BIG WAVE GRAND PRIX PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD

Welcome to our first-year season 2024/2025, the Big Wave Grand Prix (BWGP), a unique recognition award celebrating the incredible talents of photographers and other content creators who capture the essence of big wave surfing and the rich cultural heritage of Nazaré.

 

Capturing award-winning photographs of big wave surfing and all other related aspect of Nazaré is about portraying the majesty of the ocean, the talent and courage of the surfers, and the vibrant culture of Nazaré. This award is not just about competition; it's about recognizing the artistry and storytelling that make Nazaré a destination for surfers, surf enthusiasts, and curious onlookers worldwide.

 

Please read the following rules if you plan to submit an image into BWGP award categories.

 

General Rules:

• All participants must read and agree to the rules described below.

• Photography competition open to amateur and professional photographers aged 18 years and over.

• Photographers from any country are welcome to enter, but photographs must be shoot in Nazaré in the new season 2024/2025.

• Enter is for free.

• All awarded entries will be published online on bigwavegrandprix.com and Photography Yearbook 2024/2025.

• Photographers must follow the Big Wave Grand Prix Instagram account.

• Photographic software such as Photoshop is allowed; basic adjustments of color, brightness, contrast, and reframing of the original image are not considered retouching.

• The photographs submitted to the competition must not have a logo, watermark, or name.

• As this is a photographic competition, the portraits submitted must be taken with a camera or drone. Images generated by Artificial Intelligence will not be accepted.

• Please give each photo a title and write a story behind the shot. These are used at the judging stage to help the judges understand the story behind your photo.

• Your image does not contain any material that could constitute or encourage conduct that would be considered a crime or violate any law.

• Your image does not infringe copyrights, trademarks, contract rights, or any other intellectual property rights of any third person or entity, nor violate any person's privacy or publicity rights.

• Your photo will not include images you have purchased or for which you have obtained the rights to be used.

• Communication with any judge regarding the award photo is strictly prohibited.

• The organization will disqualify any entry that does not meet these requirements.

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Let’s Celebrating Together Surfing & Culture of Nazaré with Big Wave Grand Prix Awards.

Below is a detailed guide to the type of photography we’re looking for.

 

Photo Award Categories and Themes

The photo must be based on the following categories and themes:

 

Categories:

1. Best Big-Wave Surfing Action

2. Best Cultural or Traditional Aspect of Nazaré

 

1. Best Big Wave Surfing Action

Capture the most stunning and powerful moments of big-wave surfing action.

 

This category is dedicated to capturing surfers in action, showcasing their skill, bravery, and the intensity of riding the biggest waves of Nazaré. These shots should highlight the dynamic relationship between the surfer and the powerful ocean, emphasizing movement, technique, the sheer scale of the waves, and the dramatic moments, including wipeouts.

 

Themes - Examples of Types of Shots:

Epic Wave Rides: The Drop, Barrel Shot, Critical Maneuver.

Wipeouts: Capture the dramatic and often awe-inspiring moments of wipeouts, showing the ocean force and the

surfers, resilience.

Wave Faces and Textures: Wave Crest, Close-Up Wave Faces with Surfer.

Aerial Perspectives: Drone Shots with a Surfer, Bird’s-Eye View with a Surfer, etc.

Emotional Moments: Surfers' expressions of joy, focus, or even fear add a human element to the action.

You can also include scenes related to the category with your ideas!

 

2. Best Cultural or Traditional Aspect of Nazaré

This category highlights the seamless integration of big wave surfing with the rich cultural traditions and iconic places of Nazaré. It

emphasizes the town's unique character and how its culture and environment enhance the storytelling in surf photography.

 

Themes - Examples of Types of Shots:

Cultural Traditions and Iconic Places: fishermen and traditional boats, fishing boats, fishermen at work, etc.

Local Traditions and Attire: traditional dress, festivals, and celebrations.

Iconic Landmarks: Nazaré Lighthouse (from land, water, or drone), Sítio da Nazaré, etc.

Integrated Cultural and Surfing Shots: Surfer with elements of Nazaré cultural heritage, such as surfers walking past traditional boats, etc. 

Local Cuisine and Markets: Fish markets, local cuisine.

Community and Daily Life: Beach Activities, People interacting in the local market, etc.

Historic Streets: Capture the charm of Nazaré’s narrow, winding streets with traditional houses and colorful facades, providing a sense of place and history.

Crowd and Atmosphere: Reactions of spectators on the cliffs or beach, showcasing the excitement and engagement of the audience. 

