2018 Thin Line Photo Fest

Submission Dates

• Deadline is February 15, 2018
  

Categories / Awards

The 2018 festival will feature 5 categories:

Thin Line Fest reserves the right to change a photograph's assigned category.

• TRUTH is an overall theme at the 2018 festival. Photographs in this category should convey some sort of truth. Yes, we understand that Truth can be subjective, which is what makes this category so intriguing! Example subcategories include: Politics, Religion, Activist, Social Justice, Love, and Music. But don't let this box you in, if the photograph communicates a truth, choose this category.
• PEOPLE is a category for photographs that focus on people. It can be a group or an individual. This category does overlap with other categories and if this includes your photograph you need to ask yourself if the human component is the central theme. The simple fact that your image includes people does not mean this is the best category. Subcategories include: Portrait, Historical, and Documentary.
• NATURAL BEAUTY is for all photographs of nature. The images should not contain a significant human component. The central theme should be about nature in some form. Subcategories include: Landscapes, Travel, Animals/Wildlife, Underwater, and Space.
• URBAN is for all photographs that mainly feature urban environments. People can be featured as long as the context is urban. Subcategories include: architecture, street, and cityscapes.
• ABSTRACT is for everything else. Do you create composited images? Do you layer effects like they are going out of style? This category is for you. Use this category if you feel your image doesn't belong in any other category. Subcategories include: Light Painting, Staged, Unreal, and Highly Edited. 

One "Best Photograph" will be selected in each category. Winners will receive $500 cash or cash value. Runners-up will receive free submissions to the 2019 festival.

NOTE: You will select a category for each photograph during submission. Thin Line Fest reserves the right to exhibit your work in any category.

Eligibility: Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry into the Festival and to use all images and content in the entry. You must be the creator and current copyright holder of all work submitted. The photo contest is open to all photographers worldwide, both amateur and professional. All genres accepted. Thin Line reserves the right to place your images in any category for award purposes. Student works are accepted.

Fees: Submission fees are in US Dollars and are non-refundable. Thin Line reserves the right to disqualify a submission, without a refund or credit, if eligibility requirements are not met or if eligibility status changes. Each entry must be accompanied by the appropriate fee. Submission fees may be paid by credit card only (Visa, MasterCard, Discover).

Students: Students get 50% off submission fees. Your submission must be flagged as 'student' when asked and you must e-mail a photo/copy of your student ID to submissions@thinline.us within 20 days of submission.

We MUST receive all submission materials (including high resolution digital photo, photo description and photographer bio) by February 15, 2018. Otherwise, your submission will not be considered.

Multiple entries are allowed.

If You Are Selected

• All entrants will be notified by e-mail their submission status no later than February 28, 2018.
• You must execute a release agreement wherein you (i) accept responsibility for obtaining any and all clearances necessary to exhibit your photo at Thin Line 2018 and any future festivals, (ii) warrant that you have the rights necessary to exhibit your photo at Thin Line 2018; and (iii) indemnify and hold harmless Thin Line Fest, its parent company, its affiliates, and subsidiaries and any of their respective directors, officers, employees, and representatives against any claim arising out of exhibition of your photo,at Thin Line 2018.
• You authorize Thin Line Fest to exhibit your selected work during the festival and any future festivals.
• You authorize Thin Line Fest to use your selected work for festival promotion purposes.

If your photo is selected for print, the Photo Program Committee will determine print-size and format for display at the various photography exhibitions. You must provide a high-resolution, print-ready format of the selected photo(s). Some submissions may be chosen for Digital exhibition only.

Photo Sales: If Thin Line chooses to offer prints for sale, you may opt in or out of the Photo Sale program. For Sales, all interested parties will be asked to contact sales@thinline.us at which point we will work with the artists to determine print requirements and pricing. Net proceeds will be split 50/50 with the artist.

Invited Works/Artists

• Thin Line, at its sole discretion, may invite select photographers to participate in the festival.
• All invited works are ineligible for competitive awards.

Award Rules:

• Unless otherwise agreed by the Festival in writing, awards will be fulfilled approximately 10-14 weeks after the closing date of the festival.
• Award eligibility is subject to any restrictions or conditions imposed by applicable laws and regulations (international, federal, state or otherwise), and the award recipient is responsible for all applicable taxes, customs, tariffs, insurance and similar charges or costs (if any).
• 2018 Awards listed are subject to change.

Photo entries will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, and artistic merit. The story behind the photo may influence the judges' decisions. Decisions made by the judges are final.

Copyright: By entering, you retain copyright and remain the owner of your images. Thin Line is hereby granted irrevocable permission by submitter to reproduce the images via print, web publishing, and other acceptable forms for non-profit, & editorial use. This permission applies worldwide. Submitter retains the copyright to all images and derivative works thereof, per USC Title 17 (US Copyright Law). Your submission releases Thin Line from any liability due to loss or damage of the images, and also releases Thin Line from any obligation to maintain copies of any digital file, image, or photograph.