Terms and Conditions

1. Organizer

VielFormat & Friends are organizing "GAZE – The Queer Photo Award" (hereinafter referred to as "the competition").

2. Eligibility

All natural persons residing in Germany who are at least 18 years old at the time of participation and identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community are eligible to participate.

3. Submission Period

The competition begins on 01.06.2025 at 00:00 and ends on 31.08.2025 at 23:59. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.

4. Theme and Requirements

This year's theme is: "We exist – and we are here to stay!"

There are three categories:

Pride in Action: Photos of Pride parades, demonstrations, and other events.
Pride Portraits: Individual and group portraits celebrating Pride and identity.
Everyday Pride: Everyday moments capturing the lives, love, and experiences of LGBTQIA+ people. (A story is at least 3 photographs that share a theme or concept and title. Your work will be judged as a whole, not as individual photographic entries.

Participants may submit images in each category:

Pride in Action: max. 3 images
Pride Portraits: max. 3 images
Everyday Pride: one story with max. 3-5 images

There is no entry fee.

Submitted images must:

be in JPEG format, sRGB
have a minimum resolution of over 3000 pixels on the longest side
be free of watermarks, logos, borders, or signatures
be original photographs taken by the participant and not generated by AI

5. Submission

Photos must be submitted digitally via https://www.picter.com and https://www.gaze.vielformat.com by 31.08.2025 at 23:59 at the latest. The following information must be included with the submission:

Profile:

Full name
Date of birth
Gender
Nationality
Address in Germany
Phone number
Biography (max. 1,500 characters)

Project:

Project title
Year of creation
Place of creation
Project description

Single Image:

Image title
Year of creation
Place of creation
Image description

Series:

Image title
Year of creation
Place of creation
Image description

Minimum required image size 3000px on the long side

6. Rights and Usage

By participating in the Gaze photo competition, each participant confirms that:

they are the sole author of the submitted photographs
no third-party rights are violated – particularly the personal rights of any depicted individuals
if people are shown, their explicit consent for public presentation has been obtained

Participants retain full copyright to their images. At the same time, they grant the organizer and partner organizations a simple, non-exclusive, unlimited license to use the submitted images for non-commercial purposes. This includes, in particular:

publication on the competition's website and social media channels
presentation within the context of exhibitions
printing in exhibition catalogs, press, and informational materials
public screenings (e.g., during award ceremonies or online events)

Photographers will always be credited by name. There will be no commercial use. Any further use will require prior contact.

Note on image metadata: Please include your name or copyright information in the metadata of your images. Ensure that no confidential information is included especially if your submission is selected or awarded.

If your submission is selected (e.g., for the shortlist or as a winner), the organizer may request a high-resolution version of your photos.

By participating, you also agree that the organizer and partner organizations may use accompanying content such as your quotes or visual material related to your participation (e.g., portrait photos or videos from the award ceremony) as part of communication about the competition.

7. Data Protection

Personal data collected during the competition will be used exclusively for the purpose of conducting the competition. It will not be shared with third parties. More information at Link to privacy policy.

8. Disclaimer

The organizer is not liable for the loss or damage of submitted files or for technical issues during transmission.

9. Miscellaneous

Legal recourse is excluded. The organizers reserve the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the competition for important reasons.

Status: May 21, 2025