Terms of Entry - VR 360 Competition


Some important rules to note in summary;

  • Entries in the Nature categories must be predominantly of natural subjects, although some man made objects within image are accepted. An example of this would be a jetty or a building within a landscape.
  • Entries in the Built Environment categories must be predominantly of man-made subjects, although some natural subjects within the image are accepted. An example of this would be a park within a city environment.
  • All images must be panoramic format, defined for this competition as a minimum 2:1 ratio (long side:short side). See Wikipedia for information regarding this definition. Images not complying with the minimum ratio rule will be given the lowest average score.
  • 360 degree images are exempt from the minimum 2:1 ratio rule.
  • Entrants are not encouraged to crop single shot 35mm files to fit the minimum ratio. If your entry is selected for the exhibition at PMA and is a cropped 35mm file, it may not be included due to quality and file size. Cropping from medium and large format is acceptable, however stitching and single captures from dedicated panoramic cameras are preferred. If you wish to crop from a single capture 35mm image, please ensure it originates from a high quality file (eg RAW) and quality DSLR camera.
  • Winning and high scoring entrants must be able to supply a high res file of their entry suitable for exhibition printing, within 7 days of judging completion.
  • The EPSON International Pano Awards recognizes that you retain full ownership of the copyright in each entry. Our sponsors, including Epson do NOT assume rights of use. Images are used for display of winning and highest scoring images, and promotion of the competition ONLY.
  • Images may be from single capture or stitching software, film or digital capture, but must be 100% photographic in origin.
  • VR/immersive/360 degree panoramic images are most welcome in the Open or Amateur competitions, however they must be entered as a 'flat' jpeg file if entered in Open or Amateur (not as formats such as .swf or Quicktime VR).
  • An Amateur is defined for this competition as someone who earns less than USD$20,000 per year from photography as an occupation. Amateurs may enter the Open or Amateur competitions.
  • A Professional is defined for this competition as someone who earns greater than USD$20,000 per year from photography as an occupation. Professionals may only enter the Open competition.
  • There is no restriction on the date of origin of entries, or on the number of entries per entrant.
  • *note: People, abstract/creative, B&W and vertical panoramic images can be entered in any category, with the exception of the VR/360 competition which does not accept vertical images.
  • Amateur and non-professionals may enter an identical image into the Amateur and Open competitions if they wish, as they are judged as separate competitions.


The VR/360 Competition

  1. The EPSON International Pano VR/360 Awards Competition (the 'Competition') is open to all Professional, Amateur, Student and Non Professional Photographers.
  2. By entering the Competition, You accept these Competition Rules and their Terms and Conditions.
  3. Closing Date: Entries and the Entry Fee must be submitted by Friday 20th April 2012. Late entries will be accepted until Saturday 28th April 2012. Late entry fees apply.
  4. Entry fees are US$18 per image, US$32 for two (2) images, US$42 for three (3) images, US$48 for four (4) images and US$10 for each additional image. There is no restriction on the number of entries per entrant
  5. To enter, you must upload your Entry(s) at the following website: www.thepanoawards.com (the 'Website'), following the on-screen instructions carefully.
  6. Entrants may enter as many images as you wish (the 'Entry' or 'Entries') in the Competition.
  7. Entrants must upload their Entries as digital files at www.thepanoawards.com and comply with the following specifications:
    • 6144 by 3072 pixel (equirectangular) image
    • jpegs must be 6144 x 3072, but may have black bands at top and/or bottom
    • sRGB colour space, JPEG quality setting 10
    • no logos, watermarks or nadir caps (blank nadir caps or mirror balls are acceptable)
    • You will be able to set pan and tilt when you upload each entry. However, please test these variables prior to uploading as you will not be able to preview your entry once they have been set.
    • Note: Final images for judging will be produced with Pano2VR software (see www.gardengnomesoftware.com) and you may like to test your settings on this software before entering.
    • Pan is an integer between 0 and 360 (degrees), measured from the center of the equirectangular image (as zero) - remember that it wraps around and increases from right to left
    • Tilt is between -90 and 90 degrees, from straight down to straight up
    • Final image display aspect ratio will be 16:9
    • Initial field of view is set at 60 degrees
    • Zoom limits are set at 30-100 degrees
    • For resources on VR photography, visit www.vrphotography.com, www.worldwidepanorama.org, and www.gardengnomesoftware.com
  8. Judging will be 'blind'. No names or other indicators are allowed in or on the Entry that could indicate who is the author of the Entry.
  9. Entries will be judged by nominated judges. Each Entry will be scored by 5 separate judges.
  10. The judging process is as follows:
  11. Each Entry will be judged in its category and the judges' scores will be averaged to produce a final score
  12. The Entry with the highest final score will be deemed the VR/360 competition winner
  13. In the case of a category tie, the judges' 5 individual scores for each Entry will be added together to produce a score tie calculation. The Entry with the highest score tie calculation will be deemed the winner
  14. In the event that Entries are still tied at the end of the judging process, those images will be re-judged by a further independent judging panel to produce the winner
  15. Winners will be published on-line at www.thepanoawards.com in 2012 on a date to be determined
  16. Judges, sponsors, entry fees and prizes may be changed without notice up to the closing date of the competition.
  17. All EPSON International Pano VR/360 Awards "general terms and conditions" are in the rules of the main EPSON International Pano Awards Open competition.
  18. All terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.

Entries to the 2012 Pano Awards are Now closed.



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