2025 Colour Inspiration Competition

2025 Colour Inspiration Competition

Scope of Competition

This competition and its themes invite photographers to showcase their creative skills, using colour as a vibrant medium to capture outstanding and stunning images.

It is an opportunity to explore areas that may stretch your comfort zones, pushing to the boundaries of your creativity.

To keep the focus on the dynamic world of colour, we kindly request that submissions be limited to colour images only.  Black & white, monochrome and infrared images are excluded from this competition. 

Images depicting individuals experiencing homelessness, infirmity, or people in crisis will not be accepted.  We consider the exploitation of the misfortune and suffering of others for the sake photography demonstrates a disregard for the well-being of our fellow individuals. 

For CAPA members, a maximum of three (3) images can be entered into the Individual category of this competition.  

For camera clubs, a maximum of six (6) images can be entered into the Club category of this competition.  All six (6) images must be from six (6) different club photographers.

Competition Process

Competition Coordinator – Sheldon Boles – CAPA Director of Competitions: competitions@capacanada.ca

Questions about the scope of the competition and/or the editing criteria should be directed to the Coordinator well in advance of  the closing day of the competition.

Closing Date of Competition – February 28, 2025 at midnight Standard Time (Ontario).

Check out our – How To Upload Images To CAPA Competition here. 

Special Note : Following a period of 2 weeks after the competition’s closing date, you can access the final competition report by logging into the CAPA website and navigating to the ‘Competition Reports’ under the ‘Competitions’ dropdown menu

Competition Details (click arrow for more details)
Themes

Submitted image must fall within one of the following themes:

  • Still Life – images are skillfully-crafted arrangement(s) of vibrant objects and textures. Experimenting with lighting, angles, background and props may contribute to a unique fine art interpretation. The possibilities are endless – the beauty of flowers, the allure of food, nostalgia of toys, the wisdom within books, elegance of fabric, the charm of collectibles, craftsman’s hand tools, and natural materials.

  • Dramatic Contrast & Shadows – images in this theme leverages the power of dramatic contrast and shadows. Sources of inspiration – low-key, silhouette, and selective lighting effects to create bold graphic image. Everyday spaces reveal geometric shadows cast by individuals, buildings, signs and structures.

  • Action & Motion – image in this theme should convey excitement, speed, and movement through colour. Image can be a result of panning effects, slow shutter speeds and freezing fast action. Source of inspiration is boundless – whether it’s animals, birds, dance, long-exposure shots, sports, traffic, vehicles, or any other dynamic subject.

  • Nature’s Beauty – images capturing inspiring landscapes, mesmerizing plants, enchanting animals, and captivating natural phenomena. Domesticated animals, birds and drone images are welcome additions to this theme, allowing for a broad spectrum of natural wonders. All hand-of-man elements are permissible in this theme.

  • Travel – image that transcends the typical postcard and provides a fresh and creative perspective. Submissions are welcome from all corners of Canada or anywhere else in the world.

Editing Criteria

  • Eligibility Criteria – Prior to submitting any photo in a CAPA competition, all entrants must first read the CAPA Eligibility Criteria relating to images submissions. – READ ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA HERE
  • Permitted Editing Techniques:

All In-Camera Techniques: Any adjustments made directly within the camera during image capture.

On-Camera Techniques: Utilizing on-camera features and settings for image enhancements.

Post-Processing Techniques: Editing the image using post-processing software.

Sky Replacement: Sky replacement is permitted, but the replacement sky must have been captured by the same photographer submitting the image into the competition.

Triptychs (an image of three (3) separated images contained in a single image) are  permitted in this competition.Artificial Features Permitted: As of March 10, 2024, the following is a list of machine learning AI features which are permitted for use in this photo competitions:

  • Editing Techniques Not Permitted:

Images without Photographic Origin: Images that are entirely generated electronically with no photographic origin.

Frames, Borders, Pin-lines, and Mats: Photograph must not contain any decorative elements like frames, borders, pin-lines, or mats.  This includes the edges and markings of scanned film.  When the frame is integral to the captured image, for instance a window frame or door frame that has been captured by the camera, these elements are permitted.

