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PHOCUS 2K23 WILL START ON 6 MARCH AND END ON 4 JUNE 2023!
From 4 february 2023 it will be possible to send photos and videos for the contest! CLICK HERE TO SEND YOUR MEDIA!
The preliminary verdicts and the works that have passed the nominations for the final prizes will be released on this site a few days after the contest end. The final verdicts will be announced at the end of July 2023 (30th July) through the event "Phocus Awards 2023” (follow us on our social pages for all the news). All preliminary verdicts will be accompanied by an exhaustive comment from our jury.
The media sent directly by photographers or videomakers take part in the nominations for the two final prizes (Best Absolute Photo and Best Absolute Video).
It isn't mandatory to send all the media at the same time, indeed you can send the work during all the duration of the contest.
You can send photos and videos only using the appropriate page on this site (Upload media).
*** WARNING ***
Phocus is a competition that relies heavily on the quality of the shots and videos (not on 'likes', the followers will not be able to vote for all the photos and videos subscribed, our followers will only be able to vote in the Instagram tournament and vote among the 20 photos and 10 videos finalists). This means that our jury will search for the absolute quality of a photo or a video. For example, sending a selfie with stands of a "comics and games festival" in the background will certainly not lead to any awards. You are still free to send us all the shots and videos that you want and that you like, no one will be excluded. Indeed we are pleased that our mean can give global visibility to your photo or video and can lead to friendships and correspondences between people of different nations, as happened in some cases. It will make us extremely happy and proud of the work done! The jury will make decisions in the most professional way possible. Sometimes they will be painful decisions but the quantity and quality of the photos and videos to be analyzed will be really huge and, being a competition (and a game above all), not everyone will be able to win. We apologize in advance with those who will not win and we invite them to participate in the next edition for a new attempt!
WHEN I CAN SEND PHOTOS OR VIDEOS? WHERE SHOULD I SEND THEM?
From Saturday 4 February 2023 it will be possible to send photos and videos for the contest via (and only with) the relative form available on this site. Your work will be visible online on our official Facebook page (for photos section) and on Youtube (for the video section) exclusively for our followers from 25 February 2023!Follow us @phocusproject
HOW MANY PHOTOS AND VIDEOS CAN I SEND?
Are you cosplayers? Maximum 4 photos and 2 videos throughout the contest.
Are you a photographer or videomaker? Maximum 4 photos and 2 videos throughout the contest.
Are you a cosplayer but also a photographer/videomaker (amateur or professional)? Maximum 8 photos and 4 videos throughout the contest (4 photos + 2 videos where you are the protagonist and 4 photos + 2 videos where you are behind the camera).
WHAT KIND OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ARE ACCEPTED? AND WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED FORMAT FOR THE MEDIA?
Phocus is a competition open to cosplayers and photographers/videomakers (professionals or amateur). Works regarding the world of cosplay are accepted (including original characters/costumes or the so called "original" versions). Sending jobs at the highest quality and resolution possible is always a good action for the jury. We can't accept photos or videos containing nudity, obscenity, vulgarity or violence.The maximum size allowed for a single photo is 90MB.
The videos can't exceed 5 minutes (of effective video, credits excluded from the count) and the file sent must not exceed 2GB in size. You have total freedom on the creation, in fact it can be a classic "cosplay music video", a minifilm, a funny video, a video with lots of special effects, a trailer of your character, etc. We can't accept videos of the creation of costumes/accessories or the interpretation during a cosplay contest.In the case of spoken moments in a video, use your mother language but remember the internationality of the jury and therefore any subtitles (in English) are welcome.
WHERE CAN I SEE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS?
After the upload, you will find your works on the "Check the media" page on this site.
All photos will also be featured on our official Facebook page.
All videos will also be featured on our official Youtube channel.
On our official Instagram channel you will find during each week a summaries of the best works received, the so called "Best of the day" and "Best of the week".
WHAT IS THE CORRECT PROCEDURE TO SEND A PHOTO OR A VIDEO?
