01. The contest
The Lions Club Seregno AID Ets, based in Seregno (MB), with the sponsorship of Lions Acqua per la Vita MD108 and the Gruppo Solidarietà Africa, organizes the ninth edition of the “World Water Day Photo Contest” (#WWDPHC).
The contest is organized in conjunction with UN Water’s World Water Day to raise awareness of the critical importance of water in our time, particularly regarding access to potable water.
The proceeds from the project will go towards the international co-financing grant “Water is Life 2026”.
02. Theme
The Contest is open to all photography enthusiasts and supporters of environmental issues. The title of the campaign is ‘Water’s Role in Gender Equality’, aiming to highlight how water is not just a natural resource, but a powerful lens through which gender inequalities can be observed.
All photographs featuring water as the protagonist are accepted, taken with any type of device: camera, smartphone, tablet, drone, or action camera. The photos may be in color or black and white.
Digital post-processing to optimize an image is allowed, and images can be slightly cropped, but key elements of the composition cannot be added or removed. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, and color balance are acceptable. Retouching of dust spots, minor elements, etc. is permitted. Images can be sharpened before printing. Post-processing techniques that could realistically be achieved in a darkroom will be accepted, but jurors have the discretion to reject any entry that they believe has been overly manipulated, thereby compromising the integrity of the original image. Participants who are listed in the final round are requested to submit the RAW/original camera files of their photographs for nomination..
The World Water Day Photo Contest does not accept AI-generated photos; only photos taken and post-processed by the photographers themselves are permitted.
The competition categories are:
– Single photos themed “Water’s role in gender equality” (Main category)
– Single photos themed “Water Landscape”
– Storytelling: A section themed “Lives by water” with the opportunity to submit sets of photos, thematic photography projects, storytelling, photo reportage, and storyboards that have water as their common element. Projects must consist of 6 to 12 photos with a short description, preferably in English.
03. Registration
By registering and entering the WWDPHC you hereby accept these Terms and Conditions The contest begins on November 17, 2025, and ends on March 1, 2026.
To participate, simply register on the “Participate” section of the website www.worldwaterday.it (users already registered in previous years can log in with the same credentials), pay the registration fee, and upload the files.
For the “Themed Photos” sections, the registration fee is 15 euros for two photos, plus 5 euros for each additional photo.
For the “Storytelling” section, the flat fee is 35 euros regardless of the number of photos (minimum 6, maximum 12).
Files must be in .jpg format and less than 10 MB each.
04. Awards
Prizes are not cumulative and will be divided as follows:
– THEMED PHOTOS “WATER’S ROLE IN GENDER EQUALITY”
1st place: 1,500 euros + title of “World Water Day Photo Contest 2025 Overall Winner”
2nd place: 750 euros
3rd place: 400 euros
– THEMED PHOTOS “WATER LANDSCAPE”
1st place: 450 euros
2nd place: 250 euros
3rd place: 150 euros
– STORYTELLING
1st overall: 750 euros
2nd overall: 350 euros
3rd overall: 200 euros
– OTHER PRIZES
1st Place “Glacier Preservation”: €250
1st Place “Young Photographer”: €150
1st Place “Leo/Lions Club Member”: sponsor’s prize
In the event of a tie, prizes will not be doubled but will be equally divided
SPECIAL MENTIONS
The jury will also award the following special mentions:
Honorable mention best from Oceania, Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, Italy
Honorable mention best from aerial
Honorable mention best from underwater
Special mentions do not entitle recipients to cash prizes.
If additional prizes are made available by the contest sponsors after the contest has opened and before the jury’s final vote, participants will be informed and the prizes will be added to this section of the rules
05. Exhibitions and publications
The best photos selected by the jury will be included in the World Water Day Photo Contest traveling collective exhibition titled “World Water Day Photo Contest | Travelling Exhibition.” These exhibitions will be held from April 2026 to February 2027 in Italy and worldwide in locations ensuring good public attendance.
The winning photos will be published on the contest website, social platforms, and through the channels of contest partners such as UN Water or Lions Acqua per la Vita MD108.
06. Jury
Photos will be evaluated at each stage by a prestigious international jury composed of professionals from the photography sector The judges will only see the title and caption of the photos; the evaluation will be anonymous without information about the participants.
Sponsors, partners, and organizers are not part of the jury.
Photos will be judged for visual impact, composition, originality, technical quality, creativity, and ability to convey a message, feeling, or emotion.
The best photos/storytelling in each category will be chosen based on the scores assigned by the jury. Finalists will be selected based on the total number of points received and passed to the final evaluation stage.
The jury’s decisions are final and irrevocable.
07. Payment methods
he registration fee can be paid electronically through the channels indicated on the contest website. For other payment methods (PayPal / bank transfer), contact the organizers at: info@worldwaterday.it.
08. Copyright
Each participant retains moral and intellectual property rights over their works.
Lions Club Seregno AID will have the non-exclusive right to use the winning/selected.
Lions Club Seregno Aid reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify and remove any photograph that does not comply with the following requirements, even after the photograph appears on the website. You warrant, in respect of the photographs submitted by you, as follows:
- You are the sole copyright owner and creator of the photographs.
- You have the right to enter your photographs in this competition.
- The photograph does not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, contract rights, or any other intellectual property rights of any third person or entity, or violate any person’s rights of privacy or publicity
- You confirm that each person depicted in the photograph has granted permission to be portrayed as shown – and has the right to grant that permission. mages to promote the non-profit activities of the association, always citing the author.
09. Language
The rules are drafted in Italian and English. In case of discrepancies, the English version will prevail.