Artificial Intelligence Renderings: Images that have been created or modified using specific AI generative techniques are not permitted for submission into our competitions. This includes:

      • In-painting (where AI fills in generated elements not captured by the photographer or removes and replaces elements from a photograph with AI-generated content);
      • Out-painting (where AI extends beyond the original boundaries of the photograph using generated elements); and
      • Image-to-image AI (where AI transforms an entire photograph based on text prompts or style references)

         

These restrictions apply whether or not text prompts are used in the AI generation process.

We strongly encourage you to review our “December 13, 2024 – Updated CAPA Stance on AI-Generated Images in Photographic Competitions” (English) (French)”

Image Metadata Required:

For all submitted images, the photographer must preserve intact with no alternations, the original metadata (EXIF) of images.  It is recommended that photographers leave the metadata in submitted image files intact in order to ease the analysis of potential winning images.

The Director of Competitions will request and receive the original un-retouched JPEG or RAW file for a potential winning image in a competition for the purposes of image verification and authentication of competition compliance.

Upon notification that their image is a potential winning entry, photographers may be required by the Director of Competitions to submit all original images, such as un-retouched JPG or RAW files, along with other image files that were integrated into the submitted image.

Failure to comply with the Director’s request for image files will result in the potential winning image being withdrawn from the competition and the competition results will be re-sorted.

 These requirements aim to ensure transparency and verify adherence to the competition’s specifications regarding image authenticity and compliance with the editing criteria.

  • Accepted Image Types:

– Colour images 

Image Specifications

Title of Image

When images are uploaded into a competition, you are required to enter the title of your image into the Title Field.  Title can be in either  English or French or both.

Do Not: enter your name, the name of the photographer or the club name in the Title Field (that is for the Title of the image)

Do Not: include punctuation or symbols (such as / –_  , ; : ‘’ “” ! ? & $%*{} [ ] @ # &) or quotation marks in the Title of your image.

The Image Title should be simple, and introduce or set the mood or perspective for your image.  For example:  Sublime Nova Scotia Sunset

A weak image title, such as ‘pretty flower,’ will fail to stimulate the judge’s interest in the image and may result in a lower score than expected.

Image File Name

The image file name that you create prior to uploading into this competition should also be simple, and could be the same as the Image Title. For example: John Snow-Sublime Nova Scotia Sunset

Image Size – Dimensions

You must ensure your image is re-sized to meet the following two parameters:

    1. Saved as a jpg image with a maximum file size of 1.8 MB.
    2. Dimensions: Maximum horizontal size: 1400 pixels and maximum vertical size: 1050 pixels.

Example of Image Sizing – Double-click to view image

Note: Images smaller than the maximum dimensions will ONLY be accepted when one of the image edges has a horizontal size is 1400 pixels or the vertical size is 1050 pixels.  For example: square image – 1050 x 1050 pixels; 1400 x 800 pixels; or 700 x 1050 pixels.

Note: Images will NOT be rotated by the judges and will scored as submitted.

During the uploading process of your image, our online competition system will verify if the image is less than 1.8 MB and meets the two parameters.

If your image fails this verification process, you will receive an error message and it will appear below the upload image box.

Depending on the error message – you will need to either reduce the file size of the image to be 1.8 MB or less or re-size the dimensions of your image.  After doing so, please re-try uploading your image.

Suggestions – Use sRGB colour space for your image.  For colour accuracy: we strongly recommend that you calibrate your monitor to ensure colour accuracy from your monitor to the image projected to the judges.

Judging Criteria

  • Judges will assign scores primarily based on the Creative Intent of the image maker. Creative Intent refers to the characteristics of originality, expressiveness and imagination in communicating a story or eliciting an emotional response that gives the image a strong and lasting impact.
  • Judges will also take into consideration in their scoring the degree to which the Organizational and Technical Components contribute to or support the Creative Intent.
    • Organizational Component refers to composition/design, use of space, balancing of elements, use of lighting, and presentation of the image.
    • Technical Component refers to the exposure triangle (aperture, ISO, shutter speed), sharpness, in-camera and post-processing techniques such as intentional camera movement, use of colour, monochrome, duo and multi-tone, HDR, focus stacking, or any other technique permitted by the competition rules. 
  • An Image’s title may be used by the judges in evaluating a submission, so entrants should take care in selecting a title that complements or contributes to the vision or message being presented in the image.