Rules and Fees

All Canadian photographers are welcome to enter for consideration

Each year submissions are accepted throughout July and August.

Each photographer may enter as many images as they wish. There are several categories in which you can submit. You can enter all your images in the same category if you like but you cannot qualify as a finalist more than once per category.

Please read the file naming requirements below. When submitting you will be asked to read the rules and conditions, sign the certification, complete the entry form, upload your image folder, make payment, and agree to final terms. If you belong to one of our supporting Photography Associations, remember to enter your member ID, to receive preferred pricing. ID MUST BE ACTIVE AND WILL BE VERIFIED. Plus if you received an award/medal or top score in your association’s image competition you are eligible to submit one image complimentary. Please reach out to your association contact or the Team Canada committee to request your code.

NOTE: The decision of the curators shall be final. WPC Team Canada Captain shall have the absolute and final authority to decide on any issue not specifically covered by these rules

WPC Timeline

2025 Entries will be accepted in July/August 2024

Canadian Photographer Submissions: July / August
Canadian Curating: September / October
Team Canada entry sent to WPC: October
World Photographic Cup International Judging: November / December
Top 10 World Finalists and Best of Nations: January
Medalists and WPC Awards Ceremony: March / April

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

Entry Fees

Détails pour soumettre vos images, règles et catégories en français : Français PDF

Regular Entry Fee

Two (2) Images – $60 CDN plus tax
Three (3) Images – $70 CDN plus tax
Four (4) or More Images – $20 CDN each plus tax BEST DEAL

Note: if you are sponsored as a Camera Brand Ambassador, or have a sponsored image letter, you will be able to submit additional images at the preferred pricing of $15/image. ONLY ONE CODE PER ENTRY

Association/Team Canada Alum Entry Fee

Two (2) Images – $50 CDN plus tax
Three (3) Images – $60 CDN plus tax
Four (4) or More Images – $15 CDN each plus tax BEST DEAL

List of partner associations : PPOC, NPAC-APPC, CAPA, CAPIC

If you had images that received an award or top score in your associations Image Competition (this past year) please contact us here for a free image entry code. ONLY ONE CODE PER ENTRY. Team Canada Alum and past Curators may always enter one additional image at no charge.

Rules and Regulations

Any Canadian photographer (professional or amateur) can submit images to this national call for entries.

The maker must agree to the following WPC and WPC Team Canada conditions when submitting:

-All elements used in images or composited images must be made by the submitting photographer. All images/image elements must be created by the submitting photographer. The use of stock images or image elements created using AI/CGI are not permitted. Image Editing Tools that are based on machine learning to retouch or modify the submitting photographer’s image are allowed when using image elements created by the same photographer. No modification or use of third-party images not captured by the submitting photographer is allowed.

-During the initial Validation, before judging begins, the WPC Validation Committee will screen images for relevance to Categories and rules to confirm eligibility. The WPC Validation committee may at any time (before, during and after the competition) request original files (Raw or JPG that includes original Camera EXIF data) and an explanation of the circumstances under which the image(s) where made to confirm eligibility.

-After the Top 10 announcement, all Top 10 and Best of Nation images will be required to submit original images (included camera capture EXIF data) to confirm eligibility.

Agree to save the RAW files and quickly submit them for verification if they finish in the Top 10 or upon request.

-Images created under the direction of an instructor, photography coach or at a photographic workshop are not allowed.

-All teams will be made up of professional and artist photographers whose citizenship is within the relevant country.

Must be a Canadian citizen holding (or eligible to hold) a Canadian passport.

-Individuals may be selected to represent their team in more than one category. However, no team may enter multiple images from a creator in a single category.

-Once an image is entered in WPC (by Team Canada), it cannot be entered again IN ANY FORM in the competition, whether in the current year or in any subsequent year. Images from a single photographer should be essentially different from one WPC edition to the next.

Images previously accepted as part of a Team Canada entry are not eligible.

-The images must be anonymous and in the case of images pertinent to advertising campaigns, they must not contain any text or graphic elements, which were not part of the original exposure. Images containing text will be immediately disqualified.

-Submitted images must not be presented as being in the competition until after they are validated. The WPC Governing Committee will communicate the date from which the submitted images may be shown in public as accepted in the WPC Competition.

Agree to wait until Team Canada communicates that submitted image(s) may be associated with Team Canada.

Rights, Licenses & Releases

a. all individual creators, whose images are selected for their team’s submission, are professional and artist photographers and present their original work, that they own all rights pertaining to the work or they possess the permission of the copyright holder to submit the work, as well as all necessary model release forms and permits pertaining to the image.

b. all individual creators whose images are selected for their team’s submission agree to hold the World Photographic Cup harmless against all claims and liabilities arising out of the WPC’s consideration, display, or other non-commercial use of the image.

Agree to hold WPC Team Canada, it’s organizing committee, and partner associations harmless against all claims and liabilities arising out of the consideration, display, or other non-commercial use of the image.

c. by agreeing to participate in their team’s World Photographic Cup submission, individual team members agree to license to the World Photographic Cup the right to display the image(s) on the WPC web site, in articles, exhibitions and publications pertaining to the World Photographic Cup competition, included the annual WPC printed exhibition and the annual book of the winners and for future WPC promotional purposes.

Agree that WPC Team Canada can use accepted images for promotional purposes. Copyright and sales rights remain with the author of the images.
Agree that their image(s) may be printed and displayed in the WPC Team Canada traveling exhibition.

d. The WPC partner companies will have the possibility to display the winning images on their media or through their products (prints, collections, exhibitions, books etc.). This opportunity will be limited to non-commercial purposes and subjected to the WPC rules and regulations on rights, licenses, and releases with the authors of the images.

e. The WPC and the partner companies have no rights to display the submitted images beyond those outlined in this paragraph.

These rules have been duplicated from the WPC international website: WPC Rules & Regulations

Requirements

Submit File Requirements:

Parameters: 4000 pixels on the longest side, 300 DPI
Format: maximum quality jpeg (under 16 MB)
Embedded profile: sRGB, Adobe 98 or Greyscale
TEXT OR ANY OTHER ITEM THAT COULD IDENTIFY THE MAKER is NOT permitted on the image and as such will disqualify the image.
All images are to be placed in a single folder named WPC2024_LastName

* Images outside of these parameters will be returned to the maker for correction. If they are not corrected by the end date, fees are forfeited.

Upload Requirements:

All images are to be placed in a single folder named WPC2024_LastName

Filename Format

All images MUST have the following filename format:
categoryname_lastname_firstname_##.jpeg

It is important that your images be listed in the correct category. Use the category name as listed below.
Do not use any accents, commas, or other characters – even for French language.
Image number (##) is for your total entry regardless of category (if you enter 5 images they will be numbered from 01 to 05)

An example of a proper filename for two submitted images are :
commercial_smith_kim_01.jpg
illustration_smith_kim_02.jpg

Judging Criteria

Judging Process
Images are judged by a panel of international judges from around the world. Each accepted national team has the right to select and nominate 1 judge, so the number of the judges will be depending by the number of the national entered teams.

Judges and members of the WPC Governing Committee, the WPC Staff or the WPC Judging Sub- Committee are not eligible to participate as individual team members or as Team Captains. The jury’s judgment is final and binding.

Overview of the principles of judging for WPC:
Scoring will be based on two criteria, each of the 2 criteria will contribute a maximum of 50% of the total score:
Each image is assessed two times and two scores entered. It is critical that judges look at each image for its strength based on the category (images that don’t clearly relate to the category description should score lower). Judges must be open minded about creative expression and not fall victim to digital enhancement that does not support the image concept when scoring, especially in portrait and wedding categories.
While digital enhancement is part of photography today and relevant, all submissions should demonstrate foundation photographic skills. Images with extensive postproduction (electronic/digital manipulation) are accepted so long as the photographic component is dominant. Judges are asked to recognize photography as the core contribution to all image categories. Postproduction should be relevant for the image. Images with a simple yet powerful message may not rely on Creativity or Technical manipulation to be recognized as a top scoring image. Any postproduction must be done under the direction of the photographer (author) of the image.

Impact and Visual Language
Does an image have an impact? Does it create in you a sense of emotion when you see it for the first time? How does the image effect you (laughter, sadness, anger or other strong emotions)? Is the image powerful, vibrant, creative, original? Is the visual language used compelling? Is the Photographic art used well to convey an idea, a message, a thought, or an impression, and recognizes the photographic relevance or contribution? Does the selected visual language (style, light, technique and enhancement) support the intent of the image and expresses relevantly the definition of the category of submission?

Technical excellence / composition
Is the image professionally impeccable and technically strong? Is the lighting and posing (where applicable) done with excellence? Is the product (car, building etc.) showcased with excellence? Is the postproduction management done with excellence (color balance, sharpness, retouching and compositing where applicable)? Is the composition strong – and possibly innovative? Does the composition support the story of the image, holds the viewers’ attention to the image and emphasizes the message of the image?