X TROFEO PHOTOKA SARIA 2025 [RULES]

COMPETITION RULES

1. Participants:

All individuals (professional or amateur) residing in Spain, as well as all members of the CEF, are eligible to participate. In the FREE category with free technique, all amateur and professional photographers from around the world are eligible to participate.

The competition is sponsored by the CEF: E-2025-19 and the FAFPV: AGZ46-13 and will count toward obtaining CEF titles, as well as qualifying for the Argizaiola competition, organized by the FAFPV. Nine photographers (three per category) will qualify for the Argizaiola competition.

2. Modalities:

Restricted technique: Monochrome or color photography. Photo processing will allow adjustments typical of digital development (white balance, exposure, levels, contrast, saturation, sharpening, vignetting removal, etc.), as well as particle removal and moderate cropping. Alterations or manipulations of the image or part(s) of the image that would cause the photograph to reflect a reality different from that photographed will not be permitted. If in doubt, the jury may request the original RAW file of the photograph to verify compliance with the aforementioned standards.

Free Technique: Monochrome or color photography. All types of digital editing will be permitted for photo processing.

3. Categories:

In the conditional technique category, there will be two categories:

1.- "Free" theme with a conditional technique.

2.- "Urdaibai and the San Juan de Gaztelugatxe Biotope" theme with a conditional technique.

In the free technique category, there is only one category:

3. "Free" Theme with "free technique"

All images must be photographed entirely by the author and may not incorporate elements other than their own. Works generated partially or totally by AI will not be accepted.

The organization reserves the right to reject any submitted image that does not comply with this rule, for which it may use all available means, technological or otherwise, and may disqualify the image even after it has been awarded.

4. Number of Works:

The maximum number of works per contestant will be three per category (maximum 9).

5. Characteristics:

The contest will be digital. Registration and submission of images will be done online at www.photoka.eus, following the instructions on that website. The photographs will be in JPG format, and the maximum resolution for submitted works will be 1,024x768 pixels. It is recommended that the color space be sRGB. The same high-resolution file will also be requested for printing the exhibition works, at a size of 4,000 pixels on the longest side in JPG format at 254 dpi and in sRGB or Adobe 1998 color space.

6. Registration:

Each participating photographer must pay a single participation fee of €15 for all their works. Payment will be made via PayPal to photoka@photoka.eus, following the instructions on the website. The registration fees will be used to fund the prizes and the possibility of publishing a catalog with the 30 finalist works.

7. Submission Deadline:

The deadline is November 1, 2025, at midnight.

8. Jury and Decision:

The jury will be composed of prestigious individuals in the field of photography, and their decision is final.

The decision will be public and will be held on Saturday, November 15, at the Kultur Etxea in Gernika-Lumo. Contestants will be notified of the awarding time a few days before the ceremony.

The awards ceremony will be held on November 21, 2025, at the Kultur Etxea Gernika-Lumo, at 7:00 p.m.

Winning photographers who are unable to attend the awards ceremony must submit a presentation video explaining their winning work.

9. Prizes:

“PHOTOKA 2025 TROPHY” Honorary Award for the best work in the competition. The trophy is a sculpture donated by the artist José Angel Uberuaga “UBE”.

FREE THEME with a conditioned technique

1st: CEF Gold Medal, 500 euros and a diploma.

2nd: CEF Silver Medal, 200 euros and a diploma.

3rd: CEF Bronze Medal, Whale-watching sea excursion for two people from the Biodiversity Center of Gernika-Lumo. Euskadi-Torre Madariaga in the 2026 campaign and diploma.

URDAIBAI THEME with conditioned technique

1st CEF Gold Medal, €500 and diploma.

2nd CEF Silver Medal, €200 and diploma.

3rd CEF Bronze Medal, Whale-watching sea excursion for two people from the Euskadi Biodiversity Center-Torre Madariaga in the 2026 campaign and diploma.

FREE THEME with free technique

1st CEF Gold Medal, €500 and diploma.

2nd CEF Silver Medal, €200 and diploma.

3rd CEF Bronze Medal, Whale-watching sea excursion for two people from the Euskadi Biodiversity Center-Torre Madariaga in the 2026 campaign and diploma.

Each contestant may only be eligible for one prize, plus the PHOTOKA Trophy.

10. Ownership:

The winning entries will become the property of the Gernika-Lumo City Council, which reserves the right to publish and/or reproduce them, always citing the author's name.

11. Notification of Results:

Each author will receive individual email notification of their results according to the established schedule. The selected entries and winning entries will be published on the website www.photoka.eus.

12. Exhibition:

The best entries (10 per category) selected by the jury will be exhibited in the exhibition hall of the Gernika-Lumo Kultur Etxea.

13. Catalog:

A catalog (PDF) of the finalist entries will be published and sent to all participants who contribute photographs.

14. Notes:

a) Photographs must not have won awards in other competitions.

b) Unselected works will be destroyed. The remaining works will remain in PHOTOKA's photo library.

c) Participation in the competition implies full acceptance of its rules.