Jury

• 

  Pep Bonet

  • 

  Pep Bonet (Mallorca, 1974) is co-founder of NOOR Images and ambassador of Nikon Europe. Pep is an award-winning Director of Photography and photographer who has traveled capturing profound moments that represent the imbalanced world we live in. His longer-term projects focus on African issues, with his best-known project being “Faith in Chaos,” a photo essay on the aftermath of the war in Sierra Leone. He is also known for his reporting on the rock 'n roll band Motörhead. Pep spent many years (2008-2015) on tour with Lemmy Kilmister, the band's legendary singer, and created a rare visual document of the many hours spent on tour with Motörhead.

  pepbonet.com

• 

  Debora Morrison

  • 

  Debora Morrison has worked with marine life for the last 37 years. In order to gain experience and acquire firsthand knowledge she traveled, attended and presented distinct projects, ideas and expositions at a local, national, european and international level. Debora’s background also includes the rescue and rehabilitation of marine animals, focusing mainly cetaceans, sea turtles and sharks. She currently works at the Palma Aquarium Foundation and whose work focuses on creating and carrying out dissemination campaigns, conservation projects for vulnerable species, environmental education actions and participation programs with different entities that work on the protection and conservation of the marine ecosystems.

• 

  Rafael Fernández Caballero

  • 

  Young photographer who combines creativity and conservation. Recently awarded Underwater Photographer of the Year for 2022. Storyteller of National Geographic Spain magazine on its 25th anniversary. He takes advantage of photography as a tool to disseminate problems that the oceans experience. Rafael Fernandez travel the immersed world from sea to sea. And although he has seen them all, and despite the mistreatment she is given, she continues to fascinate the Mediterranean above all. One of Rafael Fernández Caballero's motivations is to take advantage of photography as a tool to disseminate problems that the oceans experience. He was named storyteller of National Geographic Spain magazine on its 25th anniversary. At only 28 years old, he has had a very extensive career of first-rate international awards and recognitions, including the European Champion and the World Champion of Photography Issued by CMAS and the appointment as Underwater Photographer of the Year in 2022.

• General rules of participation

  • Do I have to upload all my photos at the same time?

    No, you don't. Once you have registered, you can upload your photos whenever it suits you best. This way you can correct mistakes, change photos, etc. When you have finished uploading all your photos and you are happy with the result, don't forget to click on the submit button.

  • I have some great underwater photos from a couple of years ago. Can I submit them?

    You can submit photos taken in the last five years, i.e., you can submit any photo taken after October 2018.

  • How many photos can I submit?

    You can submit a maximum of 20 photos.

  • Can I submit photos taken with my mobile phone?

    Yes, you can submit as a YOUNG PERSON or AMATEUR as long as your mobile phone takes photos with resolutions higher than 10 Megapixels. If your mobile also shoots in RAW format, you can submit as a YOUNG PERSON, AMATEUR, or EXPERT.

  • Can I participate with photos taken with a drone?

    Yes, you can submit as a YOUNG PERSON or AMATEUR as long as your drone takes photos with resolutions higher than 10 Megapixels. If your drone also shoots in RAW format, you can submit as A YOUNG PERSON, AMATEUR, or EXPERT.

  • In which language do I have to write the texts attached to my photos?

    You can write the texts in Spanish, Catalan, or English. Use the language in which you express yourself best.

• Registration

  • I submitted my registration by mistake before finishing it. What can I do?

    Don't worry, it's a common mistake. Write to us at info@marebalear.org with your username and we will reactivate your account so you can correct it.

  • I want to add another photo to my application, but I have already submitted my registration. What can I do?

    Don't worry, this is a common mistake. Write to us at info@marebalear.org with your username and we will reactivate your account so you can add that photo.

  • I am a member of AFONIB and I want to avail of the discount on the competition entry fee. What do I have to do?

    It's easy. When you register, click on AFONIB. You will see a drop-down menu. Enter your membership number and that's it! Your registration will cost you nothing.

  • I am a member of FBDAS and I want to avail of the discount on the competition entry fee. What do I have to do?

    It's easy. When you register, click on FBDAS. You will see a drop-down menu. Enter your membership number and that's it! Your registration will cost you nothing.

  • I am a diver and I am federated, but not in the Balearic Islands. Can I avail of the discount on the competition entry fee?

    Unfortunately, the free registration is only for people who are federated in the Balearic Islands.

  • I did a couple of dives last year with a diving club in the Balearic Islands. The photos I want to submit were taken on that day. Can I avail of the discount on the competition entry fee?

    Yes, as long as the dive centre is on the list of dive centres associated with MARE. Call the dive centre and they will give you a code. When you submit, click on PARTNER DIVER CLUB. You will see a drop-down menu. Enter your code and that's it! Your registration will cost you nothing.

• Participation profiles

  • I am not a photography expert, but I shoot in RAW and not in JPG. At which level should I apply?

    You can apply at the level you think you fit best. You should choose based on your experience and confidence in your photography. We use EXPERT to refer to very high-quality photographic material, taken with cameras working in RAW format. We also recommend visiting the MARE Gallery to see previous submissions and evaluate which profile you fit best.

