CATEGORY DESCRIPTION

The Creative Landscape Category celebrates creative, interpretive, metaphorical and/or abstract landscapes, encompassing both traditional and interpretive styles. This category encourages photographers to explore imaginative, experimental, and artistic approaches to landscape photography, going beyond the boundaries of conventional landscape representation 

CATEGORY INTENT

The intent of this category is to showcase landscapes that push creative boundaries, allowing photographers to experiment with techniques. The focus is on landscapes that evoke emotion, tell a story, or offer a fresh perspective, encouraging bold and innovative interpretations of the landscape genre.

CATEGORY DESCRIPTION

This is a MAJOR EDITING CATEGORY and allows for significant creative manipulation of the original image.

Entries may:

• Alter, add, or remove elements
• Combine multiple images or scenes
• Transform the original capture creatively

The final image does not need to represent the original scene as photographed.

RULES:

1. Compliance with Global Rules, Terms and Conditions, and Spirit and Intent of the Awards 

All entries must comply with the Global Rules, Terms and Conditions, and the Spirit and Intent of the awards. This includes adherence to the principles of originality and ethical standards set forth by the competition. Images should represent the work of the entrant, and any entries that violate these guidelines will be disqualified. 

2. Creative & Abstract Landscapes 

Entries must be landscape photographs that are creative, abstract, or interpretive. 

The category allows for both traditional and interpretive approaches, with a focus on artistic expression and creative vision. 

This category includes traditional, abstract, interpretive, and metaphorical landscapes, such as but not limited to – natural, rural, urban, man-made, seascapes, cityscapes, bodyscapes and indoor landscapes. Landscapes may be grand (such as wide vistas) or intimate (smaller landscape details).

While creative freedom is encouraged, entries should still maintain a connection to a real, interpretive or metaphorical landscape, even if abstracted or reinterpreted. The image must not be digitally manipulated to the extent that it no longer resembles or represents a landscape scene 

3. Allowed Techniques

• Compositing (combining multiple images or elements)
• Adding or removing subjects or objects
• Background replacement or scene construction
• Extensive colour grading or creative colour shifts
• Heavy dodge and burn or relighting
• Artistic effects and filters (e.g. painterly styles, texture overlays, blur effects) as long as this does not add non-photographic elements or photographic elements not captured by the entrant
• Retouching and reshaping, including significant changes to form or appearance

4. Capture Techniques

• In-camera techniques such as multiple exposure and intentional camera movement (ICM) are allowed
• Focus stacking and stitching are permitted

5. Not Allowed

• Any use of AI-generated content (as outlined in Global Rules 2.2)
• Any entry that misrepresents AI-generated elements as photographic work
• Adding non-photographic elements (except in explicitly permitted circumstances outlined in the category specific rules) 

6. Presentation (Digital & Print)

• Borders may be created using photographic elements (e.g. textures, objects, or parts of your image)
• Computer-generated borders that simulate a physical print presentation (e.g. mat colour or mount) are only permitted for entries submitted for print judging and may be included in the required digital upload of those print entries. Such borders must be clearly distinct from the image.
• Non-rectangular crops must be presented on white, or with a photographic border – unless representing a print mat (see above)
• Series may be presented with or without gaps (compositing is allowed)
• A thin stroke line (black or white) may be used to define the edge of the image only if the edge would otherwise not be visible .

WANT TO BE NAMED PROFESSIONAL CREATIVE LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR?