7th AOYF Human Rights Photography Prize

Terms and Conditions 2027

POST-TRUTH: REALITY IN QUESTION 

1. The Prize is organised by the Act On Your Future Foundation (AOYF), registered in Geneva, Switzerland, hereafter “the Foundation”. The 7th edition is presented in partnership with the Centre de la photographie Genève (CPG). 
2. The Prize is open internationally to artists aged 18 or over working with photography and image-based practices. Applicants may be students, recent graduates, self-taught artists or artists who have followed other educational or professional pathways. Formal training at an art school or academic institution is not required. There are no restrictions based on nationality or country of residence.
3. Members of the Jury, employees and board members of the Foundation and of the CPG, and any person directly involved in organising the Prize, together with their immediate families, may not enter. 
4. Entry is free of charge. No purchase is necessary to enter or to win.
5. Projects may be submitted by an individual artist or by a collective. A collective must designate one contact person, who is deemed to act on behalf of all  members for the purposes of these Terms and Conditions. Prizes and production support awarded to a  collective are paid once, to the designated contact. 
6. Entries are submitted exclusively online via Picter and must be received by 20 December 2026 at 23:59 CET. Entries that are incomplete, late, or submitted by any other means will not be considered. 
7. Each entry must include the elements listed in the call for projects: a) a project title; b) 8 to 25 images presenting a coherent selection from the proposed project; for moving-image works, a video or excerpt of up to 10 minutes; where the complete work is longer, applicants should indicate its full duration; c) a project statement of up to 300 words describing the project, its artistic approach and its relationship to the theme; d) a short biography of up to 150 words with the applicant's contact details; e) relevant captions and technical information for the submitted works.
8. Entries must respond to the theme of the 7th edition, Post-Truth: Reality in Question. The full curatorial statement is provided as a reference to guide applicants in their interpretation of the theme.
9. Each applicant may submit one project only.  
10. Projects may be new, ongoing or previously completed, exhibited or published, provided that they meaningfully engage with the theme of the 7th edition. Projects do not need to have been created specifically for the Prize.
11. By entering, applicants confirm that the work submitted is their own, that they hold the rights to it, and that they are entitled to submit it. 
12. This edition recognises the constructed image as part of its subject. Generated, composited, staged, appropriated and archival material may form part of a submitted project, provided that the methods used are clearly disclosed in the project statement. Deliberate misrepresentation of generated, manipulated or staged material as documentary evidence may result in disqualification at any stage of the Prize.
13. Where reasonably necessary to verify authorship or the creative process described in an entry, AOYF and CPG may request additional information or supporting material, including original or raw files, metadata, prompts, drawings or reference material. Failure to provide reasonably requested information may result in disqualification. Decisions by AOYF and CPG regarding compliance with these Terms and Conditions shall be final. 
14. Where a work depicts an identifiable person, the applicant is responsible for holding any consent or authorisation required under applicable law, and for ensuring that the work does not infringe the rights, dignity or safety of the persons depicted.
15. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their submission complies with applicable law, including data protection and image rights.
16. Entries are assessed in three rounds by an interdisciplinary Jury appointed by AOYF and CPG, according to the following process:

• First Round (11–24 January 2027): Following an initial eligibility review by AOYF and CPG, eligible applications are evaluated online by the Jury.
• Second Round (25 January–7 February 2027): The Jury reviews the preselected applications and selects five Finalists, who will be notified in February 2027.
• Third Round (14 June 2027): The Jury meets in person at the CPG in Geneva to select the Winner, based on the projects presented in the exhibition and exchanges with the Finalists.

The selection criteria include artistic quality, relevance to the theme, originality, strength of visual language, and engagement with the human rights questions raised by the theme. The Finalists will be informed privately of the Jury's decision on 15 June 2027. The Winner will be officially announced during the Award Ceremony and opening of the exhibition on 16 June 2027. The selection timetable may be subject to minor adjustments, which will be communicated where relevant.

