The following information is for any member considering applying for FIAP distinctions (in particular this year). The requirements for FIAP distinctions were last revised in 2016 and these revisions would have come into effect in January 2022. We have since been informed of a change to the FIAP Distinctions Regulations.
The proposals for change would have been presented during the Congress in India this year and were due to come into force January 1st, 2022.
As this Congress has been cancelled the new rules (DOC 31/2021) can no longer be applied on 1st January 2022 and their implementation has been postponed until they can be presented at the next FIAP Congress, but owing to Covid we don’t know when that will be.
This means there will be no change to existing regulations DOC_011_2016_DistiReg for 2021 or 2022.
The new regulations are marked by their change of focus to encourage photographers to produce and exhibit new works rather than rely on the success of a handful of very successful images to carry their Distinctions application.
I have constructed a spreadsheet where you can see the comparison of the old and new regulations side by side which, for a visual person, can be quite helpful.
If you are intending to apply for FIAP distinctions this year I would advise you to read the rest of this as the new regulations impact on how you prepare your dossier this and next year.
To register your intent to apply for FIAP distinctions this year, contact me:
It doesn't matter if you do not have all your required acceptances yet, this is just to set you on the right track for the upcoming change and to give you the forms and help sheets. I will be sending all completed dossiers to FIAP late October 2021.
Applications in 2021
I emphasise that the new regulations DO NOT apply yet, however they do influence what should be done on applications in 2021/2022.
Here are some of the major changes.
Titles Can Only Be Used on One Application
This is one of the biggest changes. An image can only be cited on one FIAP distinctions application. Once you have put any results for a particular image on a FIAP distinctions application, no results for that same image, can go on another FIAP distinctions application in the future. You can still enter it in salons for PSNZ or any other non-FIAP salon, but you cannot put any results for this image, new or old, on any FIAP distinctions application if you have used that image before. The title is no longer “new”.
No More Than 5 Results Per Image Can Be Listed on an Application
How often do we see the same successful image being entered sometimes in hundreds of salons? Not only does that mean you constantly compete against that image until it is eventually retired, but under the current distinctions rules a large portion of a distinctions application could rely heavily on a large number of results for a few such images.
Such images’ results could also be used for multiple applications. These issues have been addressed in the new regulations.
Under the new rules a maximum of only five results per image can be listed. You might well continue to enter the image in the hope of gaining an award and can choose any five results to list on your application or list less if you wish. This is a maximum not a minimum. You don't have to list all acceptances from a solon on the same application.
Increase in the Number of Countries from Which Results are Gained
These are international honours. It is important that works are internationally successful in many places. This will spread the entries around more and greatly reduce the number of popular salons that get the greatest entry numbers at the expense of the smaller salons. AFIAP applicants will now need to have achieved results in 15 countries and EFIAP to Platinum in 30 countries represented on each application.
Distinctions Certificate Dates No Longer Render Results Unusable
There is no longer any requirement for results to be attained after your EFIAP certificate date when applying for Bronze to Platinum levels and also for those going from EFIAP/p to Diamond.
Under the new regulations an entrant can use results for a particular image on any application regardless of when the salon was held or what certificate dates they have. It is not about when the result is achieved, ONLY whether that title was used on a previous FIAP distinctions application. For example, if you gained an award whilst working on your AFIAP and never placed that image on that application or your EFIAP application, that result could go on your EFIAP Bronze application and be used to submit the image to FIAP as an awarded image. For instance, if you have gained three acceptances with three different images in a salon, you can choose to list one in an application and the other two on a different application. I have given an example of this in the spreadsheet.
No Cumulative Distinctions Levels
There will no longer be cumulative results between any distinction. Each application starts from zero and only lists results for “new titles”, in other words any title that has not appeared in a previous application no matter when it was taken or what salon it came from.
Criteria for EFIAP and EFIAP Levels Bronze to Platinum No Longer Differ
As above, each level requires images not used on a previous application but the criteria are the same for each level. Each time you must come up with 100 images not used on a previous application. Naturally this is a challenge that encourages the production of new images. Each time you must submit to FIAP five of these images that have won awards in different countries to one another, remembering that a circuit only counts as one country so two awarded images in the same circuit can’t be submitted under this criterion on the same application. I have an example of this on the spread sheet.
Print Acceptances No Longer Required for Distinctions Applicants
Under the current regulations AFIAP and EFIAP applicants are required to have gained acceptances with prints in international salons. This requirement was lifted during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the difficulties with posting prints to salons and for print salons to run when the judges could not meet to do the judging. Many galleries were also required to close, making exhibition of the prints, problematic.
In the new regulations, FIAP have completely removed the requirement for acceptances with prints.
Transition Option for EFIAP Silver to Platinum
This enables these applicants to continue to use Section 4 of the current rules until 2024. It is unclear whether this will still be the case now that the new regulations have been extended. Hopefully this will be clarified soon.
Record Keeping
It is essential that you maintain good records of your salon results and your distinctions’ applications. These must now include knowing what images you listed on past FIAP distinctions applications. If you use a spreadsheet such as the one, I show you in the help sheets, you will automatically be able to view your sheet in 'title' order or country order.
It is helpful to have a different font colour for each entry you put in a distinction application.
For example, all AFIAP entries on your 'master spread sheet' can be red (or any colour). Then all entries for your EFIAP in green, etc. Remember to make them black once they have been transferred to your official dossier form.
This way you can see at a glance the titles you have accumulated for that application. If your table is sorted into order according to title, then it is already easy to see if you have used any results for a title on any application.
After assimilating all this, you can see why I am advising applicants this year to avoid listing extra new images on their application unless they are needed to meet criteria that applies to 2021, (especially awarded new images).
In other words, once you have the number of images required for your application to comply with the number of different images needed and number of acceptances needed, hold any other new titles back for the next level for the reasons stated above.
Because you will need more 'awarded images' when the new regulations commence, any spare awarded image this year that is a new title, should be saved for your next application and use another non awarded image for this year instead, if needed.
Reduction in Fees for 2021/2022
Fees for the first FIAP Photographers’ Card will be reduced from 50 to 25 Euros for all applications submitted after June 30, 2021. This reduction will be valid until June 30, 2023. After this date, fees for the first FIAP Photographers’ Card will be restored to the previous level of 50 Euros.
Fees for FIAP distinctions will be reduced from 70 to 60 Euros for all applications submitted after June 30, 2021. This reduction will be valid till June 30, 2023. After this date, fees for FIAP distinctions will be restored to the previous level of 70 Euros.
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