Challenge Rules

1. Eligibility

• Open to all individuals aged 18 and above.
• You must create an account to participate.
• One account per person — duplicate accounts will be disqualified.

2. Photo Requirements

• Original work only — the photo must be taken by you personally using a camera or smartphone. You must be the sole copyright holder.
• No AI-generated images — photos created or substantially modified by AI tools (Midjourney, DALL·E, Stable Diffusion, etc.) are strictly prohibited and will result in immediate disqualification.
• Minimal editing allowed — basic adjustments (exposure, contrast, cropping, color correction) are fine. Heavy compositing, adding/removing subjects, or AI-enhanced manipulations are not permitted.
• Photos must be in JPEG, PNG, or WebP format, max 10 MB.
• No watermarks, logos, or borders on the submitted photo.
• No offensive, violent, or illegal content.
• No photos containing personally identifiable information of third parties without consent.

3. Submission Process

• Choose an active theme/challenge to submit to.
• Upload your photo, then pay the entry fee to complete your submission.
• Provide a title and optional description for your photo.
• Each submission is reviewed by our admin team before it goes live for voting.
• You may submit multiple photos to the same theme (each requires a separate entry fee).

4. Review & Approval

• Every photo is reviewed by an admin before being published.
• Photos may be rejected for: AI generation, copyright infringement, offensive content, not matching the theme, or violating any rule above.
• Rejected photos will include a reason. Entry fees for rejected photos are not refunded.

5. Voting

• Only registered users can vote.
• Each user gets one vote per photo (toggle on/off).
• You cannot vote for your own photos.
• Vote manipulation (fake accounts, bots, etc.) will lead to disqualification.
• Voting is open until the theme's voting deadline.

6. Prizes

• Prize pool is dynamic — it grows with every new participant. 60% of actual entry fees collected go into the prize pool.
• 1st Place: 40% of the prize pool (default; may vary per challenge).
• 2nd Place: 20% of the prize pool (default; may vary per challenge).
• 3rd Place: Free entry to the next challenge (no cash prize).
• Remaining 20% of the pool covers platform operations.
• In case of a tie, the photo submitted first wins.
• Winners will be contacted via their registered email.
• Prize money is paid out within 30 days of the voting deadline.
• Entry fee is $2.00 USD / ₹200 INR as standard (may vary per challenge).

7. Intellectual Property

• You retain full copyright of your photos.
• By submitting, you grant PicChallenge a non-exclusive license to display your photo on the platform for the duration of the challenge and in winner announcements.

8. Disqualification

We reserve the right to disqualify any participant who:

• Submits AI-generated or heavily AI-manipulated images.
• Uses multiple accounts to vote or submit.
• Infringes on another person's copyright.
• Engages in any form of cheating or vote manipulation.
• Violates any of the rules stated above.