Submitted image must fall within one of the following themes:

• Man-Made Environments – Images that highlight the contrast of color within human-constructed spaces: vibrant, tight, and/or sprawling urban centers, rural structures with rich palettes of colour and the working landscapes of farming communities.
• Seasonal Transitions – Images which capture nature’s shifting color palette as it transforms landscapes, flora, and atmospheric conditions throughout the year’s natural cycles. 
• Action & Motion – Images in this theme should convey excitement, speed, and movement through colour. Images can be a result of panning effects, slow shutter speeds or freezing fast action. The sources of inspiration are boundless – whether it’s animals, birds, dance, sports, traffic, vehicles, or any other dynamic subject in motion.
• Cultural Events – Using colour, movement and celebration, these images will capture the vibrant traditions, festivities, and ceremonies that showcase the rich tapestry of human existence and expression. 
• Close-up – Showcasing an intimate exploration of form and detail, these images will reveal the extraordinary world of color, pattern, and texture hidden within everyday subjects.

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.

Lightroom and Photoshop presets (including adaptive presets) are permitted as they adjust existing pixels rather than generating content.  See CAPA Eligibility Criteria for details.

• • 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. ONLY exception is for Triptych images. 

UPDATED – Submission Authentication Requirements – February 5, 2026

To help photographers understand which AI features are acceptable for our competition submissions, we’ve developed a “List of Approved AI Tools” webpage. 

Original Files and Metadata Protection

For all CAPA competition photographers MUST:

• Retain your original captured images
• Perform all editing on copies, never the originals
• Keep originals accessible for quick retrieval, if verification is needed

Verification Requirements for Award Candidates

For potential winning entries, the Director of Competitions MAY request:

1. Editing Narrative:Describing how the image was edited and what editing programs were used. Upon receipt of these details, the photographer will be provided step-by-step instructions on how to export the image to include the required metadata.
2. Original Files:

• • Un-retouched JPEG or RAW files from your camera
  • For in-camera merged images: The camera-generated merged file (HDR, focus-stacked, multiple exposure, or panorama) is your original file. Individual source frames are not required.
  • For Camera Club entries:The photographer’s original image as submitted to the club, before any club modifications such as resizing, copyright additions, or other editing.

3. Working Files (choose based on your workflow):

• • Photoshop users:Layered PSD file with all editing layers intact. Users who require the flattening of their image file for functionality integrity and/or storage reasons must retain a PSD file or a set of PSD files prior to each flattening so that all editing history is retained.
  • Lightroom users:

Preferred: Original RAW file + XMP sidecar file, OR DNG file with embedded edits

Acceptable: Layered TIFF if you didn’t use RAW/XMP/DNG workflow

• • For other applications:

Original RAW file + any proprietary sidecar/settings files that preserve editing history 

These files provide a complete audit trail demonstrating compliance with competition specifications.

Compliance

Failure to provide requested verification files within the specified timeframe will result in entry withdrawal and recalculation of competition results.

Accepted Image Types:

– Colour images 

Title of Image

When images are uploaded into a competition, you are required to enter the title of your image into the Title Field which is now limited to 32 characters. Title can be in either  English or French.

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. 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.

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.

• 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.