Rules and Regulations

ORGANIZERS AND SPONSORS  

The Contest is organized by the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS), the Imaging Systems Program Management (ISPM) of the Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs) (ADM PA).

WestJet is our proud sponsor for the categories: Military Operations and Military Community Life. Two winners will receive a WestJet voucher for 2 round trip tickets (valid for travel within Canada).

This year, CANEX is our proud sponsor for the Cultural Connections category. 1 winner will receive $1000 in CANEX gift cards.

FREQUENCY AND TIMING

The Canadian Armed Forces Imagery Contest is held annually. Entries will be accepted between 00:01 EST on 1 September and 11:59 EST on 15 October, 2025. 

ELIGIBILITY 

Professional and amateur photographers are welcome to participate.  
 
Members and their families directly associated with the organizing, running, sponsoring or judging of this contest are specifically excluded from participating.

Contestant must be the holder of a CFOne Card. If not already in possession of a CFOne Card, contestants can apply for a FREE card, here. In addition, contestants must indicate on the Entry Form their affiliation with CAF/DND.

CATEGORIES 

Contestants may submit entries to any of the following categories:

Military operations: This category is defined by photos showing military personnel (in uniform) using the tools of their trade at work, on duty, on parade, on exercise, in training, on deployment, or in operations at home or abroad, or photos showing military equipment or vehicles in action, where military personnel may not be clearly visible. 

Military community life: This category is defined by photos of the CAF community from all walks of life, which may include parents, family, children, relationships, pets, models, fashion, people engaged in outdoor or indoor activities, weddings, and vacations. These may be photos of one person or a group of people. 

Cultural connections: Celebrate the diversity of human experience reflected in the many cultures and communities, both at home and abroad. Submissions may showcase celebrations, rituals, everyday life, or collaborative efforts that build bridges across cultures and lived experiences. Whether captured during deployments, exercises, or community outreach, each photo should reflect the shared humanity of our CAF community.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND PREPARATION OF ENTRIES 

• The organizing committee reserves the right to refuse an entry, or modify an image or image title, if the submission is determined to be inappropriate for the intended audience of the CAF Imagery Contest. 
• The organizing committee reserves the right to refuse entry to contestants who use another party’s CFOne card number when entering the contest 
• All entries, without exception, must be submitted as digital files in jpeg file format. All other image formats and printed photos will be rejected. 
• Each unique image can only be submitted once and entered in only one category 
• Entries to the contest must be the original work of the contestant (ex: no photos of a photo, no AI driven images)
• Photos must not have been submitted to a previous CAF/DND Photo Contest 
• Black & white or colour images are accepted in all categories. 
• The subject material of images must be UNCLASSIFIED.  It is the photographer's responsibility to ensure an operational photograph has been approved for submission and publication. 
• The viewable portion of the image must be free of any markings such as: copyright, trademark, photographer/studio name, image numbers, signatures, dates and times.  
• Images must be borderless, no matting or framing is allowed.
• PHOTO TITLES: Each image file must be submitted with a title. Before uploading, assign a title to the file that best represents the image. Upload the image to the correct category ensuring the title is displayed. Ex. ColdMorning.jpeg
   Image file names must be no more than 28 characters, using only letters, numbers and NO special characters. 
• To preserve the highest quality, use the lowest possible amount of compression. 
• Horizontal images must be a minimum of 1800 pixels wide.  
• Vertical images must be a minimum of 1800 pixels tall. 
• Minimum of 1 MB per image submitted.  
• Basic adjustments such as cropping, sensor dust retouching, sharpening, colour correction and tone adjustments (levels, curves, burning/dodging), are allowed in all categories but only to the level needed to reproduce the original scene.

A MAXIMUM OF NINE IMAGES IS ALLOWED PER CONTESTANT.  Contestants may submit a maximum of 3 images to each category. 

ENTRY FORM 

The online entry form is available at: www.cafimagerycontest.ca. Complete the form, upload your images (max 3) ensuring they meet eligibility and photography criteria and submit. 