Through the form you can find on this site in the "Upload Media" page. That's the only way to send us a photo or a video. We don't accept photos and videos sent via direct emails or via social platforms. It's possible to send one file at a time. A single photo maximum size is 90MB, while for the videos is obligatory to upload the file on the free platform "WeTransfer" sending us the link of your file (through the media submission form on this website) so that we can download it. 2GB is the maximum size allowed on the WeTrasfer system. WeTransfer is also available as an app for Android or iOS. We prefer Wetransfer, but in case of need, we also accept videos sent with platforms other than Wetransfer.
CATEGORIES OF THE CONTEST:
The expected categories of the whole contest remain the "Best Photo" and the "Best Video" and they are the two that will assign the two final super prizes but for the rest there are no specific categories in competition. Photos and videos will be reviewed on our website and at the end of July 2022 will be released the final TOP20 for photos and the final TOP10 for videos. The jury as in the last editions will evaluate in a technical way photos and videos from various cosplay themes with characters coming from different worlds VIDEOGAMES, ANIME/MANGA, FILMS, ANIMATION FILMS, MARVEL/DC SUPER HEROES, FANTASY, HORROR, STEAMPUNK, COUPLES/GROUPS or more technical topics such as DIGITAL ART & SPECIAL FX to continue on the photographic discourse with the beloved close-ups or even in the world of video with the assignment of special mentions such as "best audio editing", "best actor/actress" etc. etc. a sort of Phocus Oscar! Please read our Phocus Magazine (of the previus edition) for other infos.
THE PHOCUS TEAM AND THE JUDGING METHODS
For the photo contest: At the end of the competition, our jury will review the 50 (approximately) best photos in the competition in Phocus Magazine 2023 and announce the 20 finalists, from here the discussion will split into 3. The Phocus jury will have a 50% weight and will assign scores (points from 1 to 20 multiplied by two) according to their ranking, then we will ask all 20 finalist photographers to draw up a TOP20 with a 25% weight (you will not be able to vote for yourself and the score will range from 20 points for the best photo, 18 for the second to the last who will get 1 point, if you want, you can send us small reviews of your top 3 places), finally, the our followers, via a special page on our website or on Instagram, will also evaluate the 20 finalist photos with a weight of 25% (the most voted photo will get 20 points, the second 19 and so on until you get to the least voted photo that will get 1 point). At the end, we will calculate all the scores decreeing the real final ranking.
In the event of a tie, it will be the Phocus Team's ranking that has the greatest impact on the final ranking.
For the video contest: A similar system to that explained above for the photos, our jury at the end of the contest will review in Phocus Magazine 2023 a maximum of 20 videos going on to announce the 10 finalist videos, from here the discussion will split again into 3 with votes by our jury, the 10 finalist videomakers (you will not be able to vote for yourself and the score will range from 10 points for the best video, 8 for the second to the last who will get 1 point, if you want you can send us small reviews of your top 3 places) and the our followers (scores from 1 to 10 depending on the place in the ranking). At the end, we will collect all the votes by adding them up and deciding on the winning video.
The votes of the finalist photographers and videomakers will not be made public by us (at their discretion may publish them on their social networks), in case of an exact tie in the score between 2 photos or 2 videos it will be the jury of the Phocus Project that will decide which one is ahead in the ranking (based on its ranking).
The Phocus Team has grown a lot since the last edition ended, we have received numerous proposals for collaboration, some historical members have left for personal reasons and life choices and new ones have joined with a lot of energy. The Phocus Team currently consists of 13 members, of which the 7 technicians (photo/video) are designated for the technical jury. As our rules state, the team as well as the jury will again be secret, the technical jury is made up of industry experts who are professionally involved in the image industry across Europe and for the first time a new jury member will be advising us from the USA. The Phocus Team jury will again ensure that the results of this 2023 edition are as impartial and professional as possible and will have a weight of around 50% on the final decisions.
WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?
