Tommy Schultz Travel & Adventure Photography Contest FAQ
Is there an entry fee to submit photographs?
Yes. We request an entry donation of USD 5 (PHP 250). This donation supports the Tommy Schultz Impact Media Fellowship (TSIMF) which invests in early career creatives and is hosted by the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE). You can read more about the fellowship HERE.
What are the payment options?
You can send your payment either via PayPal (USD 5) or GCash (PHP 250). For PayPal payments, you can pay with your PayPal balance or with your debit/credit card. For GCash payments, you need to have an account with GCash, a digital wallet app used in the Philippines.
What are the contest dates?
The contest opens on October 26, 2022, and closes on November 30, 2022 at 23:59 Philippine Standard Time (GMT+8). Winners will be announced in December 2022.
How can photographs be submitted?
Submit photographs by following the link on our website that leads to the submission form. Or click here: SUBMIT AN ENTRY NOW.
Are there size or format requirements?
All photographs to be submitted must be maximum 2MB in size, and RGB in JPG/JPEG format. A higher-resolution file of the submitted photographs may be requested during the final judging phase.
Can I use photo editing tools to enhance my photographs?
Minor digital enhancements are acceptable, i.e. adjusting brightness and contrast, and cropping. Creative compositing, such as adding or removing subjects within an image, is not allowed. Borders, frames, special filters, text and signatures are also not allowed. Any heavily filtered or manipulated photograph may be rejected at the judges’ discretion. Image composites, including stitched panoramas and black and white images, are not eligible for this competition. We will consider adding an ‘Artistic Image’ category in future competitions.
What can disqualify a photograph entry?
Photographs displaying or suggesting strong evidence of manipulation of animals or the environment will be disqualified, e.g. animals, such as invertebrates being moved and placed in a different environment/habitat for composition.
How many photographs can I submit?
For every entry donation of USD 5 / PHP 250, you can send up to three (3) photographs for any of the contest categories. You can submit as many entries as you like, but each submission is subject to an entry donation.
What are the contest categories?
Photographs to be submitted should align with one or more of the three contest categories:
Adventure Travel - Capture a location you visit and the adventures you experience — think travel and action in the great outdoors.
Underwater - All types of underwater photography (wreck, nature, conservation, landscape etc). Can be a marine or freshwater environment.
Animals in their Environment - Capturing a sense of a place and how an animal is intrinsic to its environment. Animals must be wild. Habitat should be a major element of the picture.
Who will own the copyright of photographs submitted and how will they be used?
Photographers will retain the copyright to their photographs, but by entering them in this contest hereby grant LAMAVE, and all titles under its name, the right to use the submitted photographs in any format to congratulate or to feature the winners and their respective images, and to promote future events, and will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use in any media now or hereafter known, without restriction, including commercially using it to the fullest extent possible.
How will the winners be decided?
Submissions will be judged anonymously by a stellar panel of judges consisting of international industry experts, talented photographers and photo editors, and photojournalists. This decision is final and will not be open to reconsideration.
What can I win?
There will be three winners, one from each category, who will win PHP 10,000 (~USD 170) each. Aside from this cash prize, participants get the prized opportunity to show off their work to a panel of international industry experts.
Who can and cannot enter?
The contest is open to everyone aged 18 years and older at the time of entry, regardless of nationality, location, and level of experience, except for those part of the organising and judging committee and their immediate relatives.
Can I contact the contest organisers?
If you have any other questions, you can reach us at: tsphotocontes[@]lamave.org
Can I still support the initiative if I am not a photographer entering photographs into the contest?
Yes! If you do not want to enter the contest, you can still make a direct donation to the Tommy Schultz Impact Media Fellowship (TSIMF) initiative HERE. By doing so you, will be creating opportunities for early career creatives in the Philippines and championing conservation storytelling.