MODEL RELEASE REQUIREMENTS 

All participants must have Model Release forms signed when the image contains “identifiable” people.  A model release is a signed agreement from the subject(s) which states that the photographer is authorized to publish his/her/their picture.  A sample model release is available here and on the website.  A model release is not normally required if the picture was taken at a military or public event. The photographers’ own model release form will also be accepted.  

The Photographer, at the time of the shoot, must keep in mind the possible future requirement for publication.  In those situations where a model release is required and cannot be obtained, the image will not be published. The photographer is responsible for keeping the original copy of the Model Release form in perpetuity. 

USE OF ENTRIES  

By submitting entries, the contestant agrees that all submissions can be used without further permission, properly accredited, for, but not limited to: 

• Publication in DND, CAF and CFMWS magazines, posters, calendars (including the RCAF Centennial Commemorative calendar for the Your Air Force category), websites and sponsors’ websites, social media approved by the organizing committee;  
• Display at various DND locations and;  
• Any other CAF Imagery Contest promotional material.  

LIABILITY  

In consideration of my participation in or attendance at these Activities, I, on behalf of myself, personal representatives, heirs, spouse, children or assigns, do hereby waive,  release and forever discharge His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by Chief of Defence Staff his Non-Public Property capacity through Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services as appropriate, his officers, servants, agents, employees, volunteers, officials, participants, agents, sponsors  and members of the Canadian Armed Forces, Staff of the Non-Public Funds and the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services, (collectively the “Organization”) from and against all claims and demands, loss, costs, damages, actions, causes of action, suits or other proceedings by whomsoever made, brought, or prosecuted in a manner, related to any loss, property damage, personal injury or death, resulting from, occasioned by or attributable in any way to my acts or omissions resulting from my participation in or attendance at this Activities in any manner whatsoever including, but not limited to, the negligence of the Organization, either collectively or individually. 

JUDGING  

The judging process of the CAF Imagery Contest takes place in several rounds during a 2-week period, from 1 to 15 November, 2025. It involves juries and the associated chain of command and takes place both online and offline (by following government restrictions and guidelines). 

The first jury will meet for the primary vote and be comprised of contest organizers (which includes a professional photographer). Judging will be based on criteria such as photo composition, originality and how well the submission reflects the selected contest category. The jury will narrow down the entries to the top 20 photographs for each category and present them to a chain of command executive committee.  

The top 20 photographs for the Military Community Life and Cultural Connections categories will be presented to 14 CFMWS Executive Board Members in random order. Each member will be able to vote twice and has the option of voting for two different images or using their two votes for the same image. The top two photographs will then be presented to the CFMWS Chief Executive Officer for their final selection of the winning photographs. A similar process will be conducted by Imaging Systems Program Management (ISPM) of the Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs) (ADM PA) for the Military Operations category.

The decisions of the juries and chain of command are final.

PRIZES AND AWARDS  

The prizes are non-transferable and must be accepted as awarded. The prizes are guaranteed to be awarded. By entering the contest, entrants agree to abide by these rules, and the decisions of Imagery contest organizers are final on all matters regarding this contest. The winners will be notified by their chain of command or by e-mail, shortly after they have been identified as winning entries. The winners must sign a declaration and claim form to claim their prize. If a prize is unclaimed the next eligible person will qualify to win it. The winners will receive their prize approximately 30 days from the date the claim form is returned to CFMWS. 

ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNING ENTRIES  

In December, winners will be notified via the email address provided and/or their chain of command, if applicable. In January, the list of winners in all categories will be announced on our social media platforms and published in The Maple Leaf.  

By entering the contest, contestants grant permission to the CAF Imagery Photo Organization to publish their name, city, province, photo(s), video(s), or any likeness and details of their prize(s) for advertising and/or publicity purposes without any additional compensation and winning contestants agree to sign a Declaration and Release Form to this effect. 

INFORMATION AND CONTACT 

Web site: www.cafimagerycontest.ca
Email: recreation@cfmws.com