Terms &
Conditions

1.1 Unless otherwise specified there is a limit of 10 images which can be entered into the awards per photographer. 

1.2 All entries must be submitted digitally on the World Sports Photography Awards website. Email entries will not be accepted.

1.3 No digital files will be returned, but all low-resolution images, apart from those short-listed, will be destroyed after the close of the competition.

1.4 There is no limit to the number of categories an individual entrant can enter.

‍1.5 Black and White images are acceptable.

1.6 World Sport Photography Awards is open to anyone except those directly or indirectly involved in the organisation of the awards.

1.7 An image will be rejected if, in the opinion of the judges, it appears that the image has been taken in such a way that is unlawful.

1.8 Guidelines on Manipulation of Images

What counts as manipulation

The World Sports Photography Awards verification process:  

What counts as manipulation. The guidelines below apply to all images entered in the The World Sports Photography Awards without exception.

Rules on manipulation for Entries

All photographs submitted must adhere to the manipulation rules set forth by the World Sports Photography Awards. The following standards apply:

Only single frame photographs will be accepted. The following are not accepted:

• Multiple exposures, polyptychs (e.g. diptychs, triptychs).

• Stitched panoramas, whether created in-camera or with image editing software.

Content of a photograph cannot be altered by adding, rearranging, reversing, distorting or removing people and/or objects within the frame. With two exceptions:

• Cropping to remove unnecessary details is permitted;

• Removing sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives is acceptable.

Adjustments of colour or conversion to greyscale are allowed as long as they do not change the content, but with two key limitations

• Colour changes must not lead to significant alterations in hue so that the final colours deviate greatly from the original.

• Adjustments in density, contrast, colour, or saturation that obscure or remove information in the photograph are prohibited. The judges will determine which adjustments are considered significant, based on the video guidance provided on manipulation.

What is, or is not, acceptable.

What Counts as Manipulation?

While many practices in photography could be considered manipulation, the World Sports Photography Awards focus on two key aspects:

1.8.1 Intending to mislead by staging events.

Photographers are prohibited from deliberately misleading viewers by recreating or staging events. If a photographer has influenced the scene (e.g., reenactments or posed shots), this must be disclosed in the captions.

"Staging" refers to organizing a scene with the intention of misleading the audience.

Setting up or recreating a scene involves directing individuals or groups to act or repeat actions.

Staging and recreating events differ from reenactments and portrait posing, which is a special genre of photography. In the case of portraits, subjects may pose, but the scene must not misrepresent what is happening. Portraits must also follow manipulation rules, meaning physical alterations (e.g., adding or removing marks on a person’s face or body) are not allowed.

Any directions given to a subject in a portrait must be noted in the caption.

1.8.2 Altering Content of the Photograph.

Processing alone is not considered manipulation. Adjustments to colour or conversion to greyscale are permitted as long as they do not alter the content. However, there are two key forms of colour adjustments that are classified as manipulation:

• Any changes to colour that cause significant shifts in hue are not allowed.

• Adjustments to density, contrast, colour, or saturation that obscure or eliminate elements in the photograph are also forbidden. The judges will decide what counts as a significant alteration.

Manipulation also includes adding, rearranging, reversing, distorting, or removing people or objects from within the frame, which would render an entry ineligible.  The following examples given here do not outline every imaginable form of manipulation.   Examples of prohibited alterations include but are not limited to:

• Removing physical marks from the body

• Deleting small objects in the photograph

• Eliminating reflected light spots, shadows, or extraneous items on photograph’s border that could not be cropped out

It is also unacceptable to add elements to a photograph, this includes, but is not limited to:

• Cloning in highlights, altering body or costume size.

• Painting in details.

• Creating a photomontage.

• Duplicating content on the photograph’s edges to achieve a clean crop. ‍

1.8.3 Rules on AI tools All images entries must be created with a camera; no synthetic or AI-generated images are allowed, and using AI-powered generative fill will result in automatic disqualification from the awards. Limited use of tools like Denoise, automatic adjustments (e.g., levels, colours, contrast), and object selection for local adjustments is allowed within certain limits, determined by the judges. However, AI-powered enlarging tools, such as Adobe Super Resolution or Topaz Photo AI, are prohibited as they introduce new information to the image.

Some examples of tools where limited usage may be allowed are Denoise, automatic adjustments (for exmple on levels, colours, contrast) and object selection for local adjustments. These are permitted up to a certain extent, which is to be determined by the World Sports Photography Awards and the judges. Tools that do immediately breach the contest rules are all AI-powered enlarging tools such as Adobe Super Resolution and Topaz Photo AI. These tools are based on generative AI models that introduce new information to enlarge and sharpen images. ‍

1.8.4 Consequences of Manipulation Detection.

If an entry is found to have been manipulated by adding, rearranging, reversing, distorting or removing elements from within the frame, that entry and any other submissions from the entrant will be disqualified, with notification given after the winners are announced.

If manipulation is detected through colour changes (resulting in significant hue shifts), or through density, contrast, colour, or saturation adjustments that obscure or remove content, the entrant may be contacted for clarification, in case the forensic experts have technical questions. The entrant will have 24 hours to respond, and the final decision will be communicated after the winners are declared. The decision of the World Sports Photography Awards is final.

1.9 There is no fee to enter the World Sports Photography Awards

1.10 Submission of an entry to the contest automatically constitutes the contestant's acceptance of all conditions set forth in the rules and subject to our Terms and Conditions listed on this page.

1.11 The photographer’s name and the date the image was taken must be added to the metadata of the image.