Programme Rules & Legal Framework

Shutter League operates four distinct programme formats across 8 genres (Wildlife, Street, Landscape, People, Wedding, Macro, Drone & Aerial, and Creative) and two Leagues (Camera and Mobile):

Age Requirement

All programmes are open to participants who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Shutter League reserves the right to request proof of age at any time. Providing false information regarding age will result in immediate disqualification and forfeiture of any awards given.

General Eligibility

• Entry is open to all registered Shutter League subscribers in good standing.
• Accounts with active policy violations, pending fraud investigations, or suspended status are ineligible.
• Employees, directors, and immediate family members of Shutter League are ineligible for award awards, though they may use the platform.
• Participants must hold a valid subscription for the duration of the programme cycle in which they are entered.

Model Release — People, Street, Candid & Fashion

Images featuring identifiable persons — including but not limited to Street, People, Wedding, Fashion, Candid, and any other genre where a person's face or identifying features are visible — must be supported by a valid model release or documented consent from the subject (or their legal guardian if a minor) prior to submission.

• Submission of any image featuring an identifiable person constitutes the photographer's declaration that all required model releases and consents are held.
• Shutter League reserves the right to request proof of model release for any image at any time. Failure to produce documentation within 7 days of request will result in removal of the image and disqualification from all programme standings.
• The photographer bears sole legal responsibility for all model release obligations. Shutter League accepts no liability arising from the publication of images featuring identifiable persons without valid releases.
• The photographer indemnifies Shutter League against all claims, damages, costs, and expenses arising from any failure to obtain required model releases or consents.

Every image evaluated by the Apex DDI Engine within the calendar month is automatically entered into the programme for its declared genre and League. No separate entry action is required.

Body of Work — Curated Submission

BOW entry requires deliberate submission of a curated series of 6–12 images. Entry is not automatic. All images must have been previously evaluated by the Apex DDI Engine under the submitting photographer's account.

Open Programme — Paid Submission

The Open Programme requires deliberate, paid submission. Submission fees apply per image per genre. See the Awards page for current amounts. A photographer may submit to multiple genres but may submit only one image per genre.

• Format: Original JPEG only. Re-saved JPEGs, screenshots, scans of prints, and images exported from social media platforms are not accepted.
• File size: Maximum 20 MB per file. Files are automatically resized to 960px on the longer side for scoring purposes.
• Minimum dimensions: 1,500 pixels on the shorter side. Images below this threshold will be rejected.
• Metadata: Original EXIF metadata must be intact — camera make and model, date and time taken, and exposure settings. Images with stripped or altered EXIF data are flagged as Unverified.
• No upscaling: Images must be submitted at their native capture resolution. Upscaled images will be disqualified upon RAW verification.
• Colour space: sRGB preferred. Other colour spaces accepted but converted for scoring.
• Post-processing: Standard adjustments are permitted — exposure, colour grading, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction, dodging and burning. Heavy compositing, sky replacement, object addition or removal, and any use of generative AI tools are not permitted.

Prior Publication

Images that have been previously published — on social media, personal websites, stock libraries, editorial outlets, or anywhere else — are fully eligible for entry. There is no restriction on prior publication.

Prior Award Restriction

Images that have previously won a photography award in any other photography programme — whether domestic or international — are not eligible for entry in any Shutter League programme. This restriction applies regardless of the award amount, the programme's prestige, or how long ago the award was won.

Three-Tier Framework

Finality of Decisions

Tier 3 jury decisions are final, conclusive, and binding on all parties. No further internal appeal is available following a Tier 3 decision.

Jury Legend Qualification

Jury Legends must satisfy one or both of: (a) platform member who has achieved and maintained Legend tier for a minimum of 6 consecutive months with written approval from Shutter League; or (b) externally appointed judge selected and contracted directly by Shutter League. Jury composition is never disclosed.

Verification Requirement

The top 3 finalists in every category across all programmes are required to submit their original RAW or full-resolution source file for authenticity verification before any award is confirmed or announced.

Submission Process

• Finalists will be notified by email with instructions to submit their original file.
• Original files must be uploaded to the platform within the timeframe stated in the notification email.

