World Shoot-Out

>> Introduction & Time Table
>> Categories & Prizes
>> Rules & Regulations

Introduction & Time Table

Epson Red Sea is known worldwide as the international underwater photography Olympics. However, in 2011, Epson Red Sea breaks all boundaries, introducing an international competition as never featured before. 

We are proud to announce the World Shoot-Out, which will take place worldwide in August, 2011. During the week of the shoot-out, the whole underwater world will be performing as one huge festival, hosting professional and amateur photographers competing with each other for some Cash and very worthy prizes. The 8 day World Shoot-Out will take place in August 1-8, 2011, in any natural water resource found around the world, including seas, oceans, lakes, rivers, under the ice and more.

Yes, you can take part in the competition by diving in your familiar or favorite destination during the days of the shoot-out. This can be a wonderful opportunity for you to either take a few days off for the sake of some diving in your local area, or to finally book the holiday you’ve been dreaming of in an exotic dive destination, on a live aboard or in a dive resort.

Competition registration deadline is: July 30th, 2011.

Earlybird Registration (no later than July 1st, 2011) entitles the participant to submit a free additional set of images in each category the participant has registered to.

Images Submission

Participants’ chosen images will be submitted to the competition after the shoot-out has concluded, throughout August 9-15.

All World Shoot-Out categories winners and nominees will be announced on the festive Epson Red Sea winning ceremony in Eilat, Israel, November 19th, 2010.

Photographers are all invited to the Epson Red Sea Eilat Shoot-Out as well, which takes place in Eilat on November 14-19, and to take part in the winning ceremony at the end of this event. However, World Shoot-Out participants who do not make it to the Eilat Shoot-Out and the winning ceremony will simply receive their prizes by mail.

Please make sure you have access to your e-mail account or to the competition website on July 31st, a day before the shoot-out begins, for the purpose of receiving last and essential guidelines, such as the date your camera should be set on. Also, please make sure you have internet access during August 9-15 in order to be able to submit your images to the competition.

Daily Backups

Photographers taking part in the competition must do daily backup of all images taken during the days of the shoot-out. Later on, during September,participants reaching semi-final stages during the judging process will be asked to burn their backup files on a CD/DVD for the purpose of legal validation.

The well being of the environment is important to all of us. Please make sure to follow environmental regulations and to protect the underwater world while producing your images. Furthermore, images that introduce an environmental manipulation will not be accepted.

Underwater photographers from all over the world, both professional and amateurs, are invited to participate in the 7 following World Shoot-Out categories.

>> Back to top

World Shoot-Out Categories and Prizes

1. Main Category – The Dive Destination Portfolio

• The portfolio should feature diversity, creativity, attractive subjects and unique, fine photography techniques.

Prizes:
1st prize- $5,000 USD check courtesy of Epson
2nd prize-  Liveaboard Scuba Diving Adventure for 2 aboard Nautilus Explorer to any of their offered destinations: great white sharks of Guadalupe Island, the giant mantas and dolphins of Socorro Island, giant octopus of British Columbia, or icebergs of Alaska. Courtesy of Nautilus Explorer
3rd prize- 10-night trip for 1 person aboard the Philippine Siren, Indo Siren or Maldives Siren. Courtesy of WorldWilde Dive and Sail

2. The Wide Angle Category A single image featuring a wide angle composition or taken with a wide angle lens should be submitted to this category.  Prizes: 1st prize- $2,500 USD check, courtesy of UK - Germany 2nd prize- A dive trip in Palau, including 7 nights at the Landmark Marina hotel and 5 diving days, courtesy of  Fish 'n Fins 3rd prize- A dive trip of up to 10 nights for 1 person on board MV FeBrina, Papua New Guinea’s premier boutique liveaboard, courtesy of MV FeBrina

3. The Macro & Super-Macro Category A single image featuring a macro/super macro composition and taken with a macro/super macro lens should be submitted to this category.  Prizes: 1st prize- $2,000 USD check, courtesy of the Israeli Diving Authority  2nd prize- Sealux Housing for the Canon 7D with S6 sync port, LD viewfinder and a flat port, courtesy of Sealux 3rd prize- 8-night full board diving holiday (7 diving days) for 1 person at Loloata Island Resort, Papua New Guinea

4. The Ship or Plane Wreck Category – Black & White • A single black & white image should be submitted to this category, featuring a shipwreck, plane wreck or any other underwater wreck. • The image should introduce the photographer’s perception of the wreck within its natural environment, such as featuring elements produced by the combination of the wreck with its new underwater environment. • There must be a substantial visual presence of the wreck in the image submitted. Prizes: 1st prize- $2,000 USD check, courtesy of the Cyprus Tourism Organization  2nd prize- Soon to be announced 3rd prize- 8-night full board diving holiday (7 diving days) in a beachfront bungalow for 1 person at Walindi Plantation Resort, Papua New Guinea

5. The Underwater Environmental Conservation Category

• A set of 3 images should be submitted to this category. • Images should introduce an environmental conservation campaign featuring a protest, criticism or demonstration of the damage caused to marine life and underwater environment. Alternatively, the campaign can introduce the opposite approach and feature a mutual and supportive relationship between the human kind and the underwater world. • Either way, the set of images submitted to this category should emphasize the delicate and somewhat fragile reality produced by the presence of human beings at the underwater environment.

