FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Partecipation
Q1. Who can enter the Eurpean Freediving Photopraphy Award?
The Competition is open to all photographers — professional and amateur — aged 18 or over, from any country in the world, unless participation is prohibited by applicable local law.This worldwide eligibility applies to the Wild Blue and Indoor Elegance categories. The Club Challenge category, however, is reserved for clubs and teams based in a member State of the Council of Europe (see below) The following are excluded: employees, collaborators, and family members (up to the second degree of kinship) of the Organizer, jury members, and their respective employers.
Q2. Do I need to be a professional photographer?
Not at all. The EFPA welcomes photographers of all levels — from beginners to seasoned professionals. Our jury evaluates artistic quality and vision, not your credentials or the equipment you use
Q3. Is there an entry fee?
Yes. A small organisational contribution is required per category entered. This fee exclusively covers direct operational costs (secretariat, platform, jury management, exhibition, and visibility) and carries no profit purpose. The exact fee will be published on www.freedivingphotoaward.com before submissions open. The fee is non-refundable, except in the event of cancellation by the Organizer.
Q4. How do I register and submit my work?
All registrations and submissions are handled exclusively through the official platform at www.freedivingphotoaward.com. Entries submitted through any other channel will not be considered. By completing your registration, you declare full and unconditional acceptance of the Official Rules & Regulations.
Q5. Can a club or team participate?
Absolutely — and we encourage it! The Club Challenge category is specifically designed for organised freediving clubs and teams, celebrating synergy, teamwork, and the spirit of freediving communities underwater. Multiple entries from the same club are permitted and encouraged. Please note: the Club Challenge category is reserved for clubs and teams based in a member State of the Council of Europe (which includes, among others, the European Union countries, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway and the Balkan countries).
Submissions & Technical Requirements
Q1. What are the three competition categories?
- Club Challenge — For organised freediving clubs and teams.
- Wild Blue — For freediving in open water: sea, lakes, rivers and natural environments.
- Indoor Elegance — For freediving in indoor environments (pools, training tanks).
- You may enter one or more categories. Each category has its own prize.
Q2. How many photos can I submit?
You may submit up to 5 photographs per category, for a maximum of 15 photographs in total across all three categories.
Q3. What are the technical requirements for submitted images?
Format: JPEG / JPG only
Minimum resolution: 3,000 px on the longest side
File size: minimum 2 MB — maximum 20 MB
Colour profile: sRGB recommended
No watermarks, signatures, dates or overlaid text
Metadata (EXIF/IPTC) must be present and intact
Q4. What camera or device can I use?
Any photographic device is accepted, including DSLR and mirrorless cameras with underwater housing, dedicated underwater compact cameras, smartphones with underwater housing, and action cameras (GoPro and similar). Artistic quality and vision prevail over the device used.
Q5. Is post-processing allowed?
Standard post-processing (exposure, colour, contrast, cropping, etc.) is fully permitted. However, compositing, montage, and adding or removing elements not present in the original scene are strictly prohibited.
Q6. Are AI-generated images accepted?
⚠ No. Photographs generated, partially generated, or substantially manipulated using Artificial Intelligence tools are strictly prohibited and will result in immediate disqualification. The Organizer reserves the right to request RAW files, EXIF data or other technical documentation from finalists within 7 days. Additionally, AI-detection software may be used to assist in the review process. Submission of an entry constitutes the participant’s acceptance of these verification procedures.
Q7. Do my photos need to show freediving specifically?
Yes. All photographs must depict freediving or apnea activities in or under water, or be clearly connected to the freediving world. Images must be authentic photographic works.
For the Club Category only, the scope is broader: photographs taken outside the water are also eligible, provided they depict club life and activities related to freediving or apnea — such as pre-dive breathing exercises, poolside preparation, meditation by the sea, or other moments that reflect the spirit and community of the sport. The representation of the group or club may take various forms, as long as a clear connection to the world of apnea is present.
Not eligible, even in the Club Category: generic group portraits with no reference to freediving, social events unrelated to the sport, or images where the connection to apnea is absent or purely incidental.
Q8. Are there safety requirements for submitted photos?
Yes, and these are taken very seriously. Freediving must never be practised alone. All photographs must have been taken with the supervision of at least one qualified safety buddy or surface assistant. Images depicting reckless behaviour, or where safety protocols appear to have been disregarded, will not be accepted and may lead to disqualification.
Q9. What are the environmental and ethical requirements?
By submitting, you certify that:
No marine animal was touched, chased, stressed, disturbed or harmed
No marine habitat was damaged or despoiled
The photograph was taken in compliance with the environmental regulations of the country where taken
Any activity in protected marine areas or with protected species was conducted with appropriate authorisation
Q10. Can I submit a photograph that has previously won another competition?
No. One of the requirements is that the submitted photograph has not previously won another photography competition. Images that have been entered elsewhere without winning are eligible.
Q11. Can I submit older or archive photographs?
Yes. There is no restriction on the date the photograph was taken — archive images are welcome, provided they comply with all requirements of these Rules & Regulations.