  • I am not a professional photographer but my photos are very good. Can I apply for the EXPERT level awards?

    You can apply for the level you think you fit best. We use EXPERT to refer to very high-quality photographic material, taken with cameras working in RAW format. We recommend visiting the MARE Gallery to see previous submissions and evaluate which profile you fit best.

  • How do I know my level?

    We recommend taking a look at our website to see the galleries of winners and finalists from previous competitions. This will help you just what level you are at

• Categories

  • Do I have to submit photos for all categories?

    No, you don't have to. You can enter only the categories you are most interested in. For example, you could submit 20 photos to MARE Animalia or you could distribute the 20 photos among the various categories. It's up to you.

  • I have a lot of animal photos and no complaint photos. Can I submit my 20 photos to only one category?

    Yes, you can submit only to the categories you are most interested in, as long as you do not exceed the maximum allowed number of 20 photos.

• Editing

  • Can I digitally process my photograph?

    Digital processing of photographs is not only permitted, but often recommended. The photo should be as true to reality as possible. You can adjust your photo, but you cannot create something new or delete something that exists. You can do adjust the white balance, make level adjustments, reframe, adjust the contrast and saturation, remove spots from the sensor, and so on. You can’t clone, delete, distort dimensions, transform perspective, over-process, overlay, or make double exposures that have not been made in-camera. Photographs submitted to MARE Popularis are not required to meet this criterion.

  • Can I do some minor retouching of framing or colour?

    Your photograph must be as true to reality as possible. You can adjust it, but you cannot create something new or erase something that exists. You can adjust the white balance, make level adjustments, reframe, adjust the contrast and saturation, remove spots from the sensor, etc. You can’t clone, delete, distort dimensions, transform perspective, over-process, overlay, or make double exposures that have not been made in-camera. Photographs submitted to MARE Popularis are not required to meet this criterion.

  • Can the photos be processed or do I have to send the original?

    You can submit your processed photographs as long as they are true to life. If your photo is shortlisted, we will ask you for the original file (either RAW or JPG, whichever your camera stores) to check that any photo editing is within the allowed parameters.

  • Can the original image be reframed/cropped to other proportions, such as squarer or more landscape formats?

    Yes, you can. There is only one condition. The cropped file you have on your computer (not the one you send us to participate, but the original) must weigh at least 10 megabytes without interpolation. If your photograph is selected, we will need a high-quality file to make physical prints for the exhibition.

• Colour of the photographs

  • When I upload the photos to my competition entry, the colours lose saturation. Why is this?

    What the entry tool shows you when you upload your photo is a thumbnail of it; it is not your photo. It is a very low-quality rendition of your photo that is only intended to confirm that you have uploaded the correct one. Don't worry, the jury will see the photo you see on your screen.

  • How can I make sure that the jury sees my photos as I see them on my computer?

    Have your monitor properly calibrated and to submit your photo with an Adobe RGB 1998 colour profile.

  • Is it mandatory to submit my photos in Adobe RGB 1998 colour space?

    It is not mandatory, but it is recommended. The Adobe RGB 1998 colour profile creates a space that encompasses most of the colours that can be printed on a CMYK printer without conversion. This gives us a minimum level of quality that allows us to ensure that we will see your photo as you see it on your computer. Higher colour spaces such as ProPhotoRGB are also allowed.

• Prepare your photos for uploading

  • How do I upload my photos?

    Format: JPG. Size: 1920 pixels on the larger side. Maximum weight: 4 Megabytes. Colour space: Adobe RGB 1998 (recommended, not mandatory). Do not remove the Exif (shooting parameters of the photograph). No watermarks, borders, or captions.

  • I don't know how to prepare the photo for submission. Can you help me?

    Sure! Open your photo with any photo editing program. Open dimensions/photo size or some similar command and type 1920 ppx on the side with the largest number. The size of the other side (the smallest) should change automatically. If it hasn't changed, look on the screen next to those numbers for a picture of a paper clip. Click on it to have the proportions automatically adjusted. Save this file in Adobe RGB 1998 colour profile (this is recommended but not mandatory). Click on ‘Save file as jpg’ and change the compression rate until it is less than 4 Megabytes.

  • I can't resize the picture to 1920 pixels with my computer. What do I do?

    There are free online programs that allow you to do this. One that works quite well is https://www.adobe.com/es/express/feature/image/resize. You only have to register, but it is free forever.

  • My images are larger than the guidelines. How do I transform them?

    Don't worry, it's very simple. Open your photo with any photo editing program. Open dimensions/photo size or some similar command and type 1920 ppx on the side with the largest number. The size of the other side (the smallest) should change automatically. If it hasn't changed, look on the screen next to those numbers for a picture of a paper clip. Click on it to have the proportions automatically adjusted. If you don't use any editing software, don't worry. There are free on-line programs that allow you to do this. One that works quite well is https://www.adobe.com/es/express/feature/image/resize. You only have to register, but it's free forever. When you have your file resized, click on ‘Save file as jpg’ and change the compression ratio until it is less than 4 megabytes.