Stormy Seas: Photograph the waves during stormy or overcast conditions to capture the raw power and intensity of the ocean. You can also include scenes related to the category with your ideas!

 

Photograph Specification

Photographs must be shot during the new big-wave season in Nazaré 2024/2025.

File format: JPEG format images of the highest possible quality; the larger the file size, the better.

Color space: We have no color space requirements, but sRGB and Adobe RGB are good choices.

Restriction: no borders, logos, signatures, watermarks, or copyright units. Any entry that cannot be authenticated or of acceptable quality will be disqualified. We reserve the right to ask you to supply a range of before and after original files for any photograph that requires further authentication. 

Restriction of editing: adding, moving, or removing objects, people, sky, etc. All entries must be the entrants, original work and must not infringe the rights of any other party. The entrant must be the sole copyright owner of all photographs entered and must have obtained permission from any people featured in the entries (or their parents/guardians if children under 16 are featured). Further, the entrant must not have breached any laws when taking their photographs.

Generative AI: No synthetic or artificially generated images are allowed, and no artificially generative fill is permitted. Any use of generative AI will automatically disqualify the entry from the contest.

 

Image Preparation:

The files must keep the following specifications:

• JPG format

• sRGB or Adobe98 color space

• No watermarks, Copyright units, or Logos on the images

• Borderless photos only

 

Additional:

• Title name of the photo

• The story behind the shoot

• Date of shoot

 

Copyright and Usage right:

All Images must be in the sole and exclusive ownership of the Entrant and must not infringe on the copyright of any other party.

For awarded images, copyright holders grant the BWGP Photography Awards unlimited, non-exclusive use of high-resolution pictures for activities in all media, including social media, yearbook, online and print, exhibitions about the contest, and all promotional activities without any remuneration being due. Participants claim to be the authors of their work and have the copyright of the images presented and the authorization of the people who appear in them. In any case, the organization is not responsible

for possible infringements of copyright or intellectual property rights by the participants in case of complaint.

 

Dates for submission:

Entries open: September 1st, 2024

Entries close: February 28th, 2025

 

Can I enter an image that has been submitted to another contest?

Yes, you can enter images that are submitted to other competitions.

 

How many images can I enter?

You can enter 1-4 images for each category.

 

Judging process

All entries will be judged by nominated four judges. The judging process is anonymous, with judges unaware of participants; names or details. They will assess the images based on visual impact, composition, originality, technique, creativity, emotion, and story behind the shoot. The number of finalists varies across categories depending on the overall quality of the entries. Entries with the highest final score in each category will be declared winners. Sponsors are not part of the Jury panel.

 

Awards Entries

All successful entries from the BWGP Photography Awards categories will be published on the BWGP website and Awards Yearbook, together with the winning images from both award categories. Original prints may be displayed in the BWGP Awards Exhibition. Winners will be officially announced in March 2025 at an awards ceremony in Nazaré.

 

Notification

We do not have specific dates when successful entrants will be contacted before this official announcement. Thanks for your patience!

 

Prizes

The winner of each category will be paid in Euros via bank transfer.

A physical award 

Yearbook print 

In addition, winners are often featured in major publications and invited to speak at public events, exhibition openings, and lectures throughout the year.

 

Exhibition

Details regarding the exhibition, the time, and the location will be updated.

 

Photos Submission

All entries must be submitted online by following the instructions. 

 

A current, valid email address must be included. All communications from the BWGP will be sent via email: press@bigwavegrandprix.com. 

 

When entering multiple categories, each category of images must be treated as a separate entry. 

 

File names must only contain letters (upper or lower case, numbers (0-9), and underscore characters plus the suffix .jpg.

 

Email submission entries:

Send an email to press@bigwavegrandprix.com with the subject line: BWGP Photo Award, a specific category, Your Name.

 

Example subject line: BWGP Photo Award, Best Big-Wave Surfing Action, John Carlos

 

Include in the email:

1. Subject line: BWGP Photo Award, specific category, Your Name.

2. Photographer's name with a short bio and Instagram account.

3. Surfers' names and Instagram accounts (in the Best Surfing Action Shot).

4. Place name (in the category: Best Cultural or Traditional Photo)

5. Title name for photo.

6. Write the story behind the shot.

7. Date of each picture when it was taken.

8. Attachment: High-resolution image/images in JPG format via a link (WeTransfer or another platform).

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Author Copyright

• Usage Right: By submitting, photographers grant the Big Wave Grand Prix the right to use the photos for promoting BWGP on the website, articles, social media, and yearbook, exhibitions, by any sponsor of the awards for commercial purposes.

• Copyright: Photographers retain the copyright of their images.