Jury & Judging
Q1. Who are the judges?
The jury is composed of internationally recognised professionals in the fields of underwater photography, freediving, marine biology and visual arts. Jury members are appointed by the Organizer and serve in a personal capacity, fully independently from the Organizer. Full jury details will be published on the official website.
Q2. Is the evaluation process anonymous?
Yes. The evaluation is conducted completely anonymously: jury members do not have access to the photographer’s identity during the evaluation phase. This ensures each entry is judged solely on its artistic and technical merit.
Q3. What criteria are used to judge the photographs?
Jury members evaluate each work based on five criteria:
Technical quality — focus, exposure, depth of field, underwater optical conditions
Artistic vision & originality — composition, use of light, creativity
Emotional impact — the capacity of the image to move, inspire or communicate
Adherence to the category theme
Ethical value — respect for marine life, safety and environmental integrity
Q4. What is the role of the Super Advisor?
The President of ASD La Parola del Mare Club acts as Super Advisor, supervising the correct conduct of the voting phases and verifying that submitted works comply with the safety and ethical standards of the Competition. The Super Advisor participates in jury sessions in an advisory capacity but holds no voting rights on the artistic and technical evaluation. A veto power exists solely for works that clearly violate freediving safety or marine environmental protection principles.
Q5. When will winners be announced?
The complete timeline — including submission opening, deadline, jury evaluation period and winners announcement — will be published on www.freedivingphotoaward.com before registrations open.
Prizes & Fiscal Treatment
Q1. What prizes are awarded?
Cash prizes are awarded for first place in each category, along with additional recognitions. All prize amounts will be published on the official website before the opening of submissions. All figures are expressed as gross amounts (before tax).
Q2. How are prizes taxed?
Individual photographers: A withholding tax of 25% applies to the gross prize value (Art. 30 D.P.R. 600/1973). ASD La Parola del Mare Club acts as withholding agent, pays the tax via F24 (code 1047) and issues the Certificazione Unica (CU). This applies to both Italian residents and non-residents, subject to applicable Double Taxation Treaties.
Sports Clubs / ASDs: The prize may be structured as a donation or contribution between third-sector entities for institutional purposes, not subject to withholding tax, provided the recipient provides a written declaration on the use of funds.
Q3. Can prizes be transferred to another person?
No. Prizes are personal and non-transferable. Winners who cannot be contacted within 90 days of the announcement will forfeit their right to the prize.
Copyright Rights & Privacy
Q1. Do I retain copyright over my photographs?
Yes, absolutely. Participants retain full copyright over submitted photographs. Participation in the EFPA does not constitute any transfer of copyright to the Organizer.
Q2. What licence does the EFPA receive over my photos?
By submitting, you grant ASD La Parola del Mare Club a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence for 3 years from the date of submission to display, publish, exhibit and use the photographs in European Freediving Potography Award promotional materials. All uses will credit your work as: © [Photographer’s Name] / European Freediving Photography Award.
Q3. Can my photograph include recognizable people?
Yes, under two conditions:
– Adults — for every recognizable adult you must obtain and retain their signed informed consent before submitting, using the official forms available at www.freedivingphotoaward.com: Form A (Individual Release), signed by each recognizable person, and — for the Club Challenge category — Form B (Club Release), signed by the club president or legal representative.
– Minors — photographs must not depict any identifiable person under the age of 18. Entries showing identifiable minors will be disqualified.
This applies to identifiable people only: subjects who cannot be recognized (seen from behind, too distant, or otherwise not identifiable) are not affected.
Q4. How is my personal data handled?
Personal data is processed by ASD La Parola del Mare Club as Data Controller, in full compliance with EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) and applicable Italian legislation. Data is retained for 5 years after the Competition. Full details are available in the Privacy Policy at www.freedivingphotoaward.com/privacy.
Q5. Can minors appear in my photographs?
No. Photographs must not depict any identifiable person under the age of 18, and entries showing identifiable minors will be disqualified. Note for the Club Challenge: clubs often have under-18 members, so please make sure no recognizable young people appear in the images you submit.
Q6. How do I report a suspicious or unofficial website?
⚠ The only official website is www.freedivingphotoaward.com. The Organizer accepts no responsibility for any unofficial website or social media profile claiming affiliation with EFPA. To report suspicious sites, contact info@freedivingphotoaward.com.
Charitable Calendar
Q1. What is the EFPA Charitable Calendar?
A selection of submitted photographs will be used to produce a calendar distributed on a free-will donation basis. All proceeds go to IRCCS Burlo Garofolo — Children’s Hospital in Trieste, Italy, with no deduction for calendar production or distribution costs: the entire amount collected is donated.
Q2. Will I receive extra payment if my photo is included in the calendar?
No additional remuneration is due for inclusion in the Charitable Calendar, as this use falls within the 3-year licence granted upon submission. By submitting, participants explicitly consent to the possible inclusion of their work in the calendar for charitable purposes. The Organizer will publicly communicate the amount donated after each calendar cycle.