This year we doubled the money prize! Two economic prizes! A jackpot of 200€ each will be awarded (one for the best photo and one for the best video). In addition, two beautiful crystal trophies will be awarded, one for the best photographer and one for the best video maker (personalised crystal trophies made by one of our partners). The trophies will be sent free of charge worldwide.
All winners of our competition (including reviews and final Tops) will be published on this site and our social pages. The economic prizes will be released by the end of the year 2023 and will go to the winning photographer and video maker, who in turn and at their discretion may share the prizes with the cosplayers featured in their works (50% of the prize money will be a voucher to be used on the website of our partner Saal Digital, thank you for your support!). The remaining part of the money prizes will be released via Paypal (where possible) or alternatively you can request a voucher of the remaining value to be used in an online store or a physical store at your discretion. At least 50 photos and 5 videos must be in the competition for the economic prizes to be awarded.
A special prize (for both photographer and cosplayer in the photographic section of the contest) will also be awarded for the public's favorite photo (a tournament will be opened at the end of the contest on our official Instagram page @phocusproject). The prize for the Instagram tournament will be chosen on the Etsy platform and will be themed to the winning photo wherever possible. Etsy is a virtual world of exceptional artists from all over the world, we love to support all forms of art and Etsy is the place for us! The chosen prize will be shipped free of charge worldwide.
HOW THE FINAL PHASE WILL BE STRUCTURED?
Sunday 4th June 2023 will be the last day to send photos and videos and this is the program of ending phase:
SUNDAY 3rd JULY 2023
Release of the Phocus Magazine 2023, with reviews of the best photos and videos from this edition and the announcement of the finalists. Final voting begins between the Phocus Team, photographers/videomakers finalists and our followers.
SUNDAY 23rd JULY 2023
End of voting by the our followers and finalist photographers/videomakers.
SUNDAY 30th JULY 2023
Phocus Awards 2023. Announcement of the final results and release of the relative rankings and winners of the economical prizes. The award ceremony "Phocus Awards 2023" will be a completely online event.
SATURDAY 12nd AUGUST 2023
Beginning of the tournament on our Instagram profile among the 128 selected photos (in 1vs1 fights), a fun way to keep in touch with all of you and show once again some of the best photos of this edition!
These dates may be subject to change according to various logistic needs.
Follow us on socials for all the announcements!
INSTAGRAM TOURNAMENT: STRUCTURE AND DATES:
Starting on August 12, 2023, a tournament will begin on our official Instagram profile among the 128 selected photos (in 1VS1 fights). There will be 3 elimination stages to then arrive at the last 16 remaining photos that will play for the final title through the Round of 16, the Quarterfinals, the Semi-finals and the Final to be held during October 2022.
The tournament will take place on our Instagram Stories, in 1VS1 fights with voting by the public, all by direct elimination. The staff will control the smooth running of the contest. It is not accepted the use of bots or other systems to increase the votes. The contest must be sporting, sincere and fair. The staff will intervene in case of situations to be verified. Follow us on our official page! https://www.instagram.com/
WILL THE SUPER PRIZES BE ANNOUNCED DURING THE PHOCUS AWARDS CEREMONY?
Yes, as always the final super prizes and any special awards will be revealed during the Phocus Awards, a digital event that will take place on our social platform at the end July, 30th july 2023.
I HAVE SENT MY MEDIA AND THE DATA REQUIRED...AND NOW?
When you send a media you receive an automatic mail as confirmation in the mailbox indicated in the form (if you don't receive it, please check your SPAM folder!). You will ALWAYS receive an email for each media sent! Starting from 25th February 2023 your photos will be uploaded here or on our official Facebook page. Like our page and stay connected with us! Your videos, instead, will be uploaded on our YouTube channel! Follow us also on Instagram! The best works will be published weekly and exclusively there!
After the sending, your work will be uploaded online within 24/72 hours from the receipt, don't be alarmed if you don't see them published immediately as we receive a huge amount of requests. They will anyway be online within the time indicated. At the same time, we will also send your works to the jury that will often meet during the contest for all the final decisions and verdicts.
