International Competitive Photo Exhibition with Caving Theme
1. Organizers
- Slovak Speleological Society
- State Nature Conservancy of the SR – Slovak Caves Administration
- Slovak Museum of Nature Conservation and Speleology (SMOPaJ)
- City of Liptovský Mikuláš
2. Conditions of Participation
- Any photographer who meets the conditions of these rules may take part.
- Participation is free of charge.
- Submission limit: Each author may submit a maximum of 5 photos per category (10 photos total per author).
- Jury members and organizers are excluded from the competition.
3. Competition Categories and Prizes
Category A: Cave Beauty
- Focused on the aesthetics of underground spaces, karst decoration, and details.
- Condition: Photo title must be in English, along with the country and type of karst/locality.
- Note: We emphasize cave protection. You do not have to provide cave names if the location is sensitive. However, it is important to state the karst type and country to give a deeper idea of the site’s uniqueness.
Category B: Speleomoment + Story
- Reportage photography from caving activities, exploration, and expeditions.
- Condition: Each photo must be accompanied by a textual story (max. 5,000 characters).
- Goal: To offer the public a deeper experience and understanding of the demanding nature of speleology and speleophotography. The author may describe the complexity of technical execution, the context of the event, thank the team, or convey the emotion of the captured moment.
Awards
- In each category, the 3 best works will be awarded.
- Speleofotografia 2026 Grand Prize: Absolute winner selected by the expert jury.
- Public Award: Based on voting on social networks.
4. Technical Requirements and How to Enter
- Format: Exclusively via the online competition form at speleofotografia.sss.sk.
- Technical requirements: Minimum 3,000 px on the longer side,
.jpgformat, max. 5 MB. - LANGUAGE (IMPORTANT):
- Photo titles and location data (country, karst type) MUST be in English.
- The accompanying story for Category B may be in Slovak or English.
5. Legal Provisions
- By submitting the form, the participant declares authorship and agrees to free use of the works for promotion of the competition. Personal data is processed in accordance with GDPR.
6. Schedule and Jury
- Deadline for entries: September 15, 2026.
- Judging: From October 1, 2026. Results will be published gradually on the website and social networks according to the progress of the expert committee.
- Jury composition:
- Awards ceremony: November 2026, SMOPaJ Liptovský Mikuláš.