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Rules

Rules
Street Photography Awards

Street Photographers Foundation — Competition Rules

Last updated: October 2025

Photo Upload Specs

For best results, upload high-quality JPEGs, minimum 1200 px on the longest side (2000 px recommended), up to 10 MB per file. Filenames should be under 50 characters.

On this page —
Eligibility •
How to Enter •
Judging & Awards •
Content Requirements •
Copyright •
License for Promotion •
Credit Lines •
Technical Issues •
Limitation of Liability •
Publicity & Data •
Accessibility / Fee-Waiver

1) Eligibility Important

  1. 1.1. To qualify to enter the Competition, you must be 18 years of age or older.
  2. 1.2. By entering the Competition you accept these Rules in full.
  3. 1.3. Entries must be submitted no later than the deadline listed on the Competition URL.
  4. 1.4. The Competition is open worldwide to both professional and amateur photographers, subject to section 1.5.
  5. 1.5. Restricted Jurisdictions.
    Due to compliance requirements, we do not accept entries from the following jurisdictions:
    Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the regions of Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk.
    Submissions from these jurisdictions will be blocked and not processed, and
    no Stripe Checkout session will be created.
  6. 1.6. Representation. By entering, you represent and warrant that you are not located in any Restricted Jurisdiction and that your participation complies with applicable laws and platform policies.

2) How to Enter

  1. 2.1. Submit your entries via the Competition URL.
    You must complete the submission form and pay the entry fee(s) to be considered.
  2. 2.2. Payments & Statement Descriptor.
    Entry fees are processed via Stripe using secure checkout.
    Your bank statement may display the descriptor “STREET PHOTOGRAPHERS” or “SPF-AWARDS” (powered by Joyixir Studio OÜ).
  3. 2.3. Refunds. Entry fees are generally non-refundable. We may consider refunds for duplicate charges or technical errors at our sole discretion.
  4. 2.4. We reserve the right to cancel and/or refund any transaction that violates these Rules or our compliance obligations (including section 1.5).

3) Judging & Awards

  1. 3.1. All entries are reviewed and pre-screened by our editors and an international group of industry professionals. Screened entries are then reviewed by our international jury. The jury’s decisions are final.
  2. 3.2. Submissions that have won a cash prize in a previous SPF competition are not eligible to win cash prizes in subsequent competitions. Finalists from previous competitions are eligible. A photographer may win multiple cash awards, but the same photograph/series cannot win multiple cash awards.
  3. 3.3. Winning photographs may be included in future traveling group exhibitions and/or screenings worldwide. Each photographer retains copyright; proper credit lines will be attributed.
  4. 3.4. The full name of each entrant selected as a winner or finalist will be published online.
  5. 3.5. Prize Payments. Cash prizes are paid by bank transfer or other electronic methods. Any bank/FX fees may be deducted from the winning amount.
  6. 3.6. No cash alternatives will be offered.
  7. 3.7. Winner Information & Tax Withholding. All winners must provide full legal name, date of birth, and country of residence before prize payment. A 22% tax may be withheld from total winnings where required by law, unless a valid Certificate of Residence is provided confirming eligibility for exemption or reduction under an applicable tax treaty. Failure to provide required information/documentation may result in delay or forfeiture of the prize.

4) Content Requirements & Warranties

  1. 4.1. SPF may disqualify and remove any photograph that does not comply. You warrant that:
    1. 4.1.1. You are the sole copyright owner/creator of the photographs.
    2. 4.1.2. You have the right to enter the photographs.
    3. 4.1.3. To the best of your knowledge, the photographs do not contain infringing, threatening, false, misleading, abusive, libelous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic or profane content.
    4. 4.1.4. To the best of your knowledge, the photographs do not encourage criminal conduct, civil liability, or violate any law.
    5. 4.1.5. The photograph does not infringe third-party rights (copyright, trademark, privacy/publicity). Your photograph does not include:
      1. 4.1.5.1. trademarks owned by third parties;
      2. 4.1.5.2. copyrighted materials owned by third parties;
      3. 4.1.5.3. names/likenesses identifying celebrities or public figures;
      4. 4.1.5.4. stock images for which you merely purchased usage rights.
  2. 4.2. You agree to indemnify SPF against all claims/fees arising from your breach of these warranties.
  3. 4.3. You confirm that each person depicted has granted permission to be portrayed, and that all required permissions (costumes, props, locations) have been obtained.
  4. 4.4. Photojournalism/documentary images should follow the NPPA Code of Ethics and UNICEF guidelines. Do not add/remove/rearrange people/objects. If staged, disclose this in statements/captions.

6) License for Promotion

  1. 6.1. By entering, you grant SPF a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce submitted photographs with credit to conduct and promote SPF competitions.

7) Credit Lines

  1. 7.1. Any photograph used by SPF shall carry a credit line. In case of omission, SPF will use reasonable efforts to rectify upon notice.
  2. 7.2. SPF and event partners assume no responsibility and are not liable for any image misuse.

8) Technical Issues

  1. 8.1. SPF is not responsible for incorrect/incomplete information, hardware/software failures, lost connections, corrupted transmissions, or other technical malfunctions.
  2. 8.2. If for any reason a photograph cannot be viewed or the Competition cannot run as planned (including viruses, bugs, tampering, fraud, or technical failures), SPF assumes no responsibility.

9) Limitation of Liability

  1. 9.1. In no event will SPF, its members, partners, officers, directors, or employees be liable for any damages of any kind, whether direct or indirect, arising from use of the website or participation in the Competition. Everything on the website is provided “as is”, without warranties of any kind.

10) Publicity & Data Protection

  1. 10.1. You agree to participate in related publicity and allow the use of your name and winning images for advertising/promotion of SPF and the Competition without additional compensation (requests will not be unreasonably withheld).
  2. 10.2. Data Protection. By entering, you agree that SPF may collect, process, store, and use your personal data (e.g., name, address, phone, email) to conduct/administer the Competition. You may request access, rectification, or deletion by emailing [email protected].

11) Accessibility / Fee-Waiver Program

  1. 11.1. Our goal is to discover new talent in street photography. Photographers who genuinely cannot afford the entry fee may request a single-photo fee waiver by emailing [email protected] with a short explanation.
  2. 11.2. Fee waivers are limited, discretionary, and subject to verification.
  3. 11.3. Fee waivers are not available to applicants located in Restricted Jurisdictions (see section 1.5).

Questions? Email [email protected]