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Local Testimony The Annual Photojournalism and Documentary Photography Exhibition Instructing Guide

Preface

Local Testimony, the annual photojournalism and documentary photography exhibition, is displayed every year at MUZA, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv. The exhibition features the best works of Israeli, Palestinian, and foreign photographers active in our region, selected by an independent jury and exhibition curator replaced every two years. The exhibition reflects the events of the past year and immortalizes human moments of cultural and social importance in different spheres of life.

Reminder

This year we will continue with the new submission procedures instituted last year. Only single photographs may be submitted in the various categories. Series are to be submitted separately. Detailed instructions appear below in the section "Submissions to the contest".

Those entitled to participate:

Israeli, Palestinian, and foreign photojournalists and documentary photographers and artistic photographers active in Israel over at least the past three years, provided they are:

• Photographers with a press card (GPO) or the Union of Journalists in Israel.
• Photographers who do not have a press card, but whose photographs have been published in printed and professional online media during the past year, may participate in the contest in every category except News.
• Artistic photographers who have exhibited their work in solo or group exhibitions in contemporary art museums and galleries during the past four years, may participate in the contest in every category except News.

To be admissible to the contest, photographs must have been taken in Israel and/or in the Palestinian Authority, or document events that took place outside these areas, but with a clear connection to them: For example, documentation of an Israeli humanitarian or other delegation abroad.

Exclusive photographs of public or individual public relations bodies, or of events that were closed to other photojournalists are not admissible, unless they were carried out in frameworks (pulls) agreed upon by all photographers.

Rules for Participation

1. Registration for the contest will be only by means of uploading photographs to the Local Testimony website. Uploading a photograph to the website constitutes confirmation that the registered photographer has read the Instructing Guide and has explicitly consented to all its conditions.

2. Only photographs taken between 1.9.2025 and 31.8.2026 may be submitted to the jury process.

3. Photographs that have been submitted to any other local photography contest may not be submitted to Local Testimony.

4. A photograph may only be submitted once. The same photograph may not be submitted in more than one category, and a photograph that is part of a series may not be submitted separately as a single photograph.

5. Submitted photographs must be original and the photographer's own work. Uploading a photograph to the website constitutes an assertion that the photographer owns the copyright for the photograph.

6. Participants whose works have been selected will not receive any monetary compensation for the appearance of their work in the exhibition, on the Local Testimony website, or on other platforms directly related to the exhibition, including those of MUZA – Eretz Israel Museum and other partners of Local Testimony. Acceptance of these Terms and Conditions grants Local Testimony permission to use the selected works for public relations, advertising and promotion, and display these images in different exhibitions on behalf of local testimony in Israel and abroad. The photographers will be informed on each exhibition and their full credit and caption will accompany the photo.

Submissions to the contest:

1. Single photographs: Up to 10 photographs may be submitted in each of the following categories:

• News - Major current events covered in the principal media channels. This category is only open to photographers with press cards (GPO) or the Union of Journalists in Israel.
• Religion and Faith - Lifestyle, beliefs, customs, rituals and ceremonies.
• Society and Community - The conflicts and day-to-day life of the different communities inhabiting the region.
• Urbanism and Culture - Street photography, architecture, art and design.
• Sport - Professional, competitive and amateur sports, the participants and their supporters.
• Nature and the Environment - Photographs of landscapes, flora and fauna, as well as issues relating to ecology and preservation of the environment.

2. Short series:

a. A sequence of photographs illustrating the same event or story that took place during the year of the contest, with greater documentary value than a single photograph.

b. Up to 6 series may be submitted, each including only 4-6 photographs.

c. To be eligible, a series should be concerned with one of the contest categories. A series may also combine more than one category, as long as it forms a sequence or a narrative with special documentary significance.

d. Possession of a press card is not required for submitting series.

3. Long Exposure

a. A series of photographs presenting a narrative with documentary depth, lasting more than one year, with a value greater than a sequence of photographs from the same event, that proffers a unique individual visual language.

b. The series should include from 10-15 photographs. At least 3 of the photographs must be from the past year.

4. Video

a. Video works and short video clips, produced from 2025-2026, that fall into one of the categories of the contest.

b. The length of a submitted video should not exceed 7 minutes, with a minimum resolution of 1920 pixels on the long side.

c. 1-4 images from the video in JPG format.

d. Make sure that the file name is your name in English, in Latin characters.

e. Videos should be uploaded to the Local Testimony website competition.

Video creators should note that it is the sole responsibility of the creator to obtain the necessary licenses from ACUM. Since this is a complex process and sometimes almost impossible, we recommend using original material or material available for use free of charge on the soundtrack of your video work.

Submission Procedure

1. Photographs that have been drastically processed, in such a way that the original content of the photograph has been substantially modified will not be accepted. AI technology, such as ChatGPT and Bard, and non-documentary computer generated images may not be used.
2. Photographs may be cropped to a reasonable extent, but croppings that constitute a radical modification of the original will not be accepted.
3. Photographs should be submitted to the jury process only in JPG format with an image size of 3000 pixels on the long size.
4. The photographers' personal details should not appear on the submitted photographs. Photographs should be submitted without frames, logo or the photographer's name, address, or any other information imprinted on the photograph or included in accompanying text.
5. Filenames should not include the photographer's name, an organization name or any other identifying details.
6. The participants should add a concise description not exceeding 40 words to each photograph or series.
7. Photographers should ensure that every reduced-format photograph submitted to the contest has a high-quality original in high resolution suitable for printing at a size no less than 100×70 centimeters.
8. For each photograph selected for the exhibition, the photographer will be required to submit a high-resolution file to the editorial board, in TIFF or JPEG format, in maximal quality suitable for printing at a size no less than 100×70 centimeters, and an Adobe RGB (1998) color profile at 300 DPI. If the submitted photograph does not meet these requirements, the board will be compelled to reject the submission.
9. Photographers must be prepared to submit a RAW file, or other original file, or sequence of photographs from the same event, if so required.

Schedule:

1. Submission of photo files will commence on Thursday, 13.8.2026 and conclude on Monday, 31.8.2026 at 23:59.
2. The jury process will take place during September 2026.
3. The names of the photographers participating in the exhibition will be released during October 2026.
4. The Local Testimony editorial board reserves the right to change the specified dates.

The Exhibition:

1. The editorial board will award a total of three prizes to outstanding photographers for their work. Each prize will be in the amount of ₪10,000. The prizes will be awarded for Photo of the Year, Series of the Year, and Video of the Year.
2. Local Testimony, or anyone acting on their behalf, are not responsible either directly or indirectly for all demands, complaints, or claims of any third party for the publication of the selected photographs due to violation of copyright, impairment of intellectual property or individual privacy.
3. The Local Testimony curatorial board and jury are practiced in selecting the works and the fashion in which they will be exhibited, according to their professional considerations. t will not be possible to interfere with these considerations or withdraw from participation due to the selected composition of the works or the fashion in which they are exhibited.
4. The Local Testimony board reserves the right to transfer photographs from one category to another or to remove a category as it sees fit.