What Verification Checks

• EXIF consistency: Camera make, model, date taken, and exposure settings in the original must match the submitted JPEG.
• Resolution: The original file must demonstrate native capture resolution of at least 1,500px on the shorter side.
• Authenticity: The submitted JPEG must be a reasonable derivative of the original — standard post-processing is accepted. Evidence of generative AI, heavy compositing, or scene fabrication will result in disqualification.
• For mobile photographers: The original file from the device gallery is accepted in HEIC, JPEG, or DNG format.

Consequences of Non-Submission or Failure

Failure to submit the original file within the timeframe, or failure of the verification check, results in immediate disqualification. the award passes to the next placed entry. Shutter League's verification decision is final.

• Programme period: the full calendar month from 00:00 on the 1st to 23:59 on the last day (IST).
• Results finalised within 10 business days of month close, following completion of Tier 2 peer rating.
• The recipient is the photographer with the highest validated evaluation in each genre and League.
• In the event of a tied score, the image submitted earlier in the month takes precedence.
• A photographer may receive recognition in multiple genre categories in the same month.
• All top 3 finalists per category are subject to RAW verification before recognition is confirmed (see Section 06).
• Recognition details are communicated within 30 days of results finalisation, subject to recipient verification, age confirmation, and applicable requirements.
• There is no restriction on when the image was originally captured — only the upload must occur within the programme month.

• Annual Excellence Award operates per interest area and per League (Camera and Mobile independently) over the platform subscription year. 16 programme tracks total: 8 genres × 2 Leagues. A photographer qualifies in their strongest genre — specialising in a single genre is fully eligible. Multi-genre participation is not required.
• Minimum eligibility: 24 qualifying images in the specific genre during the subscription year.
• Annual Excellence Award evaluation: arithmetic mean of the photographer's top 6 DDI evaluations in that genre across all qualifying images for the year.
• Grand Annual Excellence Award Camera and Grand Annual Excellence Award Mobile are awarded separately. The Grand Annual Excellence Award recipient in each League is selected by jury from the 8 interest area Gold recipients in that League.
• All top 3 finalists per category are subject to RAW verification before awards are confirmed (see Section 06).
• In the event of a tied Annual Excellence Award evaluation, the photographer with the higher individual peak evaluation wins. If still tied, the photographer with the longer subscription tenure wins.

• One BOW submission per photographer per year. Open to all active subscribers aged 18 or over.
• Submission: 6 to 12 images as a unified thematic series. Submissions outside this range are ineligible.
• All images must have been previously evaluated by the Apex DDI Engine under the submitting photographer's account.
• BOW is cross-genre. No League split. Camera and Mobile participate together.
• Submissions close at 23:59 IST on the last day of Month 11 of the platform year.
• Judged by Jury Legends only — no peer rating layer. DDI evaluations are reference data only.
• All images in the top 3 BOW submissions are subject to RAW verification before awards are confirmed (see Section 06).

A photographer may receive both an Annual Excellence Award recognition and a BOW recognition in the same year. These are independent programmes.

• Annual, paid submission. No League split. See Awards page for current submission fees.
• One recipient per genre. No Silver or Bronze.
• Entry opens 1 Oct 2026 · closes 31 Dec 2026.
• Grand Open Recipient selected by jury from the 8 category finalists.
• All top 3 finalists per category are subject to RAW verification before awards are confirmed (see Section 06).

• Recipients must complete identity verification before recognition is confirmed.
• Failure to complete verification within 30 days of notification results in forfeiture of recognition.
• Recipients are solely responsible for any applicable tax obligations in their jurisdiction.
• Awards are non-transferable.
• A recipient who is subsequently found to have violated these rules must return any recognition or equivalent value upon demand. Shutter League reserves the right to pursue legal recovery.

Photographer Retains Copyright

Photographers retain full copyright in all images submitted to Shutter League at all times. Participation in any programme does not transfer, assign, or diminish the photographer's copyright in any way.

Licence Granted to Shutter League

By participating in a programme, photographers grant Shutter League a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display winning and shortlisted images on the platform and in promotional materials; use images in press releases, social media, and marketing with full attribution; and include images in retrospective collections and annual showcases.

This licence does not permit commercial sale of the image; sublicensing to third parties; use without attribution; or any use beyond promotion of Shutter League and its programmes.

Photographers may request removal of their images from promotional use at any time by writing to support@shutterleague.com. Removal requests are processed within 30 days.

Platform IP

The Apex DDI Engine, all scoring methodology, programme structures, and platform software remain the exclusive intellectual property of Shutter League.

