2020 Thin Line Fest Online Photography Gallery > Register & Apply

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Welcome to the 2020 Thin Line Fest Photography Submission Portal

Submission Deadline is January 31, 2020 NOW February 9, 2020!
$5/Submission (Students 50% off, use code: STUDENT)

To begin, click Register & Apply. Once you have created an account and logged in, click Add Submission to begin submitting your photography.

About Thin Line Fest

 

Thin Line Fest is a five-day multi-format art festival held March 25-29, 2020 in Denton, Texas. There are three primary festivals: Film, Music, and Photography. All selected artists are treated as VIPs at the festival and are therefore highly encouraged to attend. While the Photography Festival is competitive, this is unlike most contests you have entered. The 'festival' aspect is very important to us. Meaning the contest is rolled up into a physical event, where selected photographs are professionally printed and exhibited at one of our festival galleries. All selected artists are provided a VIP pass to the festival which offers special access to all programming and also access to the Green Room, a festival venue that serves up local cuisine and adult beverages throughout the festival. There are also many educational and networking opportunities. In this way, we are more than a contest, we are an experience; and I hope you will join us.

Categories / Awards


Documentary/Photojournalism/Street - These photographs should tell a story and convey compelling information about the scenes. Photographers should write accompanying cutlines/captions that help to add context and "tell the rest of the story." Photos in this category are held to a higher degree of scrutiny and ethical consideration. No posed or staged shots, and post processing should be held to a minimum and used only for correcting minor issues with color balance, tone control and cropping for clarity, keeping in mind press-photographers' codes of ethics. Any photo manipulation that alters the reality of the scene or adds bias to the interpretation of the image is forbidden. Original, unedited versions of photos may be requested if the accuracy of an entry is called into question. This category is open to color and monochrome images.

Landscape/Cityscape/Seascape - Some say an effective photo represents a strong foreground, middle-ground and background. Effective "scape" photos, whether of naturally occurring or man-made places, have a strong sense of space and go a long way to tell the story of a vast location. This category is open to color and monochrome images.

Wildlife/Nature - This category is meant to highlight the natural world around us. With this in mind, the same rules apply here as they do in the photojournalism category - excessive photo manipulation is prohibited. Macro images highlighting the "art of nature" may be submitted. Additionally, this category deals with natural wildlife; and therefore, images of zoo-kept, domesticated, landscaped and other situations exhibiting the "hand of man" are excluded from consideration. This category is open to color and monochrome images.

Lifestyle/Editorial/Photo-Illustration - Like the cover of a book, magazine or alt-weekly, these images are meant to grab the viewer's eye while quickly "selling" a story, so, they are held to a lower photojournalistic standard. These photos still convey a story and emotion, but may contain posed or post-production elements that alter the original scene. This category may include photos of people or objects, but should all convey a sense of existing in the real world. Studio and product photography depicted without a real-world setting are excluded. Color and Monochrome entries are permitted.

Sports/Action/Events- A specific subset of photojournalism, this category celebrates the effective capture of planned occurrences and events where the photographer has to anticipate the action and those "decisive moments" that matter in order to capture the image. Photos from live music performances, sporting events, rodeos, staged productions, carnivals, fairs and other similar events are included. Color and Monochrome entries are permitted.

Travel - The mission of the photographer has always been to show to us things we cannot see for ourselves. Travel photography, while less stringent than traditional photojournalism, still serves the purpose of dispelling stereotypes and showing to those "back home" what the world beyond our own neighborhood is all about. Entries in this category must be captured outside of the State of Texas and depict some element that suggests the locale of which they were made. This category is for color images only.

A "Best of Category" photograph will be selected in each category. Winners will receive a $500 check. First runners-up will receive free submissions to the 2021 festival.

NOTE: You will select a category for each photograph during submission. Thin Line Fest reserves the right to exhibit your work in any category.

Additional Rules and Details

Eligibility: Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry into the Festival and to use all images and content in the entry. You must be the creator and current copyright holder of all work submitted. The photography contest is open to all photographers worldwide, both amateur and professional. All genres accepted. Thin Line Fest reserves the right to place your photography in any category for award purposes. Student works are accepted.

Fees: Submission fees are in US Dollars and are non-refundable. Thin Line Fest reserves the right to disqualify a submission, without a refund or credit, if eligibility requirements are not met or if eligibility status changes. Each entry must be accompanied by the appropriate fee. Submission fees may be paid by credit card only (Visa, MasterCard, Discover).

Students: Students get 50% off submission fees. Use promo code STUDENT and you must e-mail a photo/copy of your student ID to info@thinline.us within 20 days of submission but no later than January 31, 2020 February 9, 2020.

We MUST receive all submission materials (photograph metadata and image file) by January 31, 2020 February 9, 2020. Otherwise, your submission will not be considered.

Multiple entries are allowed.

If You Are Selected:
  • All entrants will be notified by e-mail their submission status no later than February 15, 2020.
  • You must execute a release agreement wherein you (i) accept responsibility for obtaining any and all clearances necessary to exhibit your photograph at Thin Line Fest, (ii) warrant that you have the rights necessary to exhibit your photograph at Thin Line Fest; and (iii) indemnify and hold harmless Thin Line Fest, its parent company, its affiliates, and subsidiaries and any of their respective directors, officers, employees, and representatives against any claim arising out of exhibition of your photo, at Thin Line Fest.
  • You authorize Thin Line Fest to exhibit your selected work.
  • You authorize Thin Line Fest to use your selected work for festival promotion purposes.
If your photograph is selected for print, the Program Committee will determine print-size and format for display. You must provide a high-resolution, print-ready file of the selected photograph(s). Some submissions may be chosen for Digital exhibition only.

Invited Works/Artists
  • Thin Line Fest, at its sole discretion, may invite select photographers to participate in the festival.
  • All invited works are ineligible for competitive awards.
Award Rules
  • Unless otherwise agreed by the Festival in writing, award checks will be mailed 2-4 weeks after the closing date of the festival.
  • Award eligibility is subject to any restrictions or conditions imposed by applicable laws and regulations (international, federal, state or otherwise), and the award recipient is responsible for all applicable taxes, customs, tariffs, insurance and similar charges or costs (if any).
  • 2020 Awards listed are subject to change.
  • Photography entries will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, and artistic merit. The story behind the photograph may influence the judges' decisions. Decisions made by the judges are final.
Copyright: By entering, you retain copyright and remain the owner of your photography. Thin Line Fest is hereby granted irrevocable permission by submitter to reproduce the images via print, web publishing, and other acceptable forms for non-profit, & editorial use. This permission applies worldwide. Submitter retains the copyright to all images and derivative works thereof, per USC Title 17 (US Copyright Law). Your submission releases Thin Line Fest from any liability due to loss or damage of the images, and also releases Thin Line Fest from any obligation to maintain copies of any digital file, image, or photograph.