• The set of images should feature diversity, creativity, attractive subjects and unique, fine photography techniques.

Prizes:
1st prize- $3,000 USD check, courtesy of MARES 
2nd prize- diving holiday for 2 people aboard one of the Aggressor Fleet on the Belize Aggressor III, Cayman Aggressor IV, Turks & Caicos Aggressor II or the Star Dancer (PNG).
3rd prize- 10-day diving holiday for 1 person including dives at the Lissenung Island Resort, Papua New Guinea

6. The Fresh Water Category • A set of 3 images taken in any natural fresh water resource should be submitted to this category. Natural fresh water resources include lakes, rivers, wells and more.   • These can be either 3 standalone impressive images with respect to composition, subject, idea, creativity and photography techniques, or 3 images that produce an impressive portfolio when integrated together. Prizes: 1st prize- $4,000 USD worth Nauticam system (housing & underwater photo accessories), which can customized according to photographer's needs 2nd prize- D9 computer-watch, courtesy of Suunto 3rd prize- Soon to be announced

7. The Amateurs Category

• Since the Amateurs category was especially created for beginners, only compact digital camera system owners can participate in this category. Images taken with DSLR systems (any camera equipped with an interchangeable lenses system) cannot be submitted to this category. • A single image should be submitted to this category. Prizes: 1st prize- $1,000 USD check, courtesy of the UnterwasserKamta.at portal

2nd prize- Soon to be announced
3rd prize- 7-night holiday for 1 person at the Manta Ray Bay in Yap, including 5 diving days

World Shoot-Out Participation Fees

1. The Dive Destination Portfolio Category – 35 Euro
2. The Wide Angle Category - 35 Euro
3. The Macro & Super-Macro Category- 35 Euro
4. The Ship or Plane Wreck Category – Black & White - 35 Euro
5. The Underwater Environmental Conservation Category - 35 Euro
6. The Fresh Water Category - 35 Euro
7. The Amateurs Category – 25 Euro

Please note that up to 3 sets of images can be submitted to each of these categories. 

• Participants can register for up to 3 sets of images on each of the 7 categories.
• Submission fee for each category (per one set of images), excluding the Amateurs category, is 35 Euro.
• Submission fee for the Amateurs category (per one set of images) is 25 Euro.
• Submission fee for each additional set of images (up to 3 sets) on each of the categories is 10 Euro.
• Earlybird Registration (no later than July 1st) entitles the participant to submit a free additional set of images in each category the participant has registered to.
• Cancellation Policy: Any participant withdrawing from registration before August 2nd will receive a full refund of submission fees.

Competition Images Submission

1. Upon planning your holiday or diving trip, please make sure you will have internet access during August 9-15 for the purpose of submitting your images to the competition, as images submission is carried out through the competition website.
2. Final images can be submitted to any of the categories during August 9-15. Although the process of uploading final images to the website is simple and takes only a short while, 7 days were allocated for this process, in order to allow for flexibility in your holiday or diving trip plan.
3. Images submitted to any of the categories should be uploaded in JPEG format only.
4. Images submitted to any of the categories should be uploaded through the competition website, using the username and password provided upon registration. Each image must not exceed a file size of 500KB. 
5. Participants reaching semi-final stages during the judging process will be asked to burn their backup files on a CD/DVD (consisting of all images taken during the days of the shoot-out in both RAW and JPEG formats) and will be asked to send this CD to the production office for the purpose of legal validation. Please note that failure to introduce a complete backup file will disqualify the photographer.
Address of production office: 

World ShootOut 
51 Zipman st.
Raanana 43100
Israel

International Panel of Judges

Soon to be announced.
The decisions of the Jury are final in all aspects of the competition and may not be challenged.

>> Back to top

World Shoot-Out Rules & Regulations

Registering to the competition automatically implies the photographer’s agreement and acceptance of all competition rules as set and stated by the competition production.