CAN I TAG ON THE PHOTOS? CAN I SHARE IT?
Absolutely yes, the tag of the photographer and cosplayer in the picture is very important for you! Your photos are uploaded online very quickly (within the timing indicated in the previous question), therefore look for your picture on our Facebook page and tag yourself, so that it will be easier to find it in the future and you will be able to follow the comments and likes more naturally! You can also tag other people and share where you want your photo or video. You will find all the videos on our Youtube channel! However remember: this contest is NOT a "like contest", so tag and share your work with others without obsession and respecting everyone, taking the genuine likes and comments on your works is much more beautiful, fun and useful than the obsession of appearing! Our organizational team will also take care of the sharing and the promotion of the entire contest throughout the world. We are also on Instagram! Share your work using the hashtag #phocus #phocusproject and tag our page @phocusproject
I HAVE SENT A PHOTO/VIDEO BUT I DON'T LIKE IT. CAN I SEND A REMOVAL / REPLACEMENT REQUEST?
Sure! During the contest, photos and videos can be deleted/replaced. The request must be done from the one who sent the photo and/or the video. In the shortest time available, our team will make the required changes/cancellations. Send a request (in Italian and/or in English language) to the email address info@phocusproject.com with the subject "Media removal/replacement". This is the only way to request a change or cancellation of a previously sent media. The removal/replacement will be performed in the shortest time possibile and you will receive a confirmation once done.
I'M UNDERAGE AND I WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE OR I WOULD LIKE TO SEND A MEDIA WITH AN UNDERAGE COSPLAYER. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
It is possible to participate with photos and videos of underage cosplayers. Obviously you must have the permission of the cosplayer and/or parents. The Phocus team will not respond to any abuse for photos or video with underage cosplayers put online and used by third parties in an illicit manner.
CAN PHOTOS / VIDEOS HAVE LOGOS?
Of course, the logo of the photographer/videomaker and/or cosplayer or the series of origin of the character is allowed. Photos and videos may NOT have logos of other "comics and games" or cosplay events, the rule of common sense applies to this topic. Don't use anyway too much invasive logos or writings that could damage the fruition of your work by our jury.
HOW WILL MY PERSONAL DATA AND MY MEDIA BE MANAGED?
To participate in the contest you will need to send us some of your data, obviously not all of them are mandatory. The mandatory data (highlighted by an asterisk) include for example the cosplayer's nickname, the name of the photographer and the various info of the characters. All the optional data are also important but will be used (by us) simply for better management of the contest, organizational and statistical results. We will respect the privacy rules of all the countries into the contest. All sensitive data will not be published online, will not be shared or sold to third parties, will not be saved online and will be completely deleted at the end of the contest. Your privacy is important for us! Even for media sent in HD format (or standard quality) photographic or video are worth the same rules, the media will not be shared or sold to third parties, they will be used only by the organizational staff on their web space or on the social spaces of the contest for promotional and celebratory post. The photos could be printed and the videos projected in special thematic events or exhibitions organized and managed by the Phocus Team in various locations or situations around the world, all appropriately with the relative credits.Some photos may be printed for promotional initiatives or for sale in charity occasions or fundraising initiatives for the management activities of the Phocus Project (calendars, photo books, etc.etc.). Your videos uploaded to our YouTube channel will never be edited or monetized. For any commercial use of a media the original author will always be contacted for approval. Your media will never be used for commercial purposes without the permission of the original author. Anyone who sends a media declares to have read and accepted the complete regulation visible on this page. He/she declares that doesn't will have nothing to request in economic terms, image terms or any other nature from the Phocus Team for the use of the media sent and used in the manner illustrated in the regulation. In case of commercial interest or other interests for your media, you will be contacted in advance by our staff.
I WANT SUPPORT THE PHOCUS TEAM OR I NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU?
You want support Us? You need additional information? Do you have any problems? WE ARE HERE! You can write an email to info@phocusproject.com. If possible write in English or Italian language. The technical staff will reply as soon as possible to your request. Please do not send photos or videos to this mail!