemed appropriate by the production team.
15. It is strictly forbidden to submit images under the name of a photographer who did not capture them. The competition is conducted individually, and ethical standards must be adhered to.
16. The decisions made by the jury panel are final in all aspects of the competition and cannot be challenged.
17. Any legal issues resulting in lawsuits shall be exclusively held at the Tel Aviv courthouse.
Awards
• All participants will receive participation certificates upon the conclusion of the competition.
• Nominees and winners will receive special certificates.
• At the end of the competition, a digital album will be produced and sent to all participants, available for free download.
• All participants will receive participation certificates upon the conclusion of the competition.
• Nominees and winners will receive special certificates.
• At the end of the competition, a digital album will be produced and sent to all participants, available for free download.
Prizes:
1. The final list of prizes will be published on the competition website on January 2nd, 2025. Prizes listed before this date may vary and cannot be considered final.
2. Prizes are awarded to the winners personally, and only the winners themselves are permitted to utilize them. Selling prizes is strictly prohibited.
3. Dive safaris and trips awarded as prizes do not include air travel, taxes, and other expenses unless stated otherwise by the relevant sponsor.
4. Prizes do not include shipment and potential import tax fees in participants' home countries.
5. During the award ceremony, symbolic vouchers or letters will be presented to the winners, while the actual prizes will be provided later in accordance with the voucher sponsor.
6. The prizes displayed in the categories are the responsibility of the sponsors and are subject to change.
Use of Photographs and video clips
By participating in the competition, participants agree that the submitted photos and videos in all categories may be used or reproduced for media coverage of the event and for promoting future competitions across all media channels, including TV, the internet, written publications, and more.
The competition organizers reserve the right to utilize the images and videos submitted to the competition for publishing a competition album, calendars, and any other purposes that promote future competitions or are deemed useful by the production team.
Submitted materials will indefinitely remain in the producers' archives without requiring further permission for usage.
When applicable, photo and video credits will be given to the photographer.
Submission of materials and participation in the competition automatically implies acceptance of all the above terms.
No additional written or verbal permissions from the photographer will be required for the described use of images.
Rights of Materials
By signing the official competition registration form, participants declare that they are the rightful owners of all copyrights to the submitted images for the World ShootOut competition. They assert that the images were produced by them and that they possess the rights to sell, distribute, rent, or broadcast them in any way or form, including for private and commercial use worldwide.
In the case of images featuring models, the photographer must have a signed model release, allowing World ShootOut to make use of these materials for promotional purposes across all media channels.
Signing the official competition registration form signifies the photographer's agreement to the above-stated rules.
Good Luck