General Rules

1. Competition registration must be completed through the competition website no later than July 30th, 2011.
2. Upon registering to the competition, each participant will receive a participation number, username and password, which later on should be used in order to login and upload the images submitted to the competition.
3. Participants must read the “Rules & Regulations” section prior to registering to the competition. Upon submitting the registration form and submitting images to the competition, participants confirm their agreement with these rules and regulations.
4. The 7 categories listed above are open to all competition participants, aside from one exception, according to which images taken with DSLR cameras cannot be submitted to the Amateurs category.
5. Participants must access their e-mail account or the competition website on July 31st, a day before the shoot-out begins, for the purpose of receiving last and essential guidelines, such as the date the camera should be set on during the shoot-out. Please note that such information cannot be disclosed prior to July 31st and that only images featuring the random date announced on July 31st will be accepted to the competition.
6. Images submitted to the competition may be taken during day or night.
7. Images submitted to the competition must be taken either underwater or half-half.
8. The same photo, or similar photos, cannot be submitted to more than one category.
9. Participants using digital cameras must shoot in RAW format in addition to corresponding JPEG files (please consult with the organizers upon registration if this option is not available for you). When preparing the backup CD’s, JPEG and their corresponding RAW files should be saved within the same folder.
10. It is prohibited to carry out any alternations whatsoever in the original file using Photoshop or any other imaging software. Any photo revealed as been altered will be disqualified and the photographer himself may also be disqualified. The organizers and the judges have the authority to determine whether a photo has been manipulated according to their judgment. The decision of the Jury to disqualify a photo or a photographer is final and undisputable.
11. It is prohibited to delete photos from the memory card during shooting. Files might be all kept on the memory card until the entire and complete sequence is downloaded onto the daily backup file. All images produced underwater, including all missed shots, must appear in an uninterrupted sequence on the daily backup file.
12. Participants must back up all of their images at the end of each diving day. Each day should be saved inside a different folder on the backup file, labeled by date (for instance: 01-08-2011). JPEG and their corresponding RAW files should be saved within the same folder. Please make sure you do not lose these backup files till the winners are announced.
13. During September, the first judgment phase will take place, resulting with 20 finalists within each category. Any photographer reaching this semi-final stage will be required to submit his backup files by sending them on a CD. Failure to introduce a complete backup file will disqualify the photographer from the competition.
14. Final judgment, during which 5 nominees and 3 winners are decided upon within each category, will take place in November 14-19, 2011, throughout the Epson Red Sea Eilat Shoot-Out event.
15. All World Shoot-Out categories winners and nominees will be announced on the festive Epson Red Sea winning ceremony in Eilat, Israel, November 19th, 2010. World Shoot-Out participants who do not make it to the Eilat Shoot-Out and the winning ceremony will simply receive their prizes by mail.
16. Competition organizers will take the utmost care in handling digital files submitted to the competition. However, competition organizers will not be held responsible for any loss of the submitted material at the time of uploading images through the competition website or at the time of the competition itself.
17. Participants are obligated to follow environmental conservation regulations and to share respect for the underwater world during the process of taking images, wherever they might be diving. Be advised that any damage to the protected underwater world, including the disruption of the natural habitat of creatures, provocation through touching, feeding or annoying, is prohibited by law and will disqualify the images or the photographer.
18. The final deadline for submitting images to the different categories is Monday, August 15th, 2011, at 23:55 pm GMT +2.
19. The production encourages the participation of all photographers in the competition but reserves the right not to accept the participation of a photographer who does not comply with the spirit of the competition.
20. The production is entitled to disqualify a participant who acts against the rules, displays undue conduct, has caused harm to another participant, or acted in any way that is contradictory to the spirit of the competition, as well as any other reason that the production team deems fit. The decision to remove a participant from the competition is final, undisputable, and does not entitle the participant to receive compensation or refund of any kind.
21. It is absolutely forbidden to make any kind of barters between photographers and to submit photos in one's own name but which another photographer has taken. The competition is conducted individually and rules of ethics must be adhered to.
22. Legal issues of any kind that result in lawsuits shall be solely held at the Tel Aviv Courthouse. 

Prizes

• The list of prizes might change. The final list will be announced on May 1st, 2011.
• Corresponding prizes are awarded to the winners in person and only they are permitted to make use of them. It is prohibited to attempt selling prizes on the internet via forums, etc.
• Dive safaris and trips awarded as prizes do not include air travel, taxes and other expenses, unless stated otherwise by the relevant sponsor.
• Prizes do not include shipment and potential import tax fees in the respective home countries of participants.
• For the sake of eliminating possible misunderstandings, at the time of the winning ceremony, only symbolic vouchers or letters, will be awarded to the winners. The actual prize will be awarded later on in accordance with the respective sponsor.
• A participant who has already won twice in the same category in previous competitions is excluded from entering the same category again. He/she may, however, participate in other competition categories.

Use of Photographs

1. By entering the competition, participants agree that the submitted photos in all categories may be used or reproduced for the media coverage of this event and for the promotion of future competitions in all media channels, including TV, Internet, written publications and more.
2. Competition organizers reserve the right to make use of images submitted to the competition for the purpose of publishing a competition album, calendars, and any other use that promotes future competitions or found useful by the production.
3. Submitted photos shall indefinitely remain in the producers' archives without the requirement of further permission for usage.
4. Photo credits will be given to the photographer when applicable.
5. Submission of photos and participation in the competition entails an automatic acceptance of all the above. Use of images as described above will require no additional written or verbal permissions from the photographer.

Personal Safety

1. Participants are responsible for their own safety and for the proper use of their diving and photography equipment. Divers must dive within the limits of their own dive certification level and according to the local diving regulations (remember to bring your dive certification and diving insurance along).
2. Competition organizers and sponsors do not accept responsibility for the safety of participants during their diving activity, nor do they accept responsibility for any damage to personal equipment that may occur as a result of diving activities.

Good Luck!!

>> Back to top