Rating Cards

Rating cards generated by the Apex DDI Engine may be freely shared by the photographer on personal channels, provided Shutter League branding remains intact and unaltered.

Shutter League reserves the right to disqualify any entry, void any result, and withhold or recover any award in the following circumstances:

• Submission of AI-generated images or images primarily created through generative AI tools
• Submission of images belonging to another photographer
• Submission of an image featuring identifiable persons without valid model releases or documented consent
• Submission of an image that has previously won a photography award in another photography programme
• Failure to pass RAW verification within the required timeframe
• Images that do not meet the technical specifications in Section 03
• Entrant is under 18 years of age
• Duplicate submission of the same or substantially similar image
• Manipulation of the peer rating system
• Multiple account creation for programme advantage
• Tampering with or stripping EXIF metadata
• Any conduct that undermines the integrity of the programme

Fraud Penalty

Where fraud is determined — including AI-generated images, stolen images, or falsified RAW files — the following consequences apply immediately and without appeal:

• All images submitted to the platform are permanently removed
• The account is permanently deleted and the photographer is banned from registering any future account
• All awards won are forfeited — including awards already disbursed, which must be returned upon demand
• Shutter League reserves the right to report the matter to relevant authorities where applicable law is engaged

Random RAW Verification

In addition to mandatory verification of top 3 finalists, Shutter League conducts random RAW verification spot checks on any image at any time, regardless of evaluation or programme standing. Failure to respond within the stated timeframe, or failure of the verification check, will result in the image being removed and the account reviewed for fraud.

All programme deadlines may be extended at the sole and absolute discretion of Shutter League. No entrant has any right to demand, expect, or rely upon a deadline extension. Extensions granted in one cycle create no precedent or obligation for any future cycle.

Shutter League may shorten a deadline with a minimum of 14 days' notice, except where required by circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

Server and Database Failures

• Shutter League will make reasonable efforts to restore the platform and any affected data as quickly as practicable.
• Deadlines affected by a verifiable platform outage may be extended at the sole discretion of Shutter League.
• Shutter League is not liable for any loss of submissions, evaluations, or programme standing arising from technical failure.
• Photographers are advised to retain copies of all images submitted to the platform.

Force Majeure

Shutter League shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations where such failure or delay results from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to: natural disasters, pandemics, government action, power failures, internet infrastructure failures, cyberattacks, actions of third-party service providers, or any other event outside Shutter League's reasonable control.

Limitation of Liability

Shutter League, its directors, employees, agents, and appointed judges shall not be liable for any loss, damage, or claim arising from or in connection with: programme results or award decisions; the accuracy or fairness of any DDI evaluation, peer rating, or jury evaluation; technical failures or interruptions; the conduct of peer raters or jury members acting in good faith; or any indirect, consequential, or punitive loss of any kind.

Indemnity

Participants indemnify and hold harmless Shutter League, its directors, employees, agents, and judges against any claim, liability, cost, or expense arising from the participant's entry, conduct on the platform, violation of these rules, or infringement of any third party's rights.

Judging Immunity

Jury members acting in good faith in the exercise of their judging duties shall not be personally liable to any participant for any judging decision.

Publicity

Recipients consent to the use of their username, awarded image(s), tier, and evaluation in promotional materials published by Shutter League, with full attribution. Recipients may request limited anonymisation at Shutter League's discretion.

Internal Dispute Process

A participant who believes their image has been incorrectly evaluated or that a programme result is in error may raise a formal dispute through their dashboard. Each dispute costs one Rating Credit. The same image may not be disputed more than once. Following a Stage 2 jury decision, no further internal appeal is available.

Arbitration

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these rules that is not resolved through the internal dispute process shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (India). The seat and venue of arbitration shall be Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The language of arbitration shall be English. The arbitrator's award shall be final and binding.

Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Programme Rules are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of India. Subject to the arbitration clause above, any dispute that proceeds to court shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts at Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Shutter League reserves the right to amend these Programme Rules at any time. Amendments affecting ongoing programmes will be communicated to all active participants via the platform with a minimum of 14 days' notice before taking effect, except where immediate amendment is required to protect the integrity of the programme or comply with applicable law. Continued participation following notification of an amendment constitutes acceptance of the amended rules.

In the event of any conflict between these Programme Rules and the Terms & Conditions, these Programme Rules shall prevail in respect of programme matters.