17. The Jury’s decisions are final. The Foundation does not enter into correspondence regarding individual decisions and does not provide feedback on unsuccessful entries. 
18. The Foundation reserves the right not to award a prize, or to modify the number of Finalists,  should the entries received not meet the standard required. 
19. Each of the five Finalists receives production support of up to CHF 1,500, paid against documented expenses in accordance with the Foundation’s production agreement. The exhibition is produced in Geneva under the supervision of the curatorial and production team of CPG.
20. Four Finalists each receive an award of CHF 1,000. The Winner receives the CHF 10,000 Winner's Award, comprising a CHF 7,000 unrestricted cash prize and a CHF 3,000 AOYF Project Development Grant to support the further development, production or presentation of the awarded project or a directly related continuation of the work. The AOYF Project Development Grant may be used within 24 months of the Award, subject to agreement with AOYF on its proposed use.
21. Awards are personal to the Finalist and may not be transferred or exchanged. Any taxes, social security contributions or other statutory charges arising from an award are the responsibility of the recipient. 
22. Finalists undertake to make their project available for the collective exhibition at the CPG from 16 June to 21 August 2027, to work with the Foundation and the CPG on its presentation within the agreed production budget and schedule, and to be present in Geneva for the final round of the Jury and the Award Ceremony from 14 to 16 June 2027, inclusive. Remote participation in the final Jury round may be exceptionally authorised by AOYF and CPG in cases where travel is not possible due to unforeseen or justified circumstances. Finalists are also encouraged to participate in the associated public programme where reasonably possible. Finalists undertake to keep the outcome of the Jury's final decision confidential until its official public announcement by AOYF and CPG on 16 June 2027.
23. The Foundation arranges and covers reasonable travel and accommodation expenses for Finalists attending the final Jury round and Award Ceremony in Geneva, subject to prior agreement and the available budget. The conditions and extent of this support will be communicated to the Finalists in advance. Finalists are responsible for obtaining any visa or travel authorisation required to enter Switzerland and should initiate the necessary procedures as early as possible. AOYF and CPG may provide reasonable administrative assistance, including official invitation letters and supporting documentation. Neither organisation can guarantee the issuance of a visa. Visa application fees and related administrative costs may be covered as part of the travel support provided to each Finalist, subject to prior approval by AOYF and the available budget. Such costs shall not automatically give rise to additional financial support beyond the arrangements agreed with AOYF.
24. Arrangements for transport, insurance, installation and return of works are set out in the production agreement signed with each Finalist.
25. Works presented by Finalists in the collective exhibition may be offered for sale by agreement with the artist. Unless otherwise agreed, proceeds from such sales will be shared equally between the artist and the Foundation.
26. The Foundation may exclude, or withdraw an award from, any applicant who breaches these Terms and Conditions, supplies materially false or misleading information, infringes third-party rights, or otherwise exposes AOYF or its partners to material legal liability.
27. Applicants retain full copyright in their work. Except for works expressly donated to the AOYF Collection under Clause 31, nothing in these Terms and Conditions transfers ownership of any physical work. All intellectual property rights not expressly licensed below remain with the artist.
28. Each applicant grants the Foundation a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to reproduce the submitted images solely for the assessment and administration of the Prize. This licence  expires on announcement of the Finalists. 
29. Each Finalist retains full copyright in their work and, in accordance with the  Swiss Federal Act on Copyright and Related Rights (CopA, RS 231.1), remains its author at all times. Each Finalist grants the  Foundation and the CPG a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to reproduce the selected work for purposes connected with the Prize, namely: the exhibition and its catalogue; press and promotional materials; the Foundation’s website and social media channels; documentation of the exhibition; and the educational programme. The work will always be accompanied by the author’s name and, where applicable, the title of the work. After the Prize’s activities have concluded, the work may  continue to be used for the archival documentation of the Prize by the Foundation and CPG.
30. The licence does not permit the sale or commercial licensing of reproductions of the work, sub-licensing, use in third-party advertising, or alteration beyond cropping reasonably required for layout. This does not affect the sale of physical works presented in the collective exhibition under Clause 25, or AOYF's ownership or possible disposal of physical works donated to the AOYF Collection under Clause 31.
31. Each Finalist agrees to donate two works produced for the Prize with the support of the production budget to the AOYF Collection, to be selected by mutual agreement between AOYF and the artist. Ownership of the physical works will transfer to AOYF, while copyright remains with the artist. AOYF may preserve, exhibit, reproduce for communication and promotional purposes, lend or sell works from its Collection, with the artist appropriately credited wherever applicable. AOYF will maintain an inventory of the works in its Collection and take reasonable measures to ensure their appropriate storage, security and preservation. The works will remain under the responsibility of the Foundation, with their location and any temporary custody arrangements duly documented. The inventory may be made available upon request to cultural institutions and professional curators. Works may be made available on loan for external exhibitions on a case-by-case basis, subject to appropriate arrangements for handling, transport, insurance and display.
32. Personal data submitted in connection with the Prize is processed by the Foundation as controller, for the purposes of administering the call, the selection, the exhibition and related communication. Processing is carried out in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection and, where applicable, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR).
33. Data is not shared with third parties except where necessary for the administration of the Prize - the submission platform, the Jury, and the CPG as exhibition partner — or where required by law. Applicants may request access to, correction of, or deletion of their data by writing to [hello@actonyourfuture.org](mailto:hello@actonyourfuture.org) as the coordinating channel. Full details are set out in the Foundation's privacy policy on www.actonyourfuture.org.
34. Application implies full acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.
35. The Foundation reserves the right to amend these Terms and Conditions, or to modify, suspend or cancel the Prize, where circumstances beyond its control make this necessary. Any such changes will be published on the Foundation's website.
36. These Terms and Conditions are governed by Swiss law. The courts of Geneva have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory provision to the contrary.
37. These Terms and Conditions are available in English and French. In the event of any discrepancy between the two versions, the English version prevails.