BACKGROUND

Even in the age of fakenews, the press photograph remains the most trusted source of news, and the press photographer, the most threatened professional. In recent years Bangladeshi photographers have been celebrated across the globe, yet there is no formal recognition of their collective talent or the valuation of their contribution to the nation. The Bangladesh Press Photo Award celebrates the brave men and women, who are the frontline warriors in gathering news. Selected by a panel of top professionals, it highlights the quality of their work by identifying the best photojournalism and documentary photography produced over the last year.

An exhibition in Dhaka is planned in February 2022 to showcase selected images. A virtual version will also be hosted to attain a wider reach. 30 selected photographs will be exhibited, which also includes the winning entries.

JUDGES:

1. Abir Abdullah, Photographer, Editor, Educator

2. Sana Ullah, Photographer, Editor, Mentor. National Geographic Society.

3. Shafiqul Alam, Bureau Chief. AFP News Agency

4. Shahidul Alam, Photographer, Activist, Curator. Drik.

5. Syed Zakir Hossain, Chief Photographer, Dhaka Tribune.

CATEGORIES:

Photographers to submit single images for the following categories.

Public Interest Journalism: What is of interest to the public is not necessarily public interest journalism. Media reporting is often driven by profit, prioritizing sensational or titillating news as clickbait to attract eyeballs and advertisers. We are looking for stories that enrich the public discourse and provides a range of perspectives that contest ideas and inform citizens. This could include the development sector and civil society members and individual actions that have an impact on people's general well-being.

Politics: The set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations between individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. It especially applies to (but is not limited to) issues of governance, factors that guide or influence government, or deal with winning and holding control over government. In short it relates to the complex relations of power between people living in society. It extends to competition between interest groups or individuals for power and leadership.

Arts, Culture & Sports: Art in its broadest sense, is the expression of creativity or imagination. Sports involves the application of mental and physical exertion and skill in a competitive environment. Culture relates to the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society. Photographs in this category will embrace the full spectrum of human endeavor related to social interactions and manifestations of human intellectual and physical achievements recognised and valued collectively.

Photographer’s can submit in all categories, maximum 5 photos per category.

AWARDS:

GRAND PRIZE - PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2021

(Tk 1,00,000, crest, certificate and a copy of yearbook)

WINNER - PUBLIC INTEREST JOURNALISM CATEGORY

(Tk 50,000, crest, certificate and a copy of yearbook)

WINNER - POLITICS CATEGORY

(Tk 50,000, crest, certificate and a copy of yearbook)

WINNER - ARTS, CULTURE & SPORTS CATEGORY

(Tk 50,000, crest, certificate and a copy of yearbook)

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION:

04 February, 2022

GUIDELINES

How to submit

Entries must be submitted via the contest platform through

https://drik.awardsplatform.com/

The platform will be open for submission on 26 January 2022.

ENTRY RULES:

1. The Bangladesh Press Photo Contest is open to only Bangladeshi national professional photographers. Every entrant needs to provide a document with a valid date that proves their current professional status. Examples of documents that count as proof include:
2. 
   
3. a recent letter of reference (must be from 2021) from a photo agency, photo editor, media organization. OR
4. membership document from a recognized photographic association that show photographer is a professional member OR
5. Photography union membership card; OR
6. press card.

organization reserves the right to ask for additional information to help clarify the entrant’s professional status.

1. Photographs must be taken during 1 January to 31 December 2021.
2. The photographer(s) must be the author(s) of the pictures submitted in his/her/their name.
3. A picture can only be entered once, pictures submitted more than once will be removed from the contest.
4. Pictures can be submitted whether or not they have been published.
5. Winning images along with selected images will be used for the production of the year book and the exhibition. Pictures must meet the following specifications:
6. 
   
7. A participant can submit a maximum of 5 photographs in each category. All photos must have accurate captions written in English. Photographs may be in colour or black & white, with minimum 4000 pixels on longer side, jpeg format with maximum 5 MB per photo.
8. Upload images with the original pixel size (unless cropped). Do not scale and do not change the resolution.
9. IICC profile must be embedded. AdobeRGB, sRGB or grayscale Gamma 2.2 are recommended. No CMYK.
10. Must be uploaded in JPEG format with high quality compression.
11. Pictures must not show the name of the photographer, agency, or publication, or any other information (these details can be included in the metadata of the pictures but must not be visible on the picture itself).
12. Pictures taken at restricted events (that is, events where photographers are commissioned by the organizer) are not accepted.
13. Only single exposure and single frame pictures will be accepted. The following are not accepted:
14. 
    
15. Multiple exposures, polyptychs (diptychs, triptychs, and so forth).
16. Stitched panoramas, either produced in-camera or with image editing software.
17. The content of a picture must not be altered by adding, rearranging, reversing, distorting or removing people and/or objects from within the frame. There are two exceptions:
18. 
    
19. Cropping that removes extraneous details is permitted;.
20. Removing sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives is permitted. (See the guidance on what counts as manipulation for details on what is, or is not, acceptable.)
21. Adjustments of color or conversion to grayscale that do not alter content are permitted, with two exceptions:
22. 
    
23. Changes in color may not result in significant changes in hue, to such an extent that the processed colors diverge from the original colors.
24. Changes in density, contrast, color and/or saturation levels that significantly alter content by obscuring or eliminating information in the picture are not permitted.
25. Participants must provide file(s) as recorded by the camera for all images (raw files) that proceed to the final stages of the contest. These file(s) will be requested and studied confidentially during judging stages. Failure to provide these files when requested will lead to the exclusion of the entry.
26. Entries must be submitted via the official contest platform. Entries sent in other ways will not be accepted.
27. Drik Picture Library Ltd. retains the right to publish selected artworks and text for exhibition, in promotional material and for publication relating to the exhibition. Such content will not be used in any other form, unless specifically authorized by the artist.
28. Copyright holders grant Drik non-exclusive rights to use photographs in a non-public archive for its educational and research activities, without any remuneration being due.

CAPTIONS:

All pictures must have accurate captions inserted in metadata, written in English only, and contain all the information described in the guidance on captions.

THE FIRST PART OF THE CAPTION MUST:

• Describe who is in the photograph and what is going on within the photo.
• Name the city, region or state, and country where the picture was made.
• Provide the date the photo was made.
• Provide information on relevant action not seen (e.g., the scene of accident where more than 10 died, according to police).

The second part of the caption is used to give context to the news event or describe why the photo is significant. Any information that is included must be sourced.

The final part must explain the circumstances in which a photograph was taken. If the photographer influenced the scene in any way, or gave directions to a subject to pose in any way for a portrait, this must be disclosed.

File name format: Applicant’s Name_Category_Serial (Ashraf Uddin_Politics_01)

CODE OF ETHICS:

ENTRANTS TO THE BANGLADESH PRESS PHOTO CONTEST MUST ENSURE THEIR PICTURES PROVIDE AN ACCURATE AND FAIR REPRESENTATION OF THE SCENE THEY WITNESSED, SO THE AUDIENCE IS NOT MISLED. THIS MEANS THAT ENTRANTS-

1. Should be aware of the influence their presence can exert on a scene they photograph, and should resist being misled by staged photo opportunities.
2. Must not intentionally contribute to, or alter, the scene they picture by re-enacting or staging events.
3. Must not pay their subjects, either in money or goods.
4. Must maintain the integrity of the picture by ensuring there are no material changes to content.
5. Must ensure captions are accurate.
6. Must be open and transparent about the entire process through which their pictures are made, and be accountable to Drik Picture Library for their practice.
7. Must ensure that no forms of harassment or exploitation was involved in the process leading up to and during the process of producing the photographs.