AI-Gen Systems Not Permitted

Introduction

The Canadian Association of Photographic Art (CAPA) has established specific rules regarding artificial intelligence in photography contests. The fundamental requirement is simple: every element must be real and cannot be generated by an AI system or feature. Competition submissions must consist solely of components that actually existed in the scene when the photographer took the original photograph.

Permitted AI Tools vs. Prohibited AI Techniques

Permitted AI Tools:

CAPA’s position is that specific AI tools are permitted as they do not introduce an synthetic elements  to an images.

A list of our approved AI tools can be viewed on our Listing -Approved AI Tools webpage.

Prohibited AI capabilities:

AI‑generative features used in post‑processing applications introduce synthetic elements created by an AI system rather than captured by the entrant. These synthetic elements fall into four categories

• In-painting – inserting or substituting content within the frame
• Out-painting – extending images beyond their captured boundaries
• Text-to-image generation – creating visuals from written descriptions
• Generative Fill/Remove – adding synthetic subjects or environments

The following list provides examples of AI‑generative systems offering post‑processing features that are not allowed in our photo competitions:

For post processing application containing both AI-Tools Permitted and Prohibited – check out our  Listing – Approved AI Tools webpage.

Maintaining Competition Integrity

Our photo competitions celebrate real photographic skill. To keep things fair and maintain high standards, all submitted images must be made entirely from photos you’ve taken yourself. This rule ensures that winning images showcase authentic photography and original artistic expression.