Organization
The competition will be organized by the Göreme Municipality.
Subject and Purpose
The subject of the competition is “Cappadocia and Horses”. Cappadocia is a visually powerful region known as the “Land of Beautiful Horses”, where geography and horses integrate. The competition is organized to document this harmony through the art of photography and produce impressive visuals.
Categories
The competition consists of a single category: Digital Color.
Conditions
1. Participation in the competition is free of charge.
2. The competition is open to all amateur and professional photographers aged 18 and over, excluding first-degree relatives of the selection committee.
3. Each participant can participate with a maximum of 5 (five) digital color works.
4. Photographs must be taken in Göreme and surrounding valleys.
5. Photographs must be submitted via e-mail with a minimum short side of 2400 pixels, 300 dpi resolution, in JPEG format, and with a quality value of 12. Photographs with tampered EXIF data will be disqualified.
6. Acceptable adjustments such as color, sharpness, dust removal, and contrast can be made in the photograph; however, adding/removing objects is forbidden and the documentary structure must not be compromised.
7. Photographs using collage or HDR techniques are not accepted.
8. Panoramic photographs are only accepted if they consist of real images taken within the same time frame.
9. The participant undertakes that the photographs belong to them and that they have obtained the necessary permissions.
10. Photographs must be taken exclusively on July 3-4-5, 2026. In case of using images belonging to someone else, all responsibility lies with the participant.
11. It is assumed that the people appearing in the photographs have given shooting and publishing consent. The participant is responsible for any disputes that may arise.
12. Award-winning photographs and those deemed worthy of exhibition will remain in the Göreme Municipality archive and may be used free of charge on all platforms and prints, with the author's name credited.
13. The participant accepts that they will not make any claims for rights or receivables due to these terms.
14. Prizes will be deposited into the bank accounts notified in writing by the rightful owners. If account information is not provided, the right to the prize will lapse after 1 year. In case of expiration, the rightful owner cannot claim any prize or copyright.
15. In matters not specified, the decisions of the Göreme Municipality and the jury shall apply.
16. The Organizing Committee is authorized to make any changes, including rule changes in the specifications, program changes, evaluation, and awarding, as deemed necessary in solving problems and uncertainties.
17. Photographs produced without permission from someone else's staging-setting arrangement will be left to the evaluation of the selection committee upon complaint. The award place will be left vacant. This situation does not grant any rights to other participants.
18. Participants must follow the Instagram accounts @goremebelediyesi and @kapadokyaatfestivali and share their photos with the hashtag #atfestivalifotosafari2026.
19. High-resolution versions of the photographs must also be sent to atfestivalifotosafari@gmail.com. Photographs not uploaded to Instagram and not sent by e-mail will not be evaluated.
20. Photographs can be taken with a camera, drone, or mobile phone.
21. Participants must apply to the registration desk in the festival area to register and receive a badge. The registration desk is open on July 3-4 from 10:00 to 17:00, and on July 5 from 09:00 to 10:00.
22. Photographs taken without registration will not be accepted into the competition.
23. Photographs generated or edited with artificial intelligence are not accepted.
24. The participant undertakes not to harm any living being during the shoot.
25. The participant is responsible for their own health and safety throughout the competition.
26. Those who participate in the competition are deemed to have accepted the provisions of the specification.
Naming and Submitting Works
1. The names of the photographs to be submitted via e-mail will be marked with the participant's photo safari registration number. (Example: 025-1)
2. In applications with multiple photographs, the photos must be given a sequence number and name. (Example; 025-1, 025-2…)
3. Photographs must be unmounted and without borders. There should be no information regarding the participant's identity such as name, logo, date, etc., on the photograph.
4. Photographs must be shared on Instagram and sent to atfestivalifotosafari@gmail.com no later than July 5, 2026, at 12:00. Applications made after this date will not be evaluated. Submissions made by other means will not be accepted; therefore, Göreme Municipality and the Organizing Committee cannot be held responsible.
5. Photographs to participate in the competition must be sent with a resolution of 300 dpi, in JPG/JPEG format, with a minimum short side of 2400 pixels, and a compression quality of 12. Each photo file must not be smaller than 2 MB.
Copyright and Usage Rights of Works
1. The participant gives prior consent for their award-winning, exhibition-worthy, or purchased photographs to be used in Göreme Municipality publications, provided that the author's name and the title of the work are stated. (Names cannot be used in collages or graphic works made with the photographs.)
2. The participant agrees that they grant permission to Göreme Municipality to use the reproduction, processing, representation, public transmission, and publication rights of their works that win a prize or are eligible for exhibition, in accordance with the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works No. 5846 and related legislation. No new consent is required for this permission.
3. The participant irrevocably accepts, declares, and undertakes that they will not withdraw the permission given for works used in this manner, will not prevent the use of the work, and will not make any financial or moral claims due to this permission/consent.
Organizing Institution
Göreme Municipality
Jury Members
Nuri ÇORBACIOĞLU - AFIAP, Photographer
Kadir ÇİVİCİ - Photographer
Mustafa TERZİ – Göreme Municipality Press Officer
Competition Calendar
Competition Deadline: July 05, 2026, at 12:00
Jury Meeting: July 05, 2026
Announcement of Results: July 05, 2026
Prizes
First Place: 30,000 TL
Second Place: 20,000 TL
Third Place: 10,000 TL
Evaluation and Announcement of Competition Results
1. The competition results will be announced on the official website of Göreme Municipality www.goreme.bel.tr, the official website of the Cappadocia Horse Festival www.atfestivali.com, and social media accounts. The prizes will be presented to the winning participants at the ceremony and exhibition to be held.
2. The prizes of the winners who cannot attend the ceremony will be sent to the personal bank account/IBAN numbers notified in writing by the rightful owners after the announcement of the competition results. If the rightful owner fails to send the bank account/IBAN number and the documents requested by the Organizing Committee, the prize amount will lapse at the end of 1 (one) year from the date of result notification. In this case, the rightful owner cannot make any claims for prizes, copyrights, etc.
3. The Organizing Committee and Göreme Municipality have the discretion to hold or not to hold an award ceremony and photo exhibition.
4. The ranking deemed worthy for the works submitted by the participants will be determined by the discretion of the Selection Committee. If no works are deemed worthy of an award by the Selection Committee, the relevant rank will be left vacant.
Validity
1. This specification enters into force upon the submission of the competition photographs by the contestant.
2. With participation, contestants are deemed to have read and accepted the provisions of the specification.
3. Contestants do not have the right to subsequently object to the provisions of the specification.
Contact / Secretariat
Göreme Municipality 0384 271 20 01